Until May lost his head it looked pretty even and quite poor to me. After that it was a delight to see us grow in confidence. Quite why Huddersfield lost all self belief so fast we’ll never know but in effect they gave us the pertct game.
We were able to press and show the longed-for steel in midfield and allow the defence to have an easy and error-free game. Taylor looked OK back there. Not great but OK.
I’m not expecting playoffs but on that showing we’re finishing 9-15th.
northern jinky boys
would you call spurs fans the same when they boo Sol Campbell?
It can depend entirely on the nature of the departure and what the booing entails.
Giving Scotty a few gentle boooos when he came back and played against us - is all part of the fun of it.
Whereas the manner in which Simmo was booed when he returned with Orient was a real disgrace.
A player who provided great service and essentially was forced out by a clown manager.
People booed Simmo when he played for us!
Absolutely. I definitely joined in with that one!
I do remember one fanzine at the time calling him the “increasingly depressing” Michael Simpson!
His turn around from a really poor period to become an absolutely superb servant has to be up there with anyone in our league days.
Really solid, professional performance yesterday. The ref seemed like he had a clanger in him, but actually got most of it right. At 1-0 I was worried that the ref would want to “level it up” - he just seemed that type. In reality, I don’t think I have EVER seen us more comfortable in a 2nd half at 1-0 up. We never looked in danger. Impeccable game management.
I do think Abbott will be a big miss - and we still need a CB, CM and CF in January.
What’s he been up to since his playing days? not an ex player we hear much about and he was great for the club.
Special guest at Burton Albion V Leyton Orient in March.
Simmo was a great player. Not a marauding, goal scoring midfielder but an invaluable cog with plenty of guile. As for the Low chant, messrs Stallard, Farrell and Bell Snr had far worse.
For those who never saw Simmo play, I would say that he was the closest thing Wanderers had, in my 35-odd years of watching, to Josh Scowen. His reading of the play was wonderful, his passing and keeping of the ball was great and he absolutely loved a tackle. He had pace to snuff out danger quickly and incredible stamina. Also, like Josh, he picked up a yellow card in more games than he didn’t, but suspensions were the only reason Simmo ever missed games - he was pretty much never injured. He also loved fishing, I recall.
The way he was treated by Adams was shocking and Orient and Burton both got really good years out of him after he was let go.
Simmo was the best holding midfielder, ive seen in a Wanderers shirt, and that includes Scowen. Sniffed out danger and let the attackers know what he was about. I could never understand those that got on his back for playing it sideways, after he had halted an attack. Often got an early booking, but never seemed to lose his head. He was treated appallingly by the then manager.
And proved what an asset he was for Orient against us, i think i read he had declined invitations to previous reunions, over his shoddy treatment by the club. Simmo is right up there with club legends of yesterday year, almost the forgotten man of Adams Park.
Played 339 games for us over 8 years. Great servant to this club and fondly remembered by anyone who saw him play.
Ousted by Tony Adams just after he turned 30 but Simmo had the last laugh, helping Orient finish above us in 05/06 for automatic promotion to League One as we lost in the Playoffs to Cheltenham. Left Orient and was a key piece of the Burton team who won the National League three years later in 08/09.
Martin Ling sums up Simmo’s impact on every game he played in with this quote from the match report from 2005, just after Adams had let him go.
Yes people change jobs strangley enough so do footballers.
It’s pathetic
Tony Adams had the absolute brass neck to suggest Simmo (and Currie) had given up on staying up.
When he himself had absolutely given up on staying up almost immediately as soon ashe came in, in the autumn!
While it was great having Steven Taylor and Luke Moore, both signings smacked of look at the pulling power I have, rather than something that would help us even mid term.
He brought Tyson in at least but most of the rest of it was a mess.
I don’t know if many remember Roger Johnson once saying something to the effect of “ I know I’llnever play in the Premier league”, such was his lack of confidence at the Adams treatment. Saying in the press he wasn’t even sure if he was a centre back! Thinking about him up front or as a left back. Madness.
And then the most cowardly of exits, telling the press first.
It really isn’t the same.Which other job is there out there where it has thousands of supporters worshiping it’s existence and feeling high emotions and tribal rivalry when it comes to similar jobs?
Sometimes it is unjustified but other times expected.
It simply is not the same.
Interesting that you think it might not be relevant to compare situations in non-football jobs to football jobs
I loved Simmo, but Scowen is a better player for me.
They’re both great anyway
Royal family, politician, tv star, influencer, tech bro, musician…?
