Dynamo first-choice and long-term goalkeeper Oleksandr Shovkovskyy spent an hour in the fcdynamo.kiev.ua chatroom. Read his answers to your questions below.
fcdynamo.kiev.ua User: You have been slammed recently, being blamed for the team’s defeats. Do you think you will be able to regain your confidence?
Oleksandr Shovkovskyy: I understand the way our supporters feel when I concede goals. I am trying to whip my game into shape. I must be going through the ordeal. This, however, is something I need to get through in order to reach higher-quality level of my display.
Q: March was a good month for Dynamo. In your opinion, what will April be like?
A: It was a warm month:). We train and work as best as we can before every single match. Our expectations are most optimistic. Things don’t always go under our scenario in the encounters, yet we need to do our utmost to outperform opponents and win.
Q: Do you read the Football magazine?
A: I have not been reading any sports papers or magazines for a very simple reason: the barrage of criticism I have recently faced. My best advisors and sources of information are my coaches. They obtain more information and point out at my mistakes.
Q: Which player could become a first-choice goalkeeper after you retire from football?
A: Due to the specifics of the position, goalkeepers do not have regular game practice and come on only in separate encounters, which makes it difficult for a goalkeeper to show his better side, even if he is highly talented. We have a lot of young goalies on the roster and each of them, in certain circumstances, can make into starting XI.
Q: What has Dynamo meant for you along the years spent in the club?
A: In September I will have been with the club for 25 years. My childish passion and pursuits to play football grew into a profession. The Dynamo emblem is imprinted in my heart.
Q: What’s your dream in life?
A: The best thing about having a goal is that it makes you move forward. Importantly, once you accomplish it, you should not focus on the results too much but trace the way that helped you realize your ambition. That is why I always set aims and try to achieve them with the team.
Q: Will your son also become a footballer?
A: No, he will not. He will choose a different path.
Q: Do you watch the Champions League? Who do you support?
A: Of course, I follow the Champions League encounters. I was disappointed as Arsenal exited the competition. Especially that the penalty against Arsenal was less clear than the one that was not awarded against Liverpool.
Q: Do you have any pets? If not, would you like to bring one?
A: I have 11 fish. Everyone keeps asking why eleven. Frankly, it just happened that way.
Q: Do you still remember the Champions League fixture against Spartak Moscow in 1994, when you were aged just 19?
A: Most vivid memories have remained despite the mistake I made. It is the result that people remember more.
Q: If you were to pick three best goalkeepers in the world, who would they be?
A: I look up to Buffon, Dassayev and Kahn.
Q: What are you reading at the moment?
A: The Bad Girl by Mario Vargas Llosa.
Q: Which team are going back at the UEFA EURO 2008?
A: Russia, definitely.
