Paul Simpson, not The Messiah, simply a well-behaved boy who is honest and does OK

Paul Simpson's best 3 seasons of league football management have certain things in common. His management of the England U20 team to a World Cup win is not relevant to assessing his football league management record.

Although there was good work done at CUFC from the beginning when he took over at the end of the calendar year when the team had 5 points, his next 3 seasons were the best of his management career thus far.

Paul Simpson and Dennis Booth, 3 very good consecutive seasons
Simpson and Booth were clearly a very effective management unit at Carlisle United, taking the club from the then Conference into League One in successive seasons. Then at PNE in their first season the team was in 6th (a play-off) place at the start of the last match of the season. Unfortunately the team did not retain that place. Several weeks later Simpson made a blunder. He dismissed Dennis Booth ("Old fashioned methods"). Since then Simpson's career in management has never reached the heights of these 3 seasons although he has had prestigious jobs. The more prestigious the job the less a degree of success he has had. His league management career overall has been respectable rather than spectacular, doing OK then resigning because verbal promises have not been kept or being dismissed because the club has reached a plateau under him.

Paul Simpson and Fred Story
When Fred Story took over following relegation to the Conference Fred gradually dealt with the parlous financial position and provided rock solid foundations for the Simpson management.

So, the incredible current expectations of fans are somewhat overdone. In all 3 of Simpson's best league management seasons it was a management unit of Simpson and Booth. In 2 of those 3 seasons it was under a Fred Story ownership. At PNE there was a 'super' Fred Story. I put it to you that there is currently no 'Dennis Booth' at the club and that there is no Fred Story owning the club. Furthermore, Simpson's history is of him leaving if verbal promises have not been kept. This was how we originally got him from Rochdale.