Why does Simmo get such a hard time from NUFC fans?

Hard times and hard lines for Simpson I think it's fair to say that the signing of Danny Simpson has been nothing short of a success since he swapped Old Trafford for St James' Park during our Championship winning season.

Young, cheap, with relatively low wages I'd say Simpson has paid back his outlay ten fold in terms of what he has achieved at United (the REAL United, not the fake one from Manchester).

Yet seemingly this isn't enough for some fans who see fit to castigate him at every opportunity. Now for sure there are better right-backs out there and arguably it's a position we should have strengthened during the summer, but some of the headlines I've read (including this piece from Ed, which has inspired me to write this) are just pure waffle.

I mean is Vurnon Anita REALLY the best right-back at the club? Sure he seemed to play better at right-back when switched there in the absence of Simpson, but is less than one game really enough to be dishing out such lavish praise, especially when the player he has replaced through injury has been nothing short of outstanding since his arrival from Manchester United?

Danny Simpson has been a key component of our resurgence. He helped us out of the Championship, helped us stay in the Premier League and helped us qualify for Europe via a 5th placed league finish. Admittedly he hasn't done that without mistake but being truthful you'd be hard pushed to find a player who hasn't put a foot wrong at some point.

As I alluded to earlier, he's not the best right-back the world has ever seen and I dare say there are better players out there, but he has rarely let us down when called upon and has been vital for us these past three seasons.

Surely that deserves a bit of respect?