Planning for next season.
But 14 years ago this week he was quietly settling into his new office at Thrum Hall as the new Halifax coach.
That was the pokey room at the top of the staircase, next to the boardroom, in the sliver of the building that belonged to the rugby league club after the formal split from the cricket club in 1935.
For years it had been the secretary's office but a full time coach needed appropriate accommodation and the club's admin section had been moved a couple of years earlier downstairs to the room which had previously housed the gym and before that the away dressing room.
It was a difficult job for Simms who had worked wonders on a limited budget at Leigh but who now had the task of replacing Malcolm Reilly.
The Great Britain boss had stunned the club by walking out and signing as coach at Newcastle towards the end of August although insiders knew that he had been torn between the roles for a couple of weeks beforehand.
Speculation had been rife since the beginning of that month and Reilly had been hounded by the press after the opening day win at Oldham, seeking refuge on the team coach in the Watersheddings car park.
The club were less than happy of course.
Reilly's ambitious team building plans, whilst not coming to full fruition with the abortive attempt to sign Bobbie Goulding, had seen £80,000 plus shelled out at tribunals for both Grant Anderson from Castleford and Paul Moriarty from Widnes and £40,000 paid to Hull KR for Wayne Parker.
Simms was interviewed by the directors at a hotel in Brighouse, well away from various prying eyes up at Thrum Hall, and given the job, initially with the intention that he would work in tandem with Reilly for a couple of weeks.
That was a situation that clearly wasn't working after a week or so and Reilly cleared his desk on Friday, September 2, 1994 before the game at Widnes on the Sunday – which was lost in a lacklustre display.
His impending departure was clearly troubling the dressing room.
That was a good time for Simms to take over because his next two matches were at home against weakish opposition in the shape of Hull and Wakefield.
Not only did Fax win those, but also the four after that to give him a 100 per cent record before the Australian tourists inflicted a first defeat on him, albeit in a tight game.
The trouble was that Simms wanted to strengthen the squad yet again.
This was reluctantly sanctioned by the board who give him yet another £80k for Simon Baldwin and Paul Rowley plus permission for loan signings like Phil Eden from Wakefield and Ian Connor from St Helens.
Further expense came when Reilly's assistant coach Gary Stephens had to be made redundant and then when Simms took on Tony Pratt as conditioner.
Reilly had taken all his own training and prided himself on his own personal fitness levels, especially at arm wrestling!
But in September 1994 he was gone....