Town’s Reggae Boy reveals how he is sowing the seeds as an agent, whilst also tending to his allotment

Okay, that might not be strictly true, but perhaps the parallels are more obvious than you’d first appreciate.

Both require measured decision-making, bags of patience and careful nourishment in order to ensure that your efforts bear fruit.

Or runner beans, in the case of former Swindon Town star Fitzroy Simpson.

The Wiltshire-born 45-year-old, who made more than 100 appearances for Town before moving on to Manchester City for more than half a million pounds in 1992, is currently preparing to launch his own football management company after a full 10 years working as a player representative.

Midfielder Simpson, who won 36 caps for Jamaica and started all three of the Reggae Boyz’ matches at the 1998 World Cup, has dedicated his life after playing to guiding the careers of footballers both on these shores and in Europe, with his role requiring him to act as everything from scout to personal assistant.

At times, it can be high-octane work and for the former County Ground favourite, who has settled in Swindon, there is one small patch of land, which earlier this year earned him a local award, that he can always retreat to – his trusty allotment.

Simpson in his days with Swindon Town

“I have my allotment for chilling out. It’s totally no phone. Just me and nature,” says the green-fingered Simpson.

“It’s therapeutic. You get back to reality. People think this football agency is lots of money flying around and all sorts and it’s not even real, but sometimes, I get to my allotment and I know that’s real.

“They are similar. You’ve got to prepare and wait for it to grow – that’s what I do with a lot of young players.

“I wait for them to develop and hope they bear fruit. You watch them grow, give them guidance and then good luck to them.

“At the end of my playing reign, which was at 35, playing in non-league at Eastleigh and Havant & Waterloovillie, it was quite clear that was always going to be my path because football is my life and my passion and what I’ve known since birth.

“It’s my 10th year in it now. I learned my trade through Mel Goldberg, a highly-regarded lawyer.

“I had to learn the business and I collaborated in a lot of deals with Mel and learned it and understood it because it’s totally different from playing – the boardroom to the pitch is a massive gap.

“I then formed my own company, which was Goald Football Management, where I worked with George Munro and then took Mel on as my lawyer.

“And now I’m just starting as an individual – FS Sports – solely on my own and I’m very excited.”

Simpson enjoying some time on his allottment

When it comes to taking on new clients, Simpson prefers to work with young, hungry talent, including up and coming players from France and Germany.

But the world of player recruitment is as cut-throat and unrelenting as ever - and for an agent looking to forge relationships with clubs and maintain a reputation as a reliable intermediary, the ex-Town ace places one value above all others – trust.

He says: “I’ve got 16 clients at the moment based in Germany, England, France and a couple in Portugal. They’re all internationals from clubs like PSG to Dortmund and they’re marquee players and if they’re guided and listen right, then they’ll be household names – no question about it.

“The thing with working with foreign players is that everybody wants to come to the Premier League. It’s all about the Premier League and this is why agents and intermediaries in England are in a strong position.

“I’ve got a great team and some young talents and I also work for clubs independently if they want me to identify a player and get recommendations.

“They’ll ask you to speak to a boy and find out his mentality. You can see him on the pitch but you don’t know how he is.

“Is he insecure? Is he confident? Is he arrogant? You’ll say to them ‘I’m here for a particular club and I need to get a feel for what you want because I’m just going to highlight what the requirements are in this premier of Premier Leagues. If you haven’t got that mindset, believe me, you’ll fail’.

“I’m quite confident in what I’m doing and I try to get to know the individual, speak to him and try to find out how he feels about embracing the challenge of coming to England, especially the Premier League or the Championship.

“Or even League One sometimes, if it’s a young boy that has time to develop and learn. You know he’s going to end up either in the Premier League or Championship but sometimes it’s not a bad process to go into that division, which is a hard task, and if they can swim in that ocean, then I think they’ll be okay.

“Every single day, I’m inundated with e-mails from people wanting representation but I won’t sign a player unless he’s 16 to 18 because the maturity in the full-time training, especially in England, sometimes separates the men from the boys.

“At 18, I’m more interested because you get a boy at 11 or 12; you just don’t know what’s going to happen with puberty, or distractions in life.

“I always embrace the parents. There has to be transparency and you have to be fully on the same path. I’ll show them their career path and guideline and if they stray off that path, then simply, they’re gone. That’s it.

“I don’t have time for misbehaviour because it’s my name. If I bring a client in, no matter what club it is, I’m putting my name on the line.

“He’s representing me and also himself and in turn, his family. If it’s a misbehaviour thing; football’s a small industry and if you get too many wrong, they won’t work with you.

“I’m quite fortunate because I’m 45 now and at my age, a lot of the players who became managers and chairmen in boardrooms know you, so it’s easier.

“They’ll go on my word and I’m not going to sacrifice my name and my company for nothing – no way.”

A young Simpson back in 1987

Early in his career, Simpson garnered a reputation as a feisty, combative customer and he continues to pull no punches as he prepares to branch out on his own.

But despite being a father to three children of his own, his clients form a huge extended family and Simpson doesn’t exactly cut and run once one of his players has signed on the dotted line with a professional club.

Apart from those rare moments of tranquillity when he’s knee-deep in compost, the former Town man is always on the phone to provide a helping hand for his clients and for Simpson, it’s every bit as rewarding as when he donned the shirts of teams up and down the country, as well as the vibrant yellow and green of Jamaica.

“Many years ago, everybody used to say ‘I’ve got this player and I’ve got this player’ but we’ve got a strict code of conduct and if it’s not my player, I’m not interested,” said Simpson.

“We don’t tend to name clients because in this industry, if you name your client and he’s moving somewhere, somebody will try to jump on the business.

“The best thing about my job is getting a young talent and then sitting in my house and watching the boy on TV and receiving the phone call afterwards.

“You’ll say things like ‘how was the game?’ and then ‘who told you how to do that!?’.

“You’re in a position of care. They’re almost like a branch of my family – that’s how seriously I take my clients. They trust me and I’ll tell them the truth.

“If it’s not going well, then we try to work it out and if it is going well, we try to keep a level head, maintain it and keep it going.

“You’ve got to be selfish to win. There’s more knock-backs than good times but enjoy the good times because you can have good times on Saturday and be knocked right back down on the Tuesday – it’s like a rollercoaster.

“The motto of my company is ‘find ways to win’ and if he’s not comfortable, we try and find a way or a little extra here or there. What is the missing ingredient for him to achieve?

“I do take it personally, I really do. A lot of agencies don’t know who their clients are because they’re big and they’re global, but it’s satisfaction when you see them on the teamsheet.

“You think ‘yeah, go on’ or if they have a bad touch, you think ‘come on, you know better than that. What’s happening with you?’.

“With the seniors, you also get personal with them.

“You have to look after their family and what’s the wife going to do? He’s at work, fully focussed on his job and you make sure the kids are in a good school or nursery and make sure the wife is comfortable because there’s no way he can give 100 per cent knowing that she’s at home sulking.”

At the end of the day, Simpson can always find solace in his vegetable patch.

He adds: “I’m not out there with your Pini Zahavis and that type of thing. I’ve met Jorge Mendes and he’s an astronomical agent. They are the monsters in this industry.

“I’m quite happy to work and do my thing and if I don’t want to answer my phone one day, I won’t and I’ll toddle off to my allotment. I don’t need nonsense in my life. I’d rather watch my runner beans.

“What’s been has been but it gives me an advantage because I’ve played in every league and also the Conference and the Conference South – I’ve got an understanding of every level what’s required, internationally down to grass roots.

“If you find a diamond in the rough, you’ve got be careful where you throw this diamond. It’s mentoring and time and patience to get him there.”

Perhaps Simpson is on the cusp of reaping his most bountiful harvest ever.