Raimond van der Gouw

In this Dutch name, the surname is Van der Gouw.

Raimond van der Gouw
Van der Gouw with Vitesse
Personal information
Full name Raimundus Johannes Hendrikus van der Gouw[1][2]
Date of birth (1963-03-24) 24 March 1963 (age 61)
Place of birth Oldenzaal, Netherlands
Height 1.91 m (6 ft 3 in)
Position(s) Goalkeeper
Team information
Current team
 Shakhtar Donetsk (goalkeeping coach)
Youth career
Go Ahead Eagles
Senior career*
Years Team Apps (Gls)
1985–1988 Go Ahead Eagles 97 (0)
1988–1996 Vitesse 258 (0)
1996–2002 Manchester United 37 (0)
2002–2003 West Ham United 0 (0)
2003–2004 RKC Waalwijk 1 (0)
2004–2007 AGOVV 100 (1)
Total 493 (1)
Managerial career
2004–2007 AGOVV (goalkeeping coach)
2007–2009 Sunderland (goalkeeping coach)
2009–2020 Vitesse (goalkeeping coach)
2010 Vitesse (caretaker)
2020–2022 PSV (goalkeeping coach)
2023–2024 Vitesse (goalkeeping coach)
2024– Shakhtar Donetsk (goalkeeping coach)
*Club domestic league appearances and goals

Raimundus Johannes Hendrikus "Raimond" van der Gouw (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈreːmɔnt fɑn dər ˈɣʌu];[a] born 24 March 1963) is a Dutch former professional footballer, who played as a goalkeeper.

After a successful career with Vitesse in his native Netherlands, and well into his 30s, he moved to Manchester United where he made 61 appearances over six seasons and won two Premier League titles as well as a host of other honours as backup goalkeeper.[3] He scored his only goal in the last game of his career for AGOVV, before retiring at the age of 44 and becoming a coach.

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.[4] 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.[5] The club also reached the final of the domestic cup.[6]

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.[7]

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 joined 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.[8] 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"

In 1998, Van der Gouw again played in a crucial Champions League match for United, the second leg of the quarter-final against 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.[10] 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; he made 23 appearances in all competitions during that season, of which 14 were in the Premier League.[11] He started in 11 Premier League matches, and in three others he replaced the faltering Mark Bosnich as a substitute.[11][12] 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.[13] He also made his only appearance in a FIFA-organised tournament, against South Melbourne in the 2000 Club World Championship.[14]

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.[15] 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.[16] 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.[17] 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.[3]

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.[18] He did not play a competitive game for the club,[19] and was released after one season following the club's relegation.[20]

Later career

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

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, where a strong finish to 2005–06 enabled the team to reach the play-offs for top-flight 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.[22]

In June 2007, Van der Gouw returned to England as goalkeeping coach at Sunderland, linking up with former Manchester United teammate 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,[21] 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.[23]

Personal life

His son Ennio van der Gouw is a goalkeeper in Belgium at Zulte Waregem.[24]

Career statistics

Appearances and goals by club, season and competition[3][25]
Club Season League National cup League cup Continental Total
Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
Go Ahead Eagles 1985–86 Eredivisie 28 0
1986–87 34 0
1987–88 Eerste Divisie 35 0
Total 77 0
Vitesse 1988–89 Eerste Divisie 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
Total 258 0
Manchester United 1996–97 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
Total 37 0 1 0 9 0 13 0 60 0
West Ham United 2002–03 Premier League 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
RKC Waalwijk 2003–04 Eredivisie 1 0
AGOVV 2004–05 Eerste Divisie 29 0
2005–06 33 0
2006–07 38 1
Total 100 1
Career total 473 1

Honours

Vitesse

Manchester United[26]

Notes

  1. ^ In isolation, Van is pronounced [vɑn].

References

  1. ^ "Official players' list for the FIFA Club World Championship, Brazil 2000". FIFA. 6 January 2000. Archived from the original on 4 March 2000. Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  2. ^ "Gerrit Jan uit het Broek" (in Dutch). Retrieved 4 January 2021.
  3. ^ a b c "Rai Van der Gouw". Racing Post. Archived from the original on 26 March 2009. Retrieved 16 September 2008.
  4. ^ "Go Ahead Eagles 2–1 FC Den Bosch" (in Dutch). Voetbal International. Retrieved 17 September 2008.
  5. ^ "Historie Vitesse" [Vitesse history] (in Dutch). BV Vitesse. Archived from the original on 28 May 2008. Retrieved 15 September 2008.
  6. ^ "Netherlands Cup Full Results 1970–1994". Dinant Abbink. RSSSF. 18 August 1999. Retrieved 15 August 2008.
  7. ^ "Norwich City FC centenary". EDP24. Archived from the original on 27 September 2007. Retrieved 18 September 2008.
  8. ^ Fox, Norman (22 September 1996). "Yorke puts spring in Villa's autumn". The Independent. Retrieved 2 February 2011.
  9. ^ "Fergie loses faith with Bosnich". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 2 March 2000. Retrieved 15 September 2008.
  10. ^ "Monaco silence Old Trafford". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 18 March 1998. Retrieved 15 September 2008.
  11. ^ a b Ranked! The 20 greatest Premier League sides by points total, FourFourTwo Magazine
  12. ^ "Raimond Van Der Gouw Bio". ESPNsoccernet. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 15 September 2009.
  13. ^ "Champions League match reports". soccer-europe.com. Retrieved 15 September 2008.
  14. ^ "Match report:Manchester United vs South Melbourne". FIFA. Archived from the original on 26 August 2007. Retrieved 16 September 2008.
  15. ^ "Double by Solskjaer puts paid to Watford". Conrad Leach. London: The Independent. 1 November 2000. Retrieved 18 September 2008.
  16. ^ "Van der Gouw signs new contract". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 26 July 2001. Retrieved 15 September 2008.
  17. ^ Mitten, Andy (2007). The Man Utd Miscellany. Vision Sports Publishing. p. 29. ISBN 978-1-905326-27-3.
  18. ^ "Van der Gouw joins West Ham". BBC Sport. British Broadcasting Corporation. 28 June 2002. Retrieved 15 September 2008.
  19. ^ "Van der Gouw career stats". ESPNsoccernet. Archived from the original on 25 December 2018. Retrieved 16 September 2008.
  20. ^ Walker, Ian (3 June 2003). "Player lay-offs no cause for alarm". The Independent. London. Retrieved 18 September 2008.[dead link‍]
  21. ^ a b "Cats unveil Van der Gouw". Sunderland Echo. 19 July 2007. Retrieved 15 September 2008.
  22. ^ "Jaaroverzicht AGOVV Apeldoorn 2007" (in Dutch). AGOVV Apeldoorn. 3 January 2008. Archived from the original on 7 January 2008. Retrieved 16 September 2008.
  23. ^ "Van der Gouw keert terug bij Vitesse" [Van der Gouw returns to Vitesse] (in Dutch). VoetbalPrimeur. 15 June 2009. Archived from the original on 11 March 2022. Retrieved 27 June 2009.
  24. ^ "Ennio van der Gouw versterkt Essevee" [Ennio van der Gouw strengthens Essevee] (in Dutch). S.V. Zulte Waregem. 12 July 2023. Retrieved 10 August 2023.
  25. ^ "Van der Gouw career overview" (in Dutch). Voetbal International. Retrieved 17 September 2008.
  26. ^ "Raimond van der Gouw - Player Profile - Football".
  27. ^ "Raimond van der Gouw: Overview". Premier League. Retrieved 16 April 2018.
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