Evening Telegraph (First Edition)
Van der Hoorn memories from
FREDDY van der Hoorn needn’t look far for a welcome reminder of his time in the City of Discovery.
“My wee one went to school in Scotland and she still has a Dundonian accent when she is speaking English,” said the former Dundee United hero.
And it is more than just Daphne’s Tayside twang that has the memories flooding back.
With Eredivisie outfit AZ Alkmaar visiting Tannadice in the Europa Conference League this week, Tele Sport finds van der Hoorn – who boasts more appearances in Tangerine (205) than any other Dutchman – in reflective mood.
The tough-tackling defender joined United in the summer of 1989 for £200,000 and, from his first home outing in Paul Sturrock’s testimonial against Real Sociedad, he became a favourite with fans.
It was a glowing endorsement of the analysis and star-spotting ability of iconic United boss Jim McLean.
“Jim was on a scouting trip and invited me to his hotel with my agent,” van der Hoorn recalled.
“Straight away, Jim said to me, ‘I like you as a player’ and he just knew so much about me. He already seemed to know everything.
“He had spent a week in Holland and it turned out he had watched me in training sessions and had a lot of contact with my agent. I didn’t know any of that – we didn’t have mobile phones or computer in those days for regular updates.
“A fee was agreed very quickly and it was the start of an amazing five years.”
Van der Hoorn made his competitive debut for United in the opening league game of the 1989-90 campaign against Motherwell; an opponent that still looms large in his consciousness. But we’ll come to that later.
“I played two matches then he (McLean) substituted me out,” said van der Hoorn, smiling.
“I was in the stands and asked, ‘why is this?’ Jim told me I had to play with my feet and keep the ball on the deck.
“From then, I came back in the team and I was never back out until 1994!”
After an initial six months in St Andrews, van der Hoorn, wife Anja and daughter Daphne ultimately settled in Broughty Ferry, becoming close friends with fellow new signing Mio Krivokapic.
Feeling at home off the pitch, he was soon a mainstay on the grass as a refreshed United side finished fourth in the Premier Division and reached the 1991 Scottish Cup final.
That Hampden showpiece is widely considered one of the greatest ever held at the old place, with Motherwell running out 4-3 winners.
For van der Hoorn, however, the fixture is memorable for all the wrong reasons.
His free-kick that rattled the inside of the post before the ball seemed to defy physics in its failure to cross the line; Hamish French’s early disallowed goal; an assertion that Alan Main was impeded for Motherwell’s extra-time winner – it all stings.
And the emotions were running particularly high at full-time when van der Hoorn saw referee David Syme in the tunnel.
“The ‘offside’ goal from Hamish French was never offside and our