Former Bristol City coach Paul Simpson has been rewarded for Carlisle United’s fine run of form under his stewardship, with the 55-year-old agreeing a new three-year contract at his boyhood club.
Simpson, who left City in October having served as assistant to both Dean Holden and Nigel Pearson, returned to Brunton Park in February on a deal until the end of the season to replace former City boss Keith Millen who was sacked after six wins from 22 matches.
That start to the campaign had left the Cumbrians 23rd in the League Two table but Simpson, in his second spell at the club, has engineered an impressive revival with seven wins from his 13 games in charge and Carlisle now safe from relegation.
“I think everybody has known that we wanted Paul to stay beyond the Bradford game, and that he wanted to stay, and that has been reflected in the swift manner in which we have concluded this agreement,” said Carlisle chairman Andrew Jenkins.
“The length of the contract reflects the fact that we all feel this is a project for the longer-term, and not just a quick fix, and we feel Paul is the right person to take that on.
“Paul has stated quite clearly that he wants to improve aspects of the club on and off the field, and we share that vision. He spoke about the fact that he needed things to be right, and we always knew that we had to seize this moment, and not let it slip by.
“We’re delighted that we’ve been able to do that and it’s now time to give him our backing as he sets off on what we hope will be an exciting journey.”
In his previous stint in charge in Cumbria from 2003-2006, Simpson led Carlisle to back-to-back promotions out of the then-Conference Premier and into League One. His managerial journey then took in Preston North End, Shrewsbury Town, Stockport County and Northwich Victoria, plus coaching jobs with Newcastle United and Derby County.
He joined City in the summer of 2020 having served as England Under-20 head coach, where he won the World Cup in 2017 in South Korea, with Simpson assigned to provide guidance to Holden following his surprise elevation from Lee Johnson’s No2 into the top job at Ashton Gate.
Simpson, alongside Keith Downing - now of Plymouth Argyle - shared responsibilities on the training ground, and even took charge of the Robins for a 1-0 home defeat to Barnsley in February following Holden’s dismissal.
Simpson then worked under Pearson but after a leave of absence in pre-season prior to this campaign to undergo cancer treatment, the new City boss brought in former Middlesbrough teammate Curtis Fleming as his deputy, initially on a temporary contract before making the move permanent in September.
Four weeks later, Simpson departed “by mutual agreement” with his job title having changed from assistant manager to first-team coach.
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