Jim Bett - why did he turn his back on Rangers?

dh1963

dh1963

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I remember us signing Jim Bett from a Belgian team and he made an immediate impression as a very good midfielder. Scored in our first win at Parkhead in years, played in Scottish Cup and League Cup winning teams and became a regular. He and Bobby Russell were both cultured footballers and I thought we'd see him in a Rangers jersey for a good few years. Pretty sure he won his first cap as a Rangers player.
Then all of a sudden after we lost the 1983 Cup Final he went back to Belgium again. I think the story at the time was his wife couldn't settle in Scotland.
She must have changed her mind as he came back here quite soon after to Aberdeen where I have to admit he was an excellent player for them for a good few seasons. Souness tried to bring him back, and according to the papers he turned the move down after Aberdeen accepted the money.

Never liked him once he joined Aberdeen, but turning us down make me dislike him even more.

We like to say "Once a Ranger always a Ranger", but something obviously turned Bett away from the club. Never found out what was behind it all.

I wonder if he looks back now and regrets it? Or did he develop a dislike for our club that someone can shed light on?
 
Jim Bett looked an above-average player in a pretty poor Rangers team. Not nearly as skillful a player as Russell.

He had an infuriating habit with Rangers which would be making a decent run, then stopping, turning, and playing a square pass.

At Aberdeen, Ferguson coached him into becoming a much better player by making him a more attacking midfielder, running, then continuing to run with the ball, and not stopping and checking to make the square pass, a la Paul Lambert.

Never a bear.
 
He was out of contract in 1983, I'm sure.

IIRC, his wife never liked Glasgow. Seems strange that he then returned to Aberdeen a couple of years later but there you go. I remember reading something in the archives from around the time of the '83 Cup Final where she was bumping her gums about Glasgow being depressing.
 
Taki said:
He was out of contract in 1983, I'm sure.

IIRC, his wife never liked Glasgow. Seems strange that he then returned to Aberdeen a couple of years later but there you go. I remember reading something in the archives from around the time of the '83 Cup Final where she was bumping her gums about Glasgow being depressing.
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Back in those days a player out of contract couldn't go join someone else as the club held his contract. Did he refuse to sign another one? I just remember being shocked to read in the paper he was away back to Belgium.
 
I thought his wife wanted away from Scotland . No doubt Aberdeen sold move to him by telling him it was different up North. By the time we came in the second time they were probably settled and not wanting to move with young kids.
 
I knew a lot of guys who played with and against Jazzer. Most said he was good but not great as a youth.
I believe his wife is/was Icelandic (from his short time with Valur) and preferred Belgium to Scotland from his time with Lokeren, hence his return to Belgium after his stint with Rangers. Financially, it made sense for him to return to Scotland and he chose Aberdeen because he believed they were the better side. Ultimately he was proven wrong.
 
Banjobear said:
I knew a lot of guys who played with and against Jazzer. Most said he was good but not great as a youth.
I believe his wife is/was Icelandic (from his short time with Valur) and preferred Belgium to Scotland from his time with Lokeren, hence his return to Belgium after his stint with Rangers. Financially, it made sense for him to return to Scotland and he chose Aberdeen because he believed they were the better side. Ultimately he was proven wrong.
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His missus is indeed Icelandic. Hence his boy's name is Baldur.
 
Taki said:
He was out of contract in 1983, I'm sure.

IIRC, his wife never liked Glasgow. Seems strange that he then returned to Aberdeen a couple of years later but there you go. I remember reading something in the archives from around the time of the '83 Cup Final where she was bumping her gums about Glasgow being depressing.
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Correct. There was an article in one of the papers on the day of the Cup Final where all the players wives were interviewed. The only one that was not positive about being a Rangers players wife was Mrs Bett. After reading the article no one was in any doubt that Bett was going to leave Rangers
 
dh1963 said:
Back in those days a player out of contract couldn't go join someone else as the club held his contract. Did he refuse to sign another one? I just remember being shocked to read in the paper he was away back to Belgium.
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I was wrong. Reading the archive, it seems we accepted an offer of £200,000 from Lokeren and Greig said he had to sell due to Bett's 'domestic situation' - i.e. his wife being a miserable lady's front bottom. It was straight after the 1983 Cup Final so I guess the deal had been agreed beforehand.
 
newvalleyloyal said:
Correct. There was an article in one of the papers on the day of the Cup Final where all the players wives were interviewed. The only one that was not positive about being a Rangers players wife was Mrs Bett. After reading the article no one was in any doubt that Bett was going to leave Rangers
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Yes, I think that's the one I recall.
 
I remember being disappointed after Bett left us and this was raised more than a notch when he signed for the sheep. I could never get my head round him leaving us and then eventually ending up at Aberdeen.
 
I knew the family personally as a Hamilton man, his brother jazza worked on the bins and was big bluenose, his Mrs could not handle pressure of her man playing in Glasgow..
 
newvalleyloyal said:
Did one of his boys not play for Brechin or Forfar? Maybe Callum
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Possibly mate. Baldur was on Aberdeen's books as a kid.

I think both his sons represented Iceland at youth level.

My wee mate was at Aberdeen when Bett was one of their top men. He said Bett was fantastic with all the young guys and just looked after you on the pitch.
 
Banjobear said:
I knew a lot of guys who played with and against Jazzer. Most said he was good but not great as a youth.
I believe his wife is/was Icelandic (from his short time with Valur) and preferred Belgium to Scotland from his time with Lokeren, hence his return to Belgium after his stint with Rangers. Financially, it made sense for him to return to Scotland and he chose Aberdeen because he believed they were the better side. Ultimately he was proven wrong.
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I was at Hamilton Accies at the same time as Jim Bett as youth players, he was a cracking player then, I'm sure he signed for Dundee back then.
 
He was supposed to be one of the main men for Scotland going into Italia '90. Seem to remember that him and Johnston had some sort of fall out with the national team during the tournament. Souness certainly seemed to rate him
 
Bett was from Burnbank, his parents were fond of a Wee Swally.

His Icelandic wife did not get on with them, she was desperate to leave Glasgow area. His move to Belgium, then Aberdeen suited her, because she was well away from her alcoholic in laws.
 
subversive_bear said:
He was supposed to be one of the main men for Scotland going into Italia '90. Seem to remember that him and Johnston had some sort of fall out with the national team during the tournament. Souness certainly seemed to rate him
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Mo and Bett went out and got pissed against Roxburgh's orders.
 
Souness rated Bett because he played with him for Scotland.

I remember the qualifying group that included Spain that Souness was the main man in.

Team was usually

Leighton
Gough Miller McLeish Albiston
Bett Souness McStay Cooper
Johnston Dalglish

Hardly any wonder that Souness tried to sign a fair few (and did) of that side.
 
Lo
Worthy_Candidate said:
Souness rated Bett because he played with him for Scotland.

I remember the qualifying group that included Spain that Souness was the main man in.

Team was usually

Leighton
Gough Miller McLeish Albiston
Bett Souness McStay Cooper
Johnston Dalglish

Hardly any wonder that Souness tried to sign a fair few (and did) of that side.
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Great team that on paper. Loads of players missing as well, guys like Narey, Nicol Hansen, Strachan, Nicholas, Archibald etc.

Where are all these types now? Maybe that's for another thread..
 
Banjobear said:
No worse than Aberdeen surely????
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Maybe aye, Glasgow back then was still going through regeneration, buildings in the city centre were black with soot, unemployment was rife and the shops were shite. Aberdeen was grey as it is now but there was a lot of oil money kicking about, big new builds etc.

Did he go back to lokeren in 83? Perhaps fergie tempted him with a good offer and a sheep.
 
Talktalk said:
He signed for the sheep on the 6th June 85, we had just had our daughter and I came out the hospital after going through the birth for a whole 12 hrs and bought a paper and was gutted at the back page, while the Mrs lay in a bed with her feet up.
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Your wife lying in bed with her feet up got her pregnant !
I remember seeing him when he first arrived. I don't recall anyone making the runs he did, big lung bursting diagonal movements.
 
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Tormusk1872 said:
Bett was from Burnbank, his parents were fond of a Wee Swally.

His Icelandic wife did not get on with them, she was desperate to leave Glasgow area. His move to Belgium, then Aberdeen suited her, because she was well away from her alcoholic in laws.
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That was certainly doing the rounds back in the day.
 
Worthy_Candidate said:
Souness rated Bett because he played with him for Scotland.

I remember the qualifying group that included Spain that Souness was the main man in.

Team was usually

Leighton
Gough Miller McLeish Albiston
Bett Souness McStay Cooper
Johnston Dalglish

Hardly any wonder that Souness tried to sign a fair few (and did) of that side.
Click to expand...
Ooft some big egos in that team. Souness undoubtedly the biggest.

Imagine the current Scotland team playing against that.
 
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