This book is dedicated to:
My wife, Carolyn, who has stood by my side since June 1996 and supported me through thick and thin and sick and sin. I am so fortunate to have her in my life even though it was touch and go a good many times.
My daughter Gemma – I am so grateful that we eventually had the opportunity to bond as father and daughter, having left her at a very young age.
My extended family – the Everton family – especially the fans who have supported me past and present. My time at ‘the People’s Club’ was without doubt the best days of my life, 100 per cent on and 100 per cent off the field! Thanks for the great memories.
CONTENTS
Title Page
Dedication
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
FOREWORD BY HOWARD KENDALL
FOREWORD BY TERRY VENABLES
INTRODUCTION
1 LONDON CALLING
2 BOUNCING BACK
3 CRAZY GANG WARFARE
4 OUT OF THE BLUE … AND OVER THE MOON
5 SWEET DREAMS WITH THE TOFFEES
6 ENGLAND EXPECTS …
7 HEART WITH A MERSEY BEAT
8 A MATTER OF LIFE AND DEATH
9 A LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN
10 WHAT HAPPENS ON TOUR …
11 SWEET FA IN THE CUP
12 ALL CHANGE
13 WINNING – AND LOSING – MY SPURS
14 FATAL ATTRACTION
15 FINAL WHISTLE AT THE DEN
16 LIFE’S A BEACH
17 IN LEAGUE WITH THE DEVIL
18 UNSUNG HEROES
EPILOGUE: BOYS DON’T CRY
Plates
Copyright
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Without sounding like a bimbo pop singer collecting a fake gold gong at the MTV awards, I really do need to thank the following people as, without their help, friendship and guidance, there would be no story to tell:
Howard Kendall – thanks for giving me, a Second Division full-back, the chance to play in the big league. I hope I justified the faith you had in me. It was an absolute honour to play for a manager and gentleman such as yourself.
Colin Harvey – nothing much changed besides a few players coming and going, but the respect for Colin has remained, the same as it has for Howard. I regret not taking the improved contract offered to me before my move to Spurs. I really enjoyed working under Colin’s management, even though I let him down on the odd occasion – I apologise for that, and thanks for putting up with me!
Terry Venables – a man respected by so many, including myself, even though I went walkies a couple of times! I enjoyed every moment of the three years I worked under Terry and thank him for giving me the opportunity to do so.
Mick McCarthy – when things were not going too well for me he saw something in me and saved me from the scrap heap after a bastard named Ardiles did his best to end my career prematurely. Mick is as straight as they come and, apart from his hair, there are no grey areas! We had our fall-outs but I regard him as a fantastic person. Thanks, Mick – all the best.
Mike England – playing for Wales under Mike was an absolute pleasure. Mike was one of the easiest people I ever had the good fortune of playing for and I say that with the utmost respect and wish him all the very best life has to offer.
Nick Trainer – where do I begin? I’d hate to think where I would be today if it wasn’t for this fella. He has been a good friend for many years and I hope we have many more years of the same. Thank you for always being there.
John and Lynne Smith – I have known John, Lynne and the Smith family for a number of years and love and respect them as my own family. I hold them very close to my heart and look forward to seeing them at every opportunity and thank them for always being there for me. Please say hello to all in the Rehab, Lark Lane.
Joe Bennett Snr, Joey Bennett Jnr and family – catching up with you all after 25 years was a great occasion; we shared a lot of good times back in the day. Could you also say hello to all in the Canfield.
Andy Nicholls – without you, pal, this book would not have been possible. Thanks for all the hard work you have put into this project and for some great laughs along the way … ‘Un-ban the Everton 1!’
Pat
FOREWORD BY HOWARD KENDALL
As I was coming towards the end of my career at Birmingham City, a teenaged London lad was embarking on his and, although I only saw him a few times during training, I thought that even at such a young age he was special. That was in 1977 and, about six years later, I went back to my old club and paid just £90,000 to sign the player who, although still a bit raw, was worth a punt at that kind of money. Hence Pat Van Den Hauwe joined Everton Football Club – it was money well spent!
I had sent my chief scout, Terry Darracott, to have a look at Pat on several occasions and his reports echoed my sentiments that he was a player worth adding to our fast-improving squad at Goodison Park. After a couple of tough seasons, Everton had just won the FA Cup and I believed were in with an excellent chance of competing for honours both at home and in Europe. We had a young, energetic side with one or two older, more experienced players like Peter Reid and Andy Gray helping the less seasoned professionals along the way.
I already had a very good left-back at the club in John Bailey but lacked cover in that area so made the decision to approach Birmingham for Van Den Hauwe. I was fully aware that he had a bad-boy reputation but that probably made the move more likely to go ahead as they were shipping a few players out having been relegated, and most of them seem to have been tagged with a similar image to Pat’s. That proved to be the case as, after a tentative enquiry, I was told in no uncertain terms that if I wanted him, I could have him!
We met and discussed terms in a restaurant near my home and I was impressed with his eagerness to play for me. Money was never an issue with Pat and we had a pleasant afternoon. Before I left, we shook hands and, in principle, agreed that he would join us. I wanted the deal to be kept secret as I was worried some other clubs may be sniffing around him so was delighted when I met him in the morning and he reiterated his desire to join us. I did notice he smelled heavily of booze – in fact, he reeked of it – but I decided against ticking him off. If joining a fantastic club like Everton isn’t a reason to celebrate with a drink or two, what is?
He turned out to be a far better player than we could ever have imagined and soon I had international managers enquiring about him and, although he opted to play for Wales, I believed he could have represented England and not looked out of place alongside the country’s finest players.
Pat was so talented that when he played at centre-half for me when called upon he was often our best player on the pitch, a truly great athlete but also a very talented footballer. I think the ‘Psycho’ tag was unjustified as he was not a dirty player. Hard and tough, yes – dirty, no.
Of course, off the field he would keep me on my toes; he was a colourful character who loved a social drink and the odd night out. Maybe I am being a little protective of him saying that, but regardless of where he went and what he got up to, come match day he was up for it and never, ever let me down.
During one trip abroad, Pat’s antics went a bit far and I was informed by our Chairman, Sir Philip Carter, that the captain of the aircraft had told him that when we landed the police we going to interview the players. Allegedly, one had exposed himself to a stewardess. Once we landed, no player would admit to being the culprit, and no player would point the guilty person out, so we were given a serious ticking off and warned about our future conduct. I was particularly annoyed about this incident as, when we had joined the connecting flight to our final destination, the in-flight bar had been withdrawn!
I met Pat about two years ago at the ‘Boys
of ’85’ reunion and he finally admitted that it was he who had flashed at the air stewardess. Over 20 years on, I was in no position to fine him so we had a beer and good laugh about it. It was great to see him after so many years; he still had his film star looks and seemed to be as fit as when he played for me.
I sincerely hope that this project helps to kick start his ventures in South Africa as he has openly told me that he has struggled over the past few years to forge a decent career out there. I have no doubt that things will improve for him, as you can’t keep a good man down for long and, believe me, Pat Van Den Hauwe is a good man.
When I look back at every signing I have made at all the clubs I managed, one stands out head and shoulders above any other – Neville Southall. After Neville, I would honestly say that Pat was my second-greatest signing; £90,000 of Everton’s money was invested very wisely when Birmingham City cashed that cheque. And given that Pat probably paid the club about half that amount back in fines, it was a very good investment indeed!
Good luck, son, you deserve it.
FOREWORD BY TERRY VENABLES
After a few years in charge of Tottenham, I had assembled a reasonable squad of players that I believed was maybe two or three quality additions short of being capable of challenging for the League title.
One area I needed to strengthen was my defence and I knew that I would require a player who had played at the highest level and Pat came to mind as he had done so at Everton, playing in a Championship-winning team, and was used to competing and succeeding at that level. I also liked the boy’s versatility as he was comfortable playing at left or right back and also in the centre of defence.
I was surprised although happy that my enquiry to Everton came back with a positive response and we soon wrapped up the deal to bring Pat back to London.
Although things did not quite work out as well as both of us would have liked, I am pleased that he was a member of my FA Cup winning side in 1991 as he had suffered heartbreak in three previous FA Cup finals with Everton.
Off the field, I knew Pat was a bit of a lad but thought we would be able to work together, and that is how it was. Although he lost his temper sometimes and would give me that evil snarl that frightened so many opponents, he was quick to calm down and didn’t bear a grudge. There were a couple of periods when he went missing, but it was a measure of him as a player and a man that he had a conscience and learnt from the problems he caused me as a manager – problems I took full advantage of by going on and on about them to make sure Pat never forgot and never stepped out of line again!
I met Pat in a hotel in London recently and we spoke about his time at Spurs with fondness. I noticed that when he left the meeting he had a tear in his eye, which summed him up. He is a very genuine man, loyal and unaffected by fame.
Good luck, always.
INTRODUCTION
Once you have read my brief introduction you’ll probably realise that this book could well be different to the usual ex-footballers’ autobiographies that you may have come across. I have tried extremely hard not to clog up the chapters with basic football facts and trivial information about my career. If you need to know how many games I played for Birmingham, Everton, Tottenham Hotspur or Millwall you should have saved your money and just searched on the Internet as statistics really don’t float my boat.
I have, with the help of my publicist, tried to make the crazy story of my life as interesting as possible – some years ago, I wrote something along the lines of this story with the help of a media friend in South Africa, but when I read the completed manuscript I dropped the idea. The manuscript covered my life story but it was not how I would have told you about the chaotic way I went about my business on and off the football pitch. The stories were all mine but the way they were written made me think that it was not really how I saw it. It was too correct, too nice, if you like.
Believe me, throughout my life I have done plenty of things that were not nice, but I decided that if this book was ever to be published then the ‘not nice’ things that have blighted my career – and, indeed, my life in general – needed to be in it. Despite what people have written and said about me I am just a normal bloke who was fortunate enough to make it as a pro footballer; however, with the so-called fame and fortune came trouble and numerous problematic situations which made my life quite colourful.
Of course, this story will cover my football career as well as off-the-field antics as I think I was an OK sort of player, although I was certainly not the greatest professional ever to grace the game. I don’t think anybody who I worked with or who watched me would disagree that, on the pitch, I always gave 100 per cent and tried my very best for whichever team I turned out for.
Unfortunately, to be a top professional you need to give 100 per cent in other areas, none more so than when you’re training. You need to keep out of the headlines, stay clear of the drink and definitely the drugs. You need to be very careful who you look upon as your close friends and be careful not to mix with the wrong sort of people, people who may get you a bad reputation, lead you astray or who will invariably cause you a few problems. You need to have an open mind and listen to good advice and take your time before making decisions.
Like I said, I gave 100 per cent on the pitch; that, however, was not good enough, as when I look at all the other pointers I have mentioned, I’m honest enough to admit that I failed miserably on all counts. But looking back, apart from one or two huge mistakes I made, I don’t think I would have done anything any differently if I had my time again. I sincerely mean that, I really do.
I will be in my mid-fifties by the time this book is launched, and I am in good health with a loving wife and a beautiful daughter, both of whom I adore. What more could I ask for? Money? Don’t make me laugh, I have squandered more money than most people could earn in a lifetime but it never made me happy. It paid bills and bought me things I could never have afforded had I worked in a factory or as a lorry driver, but it also paid for things which could have killed me.
There is a famous saying – I’m not sure of the exact words – but it’s something like ‘a fool and his money are easily parted’. Well, I’ll tell you another one: ‘Pat Van Den Hauwe and his money can seriously damage your health!’
With that in mind, I am grateful that I am still here to tell you my story. I have been to hell and back thanks to living the ‘professional footballer’ lifestyle. I have had some great times on and off the pitch, won some of the top trophies in British and European football, played at international level and been all over the world getting paid for doing something I loved with a passion.
Off the field, I have lived the life of a rock ’n’ roll star, had houses and cars that you only ever see on the TV and in the glossy magazines and that only so-called ‘celebrities’ could possibly afford. I have even been in those magazines. On the flip side, I have also been in the gutter, been lower than a snake’s belly, been on the brink of suicide and been a split second away from killing a man. So this is no ordinary ex-footballer’s autobiography – it’s the untold story of Pat Van Den Hauwe, and that means a journey a long way from ‘ordinary’!
I am not a criminal or a gangster, just an ex-footballer who chose a few wrong paths throughout his life. I have been labelled a ‘legend’ after my success at Everton and a ‘madman’ after numerous, high-profile scrapes that I’ve got into throughout my life. I think I am neither; maybe once you have read this book, you’ll have a better idea if I’m a saint or a sinner … a legend or a madman.
1
LONDON CALLING
At least once a month my wife will wake me up from a nightmare that I often have. It’s not just a bad dream but a real situation that I found myself in, a situation that to this day makes me weep.
If you had a few guesses at what would cause me so much trauma, you’d probably come up with a few well-known scenarios: why, for example, did I let Norman Whiteside cut inside and get a shot in on goal that cost Everton the tre
ble? If you think the sight of Whiteside running past me celebrating as I dropped to my knees in despair prevents me from sleeping … you’d be wrong.
Another favourite might be why I didn’t get a grip of Gazza early on in the Cup Final a few years later. Maybe a senior pro like myself or Gary Lineker could have calmed him down and prevented him from making that horrendous tackle, a tackle that left him screaming in agony, one that almost ended his career. Is it the image of Gazza screaming in agony that makes me shout out in my sleep? No, it isn’t.
Those of you who know about my personal life are maybe thinking that the nightmare scene involves me walking away from my wife, who was in tears holding my baby daughter as I waved goodbye, leaving them to move in with Mandy Smith? That’s a close call as, although I don’t have nightmares about it, it does make me weep.
The nightmare is none of those. It is actually an incident that occurred in South Africa a couple of years after I had left England and had become heavily involved in the high life and drug culture that goes hand in hand with it.
I wake up screaming as, in the dream, one feature changes from the actual incident. In the dream, I pull the trigger of the .38 Special I have been carrying around with me for months and blow the head off a gentleman called Steven Kentridge. In real life, although the situation actually occurred, I did not pull the trigger. I let the bloke walk away. It was a decision that probably saved my life … as well as his.
My recurring nightmare never goes away and I am glad, as it makes me realise how fortunate I am still to have my liberty, and it also makes me realise how becoming involved with guns and drugs can only lead to death and despair. I came so close to committing murder that night that I never want to forget how fortunate I am that I chose not to pull the trigger. Every day when I wake up, that is the first thing that comes into my mind.
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