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,” laughs 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, Courier Sport finds van der Hoorn — who boasts more appearances in Tangerine (205) than any other Dutchman — in a 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 firm 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 recalls. “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,” smiles van der Hoorn. “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!”
‘We could have played for five years and not won’
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 — and another resident of The Ferry — 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 name was not written on the cup, as you say in Scotland,” he continued. “I look back on my free-kick that hit the post. Still today, I cannot believe it doesn’t go in!
“We could have played for five years and not won that game.
“Three of us — Clarky [John Clark], [Jim] McInally and myself — got sent off after the match. I threw my boot towards the referee in the corridor!
“Okay, that is not good behaviour. But there were big mistakes and the passions were running high.”
Family focus
Redemption came for United in 1994 when Ivan Golac’s men defeated Rangers to lift the trophy.
Van der Hoorn, however, was out of the picture.
He played his final game for United on February 19; ironically, a Scottish Cup win over Motherwell.
But there is no lingering regret or sadness. For van der Hoorn, family came first.
“After five years in Scotland, I had become fed up,” he continued. “My grandmother was sick and by the time we won the Scottish Cup in 1994, I was doing a lot of travelling back home.
“My conversations with Ivan Golac were always honest.
“I was in Golac’s house with Gordon Petric, and said, ‘I cannot play any more’. My form was not at its best.
“I played two or three months in the reserves and Paul Hegarty was my coach there. He was a great player but is also a great man.”
Legends golf challenge
Van der Hoorn now runs his own sports management agency, looking after a host of players and coaches.
He laughs: “It is funny, because they say to me, ‘you used to be just like Jim McLean, shouting at us in the dressing room!’ Now I am managing their career.”
He will be on a business trip to Germany next Thursday, admitting — with a fair amount of regret — that’s the only reason he will not be among the travelling United faithful when they visit the AFAS Stadion.
However, he does intend to be relive the good old days soon enough.
Especially now that he has crafted a decent golf game.
“I never used to play in Scotland and now I am crazy for it,” he laughed.
“So, before Christmas, for sure, I will be around Dundee. I want to play St Andrews, Carnoustie, Monifeith — all the places I did not go to when I played for United.
“I remember Dave Bowman was good at golf and some people are telling me that Dave Narey is playing very well, although we are all getting older!
“But I can play a bit, now, so I hope a few of the former players will maybe join me for a game.”
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