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SO
LONG GOUGHY ...
Part TWO
one
three |
 Don’t
think, just tell me, good decision,
or bad one?
I think it's a really good decision, I'm very excited about it. The
squash side, the competing at the world level side of it, I feel
very strange about. What I'm glad of, is that it's the end of the
season, and there is not too much squash going on, no one else is
competing, I'm stepping away at the time where it's quiet. And
because I've got to throw so much energy straight into the new job,
I actually didn't have too much time to think about it, which is a
good thing…
Your decision to retire seems a bit of sudden to us.
Why now?
It's a number of things, I don't know which way round it was really. It's the opportunity, first and foremost. If this opportunity
wasn't there, I would probably carry on, that's probably not to say
that it's the right decision. I would probably carry on, and just
start to be slowly less and less successful, which would be quite
bad really. I stopped training as hard I as was about three months
ago.
So, your bad results were due to lack of training in fact…
Absolutely! I could feel it, it was just purely because I wasn't
training, there was no way I could compete. But I think I mainly
stopped training because of the amount of things that were going on
with PSA. If that wasn't happening, I would have carried on
training, and I would still been playing ok. But the standard is too
high, as soon as you stop for five minutes, you've had it.
On that front, it's strange because I'm so used to fighting to hard
to protect my points and world ranking, and wanting to do well,
and suddenly, not having to do those things, your motivation goes
quite quickly. When you find yourself not having to defend your
position or trying to improve, like even though I'm older, I was
always trying to improve my ranking, and keep competing hard. And
suddenly, there is nothing to defend, and your motivation goes
quickly, the motivation to train and hurt yourself every day goes
pretty fast…
But that's not to say that when September or October comes, there
won't be domestic games to play, European Clubs Championship to
play, I still want to play a few of those, so I am going to try and
stay in shape. I still enjoy playing, I still love playing.
And I
would like to still play in the Europeans, if I'm good enough! I'd
love to carry on with that, it will depend on how busy things get,
at the moment it's certainly taking up every waking moment! |
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Your new job, what does it consist of?
My role is going to change, and is not completely defined yet, so
I'm kind of feeling my way around, and assessing where my time is
best suited. Am I going to look after certain tournaments, am I
going to look at TV… One of my big aims at the moment is trying to
improve the look of the game. One of the insight goals, and that's
coming up quite quickly, is live TV for the World Open, also with
the help of everyone involved with the World Open, Jim Quigley, Paul
Walters and all the other stakeholders...
So, I want to do everything I can in the meantime to make sure that
that looks absolutely stunning and as professional as it can be, you
know, the feel and the look of how we present squash. That's one of
my main focuses at the moment. Mainly with the view to make
Richard's job easier [Richard Graham, new PSA CEO), which is going to get out there and pull in a
few more sponsors and people from outside of squash.
Also, through Ziad's help, we've got a meeting with Saatchi &
Saatchi coming up, and that's one of the things I'm going to put a
helping hand to. If we can get guys like that involved, it would be
starting to push things pretty hard.
What are you going to miss the most, do you think?
The stage I'm at, I think I'll really miss the Worlds, and the
British Open. And actually, when I took the job, I put it around to
a couple of people, mainly to Martin McDonnell and Lee Beachill, "do
you think I could still get away with playing in the World Open in
Manchester," because it felt that that would be a good time to
properly stop, you know?
And they both came back with a similar sort of answer, that I would
regret to try and do that, that I would be concentrating so much on
that new job, that yes, I might play it, but nothing is going to
happen in it really because of the fact I'm going to put so much
energy into my new role, and that it would seem like a bit of a
waste of time once I finally got there… I really wanted to play
that, but now I've made the decision, I think I'm happy with that.
But at the time, my instant reaction was, oh, I really want to play
that tournament… |
Do you have the feeling you missed out on things
because of
your squash career?
The stuff I missed from my kids really, but then, the flexibility of
being a squash player meant that I was around all summer. One of the
things I always wondered about was what would have happened if I
hadn't gone straight into squash, if I had chosen a professional
career. It's something I keep thinking about now, where would I be
now. I'm always curious about what I would have done, and I just
don't know! Well I did a mathematics degree, didn't I, so I was
always considering a City job basically.
If you could start your career all over,
what would you change?
That's a good question. It's a good question in that I don't want to
be cheesy, but I don't know if I would change that much. Lots of
people say, oh, if I had changed this, I might have gone to world
number one, or if I had changed that… But my theory to that is if I
had changed a lot, other things wouldn't have happened, so it's all
well in good things; if I had trained harder, I might have done
this; well, that's not necessarily true. If I had done one thing
better, I might have done another thing worse. In all honesty, I
wouldn't want to change anything, because some great things happened
that might not have happened!
What would you like to be remembered by…?
As a squash player, I read recently that Jonathan Power was talking
about the best movers of the game, the name of Peter Nicol was down
there, and that the Great Jonathan Power himself said, "Alex Gough
was an underrated mover." And I was quite… honoured by that really,
the fact that somebody like Power, who was an incredible mover
around the court would say something like that… I guess that one of
the things people may remember me for, and I would hope that people
would just enjoying watching me playing, no matter it was just
sometimes getting stuck in, sometimes going for different shots.
Yes, I just hope that people will look back on my matches, and
remember them fondly… |
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 Nick
Matthew, world #7
What
can I say about Goughy? Well, the first thing to say is it's about
time he retired!! he's nearly 40 now and he's giving the rest of us
silly ideas that we can carry on that long!
No, seriously, I'll be sad to see one of my best friends retire from
the circuit, but delighted that the PSA have managed to find a way
to keep Alex involved in the professional game. his insight,
knowledge and enthusiasm for the game are there for all to see, and
I'm sure will play a massive part in taking squash on to the next
level.
 On the playing side, it's been pretty remarkable that Goughy has
managed to stay in the top 20 for so long, I think the guy has been
in the top 20 for the past 27 years! We regularly speak about some
of his memories from the tour and some of his best matches (mainly
during practice when he keeps telling me to shut up!), and it's fair
to say he's had an amazing career, both on and off the court!!
I
actually still regard him as one of my best wins when I was an 18
year old fresh out of school and he was top 10 (sorry Goughy, had to
bring that up!), and despite the age difference (sorry, again!)
Goughy has become one of my best friends on the tour. I particularly
enjoyed rooming with him during the recent worlds in Bermuda, a
tournament which proved to be his swansong. There's certainly never
a dull moment around Goughy!
On a final note, I'd just like to send my best wishes to his family,
who I'm sure will enjoy Alex being around a lot more, and Jayden,
his son, who I'm sure, one day, will follow on in the Gough family
sporting tradition, probably as a leg spin bowler for England
judging by the delivery he bowled me a couple of years ago which
spun more than Warne v Gatting!
Talking of spin, I'd just like to point out that whenever Alex
played his famous topspin doublehanded shot, I didn't have the
slightest clue as to where it was going ... ever. Talented family!
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 It
was great to know you and have good laughs during the
past few years even if sometimes I was struggling to get what you
were saying, not because you had a few beers but because you are
just talking too fast..
I congratulate you for the good results you had in your long long
long career, I thought you would never give up. It was always nice
and fun to watch you and also play you. I won't forget your top spin
backhand, boast from the front corner and of course your chat on the
court. You give up with squash but will never give up with chatting
or joking around...
I wish you the best for the future and your new job, I'm sure you
will do well
We will miss you on the squash tour man.
 world #2
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  Goughy ... well
what can I say, he has just made me the oldest player on the circuit
by retiring and that makes me feel even older!!
He has been a great friend and great rival on and off the court over
the years. Goughy has been one of the ones to watch because on his
day he can take you out and even when you have won you know that you
have had a hard match. We have been joking around about playing till
we are 40+ on the tour and it almost came true. It will be great to
do battle with him in the 35+ events! I think I will be able to
still take him...even with all his talking on the court and trying
to get in your head!!!
Goughy will be missed on the courts but with his new role for PSA I
am sure we will still see him around the tour! Enjoy your retirement
Goughy and it is about time you pissed off ... I will be joining you
very soon mate!
former
world #1 |
Alex Remembers:
Worst memory on tour:
Playing Egypt in Egypt - I was 2/0 down against Ahmed Barada, came
back to 6/2 up in the fifth to then lose in the World Team
Championships Final in Cairo in '99.....
Best memory on tour:
Beating England in World Team Champs Semi Finals in Cairo '99.
I beat Paul Johnson, then four in the world, 3/1 and David Evans
beat Parkey, then ranked five in the world, 3/0 in one of the most
clinical performances I have ever seen. I nearly put Emu through the
glass when he came off court I was so excited!
Also my first ever major semi-final in Al Ahram in '97 after having
to qualify. Beat Hilly in the first round, then Jonathon Power then
Brett Martin to lose to Jansher in the semis... not bad as I was 29
in the World at the time.
(Parkey will remember me jumping up and down on his bed to a
Supergrass song, Richard III, before qualifying had started for me,
shouting 'We are going to do really well in this tournament!!) |
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It
is a fantastic achievement to still be ranked inside the world top
25 at the age of 37 in the increasingly competitive era of the
modern game.
After watching him train and play it was obvious his
competitiveness, lightning reactions and outstanding physical
qualities meant he was destined to reach the top. However it was his
inventive mind, which I suppose you would expect from someone with a
first in mathematics, that made him stand out. 
I thought I had the copyright to double handed deception only for
Alex to develop a double handed crosscourt flick that repeatedly
sent me the wrong way! 
