Jim Bett – quite simply one of the greatest ever players to pull on the Aberdeen shirt. Jim had everything in his locker. A player of such culture that he effortlessly played the game to the very highest standard. He was that good!
Jim signed on three months before his 26th birthday, yet he stayed and played the best part of nine seasons with the club. He was our lynch-pin in midfield, our general that dictated his way through a game. You can only but imagine my delight when I was able to touch base with him and he agreed to talk to me for this blog from his home in Iceland. There was so much I wanted to ask him, and I have humbly attempted to cram the good, and not so good, into the following rambling. As Jim was already a well travelled and an established international I began our chat by asking him how his move to Aberdeen had come about. “At the time I was playing in Belgium for Lokeren and my contract was nearly up,” remembered Jim. “I had been with Alex Ferguson with the national team and I had told him that if I was going to come back to Scotland I would want to play for Aberdeen. Alex was the assistant manager at the time with Scotland, and I then promised him if I ever came back to Scotland I would sign for Aberdeen. When I decided to go back I did have other options, but I had my made my promise to Alex Ferguson so I signed on in July 1985. Let’s be honest, in the early eighties Aberdeen were a great side. They had won League titles, Scottish Cups and the Cup Winners Cup. At that time, just before I signed, there were one or two players leaving Aberdeen to go to other clubs, players like Gordon Strachan and Mark McGhee. It was good to come into a good team, but I knew there were high expectations to do well. It was made so much easier coming into that team as the side was full of such good players”
Jim had played with a host of Aberdeen players at International level so signing for the club held no fear. Only three weeks after signing the Dons headed off on a pre-season trip to Switzerland where a host of games had been pre-planned to help gel the team and bring a sense of comradery to the squad. For Jim, this was the perfect tonic ahead of a brand-new challenge. “It was good to get a few games under my belt before the season started. We went away on a pre-season tour and even though I knew most of the players through the international set up it was good to get to know those that I hadn’t played with before. It was great to get away with them and get to know them personally. My debut was a very special day for me personally and I also scored. The build-up to that goal was not rehearsed in any way. Peter Weir played me the ball. I was just loitering around the edge of the box, and when I received it I really just decided to hit it. It was fantastic to see it fly into the top corner. It was made that extra bit special because the ground was full, it was the first game of the League season, and I could not have asked for a better start”
Jim was off and running; his debut goal simply sensational! He played the next six games before, quite frustratingly, a niggling injury kept him out until the beginning of November. It was a massive blow for the player knowing he would miss out on his first cup final for his new side despite helping the Dons reach the quarter-finals of the Skol Cup. “It was very disappointing; missing the final was made so much harder as I had not been used to being injured. It was extremely frustrating as I really wanted to play my part. It was my first season with my new club and cup finals are always very special. After the game Fergie came up to me and handed me a winner’s medal, I don’t know whether it was his medal, or an extra medal, so I was thrilled to get one even though I didn’t play in the game itself. It’s obviously not the same feeling as if I had played, but I was delighted for my team-mates that they won the cup. But any player will tell you they would rather be on the pitch than on the sidelines watching”
That was the brilliance of Alex Ferguson, making sure his players, no matter whether they played or not, felt part of the victory. Billy Stark told me years ago that when he signed for the Dons Fergie gave him his official Cup Winners Cup club tracksuit to make him feel part of that brilliant squad. Billy told me it made him feel 10-feet tall. That was the genius but, as we all know, Fergie has a ruthless streak to him which many have found out to their cost; none more so than Eric Black. Ahead of the 1986 Scottish Cup Final v Hearts Eric and his agent was knee deep in negotiations with Ligue 1 side Metz. Fergie offered Eric an ultimatum; ‘lose the agent and you will play in the final; keep the agent and you will not’. Eric kept his agent and Fergie kept to his word. It was not exactly an ideal scenario with a final looming, so I asked Jim if that situation had any ill-effect on the players ahead of the game. “No, I don’t think it did. We had so many experienced players in the dressing-room, and most of those internationalists. It happens in football, and we as players, to be honest, don’t take much notice of it; all I wanted to know was if I was playing and if I had made Fergie’s starting XI that day. In general, it did not affect us in the slightest. All of the build-ups were similar. We would train, go through some set-pieces, do plenty of press, and then head down to Glasgow on either the Thursday or Friday. Hearts were doing well at the time and had only just lost out on the League title to Celtic the week before, but we played extremely well that day. It was a really good day for us, and a really nice way to end the season”
That Scottish Cup win proved to be Fergie’s last as six months later he and his trusted aide Archie Knox headed to the sleeping giant which was Manchester United. It was a huge blow to all connected with Aberdeen. There had been rumblings in the press for a few days, but when it did actually happen I still had to read the headline in the Press & Journal twice to make sure it was real. It was! For the players and staff there was an air of resignation during the autumn months that the ‘gaffer’ was actually on his way. Jim recalls. “I found out a few weeks before he actually did leave. He went down to Manchester and Archie Knox had to take the training. It was an opportunity he could not turn down because he achieved everything at Aberdeen that he possibly could have. We, as players, had an inkling he would leave sometime for a different challenge and he could not have found a bigger challenge than taking over Manchester United”
If Alex Ferguson faced a monumental task at Old Trafford, spare a thought for the man who had to replace him – Ian Porterfield. The guy was on a hiding to nothing. Saying that, he got off to the best possible start when his new side defeated Rangers 1-0 at Pittodrie. The coming months though were one of transition which was fully expected considering the difficult circumstances. For the players that Fergie left behind his loss was felt for months to come. Jim explains. “I was experienced at that time but that did not stop the disappointment. Most of the lads from that team I played in from my first season had been with Fergie for many years and I know they were disappointed to see him leave, but fully appreciated that he was going to leave sometime due to his success with the club. To be honest, there were a few players on the verge of leaving as they had also won everything with Aberdeen and were possibly looking at new challenges. Some wanted to go down to England, some fancied Europe. For anybody taking over from Fergie, that person was going to have a difficult time, not just to try and win things but to try and sign the same caliber of players who were set to leave. Ian did bring in one or two really good players like Peter and Charlie Nicholas, but he did make one or two signings who were not up to Aberdeen standards. Ian was a very decent guy, but knew little about the Scottish game, and he brought in Jimmy Mullen, as his number two, who was also a really good guy but, like Ian, knew very little about the game in Scotland. It was very difficult for them taking over from Alex Ferguson”
For Ian Porterfield it was never going to happen. The Dons finished fourth in his first season in charge and replicated that the following season (1987/88). Jim played exactly fifty games in that campaign alongside the exceptional Peter Nicholas. A heartbreaking defeat against Rangers in the Skol Cup Final, coupled with the loss of Peter Weir, Billy Stark and Joe Miller, was just the beginning of a slippery slope that Porterfield was unable to climb back from. The day after the final game of the season, a drab 0-0 draw at Pittodrie where less than 6,000 fans turned up to watch, Ian Porterfield resigned his position as Aberdeen manager. The Pittodrie board now had a job to do, the first of which was finding an extra-seat to place in the managers office. In stepped Alex Smith and Jocky Scott. Jim was delighted with the appointments! “Alex and Jocky did really well. Alex Smith had really good connections in Holland, and Jocky was an excellent coach, and the two of them complimented each other well. Alex was able to bring in some really good players like Theo Snelders, Paul Mason, Hans Gillhaus and Willem Van der Ark who could all play. Dutch players have an excellent mentality towards the game and I think they were quite similar to us Scots. I think that’s why our team back then gelled so well together. Theo was fantastic in goals, but Hans Gillhaus upfront was outstanding and well worth the money the club paid for him; an absolute bargain if you ask me!
Alex and Jocky’s tenure could not have started better having not lost a League game in sixteen at the beginning of the season. The only blot on the landscape came in the shape of the UEFA Cup where the side succumbed to Dynamo Dresden 2-0 on aggregate. Come October, the side had reached another Skol Cup Final, their third in a row. Surely to Christ history won’t repeat itself like it had done the previous two seasons. Jim had played in both of those games and this time round was single-minded in his approach. “We were always very determined to win. What we didn’t want to do is go down to Hampden three years in a row and lose again because it’s the worst feeling ever, especially knowing how many fans make the effort to travel down to support the team. The build-up in the days leading up to the game everybody was feeling great, so the last thing we wanted to do was let the supporters and our families down on the day. We did have pressure on us but, fortunately, the guys who played that day had so much experience that we were able to handle the occasion really well. Those three finals against Rangers; they were great advert for the game in Scotland because any of those games could have gone either way. It was two teams just going at it for the entire game with some very special players on show. It was such a relief to win it in extra-time”
It turned out to be a very special day for not just the fans but for the players who had played in the previous two finals and come away with nothing but a loser’s medal for their efforts. That included Jim, Robert Connor, Alex McLeish, Stewart McKimmie and Willie Miller. Those ghosts had been well and truly laid to rest. There was so much positivity to take from that game including the performance of a certain 19-year-old Eoin Jess. I asked Jim if he felt obligated as a senior player to guide him through the game. “Alex Smith did approach me before the game and asked me to look after Eoin but, to be honest; he didn’t need looking after as he had such a great game. Players with talent need a strong mental attitude, especially the age Eoin was at that time, to come into the team and play in a major cup final in-front of a huge crowd. Eoin was a special talent; Alex knew exactly what he was doing starting him as he knew Eoin would handle the game well. Eoin was coming into a team which had so many good players so that definitely helped him on the day. We were all ready to help him if needs be but, as I mentioned earlier, he had such a great game that day that he required very little help”
Jim added another medal to his already growing collection but after the heartache of the previous two years winning this one was gratification for a group of players who were so focused on the task ahead. “It was just incredible, all the pressure that was on our shoulders all of sudden was no longer there. I saw a few of my friends in the crowd and it was obvious they were delighted. When we lost a game, it was a long journey back up the road to Aberdeen, but when we won the cup, especially against Rangers in Glasgow with a huge crowd watching on, it really was a very special feeling. It was fantastic to see the cup join us on the bus for the journey home”
With the League Cup now safely taking her place in the Pittodrie boardroom the Dons entered the Scottish Cup full of hope. Jim missed the opening round triumph over Partick Thistle, but commanded the midfield throughout the tournament from there on in. Ask any player and they will tell you routine is vitally important in the build-up to any major game especially a final. Alex Smith and Jocky Scott decided nothing unconventional was required ahead of the 1990 Scottish Cup Final v Celtic despite the quality of opposition. “The week of the Scottish Cup Final, as it’s the last game of the season, we would always go through the same routine; train, give interviews to the press, and then head down a day or two before the match itself. I knew, in myself, the Scottish Cup Final is a big game. I had to organize tickets for family and friends but I couldn’t wait for the actual game itself. It was not exactly a great game; many tired legs out there being the last game of the season and I recall it being very warm on the pitch. Every game brings its own set of difficulties and after beating Celtic 3-1 only a few days before, they came into the Cup Final more determined I believe. The last thing they wanted was to lose a Cup Final in Glasgow in-front of their huge support against Aberdeen. It was not a good game to watch, that’s for sure’
The lads now faced the dreaded penalty shoot-out, the first one in Scottish Cup Final history. I asked Jim how he was feeling in those few moments between the full-time whistle and the long walk to the penalty area. “I was feeling nervous, I wanted to give us a good start, the last thing I wanted to do was miss the first penalty which then puts more pressure on the guys after me, so it was important to get off to the best possible start. I was used to taking penalties anyway. I had taken one or two in previous finals, but that mattered for nothing really on that day as I was feeling nervous. I was wondering what way Pat Bonner would dive as I was walking up. I actually didn’t know where I was going to hit the ball until I placed it on the penalty spot. Thankfully it went in without too much bother”
With the penalty shoot-out taking an absolute age all wondered if it would ever end! Thankfully Theo Snelders was able to pull off one of the greatest saves that any Aberdeen goalkeeper has ever made to put the Dons in the driving seat. Due credit must go to most of the players that day who were all able to hold their nerve and score. With that in mind I wondered how the lads were feeling the longer the shoot-out progressed. “It was quite strange actually because everybody kept scoring and we had a quick chat amongst ourselves that we may have to take another. We all had great faith in Theo that he would at least save one because he was such an excellent goalkeeper; it was such a relief when he saved it but, obviously, we knew Brian still had to step up and score to win us the cup. I didn’t say anything to Brian as he set off as I personally didn’t like it when team-mates would offer me advice about where I should stick my penalty. I believe players prefer to be in their own zone, so I just left him alone to concentrate on what he had to do as there was so much pressure on him anyway”
For the players that day, the pressure placed on all of them to convert their individual penalties left most with a sense of exhaustion. The center-circle at Hampden, just like the terraces, was as intense as any of the players had ever experienced. Brian Irvine stepped up and placed his penalty high into the Celtic net I asked Jim to explain his emotions in that exact moment. “Oh, my god, it was amazing. There was so much joy as well as relief. It was just incredible, knowing we had just won the Scottish Cup, and then realization that we’ve achieved a double. Now that we knew it was the end of the season and we were all heading off on a break there was not a better feeling going away knowing we had won the double. It makes the holiday so much more enjoyable”
The following season, 1990/91, for those who can remember, is probably the most disappointing in recent memory. It was like all our worst nightmares materializing in one horrible afternoon at Ibrox. That season, quite incredibly, Jim only missed one game – against Stranraer in the League Cup at the end of August. He was our midfield general. Aberdeen went into that game with Rangers knowing that only a point would suffice to win the League title for the first time since season 1984/85. Our form could not have been better having won eleven from twelve League games heading into the final day. The Dons, as if you needed reminding, lost 2-0. It left all feeling desolate! For Jim was it the most disappointing moment of his career? “There’s no question about it, it still annoys me to talk about it today to be honest, even though all these years have passed. It was the last game of the season and the build-up was intense. The atmosphere at Ibrox that day was the most incredible I have ever played in. There was so much at stake for both clubs, the game went by so quickly; it tends to do that sometimes in big games. It was the biggest disappointment we had as a team and it took a long time to get over it. We came into the game unbeaten in eleven before the Rangers game, all the boys were confident. We knew it was going to be a hostile atmosphere because what was at stake. We had one or two really good chances to take the lead, I remember hitting a half-volley just over, Peter Van de Van had a one-on-one with Chris Woods and Hans had a great chance to score with a header before they scored. Rangers attempted to cancel us out, man-mark us out the game but no matter what they did it was hugely disappointing. People will tell you ‘that’s football’, but it took a very long time to get over that defeat”
It was double disappointment for Jim as a League winner’s medal continued to elude him. On the day of the game you could argue dark forces were at work as Aberdeen had been forced to change and prepare in a portacabin due to renovations going on at Ibrox at the time. With only one dressing-room available which, naturally, was taken up by the home side, it wasn’t exactly ideal considering the nature and importance of the fixture. Complaints at the time fell on deaf ears. At the end of the day a job had to be done on the pitch so those matters that went on off the pitch had little bearing on the result, but the treatment of his players infuriated Alex Smith. Unfortunately, the boss only lasted until February the following year. I, like so many of my fellow fans have always wondered if that defeat at Ibrox lingered too long in the corridors of Pittodrie. “It may well have. We had a few weeks off and we were ready to go for the start of the new season, but had an indifferent start. We went out the League Cup very early and were knocked out of Europe in the first round. It may have been a mental problem. After a game like that (Rangers) all I wanted to do was play the very next week to get that defeat out of our system but, because it was the last game, obviously we couldn’t do that so it may have played on the minds of the boys during the pre-season. The sacking of Alex Smith was premature. Aberdeen were used to winning games and honours and it was very difficult when we had a long period of indifferent results. Aberdeen had been used to such high standards with the teams they’ve had throughout the years which added to all the pressure that was on Alex at the time. It was such a pity as he was a good guy to play for, his man-management was excellent. Theo and I went to see him for his last game in charge of Falkirk so we could say goodbye and to thank him for everything that he had done for us and for all the good memories he brought to Aberdeen. It was a very sad day when he got sacked to be honest”
From season 1992/93 until his last game against Raith Rovers on the 19th February 1994 in the Scottish Cup Jim only played twenty-three games. Injuries had started to take their toll; did he sense at this time his Pittodrie career was coming to an end? “I signed a new two-year contract in the summer of 1992; I was playing with quite a few injuries at the time which I wasn’t used to. David Wylie (first team physio) will tell you I was the worst person to have on the treatment table because I was so used to playing in every game and training. All I did, when I was injured, was hang about the place waiting for treatment, so it wasn’t a good time, plus the style of football changed somewhat and it didn’t suit my game. I wasn’t overly enjoying myself at that time. After my contract ended I decided to leave for Iceland and sign for FC Reykjavik which I really enjoyed as I was playing a brand of football which really suited me”
After leaving Aberdeen in 1994 Jim had that brief spell in Iceland before returning to Scotland where he played a host of games for Hearts and Dundee United. During this time his sons Calum and Baldur were both developing into fine players in their own right. Both progressed well through the Dons Youth Academy and it was no surprise that Baldur made his debut for the first team in November 1998 against St Johnstone. Calum made his debut three years later against Dunfermline. Despite only both playing a few games for the first team, Jim has an overwhelming sense of pride. “I was so proud, when you’re a parent and you go to watch your kids play, you are usually more nervous than they are about them making a mistake or do something wrong. It was a really good day when both of them made their debuts. Ask anybody and they will tell you how much I loved playing for Aberdeen and living in the city, so it was such a good day when they both made their debuts for a club whom I had also played for. There was a lot of pressure on the two of them because their dad played for Aberdeen and you get the obvious comparisons which, thankfully, they both handled very well. They are both strong mentally. It was fantastic to see them turn out for the first-team after all their hard work coming through the ranks”
Jim played 338 games for the club during a nine-year period and scored 47 goals during that time. He is a founding member of the clubs Hall of Fame, inducted in 2003. If you ask many of his former team-mates they will tell you he was one of the finest players they ever played with. To finish our chat, I asked him if he could turn the clock back and change anything from his time at Pittodrie what would he change. His answer did not overly surprise me. “Obviously the game at Rangers, that’s my number one but when Alex Smith left the club I should have left when he left. I missed playing for him and the team that he built. It was great days and everybody looked forward to the games but when I look back now I would undoubtedly say that Rangers game; it was absolutely devastating!
