Jim Bett (1980 to 1983)
Midfielder Jim Bett signed for Rangers in the summer of 1980 for a fee of £180,000 and went on to play 152 times for the Club, scoring 30 goals in the process.
His competitive debut came on the opening day of season 1980/81, a 1-1 draw against his former side Airdrie. Although born in Hamilton, Bett arrived at Ibrox via Belgian side SK Lokeren and he immediately established himself as a first team regular and would remain so during his 3 seasons in Glasgow.
A player of outstanding technical ability, his first goal came at Parkhead in a 2-1 win over Celtic and he would go on to win the Scottish Cup in his debut season (featuring in both matches versus Dundee United). A league cup winners medal was added in his second season, again at the expense of United, and he would also score an impressive 11 goals during that league campaign. Another Old Firm goal came in the 1982 League Cup Final at Hampden but unfortunately Jim would end up on the losing side in both major finals that season. It was a major blow to manager John Greig when Bett opted to return to Belgium in 1983.
Jim did eventually make a return to Scotland with Aberdeen where he won silverware and established himself as one of the most consistent midfielders in the country. To the extent that Gers manager Graeme Souness unsuccessfully attempted to bring Bett back to the Club in the summer of 1990. Reluctant to return to the West of Scotland, the player missed out on a potential Championship medal in 1990/91 when his Dons side were pipped to second place by Rangers on the final day of the season.
A regular for Scotland at full international level, Jim would later have spells at Heart of Midlothian and Dundee United.
by Rick Plews
