Somewhere on a quiet football pitch in Knutsford, Cheshire, it's a frosty December morning and Danny Simpson is training with the cold biting at his fingers. The weather might be bleak but training prevents Simpson from slipping into a darker place.
"It’s difficult to keep going, it’s easier when you have a teammate or an ex-teammate with you," Simpson told the Manchester Evening News . " I’ve got all this free time and sometimes I think I could just go to the pub, but my little girl keeps me going."
Simpson's daughter, Skye, and his mental resilience keep him going on the difficult days when he wonders whether he will return to football. He's now 35 and without a club, not retired, after leaving Championship side Bristol City earlier this year.
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It's been a long, winding road for Simpson to get here, with many unbelievable highs and some lows. Simpson was born in Salford, he dreamed of playing for Manchester United and he achieved that childhood ambition when making his debut in 2007.
"I joined United's academy aged 11 or 12 and I was always a defender because I just loved tackling and defending," Simpson said. "I knew I wasn’t going to be six foot two, so I got pushed to right-back and I had to start learning how to play in that position.
"It was one of the best educations. The people at the club, the way it was run, it came from Sir Alex all the way down and just learning about a good person and values, that was always mentioned. It wasn’t just about on the pitch, it was about off it as well.
"I remember my first trip to America, it was the Dallas Cup. Going as a team going to the rodeos, going to different stadiums and all of those different experiences and playing a tournament over there, was an incredible experience as a kid from Eccles."
Simpson has proved people wrong his entire life and that started in the academy. The majority of players his age were released during the Under-14s stage, but the club retained three youngsters and he was among them, with staff wanting to give him more time to develop.
"I had to stay down a year because I was too small and they wanted to give me another chance to see if I could grow," he added. "I ended up staying with the year below me, the likes of Fraizer Campbell, Ryan Shawcross and Jonny Evans."
Simpson made his first-team debut against Coventry in the League Cup in September 2007 before making his Premier League debut at Old Trafford just a few weeks later, when he came on as a substitute for John O'Shea in the 30th minute and assisted Wayne Rooney for United's fourth goal in a 4-0 win.
"I wanted to play football since I was seven, I supported United growing up, so to actually play at Old Trafford, to make your debut with all your friends and family there, is everyone’s dream. I knew I had achieved my dream but I wanted more.
"I'll never forget my actual debut in the Premier League when I set up Wayne Rooney against Wigan. Every striker that makes their debut wants to score at the Stretford End, so the nearest I could get to that was crossing it for Rooney."
Simpson's journey to making his first-team debut was not a straightforward one. He was loaned to Royal Antwerp and Sunderland before getting his chance and he later had stints with Ipswich Town, Blackburn and Newcastle during his time at the club.
United had developed a partnership with Royal Antwerp and Simpson was aged just 19 when he packed his bags for Europe. Antwerp were managed by Warren Joyce when he joined, which helped, but the move was a steep learning curve for a young player.
"It’s the experience that I’ve got which means I can help other players," Simpson said. "You leave your family and you begin to understand how the foreign players in England feel. It made me appreciate them and what they go through.
"Being around a different language daily, the driving on the other side of the road, the food, the training methods, everything was an experience in growing up to become a mature player, so you could return to England as a better version of yourself."
What would he say to any young players who are considering a move abroad? "I’d say go because you’re coming out of your comfort zone," Simpson says without hesitation. "Sometimes if you’re here in Manchester, your friends or family might be telling you everything is great, but when you go abroad, you have to mature and you haven’t got your friends around the corner.
"You learn so much, it's senior football and a different way of playing, different styles and I’d always say go for it."
Simpson achieved promotion from the Championship with Sunderland in 2007 and he achieved the same with Newcastle, who signed him on a loan in August 2009 before making a bid to make the deal permanent in the following January transfer window.
It was an exciting move to a 'huge club', but he felt mixed emotions at the switch to the North East. "Newcastle is a massive club, I couldn’t turn that down and it looked like we were on our way to the Premier League," Simpson reflected.
"I had mixed emotions at the time. I was already with Newcastle, so I didn’t get the chance to say my goodbyes at United or get a chance to walk around, but I knew it was the next step in my career, 50,000 fans every week, with mad passionate Geordies.
"I was leaving my boyhood club and that was difficult, yes, but ultimately, I wanted to have a career in the Premier League and I definitely made the right choice. I look at Newcastle now and what they're doing and it brings back memories for me.
"You see Newcastle in the top four this year and that was us in the 2011/12 season. When I look back now, I actually think it was a big achievement, to finish fifth in the Premier League and to reach the quarter-finals of the Europa League.
"It’s not really until this season that I’ve appreciated that and really thought about it. My daughter was born there, I’ve still got friends up there still and it was a big four years of my life, to be honest."
Simpson laughed as he recalled he 'always had good games' when playing against United, which included when Newcastle defeated Sir Alex Ferguson's side 3-0 at St. James' Park in the legendary manager's penultimate season at Old Trafford.
"That was on my birthday and it will go down as one of my favourite nights," Simpson said. "Yohan [Cabaye] scored an amazing free-kick and I think we were just on it that night, everyone was. I always had good games against United for Newcastle.
"I also cleared one off the line at Old Trafford to prevent Chicharito from scoring and I got a little clip around the ear from Sir Alex for that. Another game was 4-3 on Boxing Day, we were winning, then drawing and winning - it was a crazy game.
"Newcastle was probably where I started to show that I could comfortably play week in, week out in the Premier League."
Simpson made 138 appearances for Newcastle, the most for any club he's played for, but he eventually wanted a new challenge and joined Queens Park Rangers in the summer of 2013 on a free transfer after declining a new deal in the North East.
The right-back made the decision to drop to the Championship to sign for QPR, who were promoted in his first and only season in West London. Simpson spent just 12 months with QPR and he was on the move again to Leicester in August 2014.
Nigel Pearson, who Simpson has a 'father-son relationship' with, brought him to Leicester that summer and the Foxes narrowly avoided relegation in a tumultuous first season back in the Premier League.
It was a miraculous achievement to avoid relegation, having been bottom at Christmas, but what lay next after Pearson was sacked nobody could have predicted, with Leicester appointing Claudio Ranieri, who led them to a fairytale Premier League title.
Leicester achieved the impossible that season. They defied 5,000/1 odds and made unthinkable history, an achievement which is almost certain never to be emulated, and Simpson made 30 starts in the Premier League at right-back.
"We had a togetherness that was built over the years through Nigel Pearson," Simpson said. "When I came into the group it was evident to see they were very close and then the quality was added, like with N’Golo Kante, who was a freak of nature.
"Kante is one the best players I’ve ever seen. Riyad [Mahrez], played on the right ahead of me and Jamie Vardy came out of nowhere and was on fire. We didn’t want to give up and we believed, which I think is the word for that season: belief.
"Ranieri didn’t think I was for him at the start. You have to either walk away or try to change their opinion, but luckily for me, I decided to stay and prove him wrong. He realised I could play a big part and obviously I managed to do that."
Simpson said he 'always has something to prove to Sir Alex' while playing for Newcastle, but he buried that hatchet when winning the Premier League.
It was an unfathomable success and something that Simpson struggles to put into words even now, as he paused and carefully collected his thoughts before attempting to describe exactly what it felt like to win the Premier League that year.
"It’s still hard to put it into words. You look at the league and think how did we go from relegation to that," he said. "After leaving a club like Manchester United, you’re not thinking about winning the Premier League, you just want to have a decent career.
"To do that, proving people wrong and believing in yourself, was unbelievable. On the Monday night when we won it, I was in the back garden in tears, just full of emotion. It was a bit of a surreal moment. The whole thing, I wish I could go back to it.
"When we came together that night, we were screaming, crying and grabbing each other, not even saying any words. It was very emotional and that’s when the drinks came out. We were celebrating in our own little cloud."
Simpson discussed the 'togetherness' of that Leicester side and he still has strong friendships from that squad. In the middle of the interview, he received a message from Leicester's captain that season, Wes Morgan, who remains a close friend.
Leicester played in the Champions League after their Premier League triumph and Simpson earned the opportunity to play in Porto, Brugge and Copenhagen. Leicester excelled but Atletico Madrid eventually proved to be a step too far in the quarter-finals.
"I'm still proudest about that period, It was a dream," Simpson said. "This is what kids now, watching the World Cup and playing football in the park, dream about and I managed to live it. It’s something I can always be happy with."
Simpson spent five years at Leicester and he finally bade farewell to the King Power Stadium in June 2019. He then spent the 2019/20 season with Huddersfield Town in the Championship.
The pandemic had begun and Simpson was forced to have surgery on a thigh issue towards the end of the season, which was followed by a lonely rehabilitation period at home without the safety net of a club environment, which made him stare retirement in the face.
Simpson remained mentally strong in his recovery. He was hungry to return and was eventually offered help from Leicester and the PFA, who paid for a stay at St George's Park, which came shortly before Pearson was appointed as Bristol City's manager.
After re-signing for Pearson at Bristol City on a free transfer in March 2021 until the end of the season, Simpson's determination was rewarded with a one-year extension, but he struggled to 'settle' at Ashton Gate and left by mutual consent earlier this year.
"You get to a point when you’re 34 or 35 and you want to play. It doesn’t matter who are you, look at Ronaldo now, he’s 37," Simpson explained. "Some people are happy sitting on the bench at a club and some people aren't and that’s me.
"Nigel is a top man and it just didn’t work. It’s difficult because I know I can still play, I haven’t actually retired. I'll know when the time is right, but I’ll give it to January and make the right calls. You can’t just sit around waiting forever."
Simpson has been without a club for nine months and he's dealt with 'good and bad days' throughout the year. He's still training, putting in the work and maintaining his fitness, but he admitted that it's mentally challenging to do each day.
"It’s hard, but even more so when you have a week off and you don’t do it," Simpson said. "I’ve been to the gym this morning and I know I'll feel ready to attack the day after the session, but then when you’re on your own, it’s very difficult.
"I saw all my friends go back to their clubs in the summer and it affects you mentally. When you see them back in training, I didn’t even want to go on my Instagram because I was sick and tired. I know it sounds bad but I couldn’t like their pictures.
"I was struggling mentally and there wasn’t much help. I was lucky because eventually I grew a pair of balls and rang Leicester and I asked whether I could come back in and train and they let me, but some people don’t have that relationship with clubs.
"You’re trying to find a pitch to train on. It’s difficult to just go to David Lloyds on a treadmill with people around you, asking 'what are you doing here'. We found a pitch in Knutsford, because Danny Drinkwater knew the owner, but it’s difficult for players to find coaches to try and train one-on-one, especially when you're out of contract and not knowing whether anyone will give you a call."
A candid Simpson then laid bare the reality of what it's actually like for some players in football who are out of contract and struggling.
"I’ve got a WhatsApp group, some who are ex-players and some who haven't retired, and our mates ring each other every other day just to keep each other going, to see they are getting on because we’re all in the same boat," Simpson said.
"We don’t know what to do. I try to do my punditry and my radio, but it doesn't happen overnight. It’s a crazy transition and some that finish football will get a divorce, they might be gambling or drinking, a lot of stuff goes on that people don’t really know about.
"Our phones should be ringing. Some people might not have great friends or good relationships with their families, they might not have wives or kids, and they might know what they’re doing. The only thing that keeps me going is my little girl.
"I want to keep training and I don’t want to fall back into that place. I just think there could be programmes in place, or even courtesy calls, just to check where people are in life. It’s not on the clubs that have released you, that club will continue.
"You might have people that keep an eye on you like I’ve got someone at Leicester, who's the welfare officer called Dale, and she’s amazing. She rings me once a week, but I don't think that happens elsewhere. It helps, so I’m sure that can help other people."
So, what is the solution? During his time without a club, it has struck Simpson that there is such little support for professional players who are in their later years, or who are simply without a contract, and he's now trying to influence change.
Simpson has begun talks with the Premier League about better support away from the pitch and he's discussed the idea of a league-funded centre for players who are out of contract, somewhere that is officially organised with training facilities.
"I think mentally and physically when you stop getting paid and you stop having a routine, it’s dangerous," Simpson said. "I've highlighted the problems to the Premier League and they think it's a really good idea to address it.
"They liked the idea that there should be like a sports academy or a set up where out-of-contract players, of all ages, can go to these training camps, as those players can get together, stay fit and have a record of the work they've been doing.
"Then when you find a club, they can ask what have you been doing to keep fit and you can say 'yeah, the training camp'. Now, clubs ring me and say what are you doing, and I say 'yeah I go to the gym every day and play football', but there’s no proof.
"The Premier League like the idea, so hopefully something can happen in the future, even if it’s not for me, then for others."
Simpson is fighting for a better future for his colleagues and the Premier League makes enough millions to take care of players who are out of contract.
Not every player has a support network of family and friends, or a daughter like Simpson, who he thinks about during those cold December mornings when he doesn't know when the phone will ring next.
Simpson has proved people wrong throughout his career - he's now trying to make a point to the Premier League.
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