Shakhtar is a big, top club
Tuesday, January 30, 2024
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Interview with new goalkeeping coach of the Miners Raimond van der Gouw
– Raimond, you recently joined Shakhtar, and our fans do not know you yet. Could you tell us a bit more about yourself?
– I played in the Netherlands for Vitesse, later I moved to Manchester United in England. I also played for West Ham. Then I returned to the Netherlands. When I finished my playing career, I became a goalkeeping coach. I started at English Sunderland, spent many years at Vitesse, several years at PSV. And now I am here.
– Why did you decide to join Shakhtar?
– First of all, I know the head coach, Marino Pusic. He called and said that he wants to see me as a goalkeeping coach to help Andrii Piatov. Shakhtar is a big, top club, aiming to win trophies, and that is why I want to be a part of it.
– Can you tell us more about your work and cooperation with Andrii Piatov, who is a legend of our club?
– Like you said, Piatov is a legend. When I found out that I could come here and work with him, I thought: if there is such a chance, I need to do it. This is a big challenge.
– How do you and Andrii share responsibilities?
– We intend to work together and share experience. He has just become a goalkeeping coach, but I have a little more experience in coaching. I hope I can support him as much as possible.
– What can you say about the level and qualities of our Ukrainian goalkeepers? Can you describe Tvardovskyi, Puzankov, Riznyk and Rudko individually, because each of them has strong defining features?
– They are all talented, have different skills. Young players. Riznyk is already playing for a top team at his age, which means that he is an excellent goalkeeper.
– What are his strengths?
– I have not seen him in action that much. I have only watched clips, and I had a good impression. Dmytro is fast, jumps well, he is very stable for his age, plays at a top level.
– What about the other three goalkeepers?
– We have a very tall goalkeeper, two players are 20 years old... They are young, they need time to adapt to the highest level. Artur is strong and has good physical characteristics, he is a little older. But, if you are 31, you are still very young for me.
– What are you working on with the goalkeepers at this training camp and what is your plan?
– I spoke with Piatov about it. I just need to work with them, see what shape they are in, and then we can start building future plans.
– You are the first coach in our club who won the Champions League title. In 1999, you held this trophy in your hands. What are your memories of that moment?
– I think this is one of the most beautiful moments for a player. Winning such trophy stays in your memory forever. It is difficult to describe the feeling, because this event outweighs everything. As a player, you hope to win the championship, and the highest level is the Champions League. Winning the Champions League is a special achievement.
– What were your thoughts when the added time started in that final and Manchester United were losing at that point?
– It is difficult to make predictions in football. First of all, you have to work really hard to win. And if you are lucky, everything falls into place. When you have good players with special qualities, when they want to work together as a team, you have a big chance to win.
– What emotions did you feel when Manchester United scored the winning second goal?
– It was crazy! We conceded one goal, had two or three minutes left, there was almost no chance to win. But we equalised the score, getting the added time, and then scored another goal. How is it even possible? It is like a miracle! I got up from the bench and ran to celebrate with the other players. After that, the game was over.
– Can we say that Manchester were very lucky that day? How important is it for the team and for the goalkeeper?
– Yeah, I think luck played its part, but you will not get lucky if you did not work. During the whole season, we decided the fate of matches closer to the end, in the last 10–15 minutes. For the Champions League final, that moment was exceptional. Of course, you need a bit of luck, but in general, we had a great season, so it was not a coincidence.
– After that match, everyone talked only about your victory, but it was a very dramatic game for Oliver Kahn. How do you think he felt then?
– I do not know how he felt, because I was on the other side, but I can imagine. It is terrible for a goalkeeper. There was nothing he could do about it, so he had to accept it. On a positive note, Oliver Kahn won the Champions League two years later. He was a fantastic goalkeeper, a very important player for Bayern... Yes, it was unfortunate. It is hard to imagine what a person feels at such moment.
– What was the key factor in this victory, because you know the secret of a phenomenal triumph?
– I think the biggest thing is to have a team where everyone is ready to work on the field for others. The players must act like a team. You have to work really hard, have good players with special qualities. We had such combination. This is what we need to win.
– In your opinion, is it possible that Shakhtar will win this trophy in the near future? What has to be done to achieve the goal?
– Like I said before, you have to work really hard in training. This is the start of everything. You have to believe, give everything to the club, be positive and think positively. You have to be patient and have the desire to win – and it will happen. If it is written in the stars, then it will definitely happen, but if not, maybe some other time.
– Let’s return to your decision to join our team. There is a war going on in Ukraine. Were you worried about that? What do you think about the situation in our country?
– I think that this is the worst period for Ukraine. War is the worst thing that can happen. Yes, I was worried. When Marino Pusic called me, I thought that I would like to come to work at Shakhtar, but at the same time, I felt that it was a little strange. I mean, the country is fighting, the people are fighting and we are playing football. It is always on my mind. It is not easy, it is sad, but I hope that everything will end as soon as possible.
– Do you feel that Shakhtar is a big and strong family?
– Yes. I feel that people around me talk like family. I believe that this is the start for all other actions. I feel great. When I was at Manchester, they also referred to the club as a family. So now I have a similar feeling, it is really good.
– And the last question. Shakhtar have a lot of fans. Maybe you want to say something to them?
– I hope that everybody will support Shakhtar as much as possible. We will try to do our best, we will work hard and, hopefully, we will make you happy in the future.
– I played in the Netherlands for Vitesse, later I moved to Manchester United in England. I also played for West Ham. Then I returned to the Netherlands. When I finished my playing career, I became a goalkeeping coach. I started at English Sunderland, spent many years at Vitesse, several years at PSV. And now I am here.
– Why did you decide to join Shakhtar?
– First of all, I know the head coach, Marino Pusic. He called and said that he wants to see me as a goalkeeping coach to help Andrii Piatov. Shakhtar is a big, top club, aiming to win trophies, and that is why I want to be a part of it.
– Can you tell us more about your work and cooperation with Andrii Piatov, who is a legend of our club?
– Like you said, Piatov is a legend. When I found out that I could come here and work with him, I thought: if there is such a chance, I need to do it. This is a big challenge.
– How do you and Andrii share responsibilities?
– We intend to work together and share experience. He has just become a goalkeeping coach, but I have a little more experience in coaching. I hope I can support him as much as possible.
– What can you say about the level and qualities of our Ukrainian goalkeepers? Can you describe Tvardovskyi, Puzankov, Riznyk and Rudko individually, because each of them has strong defining features?
– They are all talented, have different skills. Young players. Riznyk is already playing for a top team at his age, which means that he is an excellent goalkeeper.
– What are his strengths?
– I have not seen him in action that much. I have only watched clips, and I had a good impression. Dmytro is fast, jumps well, he is very stable for his age, plays at a top level.
– What about the other three goalkeepers?
– We have a very tall goalkeeper, two players are 20 years old... They are young, they need time to adapt to the highest level. Artur is strong and has good physical characteristics, he is a little older. But, if you are 31, you are still very young for me.
– What are you working on with the goalkeepers at this training camp and what is your plan?
– I spoke with Piatov about it. I just need to work with them, see what shape they are in, and then we can start building future plans.
– You are the first coach in our club who won the Champions League title. In 1999, you held this trophy in your hands. What are your memories of that moment?
– I think this is one of the most beautiful moments for a player. Winning such trophy stays in your memory forever. It is difficult to describe the feeling, because this event outweighs everything. As a player, you hope to win the championship, and the highest level is the Champions League. Winning the Champions League is a special achievement.
– What were your thoughts when the added time started in that final and Manchester United were losing at that point?
– It is difficult to make predictions in football. First of all, you have to work really hard to win. And if you are lucky, everything falls into place. When you have good players with special qualities, when they want to work together as a team, you have a big chance to win.
– What emotions did you feel when Manchester United scored the winning second goal?
– It was crazy! We conceded one goal, had two or three minutes left, there was almost no chance to win. But we equalised the score, getting the added time, and then scored another goal. How is it even possible? It is like a miracle! I got up from the bench and ran to celebrate with the other players. After that, the game was over.
– Can we say that Manchester were very lucky that day? How important is it for the team and for the goalkeeper?
– Yeah, I think luck played its part, but you will not get lucky if you did not work. During the whole season, we decided the fate of matches closer to the end, in the last 10–15 minutes. For the Champions League final, that moment was exceptional. Of course, you need a bit of luck, but in general, we had a great season, so it was not a coincidence.
– After that match, everyone talked only about your victory, but it was a very dramatic game for Oliver Kahn. How do you think he felt then?
– I do not know how he felt, because I was on the other side, but I can imagine. It is terrible for a goalkeeper. There was nothing he could do about it, so he had to accept it. On a positive note, Oliver Kahn won the Champions League two years later. He was a fantastic goalkeeper, a very important player for Bayern... Yes, it was unfortunate. It is hard to imagine what a person feels at such moment.
– What was the key factor in this victory, because you know the secret of a phenomenal triumph?
– I think the biggest thing is to have a team where everyone is ready to work on the field for others. The players must act like a team. You have to work really hard, have good players with special qualities. We had such combination. This is what we need to win.
– In your opinion, is it possible that Shakhtar will win this trophy in the near future? What has to be done to achieve the goal?
– Like I said before, you have to work really hard in training. This is the start of everything. You have to believe, give everything to the club, be positive and think positively. You have to be patient and have the desire to win – and it will happen. If it is written in the stars, then it will definitely happen, but if not, maybe some other time.
– Let’s return to your decision to join our team. There is a war going on in Ukraine. Were you worried about that? What do you think about the situation in our country?
– I think that this is the worst period for Ukraine. War is the worst thing that can happen. Yes, I was worried. When Marino Pusic called me, I thought that I would like to come to work at Shakhtar, but at the same time, I felt that it was a little strange. I mean, the country is fighting, the people are fighting and we are playing football. It is always on my mind. It is not easy, it is sad, but I hope that everything will end as soon as possible.
– Do you feel that Shakhtar is a big and strong family?
– Yes. I feel that people around me talk like family. I believe that this is the start for all other actions. I feel great. When I was at Manchester, they also referred to the club as a family. So now I have a similar feeling, it is really good.
– And the last question. Shakhtar have a lot of fans. Maybe you want to say something to them?
– I hope that everybody will support Shakhtar as much as possible. We will try to do our best, we will work hard and, hopefully, we will make you happy in the future.