Raimond van der Gouw

Raimond van der Gouw

Personal information
Full name	Raimond van der Gouw
Date of birth	24 March 1963
Place of birth	Oldenzaal, Netherlands
Height	1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Playing position	Goalkeeper
Youth career
	Go Ahead Eagles
Senior career*
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
1985–1988	Go Ahead Eagles	97	(0)
1988–1996	Vitesse Arnhem	258	(0)
1996–2002	Manchester United	37	(0)
2002–2003	West Ham United	0	(0)
2003–2004	RKC Waalwijk	1	(0)
2004–2007	AGOVV Apeldoorn	100	(1)
Total		493	(1)
Teams managed
2007–2009	Sunderland (goalkeeper coach)
2009–	Vitesse Arnhem (goalkeeper coach)
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.

Raimond van der Gouw (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈreːmɔnt fɑn dɛr ˈɣʌu̯],^[1] born 24 March 1963, in Oldenzaal) is a former Dutch footballer, who played as a goalkeeper.

After a successful career with Vitesse Arnhem and well into his 30s, he moved to Manchester United, also experiencing relative recognition despite playing very sparingly; he scored his only goal in the last game of his career for AGOVV Apeldoorn, before retiring at the age of 44, and becoming a coach.

Football career

Netherlands

Van der Gouw's first club was Go Ahead Eagles. A product of the club's youth system, he made his debut for the first team in a 2–1 victory against Den Bosch, on 14 September 1985.^[2] At the time, Eagles were competing in the bottom half of the first division, achieving a tenth-placed finish in the player's first season. However, the club experienced relegation in 1987, and failed to achieve promotion the following season. After 97 league appearances, Van der Gouw joined second level's Vitesse.

His first season for Vitesse saw the club win the Eerste Divisie title, promoting to the top flight of Dutch football for the first time in nine seasons. The following season saw further progress; a fourth-place finish in 1989–90 saw Vitesse qualify for the UEFA Cup for the first time in its history.^[3] The club also reached the final of the domestic cup.^[4]

In European competition, as Vitesse reached the UEFA Cup quarter-finals, Van der Gouw kept four consecutive clean sheets, before the side eventually lost to Sporting CP. Vitesse consistently finished in the top six in subsequent seasons, but were less impressive in Europe, suffering a 3–0 aggregate defeat to Norwich City, among other results.^[5]

England

Having played more than 350 league games in the Netherlands, Van der Gouw was an experienced choice for taking Tony Coton's place when the latter departed to Sunderland, and was transferred to Manchester United for a fee of £500,000.

Van der Gouw's experience played a part in United's successes, both as a player and as goalkeeping coach at the club. His United debut came against Aston Villa on 21 September 1996, when he kept a clean sheet.^[6] A notable appearance came against Borussia Dortmund in the semi-final of the 1996–97 UEFA Champions League, when Peter Schmeichel pulled out with injury just minutes before kick-off. United lost the match 1–0, but Van der Gouw helped keep the score down.

"Bosnich hadn't been that sharp, and I felt that Raimond could handle the big games. ...I felt that some people's games are suited to Europe, and that applies to Raimond. He gets around his area very quickly"

Sir Alex Ferguson^[7]

In 1998, Van der Gouw again played in a crucial Champions League match for United, the second leg of the quarter-final against AS Monaco. In a spirited performance, he denied several clear chances for the opposition, and the 34-year-old Dutchman would have kept a clean sheet were it not for a powerful long range goal early on from David Trezeguet.^[8] The Red Devils drew 1–1 but were knocked out on away goals. Ever the teacher, Van der Gouw coached United's young goalkeepers for a while, but relinquished this role in 1998–99 when Coton rejoined the club, in the same capacity, although not with a playing contract.

In 1999–2000, for the first time in his United career, Van der Gouw played enough games to claim a Premier League medal, playing in a total of 22 matches in all competitions. In some cases, he was selected as first-choice over the faltering Mark Bosnich.^[9] This run of relatively regular play included United's defeat in the 1999 UEFA Super Cup, and he also featured in some of United's Champions League matches, including a notable performance against group rivals Sturm Graz – in which he made a string of saves, kept a clean sheet and stopped a penalty from Ivica Vastić.^[10] He also made his only appearance in a FIFA-organised tournament, against South Melbourne in the 2000 Club World Championship.^[11]

Following the arrival of Fabien Barthez, Van der Gouw resumed his role as a backup goalkeeper in 2000–01, being sent off for the only time in English competition, against Watford in the League Cup, on 31 October 2000.^[12] Despite having made only 26 starts in five seasons, and the arrival of Roy Carroll, he signed a one-year extension to his contract in the summer of 2001.^[13] Van der Gouw made his last appearance for the club on 11 May 2002, against Charlton Athletic in a goalless draw at Old Trafford on the final day of the season, and in the process became the oldest United player since the end of the Second World War, two months after his 39th birthday. He was the oldest player contracted to United throughout his six years at the club.^[14] However, this was one of only two substitute appearances in 2001–02, resulting in a free transfer to West Ham United in June 2002. He played 61 competitive games in six years for the Red Devils.^[15]

Having turned down a move to Coventry City, Van der Gouw signed a one-year deal with West Ham, with the option of a second.^[16] He did not play a competitive game for the club,^[17] and was released after one season following the club's relegation.^[18]

Later career

"He's got vast experience. I've worked with Raimond and I know he's a true professional who works extremely hard"

Roy Keane^[19]

After leaving West Ham, Van der Gouw then returned to the Netherlands, where he joined RKC Waalwijk for the 2003–04 season, but only made one league appearance. He subsequently joined AGOVV Apeldoorn, where a strong finish to 2005–06 enabled the team to reach the playoffs for topflight promotion. Whilst at the club, he played 100 league matches and scored the only league goal of his career, a penalty in his last professional game. He retired from playing at the age of 44.^[20]

In June 2007, Van der Gouw returned to England as goalkeeping coach at Sunderland, linking up with former Manchester United team-mate Roy Keane. He was brought in to work in conjunction with Tim Carter, who served in that capacity prior to Van der Gouw's arrival,^[19] and Carter eventually returned to coaching the team's academy players following the appointment.

After Ricky Sbragia resigned at the end of the 2008–09 season and Steve Bruce was subsequently appointed as the new manager, Van der Gouw left Sunderland to return to his old club Vitesse, also as goalkeeping coach.^[21]

Club statistics

^[22][23]

Club performance			League		Cup		League Cup		Continental		Total
Season	Club	League	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
Netherlands			League		KNVB Cup		League Cup		Europe		Total
1985–86	Go Ahead Eagles	Eredivisie	28	0
1986–87			34	0
1987–88		Eerste Divisie	35	0
1988–89	Vitesse		36	0
1989–90		Eredivisie	34	0
1990–91			31	0
1991–92			34	0
1992–93			34	0
1993–94			34	0
1994–95			34	0
1995–96			21	0
England			League		FA Cup		League Cup		Europe		Total
1996–97	Manchester United	Premier League	2	0	0	0	2	0	1	0	5	0
1997–98			5	0	0	0	1	0	1	0	7	0
1998–99			5	0	0	0	3	0	0	0	8	0
1999–2000			14	0	0	0	0	0	9	0	23	0
2000–01			10	0	1	0	2	0	2	0	15	0
2001–02			1	0	0	0	1	0	0	0	2	0
2002–03	West Ham United		0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
Netherlands			League		KNVB Cup		League Cup		Europe		Total
2003–04	RKC Waalwijk	Eredivisie	1	0
2004–05	AGOVV Apeldoorn	Eerste Divisie	29	0
2005–06			33	0
2006–07			38	1
Total	Netherlands		456	1
	England		37	0
Career total			493	1

Honours

Club

Vitesse

• Eerste Divisie (1): 1988–89

Manchester United

• Premier League (2): 1999–2000, 2000–2001
• FA Cup (1): 1998–99
• UEFA Champions League (1): 1998–99
• FA Charity Shield (2): 1996, 1997

_{Manchester United won other competitions during Van der Gouw's tenure with the club, but he did not play enough games to receive medals}

References

1. Van in isolation: [vɑn].
2. "Go Ahead Eagles 2–1 FC Den Bosch" (in Dutch). Voetbal International. Retrieved 17 September 2008.
3. "Historie Vitesse" [Vitesse history] (in Dutch). BV Vitesse. Archived from the original on 28 May 2008. Retrieved 15 September 2008.
4. "Netherlands Cup Full Results 1970–1994". Dinant Abbink. RSSSF. 18 August 1999. Retrieved 15 August 2008.
5. "Norwich City FC centenary". EDP24. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 18 September 2008.
6. Fox, Norman (22 September 1996). "Yorke puts spring in Villa's autumn". The Independent. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
7. "Fergie loses faith with Bosnich". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 2 March 2000. Retrieved 15 September 2008.
8. "Monaco silence Old Trafford". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 18 March 1998. Retrieved 15 September 2008.
9. "Raimond Van Der Gouw Bio". ESPNsoccernet. Retrieved 15 September 2009.
10. "Champions League match reports". soccer-europe.com. Retrieved 15 September 2008.
11. "Match report:Manchester United vs South Melbourne". FIFA. Retrieved 16 September 2008.
12. "Double by Solskjaer puts paid to Watford". Conrad Leach. London: The Independent. 1 November 2000. Retrieved 18 September 2008.
13. "Van der Gouw signs new contract". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 26 July 2001. Retrieved 15 September 2008.
14. Mitten, Andy (2007). The Man Utd Miscellany. Vision Sports Publishing. p. 29. ISBN 978-1-905326-27-3.
15. "Rai Van der Gouw". Racing Post. Retrieved 16 September 2008.
16. "Van der Gouw joins West Ham". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 28 June 2002. Retrieved 15 September 2008.
17. "Van der Gouw career stats". ESPNsoccernet. Retrieved 16 September 2008.
18. Walker, Ian (3 June 2003). "Player lay-offs no cause for alarm". London: The Independent. Retrieved 18 September 2008.
19. "Cats unveil Van der Gouw". Sunderland Echo. 19 July 2007. Retrieved 15 September 2008.
20. "Jaaroverzicht AGOVV Apeldoorn 2007" (in Dutch). AGOVV Apeldoorn. 3 January 2008. Archived from the original on 7 January 2008. Retrieved 16 September 2008.
21. "Van der Gouw keert terug bij Vitesse" [Van der Gouw returns to Vitesse] (in Dutch). VoetbalPrimeur. 15 June 2009. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
22. "Rai Van der Gouw". Racing Post. Retrieved 2008-09-16.
23. "Van der Gouw career overview" (in Dutch). Voetbal International. Retrieved 17 September 2008.

External links

• Raimond van der Gouw at the Internet Movie Database