Steve Simonsen

Early career

Born in South Shields, Tyne and Wear, Simonsen grew up a supporter of Sunderland but was spotted by Nottingham Forest at the age of 15 whilst playing in his native South Shields. After a spell in Nottinghamshire, however, he was released in the summer of 1996.

Tranmere Rovers

After being released by Nottingham Forest, Simonsen started his career at Tranmere Rovers in August 1996 as a trainee. By November 1996, he had already made his league debut for the club against one of the clubs he would later sign for, Stoke City. After just 42 league and cup appearances for the first team, he was bought by Everton. Both clubs were under the control of Peter Johnson at the time. It was reported by various media bodies that the transfer fee was worth £3.3 million, a record fee for a goalkeeper. However Tramere Rovers' officially sanctioned Complete Record book states that this a myth and that the deal "was based on staged payments depending upon appearances, Everton's future success and international caps, none of which came" and that "Rovers never saw anymore than the initial £1m down payment."

Everton

Simonsen struggled to make it into the Everton first team on a regular basis, only making the starting line-up 35 times with another two substitute appearances, in his five seasons at Goodison Park. His Everton debut did not come until the 1999–2000 season, a League Cup tie against Oxford United. In July 2001, Simonsen was also rumoured to be…

Simonsen appeared for the England Under 21s, winning four caps. The son of a Danish seaman, he is eligible to represent Denmark at international level.

Simonsen was married to Claire Simonsen, a former presenter on Radio City 96.7, who now co-presents the breakfast show on In Demand Radio Alongside Lee Butler and Gemma cutting. Together, the couple have two children Micheal and Melodie. In April 2014, Simonsen was fined, and banned from driving for twelve months. Around that time, Simonsen and his wife were in process of divorce and up until now, "Simonsen has no previous record and is a man of previous good character". Upon being charged for betting, Simonsen's action were revealed when his wife was declared bankrupt after having a debt of £22,000 and cited the bankruptcy over "reduction in household income" and "relationship breakdown."

Stoke City

Football League Championship runner-up: 2007–08