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The Dan Sheldon Q&A thread


SuperSAINT
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1 hour ago, SuperSAINT said:

I saw @Dan Sheldon, The Athleticjoined the forum, so thought I’d make this thread as somewhere he can answer the questions & comments he asked for…

PS - Welcome to SaintsWeb, Dan.

Thank you for doing this!

I really want this to be an open conversation/a good place for supporters to suggest story ideas etc.

I can’t guarantee I will reply to every comment/question, but I will be taking note & replying where I can.

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11 minutes ago, Holmes_and_Watson said:

Did Stephens and McCarthy sign new deals?

So we can have more accurate idle speculation about summer transfers.

He partially answered this in the other thread, but he said Macca did and was all ready to be announced but then the media stuff was pulled for reasons unknown

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30 minutes ago, TWar said:

He partially answered this in the other thread, but he said Macca did and was all ready to be announced but then the media stuff was pulled for reasons unknown

Oh thanks TWar! I missed that.

I now want to know how Salisu can develop his long throws to be like a new Rory Delap (but Delap for other teams. I don't remember it working that well for us)

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2 hours ago, Holmes_and_Watson said:

Did Stephens and McCarthy sign new deals?

So we can have more accurate idle speculation about summer transfers.

Hi there.

Yes, both have signed new deals but neither have been announced by the club.

For Jack Stephens, I would encourage you to follow the below link, scroll down to Southampton and take notice of the ‘updated registration’.
 

intermediary-transactions-2020-2021.ashx

McCarthy should appear on the next list of intermediary transactions when it is released. 

Edited by Dan Sheldon, The Athletic
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4 minutes ago, RedArmy said:

Who do you support, Dan? 
 

 

Hi there.

I answered this question in the Saints vs Norwich channel, but will paste what I said below:

I am one of the strange people that doesn't follow a particular team/have any great love for one side. I am a huge fan of football, but I tend to appreciate moments rather than teams.

Going into a weekend, the only team I want to win is Southampton. But it is also nice that because I'm not a supporter, I am able to stand back sometimes and not get too high or down depending on their results. However, there have been a couple of games this season - most notably Spurs away - where it was impossible to not leave the stadium over the moon!

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2 hours ago, SaintsLoyal said:

After the Ted Bates statue slur, no Saints fan should give Sheldon the time of day.  

Ah here comes our resident Athletic hater. “ Loyal “ generally posts about how much a tabloid The Athletic is and gets his Saints news from the Daily Echo. Anyone who gets thier news from The Echo clearly doesn’t understand most of thier stories are lifted from other papers. 
Going back a few years we made a complete fake article to see if that rag would take the bite. They did. 

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Hi Dan,

I had also noticed prior to your article that Saints were seemingly using an injury to re-energise or get tactical information to the players. As fan I would never highlight such a fact for obvious reasons, but I respect your investigative journalism and for coming on the Saints Forum to answer questions.

The game is full of simulation and it is very difficult to prove if a player is feigning injury.

If the Premier League wish to crack down on Saints, perhaps they should also crack down on all simulation, which ruins the game.

Perhaps the Premier League could also explain some of its ridiculous weekly VAR decisions that are also making a mockery of the game.

It’s a great time to be a Saints fan and I am so grateful for Ralph Hassenhüttl and the board for giving him time.

Edited by Andy Durman
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11 minutes ago, Andy Durman said:

Hi Dan,

I had also noticed prior to your article that Saints were seemingly using an injury to re-energise or get tactical information to the players. As fan I would never highlight such a fact for obvious reasons, but I respect your investigative journalism and for coming on the Saints Forum to answer questions.

The game is full of simulation and it is very difficult to prove if a player is feigning injury.

If the premier wish to crack down on Saints, perhaps they should also crack down on all simulation, which ruins the game.

Perhaps the Premier League could also explain some of its ridiculous weekly VAR decisions that are also making a mockery of the game.

It’s a great time to be a Saints fan and I am so grateful for Ralph Hassenhüttl and the board for giving him time.

It's not just time he was given. After waiting years and being mocked on here, he has at last been given a squad rather than a team  

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19 hours ago, SuperSAINT said:

Cheers!

My recommendation of what I’d like to see in a future article would be to hear what strides Matt Ctocker has made since we last heard from him.

I would agree with this, would love to hear a bit more from Crocker if you can make it happen Dan.

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5 hours ago, CWD said:

I would agree with this, would love to hear a bit more from Crocker if you can make it happen Dan.

Agreed with those wanting to hear a bit more from/about Crocker and the 'big picture' planning around the club. 

A broader piece on what some of the backroom team do might be interesting too, something like a 'typical day' at the club and who does what.

 

 

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21 hours ago, Uncle Albert said:

Besides from a new keeper, will saints be targeting any particular positions in the transfer market? such as wide players.

Hey!

There is definitely scope for them to look at adding to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s No 10 department. 
 

A lot of what they do is likely to be influenced by who moves on this summer. There is undoubtedly going to be interest in some of their top performers (again), so keeping hold of them is essential. But I would personally like Saints to replace Shane Long with another forward & add a No 10. Maybe there is an argument for another CM? I hope any signings they do make don’t get in the way of those performing well in the B team as it would be good to see some of them knocking on the door to play. 

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2 hours ago, UpweySaint said:

Agreed with those wanting to hear a bit more from/about Crocker and the 'big picture' planning around the club. 

A broader piece on what some of the backroom team do might be interesting too, something like a 'typical day' at the club and who does what.

 

 

An interview with Matt Crocker has been mentioned a few times, so I will see whether I can get something sorted on that front. 

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2 minutes ago, Dan Sheldon, The Athletic said:

Hey!

There is definitely scope for them to look at adding to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s No 10 department. 
 

A lot of what they do is likely to be influenced by who moves on this summer. There is undoubtedly going to be interest in some of their top performers (again), so keeping hold of them is essential. But I would personally like Saints to replace Shane Long with another forward & add a No 10. Maybe there is an argument for another CM? I hope any signings they do make don’t get in the way of those performing well in the B team as it would be good to see some of them knocking on the door to play. 

How do you rate the chances of us keeping the likes of Salisu and Ward Prowse? And what point and price do you think the club would entertain offers??

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13 minutes ago, Dan Sheldon, The Athletic said:

What do people think about doing a piece looking at the commercial partnerships Saints have been striking overseas with schools/academies?

That is something that I’m keen to look into, but would be good to gauge whether that would be of interest to others.

As somebody who follows the academy, i would def be keen on that. 

We make announcements on that front  fairly regularly but we never really see the detail of what actually happens etc.

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38 minutes ago, Dan Sheldon, The Athletic said:

What do people think about doing a piece looking at the commercial partnerships Saints have been striking overseas with schools/academies?

That is something that I’m keen to look into, but would be good to gauge whether that would be of interest to others.

Are you able to answer my question from yesterday please?

 

Are Saints in talks about offering Fraser Forster a new contract?

Edited by Master Bates
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58 minutes ago, Dan Sheldon, The Athletic said:

Hey!

There is definitely scope for them to look at adding to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s No 10 department. 
 

A lot of what they do is likely to be influenced by who moves on this summer. There is undoubtedly going to be interest in some of their top performers (again), so keeping hold of them is essential. But I would personally like Saints to replace Shane Long with another forward & add a No 10. Maybe there is an argument for another CM? I hope any signings they do make don’t get in the way of those performing well in the B team as it would be good to see some of them knocking on the door to play. 

Who in the B team is considered most likely to make the step up?

How confident are the club of signing Broja properly? 

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1 hour ago, Dan Sheldon, The Athletic said:

Hey!

There is definitely scope for them to look at adding to Ralph Hasenhuttl’s No 10 department. 
 

A lot of what they do is likely to be influenced by who moves on this summer. There is undoubtedly going to be interest in some of their top performers (again), so keeping hold of them is essential. But I would personally like Saints to replace Shane Long with another forward & add a No 10. Maybe there is an argument for another CM? I hope any signings they do make don’t get in the way of those performing well in the B team as it would be good to see some of them knocking on the door to play. 

Ok thanks Dan, nice one.

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12 hours ago, Dan Sheldon, The Athletic said:

What do people think about doing a piece looking at the commercial partnerships Saints have been striking overseas with schools/academies?

That is something that I’m keen to look into, but would be good to gauge whether that would be of interest to others.

You just want an excuse for a holiday! 😉

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20 hours ago, Dan Sheldon, The Athletic said:

What do people think about doing a piece looking at the commercial partnerships Saints have been striking overseas with schools/academies?

That is something that I’m keen to look into, but would be good to gauge whether that would be of interest to others.

Very keen on that. Well with our owners saying that there will be a network of clubs, how do the partnerships work in terms of schools/ academies there? Are their examples of successful career paths of players across a network of clubs, for example?

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5 hours ago, Holmes_and_Watson said:

Very keen on that. Well with our owners saying that there will be a network of clubs, how do the partnerships work in terms of schools/ academies there? Are their examples of successful career paths of players across a network of clubs, for example?

Glad to hear someone else likes the idea! It’s very much a commercial decision, but I almost see it as an element of soft power: move into territories you wouldn’t normally operate in, grow the club’s stature and make talented youngsters take note.

Lots of avenues to explore in the piece when you consider the above point, whether they are financially beneficial etc.

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On 22/02/2022 at 21:36, Master Bates said:

Are you able to answer my question from yesterday please?

 

Are Saints in talks about offering Fraser Forster a new contract?

Hey!

Sorry for not getting back to you until now. Talks took place last year but nothing could be agreed.

My understanding is that Southampton are keeping their options open. They haven’t committed to giving him an extension, yet they aren’t ruling it out.

I can see sense in keeping Forster at the club and in letting him go. It presents a good opportunity to move on but will they get a better replacement? That’s the key.

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7 minutes ago, Dan Sheldon, The Athletic said:

Hey!

Sorry for not getting back to you until now. Talks took place last year but nothing could be agreed.

My understanding is that Southampton are keeping their options open. They haven’t committed to giving him an extension, yet they aren’t ruling it out.

I can see sense in keeping Forster at the club and in letting him go. It presents a good opportunity to move on but will they get a better replacement? That’s the key.

If Forster gets extended does that put to bed us looking for another keeper? Or do we then attempt to shift McCarthy? Can't imagine us wanting three.

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