MOMozart
Captain49,914 posts
MOMozartCaptain49,914 posts
09 Jul 2018, 16:20#1
Goosen's decision to renege on his contract was excused by some....the owner who had treated him generously was derided. The truth from Goosen reveals a home sick boy, unhappy in Paris. It's hardly a profile in courage but it finally rings true. But a word of apology to the owner and fans is missing. It's still all about Johan.
"'To be clear, I did not feel good in Paris. I am South African, I need space and, in the suburbs of Paris, the buildings are so close to each other that I felt like I was choking. I had the uncomfortable feeling of living in a box. The worst part is that my son was also very unhappy.
‘Because I was very unhappy off the pitch, I could not have stayed for five more years… Money has nothing to do with it. I wanted another life, the sun, the space and the nature. I’ll have all this in Montpellier.’
Goosen said he threw himself into a normal work routine back in Bloemfontein, but struggled with the adjustment, while also experiencing regrets over the way things had panned out on the rugby front.
‘It was madness. I made a mistake. But that’s life. Paradoxically, I have also grown a lot over the past two years. I emptied my head and allowed my body time to recover… I went through bad times. I was very sad. I thought all of this would never end. Sometimes I said to myself: “Maybe I should go back to Racing?” And at other times, I was persuaded that going back would not do me any good. In fact, I was lost… If a player is in my situation, I would say to him: ”Do not do it, you will regret it. The price to pay is too heavy.'"
MOMozart
Captain49,914 posts
MOMozartCaptain49,914 posts
09 Jul 2018, 16:42#3
One thinks about S African emigrants arriving in Europe with nothing....struggling to feed their kids but determined to make a new fairer life. And Goosen's advice to these heroes is to avoid the pain.....'the price is too heavy'.
sharkbok
Captain23,253 posts
sharkbokCaptain23,253 posts
09 Jul 2018, 16:46#4
Goosen cooked his goose by walking out on that contract. Things went from bad to worse when he returned home and shot his poacher friend. Now that he has more space, everything is great.
However I must say that living in Europe is very cramped, and can be annoying. I lived in London and it can be like staying on an Ant farm, especially when travelling to and from work.
Property and space is expensive, and landowning class love their birthright of owning land- while just about everyone else is cramped.
Where I am now in Cornwall has much more space and is nicer. Much more scenic by the coast as well- instead of the grey jungle of the city- which may not seem like a natural habit.
MOMozart
Captain49,914 posts
MOMozartCaptain49,914 posts
09 Jul 2018, 17:18#5
Many of us have been there Shark. When we first arrived in London best we could afford was a grotty apartment in Bayswater, with the communal bathroom down two flights of stairs.......pretty horrible, I remember tripping over the curled carpet in the dark.
So after we both got jobs we could afford a rental out in East Molesey, with the Hampton Court Palace grounds and the river to enjoy.
That's a common story.... people work, they persevere and they get through it.
09 Jul 2018, 17:42#6
“Where I am now in Cornwall has much more space and is nicer. Much more scenic by the coast as well- instead of the grey jungle of the city- which may not seem like a natural habit.”
Hell yeah. You’re lucky. That is a beautiful part of the country. My son used to work at a hotel called Lewtrenchard Manor near a tiny little village called Lewdown. It is not deep into Cornwall. Just inside of the border between Cornwall and Devon. They lived in a cottage in Lewdon.
MOMozart
Captain49,914 posts
MOMozartCaptain49,914 posts
09 Jul 2018, 17:43#7
Yep Cornwall and Devon are lovely.
09 Jul 2018, 18:56#10
“SA is without a doubt very different in that regard.”
Correct. South Africa requires you to have a lockup garage and not even that guarantees the safety of your car. In the UK many people split their garages in half and use the one part for storage and converts the rest into utility rooms, etc. Very few use their garages to park their cars in. Many many cars are left in the street overnight. People in the UK find it hard to understand what I mean when I try to explain about the burglar bars the I had at my house in SA.
“You've got to give that to SA whites, the quality of their tales show they do not bother”.
How about we start talking about the quality of the tales of SA Blacks?
09 Jul 2018, 21:42#14
I would not pick him, he has no mental fortitude.
Great to hear everybody's experience of London.
My first digs was in Stratford sharing a room with a bloke in a small bedroom in an house of 14 saffas. My room mate use to shag his girlfriend every night and a spend most of my time on a bear stained coach.
I left Cape Town as Web developer only to end up doing day labour jobs for 18 months before I could get a job back in IT and living in horrible cramped conditions.
With the money they paid him, he would have a great place in Paris.
Spoiled entitled brat that doesn't know how to stick it out.
sharkbok
Captain23,253 posts
sharkbokCaptain23,253 posts
09 Jul 2018, 23:06#16
Likewise, nice to hear of everyone's else's experience in London. It can be pretty tough getting herded around on the Tube train like cattle, especially in summer when it gets humid.
Cornwall is nice and scenic, and more like the coastline of South Africa in many ways than England.
I live in Newquay, as it is the place that is most like Durban with lots of beaches for surfing. It has an airport- so the flight to London is 30 minutes. Occasionally I get up at 5:30 am to catch a 7 am flight, then get the 8:30 pm flight back, and I get in the door around 10 pm. A long day- but I only do this once every few months.
I might get a place in London for peak winter time (Jan-March), as it is cold- so Cornwall is not as good at that time of the year.I do plan to go on a surfing trip from now on, in February - to skip the peak of winter when it is raining non-stop and freezing. Unless the wind is offshore, the surf is buggered-and freezing.
Goosen has had the easy life being spoonfed his whole life.....
MOMozart
Captain49,914 posts
MOMozartCaptain49,914 posts
10 Jul 2018, 00:49#20
If Goosen had gone through the Navy Gym perhaps he would have grown a pair....his reaction to Paris is pretty much like his reaction to the high ball.....getting the hell out of there.
10 Jul 2018, 21:57#23
Sharkbok, wandad, that cracks me up.
I love Cornwall and Devon. My favourite place in the UK. I'm still living in London with my family, but I were to leave, then Cornwall would be my next spot.
Goosen is money hungry and getting the wrong advice. Surely he could have asked for a release from his contract
