Plenty of people have had things to say about Jake Simpson over the weeks and months. Nobody, from within Brunton Park, has been brave enough to put their name to them, of course.

Instead, the coded comments, the criticisms, the snide nicknames and remarks, have been aired by others: some supporters putting quips and pieces of assumed knowledge into the light, on social media, where public figures do not always find it easy to answer back.

The more this happens – and you’ll know it’s happened, unless you’ve totally ignored some of the chat around Carlisle during their recent period of struggle – the less it says about Simpson and the more it reveals about those slagging him off in the shadows.

It says that there’s nothing so reliable as the sight of some in football passing the buck and offering up a scapegoat when things are, on some level, going wrong.

Now, this is not to say that Simpson junior was not responsible for his own domain of Carlisle United. Nobody can avoid his or her ownership of their job and its outcomes.

Simpson was, since September 2023, head of performance: an overseeing figure on the fitness side of the club.

Whether this remit brought particular success or failure depends on one’s position or perspective. Last week, owner Tom Piatak included Simpson in a four man “key leadership" team which had to go in light of the Blues’ poor fortunes on the pitch. Also removed were Simpson’s father Paul, the manager, and the two assistant managers Gavin Skelton and Billy Barr.

Piatak made it a collective assessment and did not do anything so unfair or unprofessional as to castigate individuals. The need for a general “reset” at the top of United’s footballing set-up was the message and that is something many appear to agree with.

Jake and Paul Simpson worked together at United from September 2023 until their recent departureJake and Paul Simpson worked together at United from September 2023 until their recent departure (Image: Carlisle United)

It is not that decision that feels off in particular, and certainly nothing Piatak and the hierarchy have said and done in this situation jars – it’s more the whispering campaign promoted by others, in some cases anonymously, which appears to pin some of the blame for discord at United on the fitness guy, presumably in part because he happened to be the son of the manager.

That’s just too easy a road to go down, I'm afraid. Too much of a swerve.

Jake Simpson was not, to my knowledge, the man who signed players, set tactics, governed the overall culture or made decisions on direction. He trained players, worked on their conditioning and honed their readiness in the way he had with previous employers.

Considering he was entrusted to do so by Dave Challinor at a series of clubs, notably Stockport County amid a rise that now sees the Hatters towards the top of League One, one imagines Simpson knows what he’s doing.

And yes, there may be a different dynamic when the coach is the son of the gaffer. There may be less inclination among players to sound off, air grievances or seek private confidences with such a figure when that’s the case.

But…come on. Couldn’t people get past this? Were they really so fragile, so delicate, so unable to, you know, turn up, work as necessary, accept their wages, deal with things straight and go home without this being some sort of terminal issue?

Could they not, if needed, find someone else to confide in or bellyache to? Could they not do this, instead of offering casual, calculated briefings and moans, inviting friendly contacts to put forward the idea that there was some sort of major hindrance to harmony here, instead of a person doing his job and doing it with the diligence his footballing family is famed for?

Nobody comes out of a run of 30 defeats from 46, relegation and then a sour start to the following season with a halo. Clearly things were not working/improving at United and the savage truth is that this sort of circumstance always leads to casualties in the end.

Both Simpsons will have been keenly aware of that well before the axe came down, however much the prospect of it, and the subsequent reality, must have hurt.

That does not, though, entitle some to toss blame a certain way in the hope it serves as a shield from the truer and more pointed responsibility that needs to be taken.

Jake Simpson has the background and CV to take him on in the game again. In the meantime, he’s got his boots back on. He signed for Carlisle City last week and scored a rocket of a goal on his debut.

Good on him. Like anyone on the receiving end of tough times – and in particular one who’s been the subject of some quite unnecessary yet also revealing talk – he should be wished well.