CONFIMRED - David Meyler

[From Despair To Where?]

They've both got a year on their contracts, I think.

[Hound]

quick google suggests Meyler currently doing UEFA B coaching badges. Bit of a stretch maybe, but suggests the kind of leadership character PC is surely after in that midfield]

Also maybe why its gone a bit quiet on the news front after being splashed everywhere a few days ago

[Whitley]

Meyler is exactly the sort of player we need midfield, he's experienced and a leader. Something we lack massively in our midfield.

Would be a great signing for us

[leon]

Meyler is exactly the sort of player we need midfield, he's experienced and a leader. Something we lack massively in our midfield.

Would be a great signing for us

We massively need leaders in this team - it was utterly spineless and without character last season

[Snowflake Royal]

Well, yeah, if you want to be over simplistic. But it's pretty clear Edwards and Berg hage different responsibilities when playing.

Yeah, Edwards runs around and Joey kicks things whereas Meyer can run around AND kick things.

I get your point that they are all very different players but I see it as a Moneyball situation. We need to streamline the squad. Meyler offers more and is 4 years younger.

Not against Meyler, clearly we need some work in midfield. I actually quite like Berg and Edwards.

Berg clearly struggles at this level and just doesn't really have the pace or acceleration for it. But I like the way he tries to play when in the middle of the pitch.

Edwards, isn't that bad at all. Not someone you want doing defensive work around your own box, he's more the midfielder who'll link midfield and attack, hitting the box late and supporting the striker. I think in a team that was playing better and played in such a way as to work with that style (ie getting in behind for crosses and pull backs, with some knockdowns from the striker as well) I think he'd be fine. He doesn't really do anything special, but he's also reasonably solid... again, except for when lunging in like a loon in his own box.

I don't think either should really be first choice, maybe Edwards... but they're useful squad players still, and seeing as we're likely stuck with them for another year, it's probably worth accepting that.

The real frustrating thing is our transfer policy. For years we've been buying players who don't actually complement what we're trying to achieve. It's like each signing is bought in a vacuum based solely on availability and individual talent... no grand plan. Something that Coppell and Hammond excelled at. They worked to a strategy, bought stop gaps where they had to, but moved them on once they found the right piece.

[NewCorkSeth]

Well, yeah, if you want to be over simplistic. But it's pretty clear Edwards and Berg hage different responsibilities when playing.

Yeah, Edwards runs around and Joey kicks things whereas Meyer can run around AND kick things.

I get your point that they are all very different players but I see it as a Moneyball situation. We need to streamline the squad. Meyler offers more and is 4 years younger.

Not against Meyler, clearly we need some work in midfield. I actually quite like Berg and Edwards.

Berg clearly struggles at this level and just doesn't really have the pace or acceleration for it. But I like the way he tries to play when in the middle of the pitch.

Edwards, isn't that bad at all. Not someone you want doing defensive work around your own box, he's more the midfielder who'll link midfield and attack, hitting the box late and supporting the striker. I think in a team that was playing better and played in such a way as to work with that style (ie getting in behind for crosses and pull backs, with some knockdowns from the striker as well) I think he'd be fine. He doesn't really do anything special, but he's also reasonably solid... again, except for when lunging in like a loon in his own box.

I don't think either should really be first choice, maybe Edwards... but they're useful squad players still, and seeing as we're likely stuck with them for another year, it's probably worth accepting that.

The real frustrating thing is our transfer policy. For years we've been buying players who don't actually complement what we're trying to achieve. It's like each signing is bought in a vacuum based solely on availability and individual talent... no grand plan. Something that Coppell and Hammond excelled at. They worked to a strategy, bought stop gaps where they had to, but moved them on once they found the right piece.

The problem with Berg is he panics in possession quite a bit. He gets the ball, takes it 2 steps forward and then holds out his arms because nobody has moved where he expected or wanted them to and usually will under or over hit the pass.

It's a shame his skill doesn't match his desire. He's like Rudy from that film Rudy...

Edwards just didn't seem to fit into any formation. He was either quietly fine or loudly awful. There were a few games in the first half of the season where I couldn't recall a single thing he did during the game. Bit like Evans only the bad times were much worse.

[genome]

Well that came out of nowhere!

Can I say...

First with the news

[CountryRoyal]

Guessing this signals the end of our interest in McNair, if it even existed in the first place.

[Muskrat]

Read a couple of pages, looks good

And he apparently thinks Adkins is a knob, so he must be a good guy.

That seals the deal for me, I'm IN for this signing. Just needs a song now

[Hound]

Excellent. Yeah thought all had gone quiet there

Good signing

[muirinho]

Read a couple of pages, looks good

And he apparently thinks Adkins is a knob, so he must be a good guy.

That seals the deal for me, I'm IN for this signing. Just needs a song now

As well as thinking Adkins is a knob, he wound up Parjudas so much he got headbutted.

I don't think I've ever been more IN.

[Old Man Andrews]

Very meh signing but I'll give him a chance.

[Sutekh]

Confimred

https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/football/44377568

2 year deal.

[Hound]

Much more sensible contract length and arrangement there as well

Think a lot of this signing is about getting some sort of leader in the middle of the park. Clement clearly feels (correctly) we were very soft mentally last year

Yiadom, Meyler and O Shea all appear to be much stronger characters. Hopefully a bit for flair can be added (Maddison maybe) and some of the deadwood removed

[Snowflake Royal]

Happy with this one, good second signing to follow Yiadom. ALways good to have someone solid if unspectacular in midfield to do the dirty work and hold things together. Evans must surely move on now... is that two or three years without making a significant impact on the first team? Berg, Bacuna and now Meyler brought in ahead of giving him a sign of favour.

[Millsy]

I don't know how good this guy is but pleeeeeeease let's not repeat Stam's error of believing ten 1/10 players is the same as one 10/10 player!

He brought in so many average midfielders but seemingly forgot we can only play a certain number at a time.

*If* (and I don't know) he's no better than what we have then as has been suggested let's please aim higher if we need yet another midfielder that is.

[Hound]

We definitely need to try to ship out some dross (Edwards, Evans, Joey spring to mind)

[JimmytheJim]

He’s really good at Fifa.

Therefore I’m IN.

[Royalwaster]

I don't know how good this guy is but pleeeeeeease let's not repeat Stam's error of believing ten 1/10 players is the same as one 10/10 player!

He brought in so many average midfielders but seemingly forgot we can only play a certain number at a time.

*If* (and I don't know) he's no better than what we have then as has been suggested let's please aim higher if we need yet another midfielder that is.

This guy is a DM and exactly the kind of player we need - hope I'll never see Joey in a Reading shirt again.

[Lower West]

Another free transfer. Another strong character. A known quantity. Not some foreign hopefull. Solid business.