News & Insights
A Champion Game Plan
24th November 2024
Conversation between Amanda McCulloch and Aberdeen Football Club luminary, Neil Simpson
Playing The Beautiful Game
A: Walk us through your career and include something you’ve never told anyone else.
I grew up locally, in a place called Cluny, Sauchen, then I moved to Newmachar. The first football I remember watching was the 1970 World Cup, where Pele was amazing, and the Brazil team was outstanding; we played in the street pretending to be these players. In that same year, Aberdeen won the Scottish Cup. My family all supported Aberdeen and I started dreaming about playing for Aberdeen like my heroes Bobby Clark, Joe Harper, and Martin Buchan.
We played in the street pretending to be these players.
And then I went to Bankhead Academy, or “Bunkheid” as it was called, and my pal, Michael Gordon, got into the school football team before me. I didn't get into the team right away. My excuse was I hurt my knee.
What happened? I think I was in primary seven or first year, I had a tackle and felt a sharp pain in my knee. I put up with it for about five or six weeks and was still playing, but it was sore. I ended up going to the doctor, who sent me to the hospital. By that time, it was six months, eight months down the line. They did the x-ray and found a hook of bone had formed and calcified in my knee. I've got an extra bone sticking out of my knee! They decided not to take it out because I was still growing.
When I joined Aberdeen, I thought, I can't say anything about this because if they see that, they might think, “No, he won't be able to play.” For the first year and a half, I played through injuries because I didn't want to go to the physio. When I finally picked up the courage to say, “Oh, I've got this bone,” I was told that heaps of people have got that. And I’ve still got that big bone!
I joined Aberdeen when I was 16, but prior to that, I did quite well for Bankhead Academy and Middlefield Boys Club and myself and a few of my teammates went down to trials in England. The first trial I went down to was Aston Villa, and Andy Gray was with them then. At the end of their session, they came over and had a wee five-a-side with all the boys. Then I went to Man City, me and Stewart Forsyth were only 14 going down in the train ourselves, then somebody picked us up at the station and we were taken to a hostel with the other young players and trialists, meeting top league stars like Joe Corrigan and Colin Bell and I’m thinking “Wow, you see them watching Match of the Day!” Then I went to Sheffield United and then the last trial I went to was Middlesbrough, and I flew down there twice for them.
When I was 15, Aberdeen started a training centre. Bobby Clark and Lenny Taylor took that training, and Lenny was the Aberdeen City Select Manager, and as I was in that, I got asked to train, and Aberdeen said that they wanted to sign me. Middlesbrough heard about that and said, “Look, we know you're signed for Aberdeen, but just come down.” I had nothing to lose, and they flew me down. They played Arsenal in the FA Cup, and I went to that game, Jack Charlton was the manager, they came to our hostel for the pre-match meal and then watched Match of the Day. I played for the Reserves against Barnsley the next day and then played for the youth team. In that team were Craig Johnston, Mark Proctor, and David Hodgson, guys who went on to play first-team football for Liverpool, Middlesbrough, and Craig Johnston is the guy who invented the Adidas Predator boot. The scout said, “You really should just sign this now.” I said, “No, I need to take this home. I can’t just sign.”
I was told by a number of people that I shouldn't go to Aberdeen because local players get a hard time by the supporters and that I’d be better off just going away and having a career elsewhere. I said,
"No, my heart's set on playing for Aberdeen.
When I joined Aberdeen, Billy McNeill was the Manager. I continued to play for my boys’ club but trained with Aberdeen all week. We had a really good boys' club—Stewart Forsyth, who started out at Arbroath and then played for Dundee in the Premier League, and Les Watson, who played for the Scotland Schoolboy Under-18s. They were really good players and great guys. I was at Stewart and Les's weddings last year.
Then Fergie came in as the Manager in the summer of '78. When you're young, you normally go out on loan, “farmed out,” as it was called then. You go to a junior team or Highland League team and get maybe six months or a year's experience playing with men. But they decided I would just stay with the reserves.
Sir Alex was so keen about watching youth and developing young players. We were playing Stirling University, and I scored the perfect hat-trick and he put me on the bench the following week against Hamilton Accies in the League Cup. I made my debut at 16 at Pittodrie and I set up one of Joe Harper’s goals, who was one of my heroes. I trained with the first team quite a lot then. When you played away from home, you had a 14-man squad, two subs, and a spare man who was just in the stand in case anyone got ill. We were playing Hearts away and coming down the lift with Sir Alex and Pat Stanton, who was the assistant then, and he said, “Look, I'm not going to play you this week, but you'll definitely play next week.”
I was so excited.
I was at my mum's in Peterhead for Christmas lunch. I felt so ill and woke up the next day with the mumps. I lost about a stone and a half and was ill for about four weeks. I was wiped out until about the end of January and was just getting myself back when, out of nowhere, I caught German measles, and my season was wiped out.
I just had to reset.
I continued to play with the reserves, occasionally in the first-team squad, but it wasn't until I was probably 19, when Gordon Strachan and John McMaster were injured, that I got my opportunity, and I played most of the games in the second half of the season. That was the season after we won the league, '80/'81. The following season, I took my chance, and we won the Scottish Cup, and then everything just rocketed from there. And, of course, it was amazing to be involved and play in the European Cup Winners Cup v Real Madrid in Gothenburg. For a while, the pattern was: have a really hard preseason, win a couple of trophies, have a holiday for a few weeks, come back, do the preseason, and then win another couple of trophies. It was a great experience.
As part of that, I achieved another of my childhood dreams and got my debut for Scotland, which was amazing.
But the childhood illnesses carried on during my career. I was sharing a room with Charlie Nicholas with Scotland, who had to go home with chicken pox. Two weeks later, I was so unwell with chicken pox that I had to go to the hospital.
I suppose the highlights of my career at Aberdeen were playing in the Cup Winners Cup and being involved with such a great squad of players, great characters, outstanding manager, fantastic coach, and mentor, Teddy Scott. He was always there for a blether and could just see when you needed a bit of support.
A: Obviously, there's the physical side of football, but it's about mentality, too, isn't it? It's about real discipline, which at such a young age is a great life lesson.
I dedicated my life to football, not going out or drinking during the week. I had maybe a beer at the weekend; I wasn't tee-total. The thing is, the way I played and the amount of running I did made me knackered at the end of the game. I had to rest and refuel, which was great because I love my food—I was the biggest eater at Aberdeen.
Fergie knew what you were doing every minute of the day. Even if you were just visiting someone, his contacts would say, “I saw him out, or in his car or whatever.” And he'd go, “What was you doing out?” He also built up a relationship with the publicans. “Just let me know if any of the players come in.” We didn't know anything else and I'm privileged and grateful, and wouldn't change it for the world. It was a mad house at times, with everyone desperate to do well, competition for places but there was a great camaraderie between all the players.
I'm privileged and grateful and wouldn't change it for the world.
At the end of my career, I was getting a number of injuries that could relate to a car accident in December 1985 when I hurt my neck. In that year, my hamstring was giving me a lot of problems, it was like, sciatica. I played about six games with it. I played in the quarter-final of the European Cup against Gothenburg in the first leg. I missed the second leg, and then eventually, I missed a load of games to try to give it time to settle. I probably rushed back too early, I played a reserve game the Saturday before the Cup final, and I scored a hat-trick. During the match, I hurt my groin and missed the final in ‘86. It was annoying. There seemed to be a catalogue of injuries, but I put my body through a lot in terms of the way I played.
It was just time to move on, and I thought, “A fresh challenge, a change is as good as I rest.” I went to Newcastle and spent a year there and then went to Motherwell for two years. I played an average amount of games, but there were still hamstring and calf issues that curtailed my career.
Developing Young Players
At the same time, I was doing my coaching badges. Cove Rangers gave me the opportunity to come back up North. I was Assistant Manager and I played, but not very often, and I was commercial manager. If I'm being honest, I enjoyed the commercial side the best. Going out, selling the boards around the pitch, the renewals, meeting people, they were starting to do the dining, they had their scratch cards and different commercial activities.
Then, the Scottish FA approached me to be a Regional SFA Development Officer. And I thought this would be a great way to give something back. When I was with Aberdeen, I also coached the Newmachar primary school team. So, for example, on a Saturday, we would meet at Newmachar school at nine o'clock, for their school game. When that was finished, I’d drive to have my pre-match meal with the rest of the players at Ferryhill House.
I went to all their games and really enjoyed coaching the young kids and seeing them get better at the grassroots.
My remit there was to deliver Coach education - levels one, two and three courses. Increase participation within the children's programme, holiday camps, serving well over 2,000 kids over the summer. It was the biggest in Scotland and I set up the north-east coaches association in this area as well, which was the biggest in Scotland with 192 members.
A: It's so important, that development piece and allowing kids to play. It's such a critical thing, isn't it?
I also used to set up coaching courses for Highland League clubs, e.g. Huntly and Keith. They would have six coaches each. And we would come together, do half the course at Huntly's ground, half course at Keith's, it got them integrated and then they would continue the work themselves.
As part of the Scottish FA work, Aberdeen had a community programme, and they approached me to be the Head. The community programme then was seen as just about football. We were doing what the SFA did, but it was under the Aberdeen FC banner. What I feel I've done well, and it's satisfying, is to leave something behind. Gavin Levey for example, I gave him his first coaching role when he was at Moray College. Neil McIntosh, I got him involved with Coach education as well. He went to Rangers and Graham Sutherland, who's now the Head of the SFA regional programme worked on my holiday programmes in Moray. I employed Stuart Glennie and Scott Anderson who are now under 18s Manager, and the Director of the Academy, and Mark Slater, people of that ilk.
Watching them grow into roles and responsibilities at the highest level of Scottish football gives me a lot of pleasure.
I was in that role for five years when Len Taylor came back as the Director of the Academy. The first thing he said was, “I want you to be my assistant because I want us to build something really special.” We had centres all over Scotland, with Peter Weir as the Head of the Centre in Glasgow, Andy Dornan as Head of the Centre in Edinburgh, and Ewan Peacock in Dundee.
I assisted Len for four or five years before I took up the mantle of Head of the Academy for ten years, which was a 24/7 job. You've got all the coaches, scouts, parents, and young players, so it's a big responsibility. Managing people and setting standards are important.
Then, I suppose the next evolution for me was around COVID-19. The Club and I were looking at doing something for the group of players, between the under-18s and the first team, who we were failing in some respects, and we really needed to find a new model that aided the transition into the first team. I was appointed Pathways Manager, but I was doing two jobs, managing all this and then away with the first team on a match day. There was so much to pack in between my 2 roles. At Man City or some of the other Premier League clubs, they've got a staff of 15 looking after their players. At Aberdeen, it was me.
You just get on with it. I'd known probably 95 % of these guys since they were 8. Your role is to help, support, and guide them. When they are out On Loan to various levels of clubs they have to be prepared for setbacks at times, at times they won’t be getting game time, will be a sub, how do you handle that? In an ideal world, they're playing week in, week out, getting experience and enjoying the challenge of playing with and against adults, getting an understanding of the adult environment. Not everybody at 16 or 17 can play the first team, so each player has their own individual pathway.
A: No. Not everybody can switch to that with ease.
There was a stage when I was thinking about my work-life balance. On a Saturday, for example, I'd not be back until 8 o'clock at night and get home late after midweek games. I was never getting to watch my son playing football, and that was important. The same happened with my older children. I was delivering coach education on a Sunday, and that was the time they were playing.
Making The Transition From Sport To Business
A: How did you figure out what the next step was for you? Was it looking back on all the experiences you had and thinking about what you enjoyed?
I'd watched other professional footballers, like Jim Leighton, Stuart McKimmie, John Hewitt, Mark Reynolds, and Russell Anderson. I felt I could work in “the workplace.” Some people have said, “Oh, what a change, going out to business meetings.” But I’ve been taking meetings and giving presentations for years. I feel comfortable speaking to the chairman, and I can speak to the apprentice. It doesn't faze me at all.
I've been taking meetings and giving presentations for years.
It was time to see what opportunities there were and make sure I chose the right opportunity.
A: What do you think you were looking for from your next employer, and did you have a sense of the things you wanted to do?
I think I've got a good name in the area. Quite well respected. I could open doors for a new employer and be a good promoter and advocate for that business.
A: If there was one piece of wisdom you could share from your sporting career that you could apply to the role that you're now in at RAM Tubulars, what would it be?
Have high standards. Treat people as you'd like to be treated yourself. From my early days in football, having discipline and structure. Being able to communicate across a cross-section of individuals and have a good network of people around you.
A: There's a leveller, isn't there, with sport? Once people start talking about football, it doesn't matter who you are or what you do.
I agree. For example, one of my first meetings was a 7.30am breakfast meeting with Jim Stewart and Mark Kerr. We had our bacon rolls and tea and we spoke about football. At one minute to eight, the owner / CEO said, “Guys, I’ve got another meeting at eight o'clock. Let's just carry on with the work we've been doing. Let's just keep everything going.”
I was like, “Gee, is that it?” The thing is, though, we've got a great talking point just now with the way Aberdeen FC are playing. It's a door opener in terms of myself speaking about my career, football and Aberdeen.
A: It’s amazing what they've managed to achieve, really. Seeing Pittodrie packed and the fan support. The place has come alive, hasn’t it?
I love going to the matches and hosting our clients in the Legends Lounge and in the box. The whole of the north-east is buzzing, and you can see the lift it gives everyone when the team is doing well. Jimmy Thelin has done a fantastic job and has managed to create a bond between everyone connected with the club. Stephen McCormick has done a great job as well. He did a lot of work in the Bundesliga and other countries and has taken a lot of that support engagement experience back to Aberdeen FC. Colourful and noisy is what you would describe Pittodrie on a match day.
A: What appealed to you about RAM Tubulars?
I liked Jim and his link with the football club, one of the major sponsors, and his involvement with the Russell Anderson Foundation. He's got the match-day facility, the box at Pittodrie. We've got two tables of four in the Legends Lounge, and part of my role is making sure we make the most of these facilities with our customers and guests.
A: Which makes absolute sense. It shows the crossover between business and sport and the community and how it's all interlinked. I think sometimes people don't think of it in that way, but it absolutely is, isn't it?
100%.
A: In terms of the role you’re in, there's a lot of Business Development to it. Is there anything particularly that excites you about being in that type of role?
I’ve thrown myself into my job and organised as many meetings as possible, asking for advice and listening to people. For a sports analogy, I’m also analysing our competition and identifying companies we could partner with. I’ve done a lot of “homework” and will continue to do that. I enjoy building contacts, and LinkedIn has been a great tool I hadn’t previously leveraged. James Bream, Katoni invited me to his Suppliers Day, which was brilliant for setting up meetings, and at a Decom event at Peterhead, I gathered great contacts, which has led to future opportunities and business.
My role also involves raising awareness of the business brand and the services we offer, such as identifying companies to place our custom-designed skips, purchasing scrap metal waste, any surplus equipment/materials, drill pipe, and tubulars. We also have a Decommissioning facility and can provide storage facilities for companies at our 16-acre site at Kinellar/Blackburn.
There’s been a number of meetings, where people have said, “I didn't know you did that.” It’s about joining the dots so maybe down the line they think about RAM Tubulars as a company they could utilise.
A: Exactly. Is there anything that's been unexpected about the role? Anything that you thought, “This is different to what I thought it was going to be.”
None whatsoever. I love it, no regrets at all.
I might look quiet, but I'm really competitive and want to do well.
A: There's the parallels between sport and business again. You don't get to be an elite sportsman without being competitive, driven, and focused. It's the same within the business world, I think.
In the evening, I like to check over my notes and emails to ensure I haven’t forgotten to reply to anyone, and after every meeting, I feel it is important to thank people for their precious time.
A: Were there any lessons you learned while thinking about your next move and what you wanted it to look like?
Well, I met Stuart McKimmie and Jim Leighton and asked them about their experience. What's it been like? So, I wasn't going in blind. Although, in the first couple of weeks, it was like going to a new school.
A: It doesn't matter how long you are in your career when you're a newbie, you're a newbie, aren't you?
Absolutely. But again, it was nice to meet a new group of people. We have staff at the Queens Road office and the yard at Kinellar. I'm just riding on the wave at the moment and really enjoying it.
A: Thank you, Neil; it has been great to hear about your career journey, your thinking around what would be next as you transitioned from sport to business, and your experience so far at RAM Tubulars. I think we got a couple of scoops in there, too!
