Carlisle United's Paul Simpson reflects on his first management job at Rochdale - 20 years ago

And the memories of those formative, challenging first steps in the profession are still vivid as the Carlisle United manager prepares to face Rochdale tomorrow.

Simpson reflects on his time at Spotland as a demanding but, on reflection, rewarding experience that shaped him for his next challenges in the game.

Before he took United to glory in the mid-noughties, Simpson was appointed player-manager at Rochdale in 2002.

He was 35 when he replaced John Hollins at the helm, and led Rochdale to a 19th-placed finish in the fourth tier, as well as a memorable FA Cup run which saw them reach the fifth round against Wolverhampton Wanderers.

It was, Simpson says, an unflinching introduction to the hectic realities of management.

“It was brilliant for me, absolutely fantastic. Although I probably hated it at times,” he says.

“When I look back at that time, I probably took on too much. I had three young boys, I was a player-manager in my first job, I was doing my 10,000-word dissertation for my sports science degree, and I was in the final year of my A Licence coaching award. My head was all over the place.

Paul Simpson, right, in action for Rochdale during his spell as player-manager

“Early on in it, I was good, I enjoyed the job, I had a really clear mind, and I was still playing, doing what needed to be done. And then, it’s fair to say, I probably lost my way a bit.

“The FA Cup run we had was a really good experience. We made a lot of money for the club, and I was proud I left them in a really good financial state.

“I probably learned a really important lesson that if directors say something to you, maybe you just have to take it with a little pinch of salt. There were lots of learnings for me.

“It also gave me that mindset that I needed to forget about management for a little spell [afterwards], although then I came to Carlisle, and that little spell ended up being a lot shorter than I expected, because I was then put back into a management role.

“I definitely was better at Carlisle because of my experience at Rochdale. As much as the Rochdale fans hate me I’m really thankful to what the club did for me.”

Do Rochdale’s fans really have so little time for Simpson?

SImpson with comedian Jimmy Cricket during an FA Cup publicity shoot in 2002/3

“They certainly didn’t at the end,” he says. “I have no idea [now], to be honest. I don’t lose any sleep over it. When you lose your job you are public enemy number one in the eyes of the supporters.

“What I would say is when I came here [to Carlisle] and we were successful and got two promotions, I didn’t do things totally different to what I did at Rochdale, I just tweaked little things.

“When you become a manager you don’t get any training for it, you are literally thrown into it. I told the directors at Rochdale when they offered me the job, ‘You do understand, I have no idea how to be a manager, I am going to make mistakes,’ and they said, ‘Yeah, that’s fine, we’ll help you’.

“And they didn’t, and I made mistakes, and ultimately I deserved to be sacked…in fact I didn’t get the sack, I got to the end of my contract, they offered me two years, and they told me they wanted to appoint my assistant, which I disagreed with.

“They said, ‘You either let us appoint your assistant or you don’t get your two years’, so I shook their hand and said goodbye. That was how I left.

“Everybody says I was sacked but I wasn’t. My first sacking came at Preston. But I learned a hell of a lot; it was a really good experience for me. It’s something I’ll always remember.”

Simpson has built a rich range of experiences in management and coaching since then, and admits he could not have imagined, in those very early days at Rochdale, that he would enjoy such a career.

“Not at all,” he says. “The truth is I only took it because I thought I might never get another chance. I didn’t really know if I wanted to do it.

“After the first year I still didn’t know, but the Carlisle experience [from 2003-6] changed it. And other experiences you have change it.

“When you’re in it, you just crack on, and I’ve been really fortunate. To still be in it 20 years later, I just think I’m really lucky, that’s the best way to look at it.”