Luke Shaw: Saints are the club for me

Luke Shaw is the programme star this weekend, and has also done a ten-minute exclusive feature for SaintsPlayer, listed below - imagine people will like to discuss...


SaintsPlayer feature: http://www.player.saintsfc.co.uk/latest-news/article/3529438


[video=youtube;GG1GERe6M8o]https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=GG1GERe6M8o[/video]



DTLW

 

He's a lovely lovely lovely lad.

(he's "legal" now, right?)

 

I don't think you're his type.

 

But he's safe.

 

Amazing how he has changed physically in a year. He came over more eloquently in the video than I expected. Glad he loves it here...nice that not all youngsters want to move on as soon as they are old enough to leave the house alone.

 

Don't think that this week's news will hurt on that account, either...playing for Saints clearly doesn't impede one's international career.

 

The full interview really is a good watch, very likeable young man.

 

The other thing is that, being inside, Luke has taken on the ambition of the club. He has no emotional baggage like a lot of us fans do, so he says... Champions League, why not..? Whereas, a lot of us fans don't even believe it, backed up by a media which constantly suggests that the best a little club [no disrespect of course, but we're going to anyway] like ours can do is Europa League. Well we know what the club thinks about the Europa League.

So why on earth would Luke want to go elsewhere, when he is at the perfect club to play for..?

 

He says he is still living in digs and goes up to see his family a couple of times a week. We need CBK or a younger lady to make sure he settles firmly in 'Ampshire.

 

I have two cousins about his age.

 

"Who has been the biggest help to you over the last year?"

"Erm...lots of people really but, probably Foxy."

Thank god he hasn't taught him anything defensively...

 

Yes, that came as a slight surprise to me, but good for Fox if he has helped Luke.

 

Yea, absolutely. I probably came across a bit badly there. Obviously, Fox is a liability at full back in a defensive sense, but he does seem a good guy and a team player. Good to see him support rather than sulk about Luke playing in his position.

 

Just listened to full interview on Player...interesting and, as others have said, Luke comes across as a lovely guy. Obviously nice to hear him say that he wants to stay here, but also liked the bit about his family being everything to him and he intends to look after them (because they have given up so much for him). Have to say that a lot of our youngsters seem genuinely nice and responsible...perhaps you need that to succeed here.

The Fox bit was interesting...even Luke thought that Fox might have issues with him. We forget that Fox probably knows how to defend well (with all his experience) but hasn't Shaw's ability....people who can coach haven't always been top players. Yet another example of the team spirit at the club.

Laughed when Shaw mentions that he gets stick from the lads about how close he is to Mauricio (getting advice from him about diet etc)...bet he's called a teacher's pet. Could do a lot worse than learn from an international defender like MP.

Someone said on Sky that parents must regard Saints as the best place for their sons. I think the Academy provides the best training in all aspects of the game and they have a path through to the first team...but it's not only that. Southampton is a place where a kid is looked after with a reduced risk of being led astray. Too many talented kids get too much too soon and waste their potential.

 

Double post.

 

Obviously in these interview situations you only get a snippet, but I agree that the club seems to bring across grounded young men.
You only have to see Nile Ranger as an example of how the club won't tolerate extreme behaviour.

 

The club also insist on attention to academic work...even making kids miss training or a match if slacking. Remember Luke remarking after a match that he had homework to do and admitting that he struggled academically and Nicola had had a word with him! All this is music to a parent's ears.

 

I know someone at Uni down in Southampton, who works in the club shop.

They said its a shame Fox is so poor defensively, because he's genuinely one of the nicest people in the squad.

 

Sorry to be all philospohical but perhaps it's better to be a decent human being and OK at football than a great footballer and an arse. One lasts much longer than the other.

I also take slight issue at the general vein of Foxy's uselessness running throughout this thread. He's done a decent job for us - he's a bit out of his depth in the Prem but he's by no means a bad player in the grand scheme of things.

Vin