| Personal information | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Full name | James Bett[1] | ||
| Date of birth | (1959-11-25)25 November 1959 (age 65) | ||
| Place of birth | Hamilton, Scotland | ||
| Position(s) | Midfielder | ||
| Youth career | |||
| Gartcosh United | |||
| Dundee | |||
| Senior career* | |||
| Years | Team | Apps | (Gls) |
| 1976–1978 | Airdrieonians | 8 | (0) |
| 1978 | Valur | 2 | (0) |
| 1978–1980 | Lokeren | 33 | (1) |
| 1980–1983 | Rangers | 104 | (21) |
| 1983–1985 | Lokeren | 64 | (7) |
| 1985–1994 | Aberdeen | 257 | (33) |
| 1994 | Valur | 13 | (4) |
| 1994–1995 | Heart of Midlothian | 26 | (2) |
| 1995–1996 | Dundee United | 23 | (2) |
| Total | 530 | (70) | |
| International career | |||
| 1980–1982 | Scotland U21[2] | 7 | (0) |
| 1982–1990 | Scotland | 26 | (1) |
| *Club domestic league appearances and goals | |||
James Bett (born 25 November 1959) is a Scottish former professionalfootballer who played incentral or left midfield. He played withAberdeen for nine seasons and had shorter spells at other clubs in Belgium, Iceland and Scotland. He earned 26caps for theScotland national team over eight years.
A Scottish Schoolboy international born inHamilton, South Lanarkshire,[3] Bett started his club career with Gartcosh United,Dundee andAirdrieonians before moving to Icelandic sideValur in 1978. A year later he joinedK.S.C. Lokeren (282) in Belgium.
Rangers managerJohn Greig paid £150,000 to sign Bett for theGlasgow club in 1980. In three seasons atIbrox he won theScottish Cup (1980–81)[4] and aLeague Cup (1981–82).[3] He left Rangers in 1983 for a second spell with Lokeren.
Bett returned to his native land, joiningAlex Ferguson's Aberdeen in 1985 for £300,000.[3] During his time with theDons, he collected winner's medals in the Scottish Cup in1985–86,[5] and both the League Cup and Scottish Cup in1989–90,[6] He also played in three other League Cup finals – all ending in defeat to Rangers,[7][8][9] and was in squads which finished runners-up behind his former club in theScottish Premier Division on five occasions.
He leftPittodrie in 1994, after making over 300 first-team appearances. In 2003, Bett was inducted into the Aberdeen FCHall of Fame as one of the founding members.[10]
He next moved toKR Reykjavík and won theIcelandic Cup with the club, but left KR at the end of the 1994 Icelandic season. Bett returned to Scotland again to joinHearts with whom he played the1994–95 Scottish season. After afinal season withDundee United, he retired.
During his spell with Rangers, Bett earned his first selection for theScotland national side, making the first of 26 appearances in 1982.[11] While playing for Aberdeen at club level, he was a member of the Scottish World Cup squads in1986, where he did not play, and1990, where his only appearance was in the opening 1–0 defeat toCosta Rica, which turned out to be the final cap of his career.[11]
Bett met hisIcelandic wife during his time playing for Valur and has maintained a close connection with Iceland since. His sonsBaldur andCalum, also both professional footballers, were born there and have represented the country atUnder-19 level.[12] Coincidentally, Bett's only goal for Scotland occurred in a 1–0 win overIceland inReykjavík in 1985.[12]
| Club[13][14][15][16][17][18] | Seasons | League | National Cup | League Cup | Europe | Total | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Division | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||
| Airdrieonians | 1976-77 | Scottish First Division | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 1 | 0 |
| 1977-78 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 7 | 0 | ||
| Total | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | - | - | 8 | 0 | ||
| Valur Reykjavik | 1978 | Úrvalsdeild | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 |
| Total | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | ||
| Lokeren | 1978-79 | Belgian First Division | 0 | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0+ | 0+ |
| 1979-80 | 33 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 33+ | 1+ | ||
| Total | 33 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 33+ | 1+ | ||
| Rangers | 1980-81 | Scottish Premier Division | 34 | 4 | 7 | 1 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 45 | 5 |
| 1981-82 | 35 | 11 | 5 | 1 | 9 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 51 | 14 | ||
| 1982-83 | 35 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 0 | 56 | 11 | ||
| Total | 104 | 21 | 18 | 2 | 24 | 6 | 6 | 1 | 152 | 30 | ||
| Lokeren | 1983-84 | Belgian First Division | 32 | 1 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 32+ | 1+ |
| 1984-85 | 32 | 6 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 32+ | 6+ | ||
| Total | 64 | 7 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 64+ | 7+ | ||
| Aberdeen | 1985-86 | Scottish Premier Division | 24 | 3 | 6 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 37 | 3 |
| 1986-87 | 38 | 4 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 45 | 6 | ||
| 1987-88 | 38 | 10 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 3 | 1 | 51 | 14 | ||
| 1988-89 | 30 | 5 | 5 | 0 | 5 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 42 | 8 | ||
| 1989-90 | 30 | 3 | 4 | 1 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 41 | 6 | ||
| 1990-91 | 36 | 7 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 44 | 9 | ||
| 1991-92 | 38 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 43 | 1 | ||
| 1992-93 | 17 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22 | 0 | ||
| 1993-94 | 6 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 13 | 0 | ||
| Total | 257 | 33 | 28 | 2 | 32 | 10 | 21 | 2 | 338 | 47 | ||
| Valur Reykjavik | 1994 | Úrvalsdeild | 13 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 13+ | 4+ |
| Total | 13 | 4 | - | - | - | - | - | - | 13+ | 4+ | ||
| Heart of Midlothian | 1994-95 | Scottish Premier Division | 26 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 2 |
| Total | 26 | 2 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 30 | 2 | ||
| Dundee United | 1995-96 | Scottish First Division | 23 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 24 | 2 |
| Total | 23 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | - | - | 24 | 2 | ||
| Career total | 530 | 70 | 50+ | 4+ | 57+ | 16+ | 27+ | 3+ | 664+ | 93+ | ||
| Scotland national team[19] | ||
|---|---|---|
| Year | Apps | Goals |
| 1982 | 2 | 0 |
| 1983 | 1 | 0 |
| 1984 | 6 | 0 |
| 1985 | 6 | 1 |
| 1986 | 2 | 0 |
| 1987 | 2 | 0 |
| 1988 | 1 | 0 |
| 1989 | 2 | 0 |
| 1990 | 4 | 0 |
| Total | 26 | 1 |
| No. | Date | Venue | Opponent | Score | Result | Competition |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 28 May 1985 | Laugardalsvöllur, Reykjavík, Iceland |  Iceland | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1986 FIFA World Cup qualification |
Rangers[11]
Aberdeen[11]
Scotland
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