Season › 2012-13 › News
Shandy comes clean on Everton demise
Washed-up 'star' blames Liverpool life with girlfriend Lisa
A new tell-all by Andy van der Meyde details how his wild partying and lascivious lifestyle on Merseyside wrecked his marriage and scuppered his chances of holding down a place in Everton's first team. Signed from Inter Milan for £2M in 2005 on a 4-year deal, he would make only 24 appearances, going down as one of David Moyes's few flop signings.At one point, the Dutch midfielder appeared to have the world at his feet, with a move to Inter Milan and a growing reputation at international level.
Falling out of favour at the San Siro, however, proved to be only the beginning of his problems. His surprise move to Goodison doubled his wages to £30,000 a week and the then 27 year-old found he couldn't resist the temptations of alcohol, drugs and women and he was eventually caught cheating on his wife with a local stripper, Lisa.
Abandoned by his wife, Diana, who left with their two children, Van der Meyde fathered a child with Lisa, but his baby daughter contracted a serious bowel disorder that required a lengthy spell in hospital in 2007.
With those off-the-field problems and his inability to focus on his football, Van der Meyde's life began to spiral out of control, leading eventually to seven-nights-a-week cocaine and alcohol binges that he believes would have killed him if he hadn't decided to leave Liverpool in 2009.
His relationship with Moyes soured fairly early on when he was caught out on the town throwing up blood-tainted vomit before a first-team game in an incident that the Dutchman claims was the result of drug-spiked beer.
Later, he refused to join Ipswich Town on loan because of the distance to Merseyside and his sick child and Moyes appeared to lose patience in him entirely when he refused to train with the Reserves.
“Moyes was sick to the stomach that he had to pay me £30,000 a week yet in two years I didn't even play 20 matches," van der Meyde said of his refusal to move to Portman Road.
“But my daughter was still in hospital and Ipswich was a five-hour drive. Moyes never said more than 10 words to me ever again. He did everything to try to break me.
Van der Meyde continues:
“For a home game with Middlesbrough I spent 90 minutes on the bench and was pissed off. At Everton, players who don't play have a training session at the end of the game. But I didn't go on the pitch.
“Moyes said: ‘What are you doing?' I said: ‘I'm going home.' Moyes replied: ‘No, you have to do your training.'
“I said: ‘You can stick it.' Moyes grabbed me by the throat and screamed: ‘You are going to do your training.'
“I said: ‘Go on hit me, hit me!' Steam was coming out of Moyes's ears but he let me go and two minutes later he gave me his hand and apologised.”
He reached his nadir towards the end of his contract at Goodison.
“The worry about my daughter determined my last two years at Everton. I wasn't able to focus on the Premier League or the world around it. Going out became an even bigger part of my life.”
“My buddies had the solution — cocaine. I took cocaine and liquor and in Liverpool you can party seven nights a week.
“It is a life-threatening city if you can't put up your own boundaries. I realised Liverpool could become my death so I had to leave.”
The ex-Ajax man is now back in his native Holland having cleaned up his act and he harbours hopes of returning to football after taking his Uefa coaching badges.
Quotes or other material sourced from The Sun
Reader Comments (69)
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2 Posted 29/10/2012 at 16:05:08
3 Posted 29/10/2012 at 16:12:01
“I saw a brunette and I wanted to have sex with her. But after I'd had sex with Lisa once I was addicted, she was wild, crazy and horny.”
Yah, for sure Andy, for sure!
4 Posted 29/10/2012 at 16:12:18
5 Posted 29/10/2012 at 16:10:18
6 Posted 29/10/2012 at 16:15:07
7 Posted 29/10/2012 at 16:07:06
Everton have signed their share of' ''misfits'' in the past and it's usually down to personal problems and that is why they are loaned out or move around a lot. They break club rules and ruin their own careers whilst becoming disruptive with the clubs they are with.
One only has to look at the genius George Best after his rise in the sixties. However,one can only guess how much of the book is truth or exaggeration in order to be marketed. Being controversial is the order of the day for movie stars and sports stars to sell books — especially when they are desperate for money.
8 Posted 29/10/2012 at 16:14:20
9 Posted 29/10/2012 at 16:28:44
I had to re-read it in a Dutchhh accshcennt too.
10 Posted 29/10/2012 at 16:30:09
I agree, Chris. Reads a little like the Andre Agassi book where everyone else is at fault but him.
Does seem like a good, trashy, airport read though!
11 Posted 29/10/2012 at 16:32:51
12 Posted 29/10/2012 at 16:44:25
13 Posted 29/10/2012 at 16:45:19
14 Posted 29/10/2012 at 16:45:50
15 Posted 29/10/2012 at 16:45:22
16 Posted 29/10/2012 at 16:56:35
I hope it doesn't sell a single copy!
17 Posted 29/10/2012 at 17:03:01
We should have done exactly what Chelsea did with Adrian Mutu ... sacked him and sued him for his transfer fee.
Why is it that that kind of behaviour in any other walk of life gets you sacked but footballers just carry on picking up their wages each month?
18 Posted 29/10/2012 at 17:09:21
However, that was a really nice cross to Gosling.
One more thought — this may have given us a bit of insight into Moyes's lack of tolerance for Drenthe's shenanigans last year. After his experience with VDM, he wasn't going to cut Drenthe any slack.
19 Posted 29/10/2012 at 17:33:23
That's what he was paid to do.
20 Posted 29/10/2012 at 17:38:54
21 Posted 29/10/2012 at 17:26:18
Pip has his critics but Andy Pandy still seems to not really understand that he was the tool and in no position to criticise anybody. A boycott of his new book.
22 Posted 29/10/2012 at 17:49:23
On balance money well spent then!! :)
23 Posted 29/10/2012 at 18:09:15
24 Posted 29/10/2012 at 18:04:48
Pip, Moyes's pet.. Never! Good to know he throttles the players if required.
ps: Pip and Ossie played a blinder yesterday.
25 Posted 29/10/2012 at 18:36:13
26 Posted 29/10/2012 at 18:42:05
27 Posted 29/10/2012 at 18:44:24
28 Posted 29/10/2012 at 18:31:42
29 Posted 29/10/2012 at 18:58:16
30 Posted 29/10/2012 at 19:00:39
31 Posted 29/10/2012 at 19:20:54
Reminds me of the woman who gets a headstone inscribed for her dead husband, asking for the inscription "Lord, he was thine". She calls the mason to complain (in thick Yorkshire accent): "You've written 'Lord, he was thin' You've missed off the 'e'.
Headstone comes back next week (with a thick Yorks accent): "E, lord, he was thin".
My coats already on...
32 Posted 29/10/2012 at 19:35:21
33 Posted 29/10/2012 at 19:34:58
34 Posted 29/10/2012 at 19:31:06
#1, When married with 2 children, gets involved with a stripper;
#2, Routinely gets hammered and coked up;
#3, Blames " the gaffer" for his problems;
"Best of all", writes this in an autobiography. WTF?
Now he is gong for his coaching badge.
"L" , that is, IMHO, a total LOSER!
I'm quite sure there will be lines and lines of clubs really interested in having him as their manager. What a joke!
35 Posted 29/10/2012 at 19:59:18
36 Posted 29/10/2012 at 20:02:27
37 Posted 29/10/2012 at 20:12:43
38 Posted 29/10/2012 at 20:21:46
39 Posted 29/10/2012 at 20:32:57
40 Posted 29/10/2012 at 20:58:42
No way should anyone fall for the bollocks about his daughter when he was pissed up and coked up most of the time.
It's embarrassing our club has an association with such a bellend.
41 Posted 29/10/2012 at 21:13:24
Michael, are you obliged to post a link to said rag?
42 Posted 29/10/2012 at 21:26:23
43 Posted 29/10/2012 at 21:46:42
44 Posted 29/10/2012 at 21:52:36
45 Posted 29/10/2012 at 22:39:26
46 Posted 29/10/2012 at 23:08:41
Even more bizarrely Peter Thistle above seems to think this is a reasonable standpoint.
The only thing that made me chuckle a bit was apparently the increase to £30k a week meant he could now fund a lifestyle of drink and Class A drugs – because well, you know, you simply can't afford a pint on £15k a week, can you? Clearly Everton offering this money was entirely the reason he went off the rails.
What an absolute tosser.
48 Posted 30/10/2012 at 00:57:07
Don't forget Chelski did the same years ago – and sued the player to boot.
49 Posted 30/10/2012 at 01:37:41
50 Posted 30/10/2012 at 02:06:45
51 Posted 30/10/2012 at 02:37:02
52 Posted 30/10/2012 at 03:53:00
And how could someone criticize Neville in this? A guy on his team is going against team rules, most likely negative affecting morale, it is the captains job to report it to the manager.
53 Posted 30/10/2012 at 07:49:27
If Shandy breached his obligations - then the club could have terminated the contract and sued for his breach
Is this just another example of our supreme incompetance . How on earth could we lose 6 million quid and make no effort to get it back - when on the face of it there were good solid grounds to sue !
Beggars belief
54 Posted 30/10/2012 at 08:05:11
55 Posted 30/10/2012 at 08:22:41
56 Posted 30/10/2012 at 09:07:32
57 Posted 30/10/2012 at 09:30:40
58 Posted 30/10/2012 at 09:24:19
However, Lee Carsley had a sick child too but it never stopped him doing his job and pulling his tripe out for the club every week.
I know we are all different and can react in different ways to these things, but whereas Lee Carsley chose to carry on and get stuck in, VDM chose to opt out and go on a binge. That was his decision nobody else's.
59 Posted 30/10/2012 at 12:21:27
And lets be honest if I was 30 big ones a week. I'd have a longing for strong naked women. Unfortunately I'm not so I don't.
We've signed some shite down the years but this joker takes the biscuit. He will be remembered only for the cross in the FA Cup replay against that vermin, nothing else. Now sod off and let us carry on supporting our great club. Boring bastard
60 Posted 30/10/2012 at 17:48:15
61 Posted 30/10/2012 at 22:50:48
62 Posted 30/10/2012 at 22:56:45
63 Posted 30/10/2012 at 23:11:02
64 Posted 31/10/2012 at 00:20:52
However, I am very lucky that I do not know what it's like to be an addict but I have a family member who is and he is not the same person when on 'the stuff.' That does not give him any excuse but I see the hell that he puts himself through - and he sees what he puts the family through but he still can't stop. He's an addict.
If you have a sick child and would sacrifice helping flesh and blood for drugs, booze, women - you have a serious, serious problem. One that can only be understood if you are wearing his shoes. I guess my point is that he has hit rock bottom - broken marriage, lust child, drug addiction, career lost. Can we not just turn the page? Are we all that perfect that we feel the need to (still) hurl this much hate toward this fellow? He did wear our Blue shirt.
If it is true and he has really changed and wants to give something back - sometimes these 'reinvented' castaways can be the best teachers of what NOT to do.
65 Posted 31/10/2012 at 01:22:13
66 Posted 31/10/2012 at 08:24:57
Maradona would have been outstanding playing on a crutch, with one good eye and carrying a cocaine drip. Special case there I think.
67 Posted 01/11/2012 at 07:52:06
68 Posted 03/11/2012 at 18:59:11
Oh right Shandy... I forget there is fuck all to do in Amsterdam!
69 Posted 05/11/2012 at 11:08:28
After reading this article by that pile of shit called Andy vdM I come to the following conclusions:
(1) It’s ironic that a Dutchman has to come to a City in the north of England to get coked up.
(2) The guy is a complete and utter knobhead!
(3) Anyone who blames everyone else for such destructive actions, is a total and complete utter knobhead!!
(4) Anyone who can't work because they are concerned about a loved one (his daughter in this case) yet can shove cocaine up their nose and alcohol down their throat 7 days a week should be totally and utterly ashamed of themselves. (I feel very sorry for his daughter; I just hope he’s not exaggerating her condition to gain pity for himself.)
(5) My respect for David Moyes had gone up. He should have picked AvdM up by the throat when he had the chance, and thrown him out of the club gates after refusing to train.
We don’t need people like AvdM at Everton football club and I for one applaud David Moyes's actions here.
70 Posted 05/11/2012 at 11:29:36
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1 Posted 29/10/2012 at 15:55:37