Paul Simpson: highs and lows of his Carlisle United reign

Here is a look back at some of the high points and low marks of his tenure.

FIVE HIGHS

1 Day One. Before a ball had even been kicked, just the knowledge that Simmo was back, and some of the old stuff had gone, was enough to lift your spirits. Carlisle were floundering in League Two, had just performed abysmally in losing to Swindon Town (cheers, Harry) and fans were preparing for a long winter in the National League. The sight of Simpson embracing Andrew Jenkins was evidence that, maybe, the cause wasn’t lost after all. It turned out to be the best act of desperation the club could ever have made.

Andrew Jenkins welcomes Paul Simpson back in February 2022 (Image: Carlisle United)

2 The run to survival. History can make certain things look inevitable, but never lose sight of how inspired this period was. Out of nowhere, Simpson's Carlisle became a mini-winning machine. The travelling support at Leyton Orient, and a newly resilient side, fuelled a cathartic, chiselled out victory, and three more followed straight away – all on memorable terms (see Oldham away). By the time Omari Patrick (hello again) scored against Mansfield, safety was comfortably assured. That, given the starting point, was sheer sorcery.

Morgan Feeney's winner at Oldham encapsulated United's new spirit under Simmo (Image: Barbara Abbott)

3 Welcome, Mox. Simpson’s first Carlisle spell, from 2003-06, saw some stunning transfer hunches pay off, and the best one of his second stint saw him take a midfielder from Scottish League Two, bed him back into the professional game and watch a marvellous story play out. United took a chance on Owen Moxon and immediately realised they could build a team, and a promotion challenge, around him. The lad from Denton Holme lit up the best of Simpson 2.0.

Owen Moxon was Simpson's most inspired signing of his second reign (Image: Richard Parkes)

4 The great crescendo. What are the best days you’ve had supporting Carlisle United? The answer will depend on your age, no doubt, but whether you’re eight or 80 I reckon the events of last May will figure highly in the rankings. After a 2022/23 campaign of initial panache, later grit and some joyous games (Salford away, Barrow at home) came a pair of play-off matches for the United ages. The Bradford second leg, Ben Barclay and all that, was as brilliantly boisterous as Brunton Park has been for a long time. And Wembley, on that sun-kissed day, was almost too good to be true. It was the crowning glory of Simpson’s magnificent turnaround.

Wembley - Simmo's crowning glory, and a day never to be forgotten (Image: Richard Parkes)

5 The bigger picture. Simpson’s legacy, once you take your eye back from the recent struggles on the pitch, is everywhere – the reconnection between club and community, the ambitious new owners, the sense of pride back in the Blues, the knowledge of certain aspects that have to be ruthlessly upgraded. Simpson always imagined a better future for Carlisle United and now the foundations are there for one. That is a huge bequest, and cements his legend.

Simpson's revival of Carlisle helped lead to the Piatak takeover (Image: Barbara Abbott)

FIVE LOWS

1 The step up. Initially hard, eventually impossible, Carlisle’s rise to League One may always have been difficult but it shouldn’t have been as challenging as it was. The Blues were behind the eight-ball when it came recruitment after promotion, yet rarely did they look a side coached to bridge enough of the gap, and 2023/24’s eventual unravelling to relegation was the first time under Simpson that United looked lost.

United's inevitable relegation was confirmed at Northampton (Image: Richard Parkes)

2 Winter of discontent. United were broadly competitive through the autumn of 2023 but eventually the pressure on their position made them buckle. A thrashing at Reading told you they were in trouble for the duration, then came a bitter afternoon in the rain at Blackpool, when Simpson claimed he’d been abused by disaffected travelling fans. It may not have been the day something broke, but it was the opposite of the good and revered times and told you where things were heading.

Blackpool away was a sour day in United's League One decline (Image: Richard Parkes)

3 Backfiring deals. In their predicament last term, Carlisle needed to show an immensely skilful touch in the market. Alas, they did not, their efforts hindered by off judgement, bad luck, a certain desperation and an inability to work any magic. Last season’s loan signings were almost exclusively failures, and strikers recruited on successive deadline days were bedevilled by injuries. A “step change” January only made results worse while there were too many debates over certain players (Huntington, Gibson, Holy) that United’s wretched, relegation-bound form couldn’t shut down.

Joshua Kayode's injury nightmare summed up United's recruitment fortunes last season (Image: Richard Parkes)

4 Style clash. Carlisle have one of the best pitches in the land, a fanbase that has been revitalised, and now the rare benefit of wealth. Yet as a footballing spectacle they did not evolve in line with this. Their game has leaned too closely to the combative end of the scale rather than the progressive. There has been no shortage of effort under Simpson but the yearning for a more enterprising and, dare we say, modern method is understandable.

Too many teams have played United off the park lately (Image: Barbara Abbott)

5 The end. Paul Simpson’s first sacking (it might not have been described as such in the official statement, but he certainly didn’t walk) as Carlisle manager was never going to happen in pleasant circumstances, but it was still a sad sight indeed when this iconic figure of Brunton Park was heading down the tunnel, shaking his head as catcalls assailed him. United’s results, last season and this, would test the patience of any fan and nobody can be surprised at such an outpouring of frustration. It’s merely a regrettable finish to something we assumed might have been golden for longer.

Simpson on the touchline during his last game, against Tranmere (Image: Ben Holmes)