Scottish football was saddened today (20/04/04) to learn of the death of Ronnie Simpson at the age of 74. Ronnie had a fantastic football career starting when he turned out for Queens Park as a 15-year-old and not ending until he was in his 40's - in between he had become a Scottish Football legend. Part of that superb career was spent at Easter Road, Ronnie signing for Hibs in October 1960 from Newcastle United. We reproduce here a tribute to Ronnie originally written by our site editor in January 2002, looking back on the career of a remarkable man - a legend in green.
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After recently looking back on the career of one Hibernian legend, Des Bremner, who went on to pick up a European Cup winners medal elsewhere, we now remember another who did exactly the same thing. In the case of goalkeeper extraordinaire Ronnie Simpson, it was all the more remarkable an achievement for a man who perhaps should have been picking up his pipe and slippers rather than performing heroics between the sticks!
Ronnie was already thought to be well past his best by the time he arrived at a troubled Easter Road. He had made his senior debut at the end of the Second World War, when he turned out for Queens Park against Clyde at Hampden Park - when still to see his 15th birthday! From that day onwards was to be the one of the most remarkable football careers in the history of the game, as Simpson was many years later to add to the feat of being the youngest player to take part in a senior league game to then become the oldest ever capped by Scotland!
In between it was a roller-coaster ride of equally remarkable proportions. He spent five years as an amateur at Queens Park, during which time he was selected for the UK Olympic squad, before Ronnie went professional with Third Lanark. He was however only to spend six months there before Newcastle United snapped him up for £8,750, a good piece of business by the Glasgow club. These were the 'golden years' at Newcastle, the era of Millburn and Harvey, so it was no great surprise when within two years in the North East, Ronnie was at Wembley winning an FA Cup medal in a 1-0 triumph over Arsenal.
Three years later, Simpson had another FA winners medal, this time from a win over Manchester City. But in between the goalkeeper was to face the might of Hibernian in a Coronation Cup tie at Ibrox, Hibs running out impressive 4-0 winners. It was some years later however that Ronnie was to return to Scotland, when in October 1960 he signed for Hibs at a bargain £2,100 fee. Newcastle at least considered Simpson already past his best, but those foolish enough to say as much were made to eat their words in spectacular fashion.
Ronnie's Easter Road career did not start well, the goalkeeper having to pick the ball out of his next six times in a defeat at Easter Road - against Celtic! Better times were to come for Ronnie and Hibs however, notably in the club's astonishing win over Barcelona in Europe after riotous scenes during the home leg at Easter Road. The great European nights were however disguising Hibs indifferent domestic form, and it was largely the inspirational goalkeeping of Simpson that saved Hibs in the 1961/62 Season. The arrival of Jock Stein to Easter Road spelt the end for Ronnie at the club, Willie Wilson having won the favour of the new boss after Ronnie fell out with Stein - and was transferred to Celtic. It was all the more remarkable then that Stein himself moved to his first love just six months later - and forged a partnership with Simpson that would see both become Lisbon legends when Celtic lifted the European Cup three years later, Simpson playing a key part in the campaign that led to that 2-1 triumph over Inter Milan.
Ronnie Simpson was already 34 when he joined Celtic, but went on to make 184 appearances in his six seasons at Parkhead. The man who was supposed to be finished when he joined Hibs in 1960 turned in the best ten years of his career from that point on, and while Ronnie may well be a Celtic legend, he remains every bit a Hibernian legend as well.
Source:
www.hibs.co.uk