View source for Scot Symon

{{short description|Scottish footballer and manager}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=March 2017}}
{{Use British English|date=March 2017}}
{{Infobox football biography
| name= Scot Symon
| fullname = James Scotland Symon
| image =
| birth_date = {{birth date|1911|5|9|df=y}}
| birth_place = [[Errol, Perth and Kinross|Errol]], [[Perthshire]], Scotland
| death_date = {{death date and age|1985|4|30|1911|5|9|df=y}}
| death_place = [[Glasgow]], Scotland
| position = [[Wing half]]
|  years1 =   1930–1935 
| years2 =  1935–1938 
| years3 =  1938–1947
|  clubs1 =   [[Dundee F.C.|Dundee]] 
| clubs2 =  [[Portsmouth F.C.|Portsmouth]] 
| clubs3 =  [[Rangers F.C.|Rangers]]
| caps1 =    150  
| caps2 =   66  
| caps3 =   32  
| goals1 =  2  
| goals2 =  6  
| goals3 =  3 
| nationalyears1 =   1938
| nationalteam1 =   [[Scotland national football team|Scotland]]
| nationalcaps1 =    1  
| nationalgoals1 =   0 
|  manageryears1 =   1947–1953  
| manageryears2 =   1953–1954  
| manageryears3 =   1954–1967  
| manageryears4 =   1968–1970
|  managerclubs1 =   [[East Fife F.C.|East Fife]]  
| managerclubs2 =   [[Preston North End F.C.|Preston North End]]  
| managerclubs3 =   [[Rangers F.C.|Rangers]]  
| managerclubs4 =   [[Partick Thistle F.C.|Partick Thistle]]
}}
'''James Scotland Symon''' (9 May 1911 – 30 April 1985) was a Scottish [[association football|football]] player and manager. He also played [[cricket]] for Scotland.

==Footballer==
Symon started his professional career at [[Dundee F.C.|Dundee]] in 1930. He then spent three years with English team [[Portsmouth F.C.|Portsmouth]] before signing for [[Rangers F.C.|Rangers]] in 1938. He also won a [[Scotland national football team|Scotland]] cap in 1938 against [[Hungary national football team|Hungary]].<ref name = "mitchell"/> He only played 37 Scottish League games for Rangers but helped the club win the [[list of Scottish football champions|league title]] in 1939.<ref name=fsrfc>{{cite web|url=http://www.fitbastats.com/rangers/player.php?playerid=1588|title=Rangers player Scot Symon profile |publisher=Fitbastats.com|access-date=27 December 2017}}</ref>

His career was then interrupted by the onset of [[World War II]]; during the conflict he continued to play for Rangers and made over 250 appearances in [[Southern Football League (Scotland)|unofficial competitions]]<ref name=fsrfc/> (almost all of which the club won). Symon retired from playing in 1947, making his final appearance a few weeks before his 36th birthday and securing the official league championship again in his [[1946–47 Scottish Division One|final season]].<ref name=fsrfc/>

==Cricketer==

Symon played cricket for [[Scotland cricket team|Scotland]] in 1938, taking five [[Australia national cricket team|Australian]] [[wicket]]s for just 33 runs.<ref name = "mitchell">{{cite web |url=http://www.scottishsporthistory.com/1/post/2012/06/cricket-and-football-double-internationals.html |title=Cricket and football double internationals |date=23 June 2012 |access-date=3 December 2013 |work=Scottish Sport History |first=Andy |last=Mitchell}}</ref>

==Manager==
He returned to Rangers in 1954 as a manager, where he would steer the team to six League championships, five Scottish Cups, and four League Cups.<ref name=white/> He also took the club into European football for the first time, guiding them to two [[Cup Winners' Cup]] finals in [[1961 European Cup Winners' Cup Final|1961]] and [[1967 European Cup Winners' Cup Final|1967]], both ending in defeat.<ref name="BBC Summary">{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport2/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/7359891.stm|title=When Rangers met Fiorentina in '61|last=Murray|first=Keir|date=22 April 2008|publisher=BBC Sport|access-date=27 December 2017}}</ref><ref name="BBC">{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/r/rangers/6706369.stm|title=When Euro glory evaded Rangers|publisher=BBC Sport|date=30 May 2007|access-date=27 December 2017}}</ref>
  
Symon was the Rangers manager when they [[Berwick Rangers F.C. 1–0 Rangers F.C.|lost to Berwick Rangers]] in the Scottish Cup on 28 January 1967. When Symon was sensationally sacked by Rangers in November 1967 (in spite of the team leading the league table at that point), he was told of the decision by an accountant.<ref name=white>{{cite news|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/obituaries/davie-white-rangers-boss-who-struggled-to-match-jock-stein-s-celtic-8771433.html|title=Davie White: Rangers boss who struggled to match Jock Stein's Celtic|newspaper=The Independent|date=16 August 2013|access-date=27 December 2017}}</ref> Symon was the manager who signed [[Sir Alex Ferguson]] for Rangers.

==Honours==

===Manager===

;East Fife
*[[Scottish Division B]] : [[1947–48 Scottish Division B|1947–48]]
*[[Scottish League Cup]] (2) : [[1947 Scottish League Cup Final (October)|1947–48]], [[1949 Scottish League Cup Final (October)|1949–50]]
*[[B Division Supplementary Cup]] (2) : [[1946–47 in Scottish football|1946–47]], [[1947–48 in Scottish football|1947–48]]

;Rangers
*[[Scottish Division One]] (6) : [[1955–56 Scottish Division One|1955–56]], [[1956–57 Scottish Division One|1956–57]], [[1958–59 Scottish Division One|1958–59]], [[1960–61 Scottish Division One|1960–61]], [[1962–63 Scottish Division One|1962–63]], [[1963–64 Scottish Division One|1963–64]]
*[[Scottish Cup]] (5) : [[1959–60 Scottish Cup|1959–60]], [[1961–62 Scottish Cup|1961–62]], [[1962–63 Scottish Cup|1962–63]], [[1963–64 Scottish Cup|1963–64]], [[1965–66 Scottish Cup|1965–66]]
*[[Scottish League Cup]] (4) : [[1960–61 Scottish League Cup|1960–61]], [[1961–62 Scottish League Cup|1961–62]], [[1963–64 Scottish League Cup|1963–64]], [[1964–65 Scottish League Cup|1964–65]]

==See also==
*[[List of Scottish cricket and football players]]

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
*{{SFA profile}}
* {{NeilBrownPlayers|player3/scottsymon}}

{{Navboxes
|title=Scot Symon - managerial positions
|list1=
{{East Fife F.C. managers}}
{{Preston North End F.C. managers}}
{{Rangers F.C. managers}}
{{Partick Thistle F.C. managers}}
}}
{{Scottish Football Hall of Fame}}
{{Scottish Football First Tier League Championship winning managers}}
{{Scottish Cup winning managers}}
{{Scottish League Cup winning managers}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Symon, Scot}}
[[Category:1911 births]]
[[Category:1985 deaths]]
[[Category:Dundee F.C. players]]
[[Category:East Fife F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Men's association football wing halves]]
[[Category:Partick Thistle F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Footballers from Perth and Kinross]]
[[Category:Portsmouth F.C. players]]
[[Category:Preston North End F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Rangers F.C. managers]]
[[Category:Rangers F.C. players]]
[[Category:Scottish men's footballers]]
[[Category:Scottish Football League players]]
[[Category:Scottish football managers]]
[[Category:Scotland men's international footballers]]
[[Category:English Football League players]]
[[Category:Scottish Football League managers]]
[[Category:Scottish Football Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:Dundee Violet F.C. players]]
[[Category:Scottish Junior Football Association players]]
[[Category:Scotland men's junior international footballers]]
[[Category:20th-century Scottish sportsmen]]