Yakou Meite - the first poor signing by Bulut?

[Keyser Soze]

It seems that so far, Bulut is making a quietly impressive start in terms of his approach. He is trying an innovative system of inverted full backs with football that is easy on the eye, but still appreciating the value of having defenders who can attack and defend the set piece. With the transfer embargo chains put on him, the early signs are that he is trying to do something different by looking in different markets for value. The Greek defender Goutas looks promising. Ike Ugbo with pace and power looks like he could be potentially very interesting. And he is trying out the youth - in the friendlies at least. Regardless of our financial constraints at least we have a coach that is thinking in an original way and being creative. So far, he is making his presence felt and is doing things his way. That means the forthcoming season will at least be interesting.

But when I first saw this signing I cannot hide my feelings. My heart sank. Due to having friends nearby I have been to watch Meite play for Reading. One of my mates really rates him. Admittedly it has only been three games but I have not seen anything to make me remotely interested. Some people say he is a hard worker. That is not what I have seen. His skills levels are not that great, even if he is a physical lump. He often gives the impression of waiting for the ball to come to him. And for a team that, without Kaba, will largely be relying on Robinson for goals, the one thing we need is a confident goalscorer. Max Watters is an absolute failure in front of goal. Ike Ugbo is interesting, but at the moment a risk. But at least he has shown he can score 1 in 2 goals-per-game ratio at a few clubs. Isaac Davies is exciting, but as yet unproven. Etete, with a season under his belt, and alongside Robinson or the French lad may improve on the promise of late last season. We do not even know if Colwill will be a regular. So other than Robinson we do not have a proven double digit goalscorer in this division. We need a second striker with a goal scoring pedigree.

So Bulut chooses Yakou Meite. A nice guy by all accounts. But then again, so was my uncle after five beers. A player with a low availability due to injuries. In seven seasons his best goal haul was 17 goals. He has scored 42 goals in 156 games for Reading. Not a goalscoring ratio that gets me hard. What else before? 5 goals in 24 games for Sochaux. 2 in 24 for Paris St Germain B - hardly a challenging level. 1 in 8 for Reading U21s. These are not striking statistics that get you excited. What he is good at is taking on a player occasionally with his footwork, but his final decision making is erratic. Don' take my word for it. Here is a Reading fan's opinion after seven years.

https://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com...ding-fc-royals

https://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com...stinger-royals

This isn't a player with potential but one that is now supposed to be in his prime. There is one caveat. He prefers to play on the wing, and on that account you can let the 1-in-4 strike statistics slide perhaps, if he produced that for us from the wing. But with his injury record this is the last guy you want helping by sprinting up and down the touchline to help out. Would a better fitness & conditioning coach make a difference? Who knows - long shot. But if forced to make a guess and a call: I am going to say this one will be a dud.

Being a decent fella, I hope he proves me wrong and I still wish him luck.

[ToTaL ITK]

i think you have over thought this

[MOZZER2]

i think you have over thought this

agreed

[Harry Paget Flashman]

Have his signings played yet?

[SuisseBluebird]

I think this is a very good signing and helps tick a box for options in attack for the club. As stated he can operate on the wing as well as a forward, so the flexibility that helps to provide for a match day squad is welcoming.

42 goals in 156 appearances is a decent return in my books. Especially when you consider Reading struggled in the last 2 seasons culminating with their relegation. If you look at his overall goal contributions over minutes played 42 goals, 8 assists in 9201 minutes. He averages a goal contribution every 2 games. He's not Alexander Mitrovic but not many players are in the Championship and for me those are solid returns on a player Cardiff are bringing in on a free.

Concerns around his fitness are warranted and I hope he can spend more time on the pitch than in the physios room but only time will tell.

I personally wish him all the best and look forward to seeing him play.

[The Bloop]

I'd rather sign Meite with that record in the Championship, than a player with a better ratio at League 2 level, especially under our current restrictions.

[rich munn]

It seems that so far, Bulut is making a quietly impressive start in terms of his approach. He is trying an innovative system of inverted full backs with football that is easy on the eye, but still appreciating the value of having defenders who can attack and defend the set piece. With the transfer embargo chains put on him, the early signs are that he is trying to do something different by looking in different markets for value. The Greek defender Goutas looks promising. Ike Ugbo with pace and power looks like he could be potentially very interesting. And he is trying out the youth - in the friendlies at least. Regardless of our financial constraints at least we have a coach that is thinking in an original way and being creative. So far, he is making his presence felt and is doing things his way. That means the forthcoming season will at least be interesting.

But when I first saw this signing I cannot hide my feelings. My heart sank. Due to having friends nearby I have been to watch Meite play for Reading. One of my mates really rates him. Admittedly it has only been three games but I have not seen anything to make me remotely interested. Some people say he is a hard worker. That is not what I have seen. His skills levels are not that great, even if he is a physical lump. He often gives the impression of waiting for the ball to come to him. And for a team that, without Kaba, will largely be relying on Robinson for goals, the one thing we need is a confident goalscorer. Max Watters is an absolute failure in front of goal. Ike Ugbo is interesting, but at the moment a risk. But at least he has shown he can score 1 in 2 goals-per-game ratio at a few clubs. Isaac Davies is exciting, but as yet unproven. Etete, with a season under his belt, and alongside Robinson or the French lad may improve on the promise of late last season. We do not even know if Colwill will be a regular. So other than Robinson we do not have a proven double digit goalscorer in this division. We need a second striker with a goal scoring pedigree.

So Bulut chooses Yakou Meite. A nice guy by all accounts. But then again, so was my uncle after five beers. A player with a low availability due to injuries. In seven seasons his best goal haul was 17 goals. He has scored 42 goals in 156 games for Reading. Not a goalscoring ratio that gets me hard. What else before? 5 goals in 24 games for Sochaux. 2 in 24 for Paris St Germain B - hardly a challenging level. 1 in 8 for Reading U21s. These are not striking statistics that get you excited. What he is good at is taking on a player occasionally with his footwork, but his final decision making is erratic. Don' take my word for it. Here is a Reading fan's opinion after seven years.

https://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com...ding-fc-royals

https://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com...stinger-royals

This isn't a player with potential but one that is now supposed to be in his prime. There is one caveat. He prefers to play on the wing, and on that account you can let the 1-in-4 strike statistics slide perhaps, if he produced that for us from the wing. But with his injury record this is the last guy you want helping by sprinting up and down the touchline to help out. Would a better fitness & conditioning coach make a difference? Who knows - long shot. But if forced to make a guess and a call: I am going to say this one will be a dud.

Being a decent fella, I hope he proves me wrong and I still wish him luck.

Goodness, I wish I knew as much as you about everything.

[RichardM]

Too Long Didn't Read
But, I've seen him playing for Reading against City and thought "we need someone like this".

[2b2bdoo]

So your reading fan mate rated him but you don’t from 3 games?

[islandblue]

Think he's a great signing. A massive upgrade on Mark Harris.

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

Think he's a great signing. A massive upgrade on Mark Harris.

Absolutely

[SLUDGE FACTORY]

i think you have over thought this

Agreed

It's always going to be difficult to judge but he's got pretty good stats

[Heathblue]

It seems that so far, Bulut is making a quietly impressive start in terms of his approach. He is trying an innovative system of inverted full backs with football that is easy on the eye, but still appreciating the value of having defenders who can attack and defend the set piece. With the transfer embargo chains put on him, the early signs are that he is trying to do something different by looking in different markets for value. The Greek defender Goutas looks promising. Ike Ugbo with pace and power looks like he could be potentially very interesting. And he is trying out the youth - in the friendlies at least. Regardless of our financial constraints at least we have a coach that is thinking in an original way and being creative. So far, he is making his presence felt and is doing things his way. That means the forthcoming season will at least be interesting.

But when I first saw this signing I cannot hide my feelings. My heart sank. Due to having friends nearby I have been to watch Meite play for Reading. One of my mates really rates him. Admittedly it has only been three games but I have not seen anything to make me remotely interested. Some people say he is a hard worker. That is not what I have seen. His skills levels are not that great, even if he is a physical lump. He often gives the impression of waiting for the ball to come to him. And for a team that, without Kaba, will largely be relying on Robinson for goals, the one thing we need is a confident goalscorer. Max Watters is an absolute failure in front of goal. Ike Ugbo is interesting, but at the moment a risk. But at least he has shown he can score 1 in 2 goals-per-game ratio at a few clubs. Isaac Davies is exciting, but as yet unproven. Etete, with a season under his belt, and alongside Robinson or the French lad may improve on the promise of late last season. We do not even know if Colwill will be a regular. So other than Robinson we do not have a proven double digit goalscorer in this division. We need a second striker with a goal scoring pedigree.

So Bulut chooses Yakou Meite. A nice guy by all accounts. But then again, so was my uncle after five beers. A player with a low availability due to injuries. In seven seasons his best goal haul was 17 goals. He has scored 42 goals in 156 games for Reading. Not a goalscoring ratio that gets me hard. What else before? 5 goals in 24 games for Sochaux. 2 in 24 for Paris St Germain B - hardly a challenging level. 1 in 8 for Reading U21s. These are not striking statistics that get you excited. What he is good at is taking on a player occasionally with his footwork, but his final decision making is erratic. Don' take my word for it. Here is a Reading fan's opinion after seven years.

https://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com...ding-fc-royals

https://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com...stinger-royals

This isn't a player with potential but one that is now supposed to be in his prime. There is one caveat. He prefers to play on the wing, and on that account you can let the 1-in-4 strike statistics slide perhaps, if he produced that for us from the wing. But with his injury record this is the last guy you want helping by sprinting up and down the touchline to help out. Would a better fitness & conditioning coach make a difference? Who knows - long shot. But if forced to make a guess and a call: I am going to say this one will be a dud.

Being a decent fella, I hope he proves me wrong and I still wish him luck.

I was going to go to a few games this year, you've put me off now.

[Keyser Soze]

I was going to go to a few games this year, you've put me off now.

I’ll go to more fhen 😂 Joking aside, I think he will be a bench boy. Impact. Cameos. That ia my guess.

[BLUETIT]

It seems that so far, Bulut is making a quietly impressive start in terms of his approach. He is trying an innovative system of inverted full backs with football that is easy on the eye, but still appreciating the value of having defenders who can attack and defend the set piece. With the transfer embargo chains put on him, the early signs are that he is trying to do something different by looking in different markets for value. The Greek defender Goutas looks promising. Ike Ugbo with pace and power looks like he could be potentially very interesting. And he is trying out the youth - in the friendlies at least. Regardless of our financial constraints at least we have a coach that is thinking in an original way and being creative. So far, he is making his presence felt and is doing things his way. That means the forthcoming season will at least be interesting.

But when I first saw this signing I cannot hide my feelings. My heart sank. Due to having friends nearby I have been to watch Meite play for Reading. One of my mates really rates him. Admittedly it has only been three games but I have not seen anything to make me remotely interested. Some people say he is a hard worker. That is not what I have seen. His skills levels are not that great, even if he is a physical lump. He often gives the impression of waiting for the ball to come to him. And for a team that, without Kaba, will largely be relying on Robinson for goals, the one thing we need is a confident goalscorer. Max Watters is an absolute failure in front of goal. Ike Ugbo is interesting, but at the moment a risk. But at least he has shown he can score 1 in 2 goals-per-game ratio at a few clubs. Isaac Davies is exciting, but as yet unproven. Etete, with a season under his belt, and alongside Robinson or the French lad may improve on the promise of late last season. We do not even know if Colwill will be a regular. So other than Robinson we do not have a proven double digit goalscorer in this division. We need a second striker with a goal scoring pedigree.

So Bulut chooses Yakou Meite. A nice guy by all accounts. But then again, so was my uncle after five beers. A player with a low availability due to injuries. In seven seasons his best goal haul was 17 goals. He has scored 42 goals in 156 games for Reading. Not a goalscoring ratio that gets me hard. What else before? 5 goals in 24 games for Sochaux. 2 in 24 for Paris St Germain B - hardly a challenging level. 1 in 8 for Reading U21s. These are not striking statistics that get you excited. What he is good at is taking on a player occasionally with his footwork, but his final decision making is erratic. Don' take my word for it. Here is a Reading fan's opinion after seven years.

https://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com...ding-fc-royals

https://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com...stinger-royals

This isn't a player with potential but one that is now supposed to be in his prime. There is one caveat. He prefers to play on the wing, and on that account you can let the 1-in-4 strike statistics slide perhaps, if he produced that for us from the wing. But with his injury record this is the last guy you want helping by sprinting up and down the touchline to help out. Would a better fitness & conditioning coach make a difference? Who knows - long shot. But if forced to make a guess and a call: I am going to say this one will be a dud.

Being a decent fella, I hope he proves me wrong and I still wish him luck.

You wanna get yourself a hobby

[Wales-Bales]

FFS Guler was on the market and we went for Meite

[Harry Lime]

How's that Wagner thing going Mr Oracle?

[Dorcus]

What a load of shit

[WJ99mobile]

FFS Guler was on the market and we went for Meite

Do you know we didn’t enquire for Guler, whoever he is

[Carl Dale's Mole]

This is just a multi that’s gone fishing right?

[Doucas]

He's been here 2 minutes, give him a chance..

[bigjoe]

Well let's hope he's not his third.

[Taunton Blue Genie]

Too Long Didn't Read
But, I've seen him playing for Reading against City and thought "we need someone like this".

Not good at reading? It says he was not good at Reading.

[the other bob wilson]

It seems that so far, Bulut is making a quietly impressive start in terms of his approach. He is trying an innovative system of inverted full backs with football that is easy on the eye, but still appreciating the value of having defenders who can attack and defend the set piece. With the transfer embargo chains put on him, the early signs are that he is trying to do something different by looking in different markets for value. The Greek defender Goutas looks promising. Ike Ugbo with pace and power looks like he could be potentially very interesting. And he is trying out the youth - in the friendlies at least. Regardless of our financial constraints at least we have a coach that is thinking in an original way and being creative. So far, he is making his presence felt and is doing things his way. That means the forthcoming season will at least be interesting.

But when I first saw this signing I cannot hide my feelings. My heart sank. Due to having friends nearby I have been to watch Meite play for Reading. One of my mates really rates him. Admittedly it has only been three games but I have not seen anything to make me remotely interested. Some people say he is a hard worker. That is not what I have seen. His skills levels are not that great, even if he is a physical lump. He often gives the impression of waiting for the ball to come to him. And for a team that, without Kaba, will largely be relying on Robinson for goals, the one thing we need is a confident goalscorer. Max Watters is an absolute failure in front of goal. Ike Ugbo is interesting, but at the moment a risk. But at least he has shown he can score 1 in 2 goals-per-game ratio at a few clubs. Isaac Davies is exciting, but as yet unproven. Etete, with a season under his belt, and alongside Robinson or the French lad may improve on the promise of late last season. We do not even know if Colwill will be a regular. So other than Robinson we do not have a proven double digit goalscorer in this division. We need a second striker with a goal scoring pedigree.

So Bulut chooses Yakou Meite. A nice guy by all accounts. But then again, so was my uncle after five beers. A player with a low availability due to injuries. In seven seasons his best goal haul was 17 goals. He has scored 42 goals in 156 games for Reading. Not a goalscoring ratio that gets me hard. What else before? 5 goals in 24 games for Sochaux. 2 in 24 for Paris St Germain B - hardly a challenging level. 1 in 8 for Reading U21s. These are not striking statistics that get you excited. What he is good at is taking on a player occasionally with his footwork, but his final decision making is erratic. Don' take my word for it. Here is a Reading fan's opinion after seven years.

https://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com...ding-fc-royals

https://thetilehurstend.sbnation.com...stinger-royals

This isn't a player with potential but one that is now supposed to be in his prime. There is one caveat. He prefers to play on the wing, and on that account you can let the 1-in-4 strike statistics slide perhaps, if he produced that for us from the wing. But with his injury record this is the last guy you want helping by sprinting up and down the touchline to help out. Would a better fitness & conditioning coach make a difference? Who knows - long shot. But if forced to make a guess and a call: I am going to say this one will be a dud.

Being a decent fella, I hope he proves me wrong and I still wish him luck.

i read both of the links and the second one wasn't critical of Meite. As for the first one, I think it's a bit unfair considering so much of his time out injured was due to an ACL injury which, in essence, means a season out for the player. There's been a City player who suffered an ACL injury in each of the last three seasons and in each case it's occurred in an innocuous situation - Sean Morrison and Joe Bennett were not injury prone players by any description before their ACLs and I'm not aware of Jamilu Collins being one either. Any claim that only "injury prone" players suffer with ACL injuries is just not true.

Two other things, according to this;-

https://www.soccerbase.com/players/p...layer_id=85331

Meite scored forty seven goals for Reading in one hundred and sixty five appearances in all competition with fifty seven of them being as a substitute - even when you count all of those sub appearances as full ones, his scoring rate is much better than one in four and I'm sure that if you counted actual playing time, his scoring rate would be something like one in three or maybe even slightly better than that.

I'd say all three of our signings so far could fall into the could go either way category, but, only one of them has a proven record in the Championship and that's Meite - I struggle to see how you could rate Ugbo as more likely to succeed than him.

The second thing is that, in just short of sixty years of supporting the club, there has not been a single player whose scoring rate, or general play for that matter, got me "hard".

[Harry Paget Flashman]

in just short of sixty years of supporting the club, there has not been a single player whose scoring rate, or general play for that matter, got me "hard".

Some have put me off the mood if anything.