LISTEN: Dutch pair slam "bad journalism" for magazine re-hash

Both Van Der Weg and Schalk claim a piece from a Dutch magazine has been mistranslated and in some cases taken out of context.

Ross County's Dutch duo claim they're both happy at the club.
Published 30th Mar 2017
Last updated 30th Mar 2017

Ross County's Kenny Van Der Veg and Alex Schalk have hit out after seeing quotes attributed to the duo appear in tabloid articles, claiming the pair are unhappy at the club and less than impressed with the area.

It follows a recent magazine piece for a Dutch journalist who came over to visit them in Inverness. However the article has been translated with a different slant put on some of their thoughts on their time in the Highlands.

For example, moving from a big city area, to now stay in Inverness is now viewed as leaving a bustling metropolitan lifestyle for the quiet seclusion of Dingwall. But this it would appear is just the tip of the iceberg from where the discrepancies arose.

"This has been taken totally out of context", "said Alex Schalk, "Kenny and I had done this piece a couple of weeks back with an interviewer from the Netherlands, both of us were together at Breda, so they were doing a bit about us living in the Highlands"

According to a piece in one tabloid, Van Der Weg said, "I come from a big city in Rotterdam and at 10pm I like to do something - go out for a drink, have a bit of a laugh. But you can't do that here. Dingwall is so quiet. I have got really tired of it."

But as Kenny explains, much of what was included has been mistranslated:

Alex Schalk - a recent goalscorer in the 1-1 derby draw - is eager to set the record straight on his thoughts and feelings on County, having appeared to paint a negative picture: "This wasn't the intention of the piece and there's been things written which I didn't even say - Kenny also - and if you mistranslate things then you'll come up with stuff that isn't true"

"I am actually in talks about a contract extension, so why would I say these things about the club and the area? It's ridiculous"

"It is really frustrating as the guy could've given us a call to ask us about the story - I could've explained then - but what's been done is so negative, and such easy journalism - how can people do this without asking what's going on?"

"I am actually in talks about a contract extension, so why would I say these things about the club and the area? It's ridiculous"

"The players have asked us what's going on and we've had to explain ourselves because that was never the intention of the magazine article - and some things we just didn't even say"

"We wanted to put Ross County on the map to - show the club, say how nice the people are and how the boys and everyone at the club has made me feel at home, because obviously many people in the Netherlands haven't heard at the club"

"It was a light-hearted, funny interview, to show both the journey of myself and Kenny, where we've come from and our background, and it's annoying that our words have been taken out of context, or just plain mistranslated"