Neil Simpson has damaged his silence over his controversial sort out on Ian Durrant, saying: ‘I’m sorry for the end result. 100 per cent. If I might flip the clock again then I want it didn’t occur.’
Durrant was carried from the sector at Pittodrie 1988 with ruptured knee ligaments and was out the sport for nearly three years.
The sort out was seen as the beginning of the bitter rivalry that exists between Aberdeen and Rangers to this present day.
However Simpson, 64, advised Each day Mail Sport the battle had begun in matches between the groups after Aberdeen grew to become ‘dominant’ within the early eighties.
He mentioned: ‘I’ve been in some battles with Rangers earlier than the incident with Durrant.
‘I’ve seen crowds approaching the pitch, two gamers despatched off, fights in the course of the pitch, fights within the tunnel. Uproar. It was a powder-keg fixture.’
Aberdeen midfielder Neil Simpson tackles Rangers’ Ian Durrant again in 1988
In Simmy, his autobiography to be revealed on Might 11, he mentioned the match in October 1988 had a build-up that was “incendiary”.
He writes: ‘Grisly tackles had been flying within the first couple of minutes.’ He then provides of the notorious sort out: ‘As I strove to get the ball, I stood on the knee of Ian Durrant, who was coming in from the opposite path. It was a foul incident. I’ve by no means shirked away from that.’
The incident led to authorized motion with an out of courtroom insurance coverage settlement.
Simpson, who has by no means spoken to Durrant concerning the match, believes Rangers used the controversy to undermine Aberdeen. ‘Once I obtained a letter from my solicitors over the negotiations I’d discover it was within the press a few days later,’ he mentioned.
He wrote that when he later visited the Rangers coaching centre in his position as an SFA coach: ‘John Greig noticed me and spat out the phrases: “Who the f*** let him within the constructing”.
Simpson identified he was by no means despatched off in his profession and had performed ‘310 video games for Aberdeen, reserve video games, boys video games. That’s Gary Lineker territory.’
Ian Durrant is carried off the Pittodrie pitch by Rangers coach Phil Boersma
The sort out, although, made him a hate determine for a bit of the Rangers help.
Workers at a grocer’s store in his village advised him they had been often requested the place he lived. Police additionally knowledgeable him when his handle was printed in a Rangers fanzine.
He mentioned: ‘I’ve no antipathy towards any Rangers participant. I used to be on vacation as soon as and one among Durrant’s finest footballing friends was there along with his household.
‘I didn’t know whether or not to strategy him or not however he waved over and mentioned we should always catch up for a drink and our two households spent a while collectively.’
He additionally mentioned Andy Roxburgh, then the nationwide coach, recommended he ought to journey to the hospital and apologise to Durrant. Simpson mentioned he would have however was suggested to not do it for authorized causes.
Simpson additionally reveals in his ebook that he was the son of an single mom and solely traced his father in 2021.
