Biography
He has developed a reputation for signing both undervalued lesser known players and established internationals at relatively low or no fees some of whom were sold on for much higher figures. Whilst at Fulham this included Chris Smalling and Moussa Dembele who were transferred to Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur respectively. Several of the playing squad which achieved a UEFA Europa League Final place in 2010 were recruited following Simmonds' appointment. At Norwich City a squad overhaul including the addition of Cameron Jerome and Gary O'Neil proved decisive in achieving promotion to the Premier League. It was the second occasion Simmonds had been influential in a club gaining promotion from the Championship as the 2004 Play-Off Final winning Crystal Palace team included players signed during his tenure as Head of Recruitment. In the 2013 award-winning book "The Nowhere Men” author Michael Calvin credited Simmonds with being a leading figure at the forefront of modern football club structure through the combined use of sports science, statistical analysis and traditional practice. Simmonds has cited the New Zealand All Blacks rugby team off-field operating methodology and American statistician Bill James as influences. Revered for his work in Major League Baseball James highlighted how undervalued players could be recruited which Simmonds saw parallels with in professional football. Following on from Norwich City it was reported in the British media that he had been contracted by The Football Association to work as a member of England manager Roy Hodgson's staff for the national team's preparation and final tournament of the 2016 UEFA European Championship.Managerial statistics
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Simmonds, Barry Living people English football managers New Zealand Knights FC Fulham F.C. non-playing staff Bolton Wanderers F.C. non-playing staff Cardiff City F.C. non-playing staff Crystal Palace F.C. non-playing staff Queens Park Rangers F.C. non-playing staff Oxford City F.C. players A-League Men managers Men's association football players not categorized by position Year of birth missing (living people) English men's footballers Place of birth missing (living people)