Shandy comes clean on Everton demise

, 29 October, 69comments  |  Jump to most recent
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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Jack Okell
1 Posted 29/10/2012 at 15:55:37
Fancy calling your daughter Purple. Must have been tanked up at that point!
Chris Hockenhull
2 Posted 29/10/2012 at 16:05:08
'I had a strong longing for naked women' and 'she was wild, crazy and horny'....never did I ever think I was going to read those quotes on ToffeeWeb. Wonderful stuff. More please!!!
Nick Entwistle
3 Posted 29/10/2012 at 16:12:01
There is a certain comic value to it all when you read it with the crazy Dutch accent in mind.

“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!

Steve Nico
4 Posted 29/10/2012 at 16:12:18
Looks like a cracking, if not cringe-worthy read when it does come out! However, really pleased to read about Moyes "grabbing me by the throat" for not going off to do the post-match training etc. Great to hear the boss can still do the classic footy-manager position of throat-grabbing and for taking £6m off us for hardly any game-time, you can imagine Moyes's anger...."I could have bought 6 Darren Gibsons instead of you!!!"
Jason Heng
5 Posted 29/10/2012 at 16:10:18
Couldn't the club sue him for a breach of contract and get back 5 m pounds at least? After all, the contract was for him to be paid as a footballer - a role which he admitted he was not fit to fulfill because of his own addictions. It can get us a couple of squad players at least.
Chris Williamson
6 Posted 29/10/2012 at 16:15:07
I don't say this often of people - but what an arse! Sounds like a spoiled brat who blames everyone else but himself. For crying out loud - surely if an employee walks away from his work, sulking that he hasn't played, it should be a breach of contract and dismissal - rather than coughing up £30k a week for someone with an attitude like that.
Tom Bowers
7 Posted 29/10/2012 at 16:07:06
Most of us couldn't understand why VDM didn'y play more often given his talent and it also explains his problems in Italy.

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.
David Barks
8 Posted 29/10/2012 at 16:14:20
What an absolute disgrace. He says he couldn't focus on his job because of his daughter, but he could go out every night drinking and using cocaine? Too distracted to work, but not too distracted to party his ass off. Moyes should have taken a swing when he had the chance.
Tony J Williams
9 Posted 29/10/2012 at 16:28:44
What part of being pissed and coked up is looking after his daughter? Waste of space with the usual "the world is against me" mantra.

I had to re-read it in a Dutchhh accshcennt too.

Christopher Kelly
10 Posted 29/10/2012 at 16:30:09
Jason, I think that money went right up his nose. Good luck trying to get it out :)

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!

Christopher Kelly
11 Posted 29/10/2012 at 16:32:51
I do also love the stuff about Pip being Moyes's bitch (for what it's worth).
Tony J Williams
12 Posted 29/10/2012 at 16:44:25
The book would be an interesting read, especially when he starts talking about the yellow dwarves invading the changing room along with their unicorn mates...........!
Stan Sheppard
13 Posted 29/10/2012 at 16:45:19
He was coked up!? What a shocker and what a complete bellend.
Mark Tanton
14 Posted 29/10/2012 at 16:45:50
I wonder if we can sue him for his earnings for this period? Worth exploring.
Eugene Ruane
15 Posted 29/10/2012 at 16:45:22
"Neville was...how do you say...a big shhnitcher to Dayffit Moyshhh"
Brian Williams
16 Posted 29/10/2012 at 16:56:35
I would NOT spend a penny on buying that book to further line the pockets of a complete knobhead who chose to waste his talent, shit on his family, and take the piss out of the club and its supporters, ie, US!

I hope it doesn't sell a single copy!

Garry Corgan
17 Posted 29/10/2012 at 17:03:01
Presumably those at the club knew what was going on at the time.

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?

Mike Gaynes
18 Posted 29/10/2012 at 17:09:21
What a gutless punk. Gets wasted his first day — which means he was a drunk even before he arrived — then dumps his family for a stripper and blames his problems on his manager, his captain and people putting drugs in his beer. Too bad Neville never took him out back and taught him respect.

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.

Stephen Davies
19 Posted 29/10/2012 at 17:33:23
Shame he wasn't addicted to football...

That's what he was paid to do.
Steavey Buckley
20 Posted 29/10/2012 at 17:38:54
But at least with Drenthe, he played more often than not. And with him in the side, he could do the business. Scored a cracker against Fulham last season. I wonder will someone do likewise against them on Saturday at the same venue, Craven Cottage.
Aidan Wade
21 Posted 29/10/2012 at 17:26:18
What a shocking mess. £6 million, makes me want to cry at the waste of it.

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.

Derek Williams
22 Posted 29/10/2012 at 17:49:23
Hmmm - £6m. And what we got for all that cash was one cross to Danny G that knocked the RS out of the cup.

On balance money well spent then!! :)

Peter Thistle
23 Posted 29/10/2012 at 18:09:15
Interesting stuff. I can well imagine Neville being a teacher's pet around the club, funny to hear. Tevez said Gary Neville was a "boot licker" to Ferguson... guess it runs in the family.
Eddie Tully
24 Posted 29/10/2012 at 18:04:48
Best read on here for a while, you couldn't make this up.

Pip, Moyes's pet.. Never! Good to know he throttles the players if required.

ps: Pip and Ossie played a blinder yesterday.

Chris Leyland
25 Posted 29/10/2012 at 18:36:13
Fucking disgrace that Phil Neville trying to stop a pissed up come head waster from bringing further disgrace upon himself and Everton by reporting what was going on to the manager. What sort of captain does he think he is trying to stop VDM fom being a compete cock
Shane Corcoran
26 Posted 29/10/2012 at 18:42:05
.......a strong longing for naked women. He should have that on his grave. Priceless.
David Barks
27 Posted 29/10/2012 at 18:44:24
I was waiting for someone to used this coke-head drunk's "it's everyone else's fault and Neville is a snitch" bullshit to have a go at Phil Neville. Hilarious, taking the word of this guy and Tevez, a player who abandoned his team for the year. In a courtroom those two would be seen as not-credible witnesses and not a word they said could be used. But go ahead, take this pathetic individual's word to have a go at a player who has done nothing but work hard for the team he's employed by.
Dennis Stevens
28 Posted 29/10/2012 at 18:31:42
“They offered me £30,000 a week — more than double my pay at Inter Milan.” - is this Everton or Leeds United before they crashed?!
Jack Johnson
29 Posted 29/10/2012 at 18:58:16
Let's see if Suarez will have the nerve to bomb-dive in front of David "Throat throttler" Moyes now!
Jamie Barlow
30 Posted 29/10/2012 at 19:00:39
David, who's had a go?
Brent Stephens
31 Posted 29/10/2012 at 19:20:54
Shane #163 ".......a strong longing for naked women. He should have that on his grave". Well, ok, but I don't think you'd get many women to volunteer for that.

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...

Alexander O'Brien
32 Posted 29/10/2012 at 19:35:21
I bumped into old Shandy at Alder hey where I used to work, just wandering the corridors, so I assume he was there for his daughter. Said hello to him and he seemed a friendly chap, always rated him as a footballer and wanted him to be a success at Everton but could never for the life of me understand why he'd never play! Now I know why.
Sean Patton
33 Posted 29/10/2012 at 19:34:58
I really struggle to understand why Moyes kept him so long as usually, when you piss him off, your arse is out the door sharpish, eg: Beckford and Drenthe.
Bob Hannigan
34 Posted 29/10/2012 at 19:31:06
Excuse me, this "gentleman" has a contact for £30k per week and:

#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!

Tony McNulty
35 Posted 29/10/2012 at 19:59:18
Didn't realise Ferraris were that cheap.
Jamie Barlow
36 Posted 29/10/2012 at 20:02:27
I can't understand why this wasn't a breach of contract. Surely they knew he was on drugs at the time but carried on paying him.
Paul Ellam
37 Posted 29/10/2012 at 20:12:43
VDM = ASS
Karl Masters
38 Posted 29/10/2012 at 20:21:46
One word...arsehole
Ian Bennett
39 Posted 29/10/2012 at 20:32:57
I am glad that we are so financially secure we wouldn't miss £6m. Wtf
Ste Traverse
40 Posted 29/10/2012 at 20:58:42
What a top draw cunt.

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.

Steve Cavanagh
41 Posted 29/10/2012 at 21:13:24
As if this complete waste of sperm wasn't enough of a prick already, does this mean he's also sold the story to The Scum?

Michael, are you obliged to post a link to said rag?
Simon Jones
42 Posted 29/10/2012 at 21:26:23
Fucking class cross for that goal against the dark side in the FA Cup though...
Lyndon Lloyd
43 Posted 29/10/2012 at 21:46:42
Steve, we're not obliged to carry the link but do so for readers to make their own decision whether or not to click through and support that rag. Additionally, I have re-edited some of the tracts of their sensationalist crap that was in the original version of this news item.
Paul Holden
44 Posted 29/10/2012 at 21:52:36
Can we sue for return of wages?
Dick Fearon
45 Posted 29/10/2012 at 22:39:26
My lone voice repeatedly demanding the club to sue him was drowned out by bleeding hearts wanting him to get yet another chance.
Joe Clitherow
46 Posted 29/10/2012 at 23:08:41
Bizarrely this drunken idiot seems to think that Phil Neville behaving like a properly Professional (with a complete P) footballer by protecting the good name of his employers, Everton Football Club, from being associated with this behaviour is behaving like " a snitch". Like his loyalty should be to this toerag rather than the club and fans that pay to support this lifestyle.

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.

Gavin Ramejkis
48 Posted 30/10/2012 at 00:57:07
He could and should have sacked for the drug abuse as the FA dope testing would have set alarm bells ringing if he was ever tested.

Don't forget Chelski did the same years ago – and sued the player to boot.
Pat Finegan
49 Posted 30/10/2012 at 01:37:41
Autobiography? Meaning he can spell? Surely not.
Peter Thistle
50 Posted 30/10/2012 at 02:06:45
Shock horror, someone has an opinion you don't like. Get over it.
Jason Lam
51 Posted 30/10/2012 at 02:37:02
I just wonder if Moyes did enough to help VDM, like how Walter Smith would invite Gazza for Christmas. We're all humans afterall.
Chris Wilkinson
52 Posted 30/10/2012 at 03:53:00
Talk about an absolute dickhead. I don't get people like him, professional athlete, supposed to be in peak condition, "better get me some beer and coke." Like, WTF?

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.

John de Frece
53 Posted 30/10/2012 at 07:49:27
I don't get it . Presumably EFC have lots of solicitors who are responsible for drafting player's contracts . Every single contract always consists of 2 salient elements : the salary the employee gets and what his obligations are in return
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

Billy Dunne
54 Posted 30/10/2012 at 08:05:11
Don,t we do drug/alcohol testing ?
Dave White
55 Posted 30/10/2012 at 08:22:41
All other things said, but this boy could stick a cross on a ha'penny...when he was sober of course!
Tony J Williams
56 Posted 30/10/2012 at 09:07:32
That would have accounted for about 2% of the time he was with us Dave.
Ingi Eyjolfz
57 Posted 30/10/2012 at 09:30:40
Maradona was outstanding when coked up at the World Cup in 94. So why is this an excuse for Andy? Tosser!
Dave Roberts
58 Posted 30/10/2012 at 09:24:19
I feel very sorry for anybody who's child is ill. I have had the good fortune never to have been in that position but imagination tells me how awful it must be.

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.

Andy Meighan
59 Posted 30/10/2012 at 12:21:27
Thissh guy Issh crazy... he really Issh... Now I wonder where he got the moniker "Shandy Andy" from. Baffling that one...

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
Tony Cheek
60 Posted 30/10/2012 at 17:48:15
ermm, Andy....Dont think you have to be on 30 big ones a week to have a longing for naked women.....I manage it quite well on 30 big ones....a year!!
Rahman Talib
61 Posted 30/10/2012 at 22:50:48
If the dude was on the level, we would have been a contender in the european championship. Damn him to hell
Rahman Talib
62 Posted 30/10/2012 at 22:56:45
The real sìcko is him, for throwing away a good career, betraying the entire everton community and being an addict
Mark Stone
63 Posted 30/10/2012 at 23:11:02
Don't expect to see links to that shite when I log on to Toffeeweb. Disappointing.
Ean Palese
64 Posted 31/10/2012 at 00:20:52
Ok seriously. He has fucked up and has (supposedly) come clean. I must admit - I was one who supported this guy and was continually pissed that he did not even make the team week in and week out. How could such a talent not get any games?! I did not know the full story. Maybe I still don't. Everton, for some reason, keep what's in house IN HOUSE and that is a credit to the integrity and class of Moyes and the inner circle for not letting stories leak (most of the time). He could have sold him out. He could have gone public.

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.

Drew Shortis
65 Posted 31/10/2012 at 01:22:13
What a sad waste of a promising career! I hope he sorts himself out. The same goes for Drenthe. Exciting attacking player, but he must have been a real pain in the arse for Moyes to get shot of him, and still nobody else has given him a contract. Would love to see a flying (sober / sane) Drenthe back at Goodison, he really seemed to frighten the opposition!
Dave Roberts
66 Posted 31/10/2012 at 08:24:57
Ingi,

Maradona would have been outstanding playing on a crutch, with one good eye and carrying a cocaine drip. Special case there I think.

Michael Johnson
67 Posted 01/11/2012 at 07:52:06
He still whipped in the cross for Gosling's goal... I don't care how high he was.
John Crook
68 Posted 03/11/2012 at 18:59:11
I like the way he seems to be blaming the city of Liverpool... "In Liverpool you can party 7 days a week"....

Oh right Shandy... I forget there is fuck all to do in Amsterdam!
Matthew Mackey
69 Posted 05/11/2012 at 11:08:28
Jason (#241);- I think there are limits to ones charitable actions. Gazza is "Blue Square premier" material compared to AvdM who, when it comes to fuckin ones life up and those close to you, is top of the Premier league.

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.

Matthew Mackey
70 Posted 05/11/2012 at 11:29:36
Like many people these days (especially those who don't blow £30K a week) I have a limited budget to teat myself with when it comes to all things Everton. So I have just twenty quid to spend on myself. Do I by "The Binman Chronicles" by big Nev or do I buy AVDMs Kiss and Tell story to line his pockets as highlighted here? Umm,...... a hard one that. I think big Nev deserves my last twenty quid.

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