Inside The Dressing Room: Simpson On Life As A Fox

Next Match | Tuesday 21 April Tue 21 Apr

HUL

(H)

00 D

01 H

16 M

38 S

Interviews & Features

Heritage

Photos

Inside The Dressing Room: Simpson On Life As A Fox

Leicester City's Premier League title-winning full-back Danny Simpson recently caught up with LCFC Radio presenter Dan Bates to remember his five-year spell at the Club.

2020-09-13T11:30:00.000Z

Inside The Dressing Room: Simpson On Life As A Fox

Leicester City's Premier League title-winning full-back Danny Simpson recently caught up with LCFC Radio presenter Dan Bates to remember his five-year spell at the Club.

2020-09-13T11:30:00.000Z

Inside The Dressing Room: Simpson On Life As A Fox

Leicester City's Premier League title-winning full-back Danny Simpson recently caught up with LCFC Radio presenter Dan Bates to remember his five-year spell at the Club.

2020-09-13T11:30:00.000Z

Inside The Dressing Room: Simpson On Life As A Fox

Leicester City's Premier League title-winning full-back Danny Simpson recently caught up with LCFC Radio presenter Dan Bates to remember his five-year spell at the Club.

2020-09-13T11:30:00.000Z

Inside The Dressing Room: Simpson On Life As A Fox

Leicester City's Premier League title-winning full-back Danny Simpson recently caught up with LCFC Radio presenter Dan Bates to remember his five-year spell at the Club.

2020-09-13T11:30:00.000Z

Signed from Queens Park Rangers in 2014, following City's promotion to the Premier League, Simpson was a key figure in both Leicester's 'Great Escape' from relegation and the stunning title win a year later.

Earlier this month, the former Manchester United defender followed Matt Elliott, Dean Hammond, Tony Cottee, Iwan Roberts, Matt Piper and Gerry Taggart as a guest on Inside The Dressing Room. Speaking for just under an hour, 'Simmo' remembers some of the characters which typified an incredible era to be a Foxes supporter - which also included an intrepid run in the 2016/17 UEFA Champions League.

While the podcast is available to listen to now, for free, on LCFC.com and any of your usual podcast sources, including iTunes and Spotify, we've picked out several highlights...

Joining the Foxes

Danny Simpson said: "I was pretty settled at QPR and, in one of my last games, I actually captained QPR at King Power Stadium. I even started the first Premier League game. They had signed Rio Ferdinand and Harry Redknapp wanted to play three at the back and he said I could go. I wasn’t expecting it! As a player, I could still have said no, but I wasn’t going to play. I actually thought I’d have more game time at QPR as Ritchie de Laet had been Nigel [Pearson’s] right-back for some time. I knew a lot of the lads at Leicester – Drinky (Danny Drinkwater), Matty James, Kasper [Schmeichel] and Richie – but it was strange. All my stuff was packed, and I headed up to Leicester. All of a sudden, I’m checking in at the Leicester Marriott Hotel!"

Shakespeare's guidance

Danny Simpson said: "Shakey (Craig Shakespeare) helped me a lot in that first season. Sometimes as an assistant, you’re in the middle. You’re trying to keep the lads that are not playing focused. With your starting XI, you need the second XI to be pushing them day in, day out, to make them better. That can make the result on a Saturday a win and not a loss. Whenever you’re not playing, you feel angry, but it’s a good anger. If you’re not playing, you’ve got to be a little bit angry. Shakey was good at keeping me on it. Nigel, for me, is a great character and a great manager and he put a lot of his DNA into Leicester, but Shakey helped me a lot as well."

Waiting for his chance

Danny Simpson said: "It was difficult (in the first season). I was always used to playing and I didn’t really get a chance until around December time. I got a little in the team then, but I still believed everything happens for a reason. In that last 10 games or so, when we survived relegation, the whole squad – playing or not – came together which I still believe was a massive part of what we achieved during the season after. We achieved what everyone would say is the unachievable and it was what dreams are made of. Going there on day one, it wasn’t any of us had even thought about. Even getting into the top-10 would have been an achievement and staying in the league, never mind winning that title."

Vardy's personality

Danny Simpson said: "Vards (Jamie Vardy) is Vards. He’s always laughing and joking. You always see him smiling and pulling pranks. He’s never changed from day one to now after all the success he’s had. He’s still that little cheeky nightmare that will wind you up. That’s just his personality and his character. Some players may have changed when they got into the Premier League, but his game is the same too. He’s still that raw, athletic, rapid player who shows that desire. We all love it when he chases the full-backs down! You wouldn’t change that about him. It’s part of his game and it’s part of why he’s been so, so successful. You just know when he gets the ball he’s putting his foot through it and it’s going into the back of the net."

His best-ever team-mate

Danny Simpson said: "I can’t pick anyone above [N’Golo] Kanté. He was just something else. Any team that has him in has a chance of winning any football game. He’s full of energy and never looks like he’s tired. I don’t even know how he tackled people sometimes, he’s bent his legs around them! I don’t know how he did it. He’d just come in, smile and train. He just loves football. Even in training matches, if he was on your team – like with Paul Scholes – more often than not, you won. He just smelt danger. He knew where someone was going to pass the ball before they knew! That’s the best way of putting it. His anticipation of where the ball would be was lightning."

The Vardy party

Danny Simpson said: "It wasn't like we were watching the game and [Chelsea] were 3-0 up and you're watching the clock. At half-time, we were all pretty devastated! Not because we didn't think we'd win the league, but we wanted it to be all together at Vardy's house. When that [Eden Hazard] goal goes in, we're just all jumping over each other. We're still scared because there's still a bit of time left, but the love in that room that night... we were just so proud. We all achieved something we never thought we'd achieve. We all had our own stories of proving someone wrong. For me, I remember I was in the garden crying for ages! It lasted a good week and we topped it off by beating Everton and lifting the trophy."

LATEST HEADLINES

‘It’s About Pride’ – Rowett Speaks Ahead Of Hull Gary Rowett says Leicester City must give everything in the pursuit of three points against Hull City.

9 Hours 28 Mins Ago

5000/1 Anniversary Match To Support Local Causes We will mark the 10-year anniversary of our 2016 Premier League title with a charity match at King Power Stadium this May, raising funds through the Vichai Srivaddhanaprabha Foundation.

21 Hours Ago

Fan Zone Open Ahead Of Millwall Game Our Fan Zone will be open on Friday night ahead of our Sky Bet Championship fixture against Millwall at King Power Stadium.

20 Apr, 2026

How To Tune In To Home Clash With Hull Hull City are the visitors to King Power Stadium on Tuesday evening and you can watch the action unfold in selected locations.

20 Apr, 2026