Jim Bett

In the summer of 1994, Hearts were going through another transitional period. Sandy Clark was appointed manager after a successful spell as youth coach and many of Hearts exciting youngsters such as Alan Johnston, Gary Locke and Kevin Thomas were making the breakthrough to the first team under Clark’s tutelage. However, Clark was mindful of the need to recruit an experienced head or two to guide the youngsters and in May 1994, he signed former Rangers and Aberdeen player Jim Bett.


Bett, a stylish midfield player who could pass the ball with aplomb, had begun his career with Airdrieonians before moving to Icelandic side Valur FC in 1978. After a brief spell with Belgian side Lokeren, he joined Rangers in 1980.

His period at Ibrox coincided with a relatively barren spell for The Gers as Aberdeen and Dundee United were dominating Scottish football at that time. Bett did win a Scottish Cup and League Cup while in Glasgow as well as making the first of his twenty-five appearances for Scotland in 1982. A year later, he returned to Lokeren before Alex Ferguson splashed out £300,000 to take him to Aberdeen in 1985. His spell at Pittodrie was the most productive of his career and he spent nine years in the Granite City, again winning the Scottish and League Cups. In 1994, he spent a brief spell at KR Reykjavik in Iceland before Sandy Clark arranged a deal to take him to Tynecastle.

Bett opted to finish the Icelandic season before coming to Edinburgh and made his Hearts debut in a 1-0 win over Partick Thistle in October. He was an important member of the Hearts team that struggled somewhat during season 1994/95 and his penalty against Celtic that secured a 1-1 draw in Glasgow in January was crucial as Hearts battled against relegation.

Bett left Tynecastle at the end of that season to join Dundee United before retiring from playing in 1996. Bett’s association with Iceland was strengthened when he married an Icelandic girl and his two sons - who both had brief spells at Aberdeen - were born in the country and have indeed represented Iceland at Under 19 level.

Today Jim Bett still lives in Iceland and is now a coach at the club he signed for more than thirty years ago - Valur FC.