CONFIRMED - Yakou Meite

[Zip]

He is our best striker and should be first choice. We knew that in the summer when we pissed away £12 million as well.

He is under estimated by a lot of our supporters. He needs to start on Tuesday night if available.

[Victor Meldrew]

He is our best striker and should be first choice. We knew that in the summer when we pissed away £12 million as well.

But our manager thinks he is a wide man and not a central striker.

[URZZZZ]

He is our best striker and should be first choice. We knew that in the summer when we pissed away £12 million as well.

But our manager thinks he is a wide man and not a central striker.

Why I agree with him is firstly, it gives us an outlet when we’re being pressed higher up the pitch. Predominantly, CB’s are taller than LB’s and in the case of Tuesday, Meite should beat Joe Bryan every single time in the air

He’s also a lot better facing towards goal than with his back to goal. His touch is poor with his back to goal and hence he struggles with the hold up play. I do appreciate Joao and Puscas have also struggled with this which is why I advocated giving Baldock a go (again, unlikely)

Where he worked well as a striker last year were games on the counter. We could play it into the space so he was running onto the ball, rather than holding it up. But it looks like we’re trying to play a 4-2-3-1 with possession rather than playing on the counter, which is why he’s a lot better off on the right side IMO

[Snowflake Royal]

He is our best striker and should be first choice. We knew that in the summer when we pissed away £12 million as well.

He is under estimated by a lot of our supporters. He needs to start on Tuesday night if available.

He needs a run of 4/5 games with the same players around him in the same position.

[SCIAG]

He’s also a lot better facing towards goal than with his back to goal. His touch is poor with his back to goal and hence he struggles with the hold up play. I do appreciate Joao and Puscas have also struggled with this which is why I advocated giving Baldock a go

But Baldock is probably the worst striker at the club when it comes to hold-up play.

If anything, Baldock down the left, Meite down the right, Puscas through the middle.

[Royalwaster]

He is our best striker and should be first choice. We knew that in the summer when we pissed away £12 million as well.

He is under estimated by a lot of our supporters. He needs to start on Tuesday night if available.

I have no faith in him at all ... see him as an impact sub ... his first touch and decision making is poor, but he's good when he comes on 2nd half and brings something a bit different.

[royalp-we]

The way I see Meite is raw pace and great at heading or getting on the end of a cross. Definitely good enough to be starting. Personally think he lacks the skill and technical ability of Puscas and Boye when taking a player on; and Joao is better at holding the ball up.

We have a great mix of forward players with Loader too and it’s up to Gomes to make things work. After spending the cash he should have an idea of our strongest form of attack by now really. How long do you give things before it’s no longer a work in progress? Because I’m sure the Chinese will get bored of that rhetoric before long.

[Snowflake Royal]

The way I see Meite is raw pace and great at heading or getting on the end of a cross. Definitely good enough to be starting. Personally think he lacks the skill and technical ability of Puscas and Boye when taking a player on; and Joao is better at holding the ball up.

We have a great mix of forward players with Loader too and it’s up to Gomes to make things work. After spending the cash he should have an idea of our strongest form of attack by now really. How long do you give things before it’s no longer a work in progress? Because I’m sure the Chinese will get bored of that rhetoric before long.

What Meite brings you is commitment and desire. He's a big old bull in a china shop. Yes his technique is a bit lacking, but he'll put himself about. He'll attack, take people on, rough up defenders and have a go.

I think him and Puscas would have a field day attacking crosses and pull backs from some decent wingers. Shame we don't have any.

We're back in the doldrums. And what you need to get out is not flash Charlie's withal poor attitude and work ethic who turn up one game in six. What you need are committed, positive triers.

And that's why I'd have the first names on the team sheet as Morrison, Rinomhota and Meite. A core spine of players who will get stuck in, play simple, play direct and play hard.

[WoodleyRoyal]

The way I see Meite is raw pace and great at heading or getting on the end of a cross. Definitely good enough to be starting. Personally think he lacks the skill and technical ability of Puscas and Boye when taking a player on; and Joao is better at holding the ball up.

We have a great mix of forward players with Loader too and it’s up to Gomes to make things work. After spending the cash he should have an idea of our strongest form of attack by now really. How long do you give things before it’s no longer a work in progress? Because I’m sure the Chinese will get bored of that rhetoric before long.

What Meite brings you is commitment and desire. He's a big old bull in a china shop. Yes his technique is a bit lacking, but he'll put himself about. He'll attack, take people on, rough up defenders and have a go.

I think him and Puscas would have a field day attacking crosses and pull backs from some decent wingers. Shame we don't have any.

We're back in the doldrums. And what you need to get out is not flash Charlie's withal poor attitude and work ethic who turn up one game in six. What you need are committed, positive triers.

And that's why I'd have the first names on the team sheet as Morrison, Rinomhota and Meite. A core spine of players who will get stuck in, play simple, play direct and play hard.

A rare agreed

[RoyalBlue]

I feel that tieing players to 4 or 5 years deals like Meite and Swift has very few benefits. The players motivation, hunger and standards will decrease as they know they are guaranteed to be on a big contract for years to come. The efforts of the players have been questioned for the past few seasons and dishing out long term deals to most players doesn't help as players will be happy to come to the club just for the contract being offered.

That really isn’t the way that top sports people think. If they did, they probably wouldn’t have reached the levels they have. They’re professionals, hardworking and naturally very competitive. They want to win and be the best. Whilst there may be the very rare exception to the rule, to suggest they get comfortable and stop trying because they’re on a good long contract is generally nonsense.

[muirinho]

I feel that tieing players to 4 or 5 years deals like Meite and Swift has very few benefits. The players motivation, hunger and standards will decrease as they know they are guaranteed to be on a big contract for years to come. The efforts of the players have been questioned for the past few seasons and dishing out long term deals to most players doesn't help as players will be happy to come to the club just for the contract being offered.

That really isn’t the way that top sports people think. If they did, they probably wouldn’t have reached the levels they have. They’re professionals, hardworking and naturally very competitive. They want to win and be the best. Whilst there may be the very rare exception to the rule, to suggest they get comfortable and stop trying because they’re on a good long contract is generally nonsense.

Yup, agree with this. And you often hear in interviews with footballers on how they want to feel settled at a club. It's part of treating footballers like humans rather than pieces on a chess board.

Same as any other kind of work really - if you've ever worked for an aggressive boss in a stressful work environment under threat of redundancy - could you honestly say that's when you've done your best work?

[biff]

Mathieu Manset v2

[Hendo]

Mathieu Manset v2

I mean, you're wrong, but ok.

[Old Man Andrews]

Meite was very good at the back end of last season and literally won us games on his own so he has a lot of credit in the bank with me.

[Coppells Lost Coat]

Meite was very good at the back end of last season and literally won us games on his own so he has a lot of credit in the bank with me.

Yep this. Very much took games by the scruff of the neck and dragged the team with him at times.

Meite offers us something a bit different. On goal kicks, if we stick him furthest up the pitch means we wont be squeezed so much in the middle as oppos defenders will have something to worry about if it does go long.
We need some brute strength up top, we have some very technical players but up against championship CBs they will just stylishly knock them out of the game.

[Millsy]

Yeah he's good I like him but first choice has to be P&J.

Just stick with them, let them develop their partnership rather than all this ridiculous chopping and changing FFS.

[morganb]

Meite was very good at the back end of last season and literally won us games on his own so he has a lot of credit in the bank with me.

It was his combination with Barrow that worked well, shame he's now gone

[Hound]

Yeah he's good I like him but first choice has to be P&J.

Just stick with them, let them develop their partnership rather than all this ridiculous chopping and changing FFS.

Its a tough call. I think Puscas, Joao and Meite all need a run to be most effective. YM has shown a number of times he really only gets going after 4 or 5 games. He rarely seems to be effective off the bench.

I wouldn't be against giving Puscas and Meite a run together. But then I think Joao will come good also if he gets a spell to work out a chemistry with Puscas as well.

Either way, agree chopping and changing every match is helping no one much

[Hendo]

Meite was very good at the back end of last season and literally won us games on his own so he has a lot of credit in the bank with me.

It was his combination with Barrow that worked well, shame he's now gone

Don't get the Barrow love, when he was here people would get incredibly frustrated with him/his end product. But now he is gone, I have seen a lot of people saying it is a shame he has gone.

[muirinho]

Meite was very good at the back end of last season and literally won us games on his own so he has a lot of credit in the bank with me.

It was his combination with Barrow that worked well, shame he's now gone

Don't get the Barrow love, when he was here people would get incredibly frustrated with him/his end product. But now he is gone, I have seen a lot of people saying it is a shame he has gone.

Well that's pretty common isn't it? You remember the highlights reel. I reckon in general, people have fonder memories of players with limitations, then they had love for them at the time.

It's a bit similar with comparing our players with those from other teams - if you're not watching the player week in week out, the things they do wrong are less frustrating, the things they do right are more exciting.