Scot Symon
| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James Scotland Symon | ||
| Date of birth | 9 May 1911 | ||
| Place of birth | Errol, Perthshire, Scotland | ||
| Date of death | 30 April 1985 (aged 73) | ||
| Place of death | Glasgow, Scotland | ||
| Playing position | Wing half | ||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1930–1935 | Dundee | 150 | (2) |
| 1935–1938 | Portsmouth | 66 | (6) |
| 1938–1947 | Rangers | 32 | (3) |
| National team | |||
| 1938 | Scotland | 1 | (0) |
| Teams managed | |||
| 1947–1953 | East Fife | ||
| 1953–1954 | Preston North End | ||
| 1954–1967 | Rangers | ||
| 1968–1970 | Partick Thistle | ||
|
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only. | |||
James Scotland "Scot" Symon (9 May 1911 – 30 April 1985) was a Scottish football player and manager. He also played cricket for Scotland in an age when it was possible to play and excel in several sports.
Footballer
Symon started his professional career at Dundee in 1930. He then had a three-year spell at English team Portsmouth before signing for boyhood heroes Rangers in 1938. He also won a Scotland cap in 1938 against Hungary.[1] He only played 37 Scottish League games for Rangers but helped the club win the league title in 1939. He retired from Rangers and playing in 1947.
Cricketer
Symon played cricket for Scotland in 1938, taking five Australian wickets for just 33 runs.[1]
Manager
He landed his first managerial job at East Fife where he guided them to one of their best ever seasons in 1949 winning the Scottish League Cup and reaching the Scottish Cup Final. He won a second league cup with the Methil men.
He took charge of Preston NE in 1953 where he took them to the FA Cup Final.
He returned to Rangers just one year later in 1954 where he would steer them to six League championships, five Scottish Cups, and four League Cups. He also took Rangers into European football for the first time, guiding them to two Cup Winners Cup finals in 1961 and 1967.
Symon was Rangers manager when they lost, Berwick Rangers F.C. 1–0 Rangers F.C. in the Scottish Cup on 28 January 1967. When Symon was sensationally sacked by Rangers in November 1967, he was told of the decision by an accountant, 'the board having neither the courtesy nor the courage to sack him in person – even though Rangers were then leading the domestic league table'.[2] Despite his success, the manner of his dismissal was a shock. Symon was sacked in November 1967 at the age of 58 after rejecting a move to make him general manager and let a younger man run team affairs.
After briefly serving on Dumbarton's board of directors he was appointed manager of Partick Thistle in September 1968. Two years later he assumed the role of Thistle's general manager.
Honours
Player
- Rangers
- Scottish League (1): 1938–39
Manager
- East Fife
- Scottish League Cup (1): 1946–47
- Rangers
- Scottish League (6): 1955–56, 1956–57, 1958–59, 1960–61, 1962–63, 1963–64
- Scottish Cup (5): 1959–60, 1961–62, 1962–63, 1963–64, 1965–66
- Scottish League Cup (4): 1960–61, 1961–62, 1963–64, 1964–65
References
- 1 2 Mitchell, Andy (23 June 2012). "Cricket and football double internationals". Scottish Sport History. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
- ↑ Independent (London), 17 August 2013
