Simpson: Fergie left me in tears
FoRMER Huddersfield town defender Danny Simpson has detailed the scathing half-time hairdryer treatment he was on the receiving end of from Sir Alex Ferguson during his time at Manchester United.
the full-back – who played 24 games for the terriers before leaving in 2020 – came through the youth team at the Reds.
Simpson has revealed how he was left in tears after a dressing down by Ferguson during a clash against Everton in 2007 as he was hauled off at the break.
the 34-year-old, who is now with bristol City, said: “It was one of my first games against Everton, and it was about an hour and a half before kick-off. He was like, ‘Danny, you’re playing’, and I was like, ‘s**t, I’m not ready for this’, he told on the Judy Podcast.
A lapse from the full-back allowed tim Cahill to nod home from Steven Pienaar’s cross in the first half.
“Sir Alex says one thing: ‘stop crosses’... then 20 minutes in, they’ve crossed it, Cahill header,
(and we’re) 1-0 down.
“And the next 20 minutes my head was gone, I was awful. I can’t even look at the performance back.”
Simpson explains the Scot’s reaction after he was hauled off and replaced by John o’Shea at halftime: “So I’m sat in the dressing room, the whole second half, and I’m in tears.
the lads came over when he finished his speech, and y’know the little pat on the head? As if to say, ‘we’ve all been there’, and that’s what got to me even more.”
but Cristiano Ronaldo was on hand to fire in from the spot two minutes from time to earn United the win.
“Looking back, imagine Man United lose at home to Everton. I didn’t realise at the time, that’s a big three points.
“And that’s on his shoulders if they lose and put a kid in, and he’s trusted me.
“Now that you get older you realise that if you’d lost those three points that could have had a big detrimental effect on them winning a league title.”