Scot Symon

Scot Symon
Personal information
Full nameJames Scotland Symon
Date of birth9 May 1911
Place of birthErrol, Scotland
Date of death30 April 1985 (aged 73)
Playing positionWing half
Senior career*
YearsTeamApps†(Gls)†
1930–1935Dundee150(2)
1935–1938Portsmouth66(6)
1938–1947Rangers32(3)
National team
1938Scotland1(0)
Teams managed
1947–1953East Fife
1953–1954Preston North End
1954–1967Rangers
1968–1970Partick Thistle
* Senior club appearances and goals counted for the domestic league only.
† Appearances (Goals).

James Scotland 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.

Career

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 only played 37 Scottish League games for Rangers but helped the club win the league title in 1939. Symon played cricket for Scotland in 1938, taking five Australian wickets for just 33 runs.[1] He also won a Scotland cap in 1938 against Hungary.[1]

After retiring from Rangers in 1947, 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 took charge of Preston NE in 1953 where he took them to the FA Cup Final. He returned to Rangers just one year later 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.

When Symon was sensationally sacked by Rangers in 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]

The Scots poet Tom Leonard wrote a poem ‘Simple Symon’ about the matter, one of ‘Six Glasgow Poems’:

see if ah wiz Scot Symon

ahd tell thim wherrty stuff thir team ...

Reportedly Symon rejected an offer to move to a general manager's position. 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. ↑ 1.0 1.1 Mitchell, Andy (23 June 2012). "Cricket and football double internationals". Scottish Sport History. Retrieved 3 December 2013.
  2. ↑ Independent (London), 17 August 2013

External links