He was an ever-present player throughout Aberdeen’s halcyon years in the 1980s and savoured European glory, but now The Press and Journal can reveal Neil Simpson is leaving the club.
Simpson, as a coach an integral part of the Dons’ youth system since 2001, has decided the time is right to pursue a new job opportunity.
The 62-year-old, who grew up in Newmachar, and signed for the Dons as a teenager, was a midfielder who helped Alex Ferguson dominate Scottish football during a golden period where the club won three Scottish top-flight titles, four Scottish Cups, a Scottish League Cup, the European Cup Winners’ Cup and European Super Cup.
During his career, he achieved many highlights, but one of his greatest memories is scoring a goal in the nerve-shredding 3-2 victory over German giants Bayern Munich in the second leg of the Cup Winners’ Cup quarter-finals.
He then opened the scoring against Waterschei during a 5-1 first leg demolition job by Ferguson’s side in the semi-finals, and subsequently became one of the Gothenburg Greats who lifted the trophy after beating Real Madrid 2-1 in the final in Sweden.
Tubular Bells ring for Neil
He told the P&J: “I’ve been thinking about a new career direction for a while and the chance has come with (north-east company) Ram Tubulars.
“Their managing director Jim Stewart is passionate about sport, he backs Aberdeen FC and the Russell Anderson Foundation and I’m looking forward to working with him.
“Of course it will be a wrench, but I’ve reached the stage where it will be good to actually go to Pittodrie and watch matches again rather than driving all over Scotland to be at youth games on Monday nights, Wednesday afternoons, whenever and wherever.
“It has been one of the privileges of my life to be involved with Aberdeen and I’ve racked up 35-and-a-half years at Pittodrie and made so many friends along the way.
I’ll always love this football club
“Bringing through young players such as Ryan Fraser, Scott McKenna and Scott Wright and watching them go from strength to strength is one of the best things about being at the grassroots – and the same goes for encouraging young coaches to move forward.
“Our latest crop of youngsters won the Scottish youth league, were involved in several age-group cup finals, and produced success stories such as Fletcher Boyd (the 16-year-old who attracted headlines with goals for Aberdeen at the end of last season).
“You live for the days when young boys make the breakthrough and it’s a testament to those behind the scenes. Fletcher, for instance, started out at the Buckie Centre when he was six or seven, so it has taken nearly a decade to get to this point.
“It’s a big team effort and it is contributing to the Aberdeen DNA. That is one of the things which has given me the most pleasure in recent years.”
Freedom of the City was special
Simpson has insisted that he has no intention of winding down into retirement. But there’s definitely a sense that it’s time for a change, particularly after he and his Gothenburg teammates received the Freedom of Aberdeen last May.
In some respects, it capped the 40th anniversary celebrations of the club’s most famous sons and sealed their place in Scottish sporting history. How do you follow that?
He said: “One day, you’re living in rural Aberdeenshire and cycling three miles to primary school, then suddenly, you find you are on a stage in front of a large crowd at the ground where you played and being given the Freedom of Aberdeen.
“It was surreal and it made me immensely proud, but it was hard to take in.
That was an unforgettable moment
“This is an award that had been given to the likes of (Mikhail) Gorbachev and (Nelson) Mandela, (Sir Alex) Ferguson and Denis Law – people I had grown up seeing on TV – and now, there we were, and they were talking about us and I was walking out there.
“You can’t really put it into words, but it’s something that I will never, ever forget.”
He was reunited with his old manager when Ferguson brought a star-studded Manchester United squad, including names such as Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Rio Ferdinand and Dwight Yorke to the north-east for Simpson’s testimonial match in 2012.
And the Govan gaffer spoke eloquently about how he had remained in contact with his fellow Scot and invited him down to Manchester on a number of occasions.
He was a quiet boy, off the pitch
Ferguson said at the time: “Neil was one of my first signings and he was totally committed and a serious competitor with a great engine. He was a nice boy, very quiet and unassuming (off the pitch), and he always kept his feet on the ground.
“He has been down at Old Trafford a few times during the last year and I know that he is serious about youth coaching and doing as well as he can. That sums the man up: if he takes something on, he will always give it 100%.”
Aberdeen chairman, Dave Cormack, paid an effusive tribute to Simpson.
He said: “Simmy will always be remembered as a Dons legend and Gothenburg Great. But he has also been a fantastic servant to the club off the pitch for over two decades.
“I’ve had the privilege of knowing Neil for 25 years, having hired him back to the club in 2001. He has been a tremendous Aberdeen FC ambassador, a leader and champion of our successful youth development programme and a valued mentor to so many of our young players, helping them progress their careers and transition to the first team.
“It’s understandable that, after such a long spell with the club, he’s looking for a different challenge so that he can spend more time with his family and watch his son Kyle play for Inverurie Locos.
“Their gain will very much be our loss. We’re pleased, however, that he’ll remain in touch with a frequent presence at Pittodrie for many years to come.”
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