Andy van der Meyde — A Career Burnt by Sadness and Temptation

Lots of talent but a man with major issues and troubles.

Could have been a brilliant signing if he'd been ok off the field but injury and other problems meant we rarely seen him on the pitch at all.

Yes Jim another player in a long line, who seemed to have it all, yet chose to blow it on Booze, Sex, Drugs and Rock and Roll, and probably gambling too.

A professional Footballers playing life is relatively short, but with a bit of self control, it can set them up for life, with Finances that most people could only dream of.

What's up these guys? Are they arrogant, on a self destruct mission or what?

He had only been here a few weeks when Grahame Sharp told me he liked the nightlife too much. Looks like Moyes never did his homework on this player.

He wants to be a coach, but he blames Everton for his problems? Reflection is a great thought, but only if it's not self centred and immature, and this is why I'd be surprised if Andy, gets back involved on a professional level, unless he stops blaming others for his own actions which destroyed a very promising career.

Dave, we got a very expensive player for a relatively small fee, because we knew he had some issues.

Tony, having watched his “Andy in the Car” interviews, I disagree that he attaches any blame to us. He blames himself and the temptations of Liverpool nightlife.

Van Der Meyde was once a really good player. I saw him a few times for inter and for Holland.

Even at Everton he had a few decent games when he first arrived. He was said to be unfit and needing to get back to his best. That was the best he ever played for us. His crossing was great and he had a load of tricks to beat a man.

I recall when he played against Boro (could be wrong) and he sold the defender the wrong way, got the half a yard he needed and he went for the afterburners. You could see in his mind he was going to race away and get to the byline and whip it in. Only, he was fat Andy now, the afterburners were gone and he got tackled when he tried to get into his stride.

I still think that at the time, it was a risk worth taking as if we “fixed” him, then we could have saved a fortune.

I believe the man has little to show for his career and he has nothing but himself to blame.

Bought during our most wasteful transfer window under Moyes, he was the only one who stood out as exciting to me. Simon Davies was a bit player at Spurs who we finished above, Per Kroldrup I'd never heard of and I couldn't get all that enthusiastic about Phil Neville.

It didn't take long to realise why we'd picked up this "bargain". Moyes seemed to learn his lesson as we took a similar punt on Pienaar and it worked

Oh hang on, Royston Drenthe.

If you combined the professionalism of a Phil Neville with either of our errant Dutch wingers, just think of the player you'd have.

He was brilliant on his day... when he actually played. That cross for Gosling stands out but he couldn't get a run of games for one reason (or five reasons). Doesn't seem to hold the blues in high esteem judging by all of his interviews on us since. And of course he looks like he's from Royston Vasey.

Moyes made the same mistake again signing, who could also be great on his day, I remember being disappointed when he didn't make the team at Wembley when we needed him.

God knows how true this is but it would seem that Van Der Meyde doesn't exactly hold us in high regard. "What a shit club."

Andy Van der Meyde on Everton

You wouldn't have got far in court with that disagreement Steve!

I assume that it's right because it's in quotes, but I contradicts other stuff I read and watched. Watch the one where he talked about Moyes and their altercation, he says he realises he was in the wrong now.

These comments shows that he's obviously a bitter man. He needs to remember that he was on the slide before he joined Everton and his career going down the toilet would have happened anywhere he went. He was in a self-destruct mode. He can't blame us for that.

I was engaged by him to do some work a few years ago and met him in Amsterdam.
I found him to be a really nice bloke, friendly and far from hating Everton he was complimentary about the club and indeed Moyes. He blamed himself for the demise in his career and the advice to avoid Everton seems to me to be something he said about avoiding a Liverpool as a City because there were too many temptations there.He seemed happy with life and certainly not bitter about anything.
Speaking as I find - nice guy and good company.

He turned up in a state for training and claimed he had his drink spiked around the Albert Dock. He involved the police who promised to view cctv tapes to see if they could spot him being spiked. Apparently they asked him could he narrow it down a bit as there were too many bars and too many hours of tape.

He should damn well be complimentary about us, the money we we have paid him for fuck all in return. I am amazed his opinions see the light of day, especially with regards to EFC.

‘Don't do it. What a s*** club. Don't do it! There you go broke. Just look at me.'

Hard to tell from the written word but I would imagine it was said in jest. I saw an interview with him a couple of years ago and he was absolutely clear that he was the only one to blame for his career going down the pan.

He's be legendary at Everton for all the wrong reasons, unfortunately. He seems a decent bloke these days though.

Clive his drink was spiked with water.

I used to get angry and frustrated at ToffeeWebbers who kept banging on about how great he was and demanding he be in the first team. That was long after it became clear he was a shyster or to use an Aussie expression, 'A Bludger'.
I see the same mind set with some present day heros who can spend an entire match avoiding the hard work while the likes of Tom Davies who always tries hard but gets dogs abuse for misplacing a few passes out of a great many he makes.

An absolute pillock, who even stole sleeping pills from our tram doctor. How on earth Moyes let him get away with his antics is a mystery to me. He should have been fired.

Horrible bloke and a joke of a pro.

To any sensible person, having that much talent would be a dream - surely you would make the most of it and get as much out of it as possible. Unfortunately, may footballers are neither intelligent or sensible.

As in most walks of life, talent is not enough; you also need determination, willpower and a good character.

Roger [20] I've mentioned before, the description, by Australia cricket coach, John Buchanan, of England batsman Mark Ramprakash, as: "A young man, afflicted with talent."

Buchanan understood, that a huge 'dollop' of natural talent, had been injected into MR, who was just not mentally or psychologically, equipped to deal with it. Although he never fell into drink or drugs, he never achieved what his talent suggested.

By the way, your man wasn't known as 'Shandy' Van der Meyde for nothing!

Roger, I've seen highly intelligent and wealthy men from idyllic backgrounds throw their lives away because of alcohol. It's nothing to do with intellect or sense, or even good character. You never know what life will throw at you or how you will cope. I count myself lucky that I've never been one to need a pint or a glass of wine after a difficult day.

Quite right Steve. If you talk to him as I have at some length you understand that he was going through a tremendously difficult time personally which was exacerbated by how he sought to seek refuge from it. Not a horrible man at all- nice personable guy who just couldn't cope with what life was throwing at him.

Last I heard he was sharing a two up two down with Royston Drethne, both reminiscing of the good old Days.

Most of us know the players and tactics more than any boss, Or so we think, we all know who should be playing and screaming at players not playing, Lookman springs to mind.

What we do not know is what goes on, behind the scenes until years later.

As a parting shot Koeman saw right through Niasse, although he could and should have handled it better, he knew something we did not.

A well-paid athlete has a duty to maintain a good physical condition particularly if supposedly recuperating from injury. Andy van der Drunk was paralytic in a nightclub at 2.30 am.

Sob stories about his sick wife and daughter was a flimsy cover for his peccadillos and that whole episode alone was more than sufficient reason to cancel his contract without recompense.

Why did Everton not do it?

It's a puzzler, Dick, but it very rarely happens these days that a club will terminate a player's contract. No doubt there are one or two heinous examples but, as a strategy for managing squad bloat or simply rectifying glaringly obvious mistakes, those days seem a long way behind us.

Just watching an interesting possible example in the 'mistake' column: Lukas Jutkiewicz, once of this parish and on his 8th side since leaving Everton, scoring a lovely dinked finish to seal the win for Birmingham City tonite at Bristol City – the 100th goal of his club career.

Following the lavish treatment afforded a self-centred, couldn't-give-a-toss centre-forward of his vintage I'm sure VDM just couldn't wait to sign up and screw us to the wide. As and when he gets his coaching badges don't be surprised to see him at Finch Farm.

Hell, whilst Boys Pen Billy is still there, why doesn't he just turn up begging for a job?