Читать книгу Psycho Pat - The Autobiography Of Pat Van Den Hauwe - Pat Van Den Hauwe - Страница 8

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 have celebrated my 51st birthday 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.