Ukraine is great, and I feel very happy at Shakhtar
Sunday, March 24, 2024
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Shakhtar goalkeeping coach Raimond van der Gouw turned 61 on March 24
– Raimond, Happy Birthday! Who was the first to congratulate you today and how do you usually spend this festive day?
– Thank you very much for birthday wishes! I received the first congratulations at 12 o'clock at night from my son. The second person was my wife who congratulated me early in the morning. How do I spend this day? When I was in the Netherlands, I went out for a meal with my whole family. That was my birthday celebration.
– Very often in football a "friendly corridor" is organised to congratulate the players on their birthday.
– In the Netherlands we do not do that, I have never had that before. There, the head coach congratulates the player on their birthday, everybody says their wishes, and very often a player or coach gives a small speech in front of the team.
– Are there any special traditions to congratulate footballers and coaches in the Netherlands?
– Mostly, the player brings the cake for the whole team.
– You are celebrating your birthday in Ukraine for the first time. What are your overall impressions of the country, Ukrainians and the club during these months?
– Yes, it is true, I have been here since January. Of course, the work has certain peculiarities because of the war, but it is a great country, and I feel very happy at Shakhtar. I think it is a friendly club with fantastic people around, a top club. But there are also some complications, because we do not stay in one place for a long time.
– Shakhtar have a crucial part of the season ahead. What are your expectations for the next two months and what would you like to achieve together with the team?
– I think these two months will pass very quickly. My expectations? We have a very talented team with players with a lot of potential. So I expect us to do well if everybody stays focused and works hard in training. If we do that, we will stay at the top, in our current place, and it will not be so easy, because we have a very young team. I hope we win one or two trophies: we will play in the semi-finals of the Cup, and it is very close to the final. But the biggest challenge is to win the League. I hope everything goes well. Everybody will work for a team to get the result that we want.
– Thank you very much for birthday wishes! I received the first congratulations at 12 o'clock at night from my son. The second person was my wife who congratulated me early in the morning. How do I spend this day? When I was in the Netherlands, I went out for a meal with my whole family. That was my birthday celebration.
– Very often in football a "friendly corridor" is organised to congratulate the players on their birthday.
– In the Netherlands we do not do that, I have never had that before. There, the head coach congratulates the player on their birthday, everybody says their wishes, and very often a player or coach gives a small speech in front of the team.
– Are there any special traditions to congratulate footballers and coaches in the Netherlands?
– Mostly, the player brings the cake for the whole team.
– You are celebrating your birthday in Ukraine for the first time. What are your overall impressions of the country, Ukrainians and the club during these months?
– Yes, it is true, I have been here since January. Of course, the work has certain peculiarities because of the war, but it is a great country, and I feel very happy at Shakhtar. I think it is a friendly club with fantastic people around, a top club. But there are also some complications, because we do not stay in one place for a long time.
– Shakhtar have a crucial part of the season ahead. What are your expectations for the next two months and what would you like to achieve together with the team?
– I think these two months will pass very quickly. My expectations? We have a very talented team with players with a lot of potential. So I expect us to do well if everybody stays focused and works hard in training. If we do that, we will stay at the top, in our current place, and it will not be so easy, because we have a very young team. I hope we win one or two trophies: we will play in the semi-finals of the Cup, and it is very close to the final. But the biggest challenge is to win the League. I hope everything goes well. Everybody will work for a team to get the result that we want.