Sadly too young to have ever seen him play. Love hearing other peoples stories though. There was a program on ESPN classic the other week about the top 20 most shocking transfers in world football and I'm sure Simonsen to Charlton was in the top 3!!!
Still don't really understand how this transfer ever came about. As someone else has said, the equivalent to us signing Messi today!!! It just doesn't seem possible!!! Amazing!!
Barcelona had just signed some bloke named Diego Maradonna. Simonson had become surplus to requirements at Barca under the number of foreign players rule. Mark Hulyer, having just taken over Charlton, heard about this and decided to make an audacious attempt to lure Simmo to Charlton. Negotiations dragged on for months, with numerous trips back and forth to Spain by Hulyer and other Charlton officials. It was a seemingly never ending on, off, will he wont he saga that dominated the back pages of the papers at the time. Most (including many Charlton fans) believed it was just a publicity stunt by Hulyer and couldn't quite believe it when Simmo finally made his debut in a Charlton shirt.
Originally we were after Keegan & tried to hijack his deal from Southampton to Newcastle, but as I remember he refused to talk to us having already given his word to sign for the toon
I have just google imaged Simonsen and somewhat surprisingly mid way through the first page of various pictures of him is a photograph of Dale Stephens .Some drunk bloke at Villa park might have done the same thing last month .
Met the Man today and got 2 autographs on the menus from the Boardroom annexe . Will auction one at the NWKA Q & A with SCP which we're waiting to confirm , hopefully in November. All proceeds to Demelza House.
Comments
How did he rate his colleagues and who did he feel was the best player he played alongside at Charlton ?
Was he aware of his compatriots who had previously played at the Valley Viggo Jacobsen and Johnny Oostergaard ?