Jose Goncalves is out of contract in the summer and has not been Jim Jeffries favourite player since he arrived in January. Goncalves refused to sign an extended deal - at reduced rates - and was frozen out of the team by Jefferies, who insisted he would not play the 24-year-old contract rebel. With no new deal to worry about, the defender took his chance to say a few words about the Hearts hierarchy as he prepares to end a four-and-a-half-year stay at Tynecastle.
Goncalves said: "I was very upset to be honest; it's just not fair. I don't think it's fair for any player at any club. If a player does not want to sign, it doesn't matter the reason, you must play him. It can just make things worse between the player, the manager and the club. I think you must play your best team, this is what football is all about. The negotiations were that they asked me if I wanted to sign this contract. I told them why and why not. At Hearts it is very difficult to negotiate with the owner of the club. I was told if I don't sign the contract I will not play and I was feeling very upset with the way they treated me. If I thought the right thing was to sign, then I would sign and be very happy. But because things were not very nice for myself I decided not to sign. I think I made the right choice. It's not about the offer, it's about the respect and the principles. I have principles in life. You must respect the players to achieve a lot of things and progress. If the club does not respect the player, everything goes wrong. I will not sign just because they put me under pressure." |