Former Aberdeen FC January loanee Dave Bus has revealed how his short Pittodrie stint helped him kick-off a business empire.
Dutch defender Bus was signed on a six-month loan from Eredivisie side De Graafschap by Reds manager Jimmy Calderwood in January 2008, bolstering the club’s back-line options ahead of a Uefa Cup last-32 clash with German giants Bayern Munich.
Bus would only make three starts and a further four substitute appearances before moving on from Aberdeen.
However, speaking to The Press and Journal for the first time since leaving Pittodrie more than 16 years ago, Bus explained how his Dons spell was a foundational moment, for both the sporting goods trading business he now owns, and the vast UK property portfolio he has built.
Now 46, Bus said: “I have a trading business in shoes, clothing, bags, balls and all kinds of stuff, like in the sports sector.
“In my free time, when I was in Aberdeen, I went by train to Liverpool, Manchester – to JD Sports, Sport Direct.
“And I was just knocking on the door and trying to know the people and listen to what they had in overstocks or clearances.”
Trade Easy Sports BV, Bus’ sporting goods firm, developed from these adventures to England around Aberdeen commitments.
Using the knowledge and contacts he had forged, they “bought a lot” of companies’ excess sportswear and equipment “from the UK to the Netherlands and from the Netherlands to the UK”.
Trade East Sports’ business-to-business sales are now global – and they work with household names “like Amazon, eBay, Groupon”.
While his days as a professional footballer meant coach (and occasional plane) trips to away games, “little busy guy” Bus’ second career in business takes him “to Spain, to Portugal, to Germany, Poland”.
He is also frequently back to the UK – as he and wife Anne own close to 100 apartments across the west of England and Wales.
Bus, who is still based in his hometown of Lichtenvoorde in the Netherlands, said: “I still have a lot of connections in the UK, and my wife and I have a lot of property in the UK.
“We have some apartment blocks… in Newport we have a big apartment complex with 38 apartments, in Milford Haven, I have a block with seven apartments, and in (Lytham) St Annes, we have a block with four apartments.
“We rent out most of the properties.
“But we have also now bought a shop in Hereford, and have planning permission for eight apartments above and we’re starting building.
“We want to do something good for the UK and build something nice – houses are always needed.”
Dave Bus on Aberdeen spell: I wasn’t good enough – but Bayern trip was magic
Remarkably, Bus only became a professional footballer when he signed for Eredivisie club De Graafschap at the age of 26.
Before then, he had been playing in Netherlands’ fourth-tier, for Lichtenvoorde-based amateurs Longa’30, and HSC’21 in nearby Haaksbergen.
Bus was at the top level of the amateur game in his country, but not fulfilling his footballing potential.
He said: “I was just enjoying life. I was partying and everything, you know what I mean? And I never thought of playing professional.
“I was partying on the Saturday evening, and Sunday we had match day… and then I was still was one of the best.
“People told me: ‘Oh please Dave, just leave the party and just go for your sport.'”
The effort to get “serious” not only saw Bus land a move to De Graafschap in 2004, he started 28 times during the subsequent Dutch top-flight season.
However, following relegation and a change in management, opportunities at De Graafschap – the “Super Farmers” – dried up.
By the winter transfer window during the 2007/08 campaign, a chance to go on trial at Aberdeen emerged through then-Dons boss Calderwood’s son, Scott.
Calderwood had previously experienced managerial success in the Netherlands, while Scott had played for the likes of Willem II and Heracles, as well as, later, Bus’ former amateur outfits HSC ’21 and Longa’30.
Bus said: “In Aberdeen, they were playing so much games at that time. They were playing also in Europe – we played against Bayern Munich – and they play in the Scottish Cup, the League Cup and, of course, the Premier League.
“So they had so many matches and they had not so have so much players.
“They needed some extra defenders, because it was three matches in a week.
“That’s why I made a decision to give it a try and hopefully I got a new contract and sign another two years or whatever.”
Though Bus’ stint with the Dons ended up being short-lived, he remembers those months up to summer 2008 as “an amazing time”.
Bus recalls being “surprised” by and having to adapt to the long-ball, pressing style of the Scottish top-flight.
While he played in big clashes against the likes of Celtic, another notable moment was the slapstick misfortune of nodding a free-kick his own net in a 4-3 Highlands’ victory over Caley Thistle.
Bus said: “I think it was a header own goal, wasn’t it?
“Yeah, not good… but it happens!”
The undoubted Aberdeen high point for Bus was the “exceptional” experience of the Bayern Euro games – including the return leg trip to Munich, where the Dons went down to a 5-1 defeat after battling to a famous 2-2 draw at Pittodrie one week earlier.
Bus said: “We were flying first class, we had a hotel with five stars in the middle of Munich, we trained a day before in the empty Allianz Arena – I think for all of us it was an amazing trip and a fantastic experience.
“The squad on paper from Bayern Munich was Oliver Kahn, (Miroslav) Klose, Marc van Bommel, Lucio, was (Phillipe) Lahm. And they all had more than 100 caps…
“It was the small club to the bigger one, you know what I mean? But the home game was 2-2!”
Bus’ time as an Aberdeen player also included a bizarre encounter with then-Evening Express sports editor Charlie Allan – who wore an orange wig, fake nose, comedy moustache and prop sunglasses to flout a Dons player interview ban.
The Dutchman admits he “wanted to stay longer” with the Reds, but admits: “I think I wasn’t good enough”.
Bus advised Marc Overmars to bring Jimmy Calderwood to Go Ahead Eagles
Bus’ next stop was Go Ahead Eagles back in his homeland, and he was a regular for the Deventer-based club in the Netherlands’ second-tier for four seasons up to 2012.
His final months there saw a reunion with Calderwood – with Bus revealing he advised Ajax, Arsenal and Barcelona legend Marc Overmars, then Go Ahead Eagles’ technical director, to bring in his former Aberdeen gaffer.
He explained: “The other trainer was sacked and we had still had playoffs and two or three months to go.
“So I think Jimmy was perfect for the job, so I advised Marc and the club, and then he (Jimmy) became a trainer for three months.
“Of course, I knew Jimmy, so yeah, we talked about it – but it was definitely Mark’s choice.”
Calderwood took charge of Go Ahead Eagles from March 2012 through to the conclusion of their regular Eerste Divisie and then a first-round promotion play-off defeat to rivals Den Bosch.
While the duo’s reunion “was only a few months” it was “fun all over”, according to Bus.
He added: “It was fun in the meetings with Jimmy. It was fun on the training pitch. ”
Bus said: “The contact we had from minute one was amazing, because yeah, we know each other, we know how we work, how I work, how he is working. So from the first minute, it was a good feeling again.
“The angrier Jimmy gets, the more he love you, you know what I mean?”
Ex-Don, 46, still playing 11-a-sides… and collecting world marathon Majors
The end of the 2011-12 season was also to be the end of Bus’ professional playing career, as he chose to focus on his business interests – although the incoming Go Ahead gaffer, Erik ten Hag, no less, wanted him to stay on.
But Bus’ time as a sportsman has never really ended.
Since leaving the pro ranks, he has been back playing for Longa’30 – a club so close to the Bus family’s hearts Dave’s mum works behind the bar in the social club – and he still turns out regularly for one of the amateur outfit’s teams.
Bus, who also plays in regular masters six-a-side tournaments, said: “I play on Sunday each week, with my team, Longa 35.
“We’re top of the league.
“There’s a lot of people who used to also play at a high level, so we play easy with each other, because we understand the game a little bit more than our opponents!”
Despite his busy work life, Bus also finds time to coach nine-year-old son Pepe’s Longa’30 under-10s team (he and Anne also share 11-year-old daughter Elin), as well as running marathons “all over the world”.
He said: “I’m trying to get the seven Majors.
“I’ve run in Berlin and London, I was in Chicago last year, I did New York, and now I have to go to Boston next year, and I have to go to Tokyo and Sydney. So I’m almost there.”
Former Red still keeping tabs on ‘fantastic’ Aberdeen
Bus retains his affection for Aberdeen, who he hailed for their “fantastic” start to the season under boss Jimmy Thelin, though the Dons form has since gone into a tailspin.
Not only is Bus keeping tabs on the current Reds, he is also still in touch with three other Dutch ex-Dons, having connected with 1990s import Theo ten Caat, while he still talks to Calderwood era team-mates Karim Touzani and Jeffrey De Visscher.
Bus said: “Last year when the trainer was sacked I followed it all.
“But you see how close good times and bad times are, eh?
“Things are going well and then in a short time you get difficult times.
“It’s the emotion football gives us!”
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