IT IS still early days for Reading FC and Paul Clement, but I have been mightily impressed with the new manager’s approach so far.

Last season was not good enough. Too many players lacked fighting spirit, fitness seemed to be an issue and a string of injuries saw players being forced to play out of position.

People are already judging Clement on those last eight games but, given what he inherited from Jaap Stam, keeping Reading up was a notable achievement.

Royals were stuck in a mudslide and they were only going in one direction - down to the third-tier.

Having met Clement a few times now, I am starting to get a feel for what he’s about.

He is an man of integrity, he's passionate and he's a winner. He does not come across as the kind of manager who would ever be happy with just a point.

He has spoken at great length about the style of play he wants to introduce. He wants his players to attack the opposition, none of this build out slowly from the back, dominate 80 per cent of possession without a single shot on target which infuriated so many supporters during Stam's reign.

Clement is confident he can achieve this, with the right signings of course.

He is determined to bring in more firepower - something fans have been crying out for a long time.

I, like many others, questioned the club's decision to send Andrija Novakovic back to Holland for another season on loan.

The boy looks a real talent and clearly has a keen eye for goal. I felt he deserved a chance to compete for a place in the first team but, if Clement brings in the two strikers he wants, I can see the benefits of the Novakovic deal which will give him plenty of game time instead of being fourth or fifth choice here.

Reading target Marc McNulty lacks any Championship experience, but the Coventry City striker is a goalscorer.

The last striker Royals poached from the lower leagues was Adam Le Fondre, and that worked out quite nicely.

Personally, I would like to see Royals bring McNulty in. He's a natural finisher who will be determined to prove himself at Championship level and he will be relatively cheap.

Clement's transfer business has been good so far with three, experienced players arriving all on free transfers.

Andy Yiadom provides competition for Chris Gunter at right-back. The ever-present Gunter featured in just about every minute of every game last year. He is an incredible athlete, but he can't afford to be complacent. Having a player of Yiadom’s calibre to push him can only be a good thing.

Clement wants to win promotion with Reading, having previously knocked on the door with Derby County before he was prematurely axed, some would argue.

Here at Reading he has an opportunity to prove he is more than just Carlo Ancelotti’s trusted right-hand man.

I think David Meyler is another shrewd signing.

He's athletic, competitive, loves a tackle and has won promotion from the Championship to Premier League twice before with Hull City and Sunderland..

He knows what it takes to get out of this league and he is exactly the kind of player Reading need. It could be the biggest coup Royals have pulled off since the signing Danny Williams, a player I greatly admired.

The capture of John O’Shea was always going to divide opinions. At 37, and on the back of two successive relegations with Sunderland, it could be viewed as a risky signing.

Reading Chronicle:

David Meyler trained with Reading for the first time this week.

But I seem to remember some supporters writing Yann Kermorgant off because of his age. They soon changed their rune when he banged in 19 goals in a season.

O’Shea has Premier League, Champions League and international experience. He’s played on the biggest stages and won just about everything there is to win in football.

I had a lengthy chat with former Reading striker Noel Hunt recently about O’Shea. He was very complimentary about his leadership abilities and his passion for the game.

O'Shea's best years maybe behind him, but he is still hungry for success and his presence around the club could pay dividends for Clement.

So these next six weeks before the season starts - against Derby of all teams - will be massive for Clement.

There is a lot of work still to be done.

But, if Clement signs a couple of striker and the players buy into hi philosophy, I predict a far better season ahead.

I'll be covering Reading's opening pre-season friendly at Eastleigh tomorrow from 12pm.

Follow @chroncourtney on Twitter for live updates.