THE BURGER IS GONE, BUT STILL AS CHEEZEY AS EVER!

By Bren Hartnoll

In 2007 Perth Saints Football Club said ‘Au Revoir’ to one of their favourite sons, Renaud Clausse as he headed for a stint in London for personal and professional reasons.

Clausse joined the Perth Saints in 2005 and quickly became established as a key member of the South Division One Championship winning side with his sublime dominance on the pitch and his affable nature and quirky sense of humour. ‘Sheezberger’, as he is affectionately known, played 47 games and scored 10 goals for the Saints and over the years grew to become one of the clubs great personalities.

Clausse has now been living the high life in London for six months and perthsaints.com caught up with ‘Flaffie’ to see how life is going and what he has been up to:

PS: Its been six months since you left Perth Saints to head overseas for work – How is life going and what have you been up to?

RC: Six months already? You must be right as it sounds like the length of the winter in England . I still can’t believe that I was stupid enough to leave Australia just before summer.

Life has been good with me so far and despite I am away from home quite often I have tried to take the best out of London and Europe .

PS:  Have you been playing any football this year?

RC: Not really. As soon as I arrived in London , I did train with few teams and played indoor with some lads but I quickly realised that my work’s commitments wouldn’t give me the chance to be part of a team.

However, I had the chance to kick the ball in Argentina with some guys. It was good fun.

PS: What do you do on Sundays now?

RC: Still recovering of my Saturday nights.

PS: Have you been following the Saints on the Website – what do you think of the lads performance so far? How do you think they will go this season?

RC: Indeed, I went a couple of times on the website to follow the pre-season and the first league games. I can’t say that much about the performances but the beginning of the season reminds me the one that we had last year.

PS: How does it feel not being able to join in the action and only being able to follow the teams results on the website?

RC: Hey, this one is a good question. That’s tough indeed. I have to say that I had a wonderful time in and out the pitch with the Saints. It was very easy to get integrated and to belong to the Saints family.

There are always misunderstanding or arguments within a club but everything could be fixed around few beers and a match box.

PS: What do you miss most about leaving Perth ?

RC: I will say the lifestyle. When you work and live in Perth you have time for yourself and your friends (very different from Europe where everyone is rushing). It took me a while to get used to the quiet side of Perth but after a year I loved it. And when you start knowing people, you realise that there is always something good to do.

I also miss the sun and the grass (to be lighted up)

PS: Do you have any plans to come back to Perth in the near future?

RC: It is somewhere on the back of my mind but I don’t know how/when it can be materialised.

PS: Which do you prefer – Perth or your new home?

RC: Hard to say. I loved Perth and I would have minded to stay longer if I could. I like London for some reasons. I will say Joker.

PS: I have heard you are quite a good cook – what is your recipe to make the best cheese burger?

RC: Don’t forget the extra cheese otherwise it will only be a Chezeborger

PS: Finally, is there anything you would like to say to the lads?

RC: Hi everyone. All the best for the new season and be careful with “Teethy” and “Blondy” from Stirling à they broke my knee for two months last month.

PS: Renaud, thanks for your time and we are all looking forward to seeing you in a Saints shirt once again in not too distant future. All the best mate!

 

May 5, 2008