Scot Symon

Scot Symon
Personal information
Full name James Scotland Symon
Date of birth (1911-05-09)9 May 1911
Place of birth Errol, Perthshire, Scotland
Date of death 30 April 1985(1985-04-30) (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

Manager

East Fife
Rangers

References

  1. 1 2 Mitchell, Andy (23 June 2012). "Cricket and football double internationals". Scottish Sport History. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  2. Independent (London), 17 August 2013
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