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Paul Rachubka insists he hasn’t come to Wanderers to rest on his laurels.
The 34-year-old keeper has pledged to push number one Ben Amos for a first-team place after signing a short-term contract with the Whites at the weekend.
A veteran of more than 350 appearances from the Premier League to League Two, Rachubka was hand-picked by Whites goalkeeping coach Bobby Mimms as the perfect foil for summer signing Amos.
But the former Manchester United youth product says he has not turned up at the Macron Stadium simply to pick up a pay cheque, and warned his new team-mate that he will be challenging him for time on the pitch.
“I’ve always wanted to play games and that’s why I have travelled round so many clubs,” he told The Bolton News.
“Everyone needs a goalkeeper, that’s the way it is. Sometimes I think it’s just being available at the right time, which has happened here with Bolton Wanderers.
“It’s a big club and I’m delighted to be here but I’m not happy twiddling my thumbs, I’m here to play.
“I’m here to put pressure on Ben and make the team better. That’s what I’ve been asked to do.”
Rachubka plunged straight in with a game at Motherwell on Saturday and he believes the experience was a perfect introduction after a whirlwind week.
“You need to be able to sort out your defence as a goalkeeper and have an understanding of what they do – and there’s a few languages to get my head around there,” he said, having played behind Italian Francesco Pisano, Spaniards Jose Manuel Casado and Derik Osede and potentially Frenchmen Dorian Dervite and Prince Desire-Gouano.
“You soon find football has its own language, though.
“Honestly, I didn’t know I’d be signing until Thursday or Friday – it happened that quickly.
“Bobby (Mimms) had worked with me before at Oldham and gave me a call, said we’ve got a situation and can you do this?
“I don’t live far away so when I got there they told me I’d be travelling up to Scotland straight away and I’d be getting some minutes. I thought ‘this is great!’
“Being without a club I knew I’d have to be ready this summer.
“You can train all you want but there’s no way you can replicate that feeling of playing in front of a crowd on the pitch, unless you’ve got a lot of mates!”
Cheshire-based Rachubka knew the situation he was entering at Wanderers but has been impressed with what he has seen in his short time at the club.
“I’ve been to the training ground many times before and played at the stadium – but I’ve been inside 13 different dressing rooms and I know the standard is high here,” he added.
“Even on the documents I got from the club there were references to the UEFA Cup and Premier League, so you get a sense of where they have been.
“The job I think now is to try and represent that in the league table and get closer to where the club wants to be again.”
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The 34-year-old keeper has pledged to push number one Ben Amos for a first-team place after signing a short-term contract with the Whites at the weekend.
A veteran of more than 350 appearances from the Premier League to League Two, Rachubka was hand-picked by Whites goalkeeping coach Bobby Mimms as the perfect foil for summer signing Amos.
But the former Manchester United youth product says he has not turned up at the Macron Stadium simply to pick up a pay cheque, and warned his new team-mate that he will be challenging him for time on the pitch.
“I’ve always wanted to play games and that’s why I have travelled round so many clubs,” he told The Bolton News.
“Everyone needs a goalkeeper, that’s the way it is. Sometimes I think it’s just being available at the right time, which has happened here with Bolton Wanderers.
“It’s a big club and I’m delighted to be here but I’m not happy twiddling my thumbs, I’m here to play.
“I’m here to put pressure on Ben and make the team better. That’s what I’ve been asked to do.”
Rachubka plunged straight in with a game at Motherwell on Saturday and he believes the experience was a perfect introduction after a whirlwind week.
“You need to be able to sort out your defence as a goalkeeper and have an understanding of what they do – and there’s a few languages to get my head around there,” he said, having played behind Italian Francesco Pisano, Spaniards Jose Manuel Casado and Derik Osede and potentially Frenchmen Dorian Dervite and Prince Desire-Gouano.
“You soon find football has its own language, though.
“Honestly, I didn’t know I’d be signing until Thursday or Friday – it happened that quickly.
“Bobby (Mimms) had worked with me before at Oldham and gave me a call, said we’ve got a situation and can you do this?
“I don’t live far away so when I got there they told me I’d be travelling up to Scotland straight away and I’d be getting some minutes. I thought ‘this is great!’
“Being without a club I knew I’d have to be ready this summer.
“You can train all you want but there’s no way you can replicate that feeling of playing in front of a crowd on the pitch, unless you’ve got a lot of mates!”
Cheshire-based Rachubka knew the situation he was entering at Wanderers but has been impressed with what he has seen in his short time at the club.
“I’ve been to the training ground many times before and played at the stadium – but I’ve been inside 13 different dressing rooms and I know the standard is high here,” he added.
“Even on the documents I got from the club there were references to the UEFA Cup and Premier League, so you get a sense of where they have been.
“The job I think now is to try and represent that in the league table and get closer to where the club wants to be again.”
Source