It would be easy to dismiss Paul Simpson's
time at Spotland on the basis of his troubled spell as manager, but for a
while at least, Paul Simpson was one of the most wonderful players to have
worn the blue shirt of Rochdale in recent history.
He arrived at Dale from Blackpool at around transfer deadline day in the
2001-2 season, and his capture proved to be the catalyst to a side that may
well have missed out on the Play Offs had he not been signed.
He made his debut against Championship leaders and eventual Champions
Plymouth Argyle and by full time, he had already the goal of the season to
show for his efforts with a thirty yard chip. Not a bad way to kick off
your Dale career.
And so it continued for the rest of the season, culminating with an equally
glorious goal in the Play Offs at Rushden and Diamonds. His goal per game
ratio by the end of the season was as high as any Dale player throughout
history, and all of this from midfield.
After being named as the successor to John Hollins in the Summer of 2002,
initial thoughts were that management would have a detrimental effect on
his game, but these were quickly dispelled as he started 2002-3 in exactly
the same way that he finished 2001-2.
By the middle of August, he was amongst the top scorers in the Division,
with seven goals, with an overall record of 13 goals from 19 matches.
However, quite understandably, the pressures of management soon took its
toll. It is impossible to play and give 100% concentration on your own
game, when you have to worry about the performances of the other players as
well.
As team form dropped, Simpson tried to take on greater and greater
responsibility on the pitch, even playing in an unfamiliar central role
towards the end. This did nothing to his game, and his own form mirrored
the team as a whole. However, we still had the occasional glimpse of the
old Paul Simpson magic, though these became more infrequent as the
pressures increased.
There is no doubt that Paul Simpson could still do a job at this level. His
own personal slump in form was probably down to the extra responsibility
rather than the aging/tiring legs.
After leaving Dale, he was a regular for
Carlisle United, both as player and player manager.
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