Neil Simpson
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| Neil Simpson | ||
| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Neil Alexander Simpson | |
| Date of birth | November 15, 1961 | |
| Place of birth | London, England | |
| Height | 5”10 | |
| Playing position | Midfielder | |
| Senior clubs1 | ||
| Years | Club | App (Gls)* |
| 1980-1990 1990-1991 1991-1993 ? |
Aberdeen Newcastle United Motherwell Cove Rangers |
218 (19) 4 (0) ? (?) ? (?) |
| National team | ||
| 1983-1988 | Scotland | 5 (0) |
|
1 Senior club appearances and goals |
||
Neil Alexander Simpson (born 15th November 1961 in London, England) is a former Scottish international footballer known for his time with club team Aberdeen F.C..
Neil Simpson, nicknamed "Simmie", was born in London to Scottish parents who soon moved back to Newmachar in their native Aberdeenshire, where he was brought up. Joining Aberdeen from local junior side Middlefield Wasps, he made 310 appearances in all competitions (27 as substitute) and scored 31 goals.
Contents |
[edit] Pittodrie
After breaking into the first team at the end of 1980, Simpson finished the season as a first-team regular. Until recurring injuries curtailed his appearances from the spring of 1986, he was a key player for the Dons. A reliable ball-winner, he won his first major honour in the 1982 Scottish Cup. Between 1982 and 1986, Simpson’s Pittodrie career gained him a list of domestic winners medals that included 2 Premier Division Championships, 3 Scottish Cups and 1 Scottish League Cup.
[edit] Europe
Simpson played in the 1981-82 UEFA Cup campaign which saw the Dons make their first-ever run of success in Europe by progressing to the Third Round at the expense of Bobby Robson’s Ipswich Town and FC Argeş Piteşti of Romania.
In 1982-83, he played in every one of the matches of the Dons’ 1983 European Cup Winners Cup campaign, scoring a goal in the 3-2 victory over FC Bayern Munich in the second leg of the quarter-finals and becoming one of the “Gothenburg Greats” who lifted the trophy after beating Real Madrid in the 1983 Final.
The following season, he was in the team that reached the semi-finals of the 1984 European Cup Winners Cup and won the European Super Cup. In 1985-86, he helped the team to the quarter-finals of the 1986 European Champions Cup.
[edit] Decline
In March 1986, Simpson suffered an injury which kept him out for the rest of the season. On 09 August 1986, four minutes into the new season, he incurred an ankle injury that restricted him to only 8 league appearances in the spring of 1987. He was never to fully recover. He made only 15 league appearances in 1987-88 and 16 in 1988-89.
In October 1988 Simpson made a high tackle on Rangers and Scotland midfielder Ian Durrant that left Durrant with a career-threatening knee injury which left him out of competitive football for almost three years. Eventually, Durrant received financial compensation in an out-of-court settlement[1].
Simpson’s own injury problems continued, restricting him to 9 league appearances 1989-90 and a move to Newcastle United saw him play a mere 4 times. He went to Motherwell for 1991-92 where he spent two seasons before leaving for Highland League side Cove Rangers, where he ended his playing career.
[edit] International Career
Having played in the Scotland Under-17 and Under-18 sides and captained the Under-21 team, Simpson made his full Scotland debut in the penultimate British Home Championship against Northern Ireland at Hampden, which ended in a goalless draw. In the 1983-84 season he appeared in two friendlies, beating Uruguay 2-0 and losing 2-0 to France. His last two matches for Scotland were against England in the Rous Cup, drawing 0-0 at Hampden in 1987 and losing 1-0 at Wembley the next year.
[edit] Present
Currently, Simpson is back with the Dons in a youth-coaching capacity.
[edit] References
- ^ Hayes, Scotland! Scotland!, page 357
[edit] Sources
- Hayes, Dean P., Scotland! Scotland!: The Complete Who's Who of Scotland Players Since 1946, Mercat Press, 10 Coates Crescent, Edinburgh,2006, ISBN-10: 1-84183-103-4, ISBN-13: 978-1-84183-103-9
