Jim Bett

James Bett (born 25 November 1959) is a Scottish former professional footballer who played in midfield. He played with Aberdeen for nine seasons and had shorter spells at other clubs in Belgium, Iceland and Scotland. He earned 26 caps for the Scotland national team over eight years.

Club career A Scottish Schoolboy international born in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire, Bett started his club career with Gartcosh United, Dundee and Airdrieonians before moving to Icelandic side Valur in 1978. A year later he joined K.S.C. Lokeren (282) in Belgium.

Rangers manager John Greig paid £150,000 to sign Bett for the Glasgow club in 1980. In three seasons at Ibrox he won the Scottish Cup (1980–81) and a League Cup (1981–82). and both the League Cup and Scottish Cup in 1989–90, He also played in three other League Cup finals – all ending in defeat to Rangers, and was in squads which finished runners-up behind his former club in the Scottish Premier Division on five occasions.

He left Pittodrie in 1994, after making over 300 first-team appearances. In 2003, Bett was inducted into the Aberdeen FC Hall of Fame as one of the founding members.

He next moved to KR Reykjavík and won the Icelandic Cup with the club, but left KR at the end of the 1994 Icelandic season. Bett returned to Scotland again to join Hearts with whom he played the 1994–95 Scottish season. After a final season with Dundee United, he retired.

International career During his spell with Rangers, Bett earned his first selection for the Scotland national side, making the first of 26 appearances in 1982. While playing for Aberdeen at club level, he was a member of the Scottish World Cup squads in 1986, where he did not play, and 1990, where his only appearance was in the opening 1–0 defeat to Costa Rica, which turned out to be the final cap of his career. Coincidentally, Bett's only goal for Scotland occurred in a 1–0 win over Iceland in Reykjavík in 1985.

Division Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals

1976–77

1977–78

8!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!8!!0 Valur Reykjavik 1978 Úrvalsdeild

1978–79

1979–80

33!!1!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!33+!!1+

1980–81

1981–82

1982–83

104!!21!!18!!2!!24!!6!!6!!1!!152!!30

1983–84

1+ 1984–85

64!!7!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!0!!64+!!7+

1985–86

1986–87

1987–88

1988–89

1989–90

1990–91

1991–92

1992–93

1993–94

257!!33!!28!!2!!32!!10!!21!!2!!338!!47 Valur Reykjavik 1994 Úrvalsdeild

Heart of Midlothian 1994–95 Scottish Premier Division

Dundee United 1995–96 Scottish First Division

530!!70!!50+!!4+!!57+!!16+!!27+!!3+!!664+!!93+

International

Scores and results list Scotland's goal tally first, score column indicates score after each Bett goal.

+ List of international goals scored by Jim Bett No.DateVenueOpponentScoreResultCompetition1 28 May 1985 Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland 1–0 1–0 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification

Honours Rangers