Scot Symon

{{Infobox football biography

| name= Scot Symon

| fullname = James Scotland Symon

| image =

| birth_date = {{birth date|1911|5|9|df=y}}

| birth_place = 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

| clubs2 = Portsmouth

| clubs3 = Rangers

| caps1 = 150

| caps2 = 66

| caps3 = 32

| goals1 = 2

| goals2 = 6

| goals3 = 3

| nationalyears1 = 1938

| nationalteam1 = Scotland

| nationalcaps1 = 1

| nationalgoals1 = 0

| manageryears1 = 1947–1953

| manageryears2 = 1953–1954

| manageryears3 = 1954–1967

| manageryears4 = 1968–1970

| managerclubs1 = East Fife

| managerclubs2 = Preston North End

| managerclubs3 = Rangers

| managerclubs4 = Partick Thistle

}}

James Scotland Symon (9 May 1911 – 30 April 1985) was a Scottish football player and manager. He also played cricket for Scotland.

Footballer

Symon started his professional career at Dundee in 1930. He then spent three years with English team Portsmouth before signing for Rangers in 1938. He also won a Scotland cap in 1938 against Hungary. He only played 37 Scottish League games for Rangers but helped the club win the league title in 1939.{{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}}

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 unofficial competitions (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 final season.

Cricketer

Symon played cricket for Scotland in 1938, taking five Australian wickets for just 33 runs.{{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}}

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. He also took the club into European football for the first time, guiding them to two Cup Winners' Cup finals in 1961 and 1967, both ending in defeat.{{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}}{{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}}

Symon was the Rangers manager when they 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.{{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}} Symon was the manager who signed Sir Alex Ferguson for Rangers.