Career
He also played cricket for Scotland in an age when it was possible to play and excel in several sports. Symon started his professional career at Dundee in 1930. He then had a three-year spell at English team Portsmouth before signing for boyhood heroes in 1938.
Symon played cricket for Scotland in 1938, taking five Australian wickets for just 33 runs.
After retiring from in 1947, he landed his first managerial job at where he guided them to one of their best ever seasons in 1949 winning the Scottish League Cup and reaching the Scottish Cup Final. He returned to just one year later where he would steer them to six League championships, five Scottish Cups, and four League Cups.
He also took into European football for the first time, guiding them to two Cup Winners Cup finals in 1961 and 1967. When Symon was sensationally sacked by in 1967, he was told of the decision by an accountant, "the board having neither the courtesy nor the courage to sack him in person – even though were then leading the domestic league table".
The Scots poet Tom Leonard wrote a poem ‘Simple Symon’ about the matter, one of ‘Six Glasgow Poems’: see if ah wiz Scot Symon ahd tell thim wherrty stuff thir team
Reportedly Symon rejected an offer to move to a general manager"s position. After briefly serving on Dumbarton"s board of directors he was appointed manager of Partick Thistle in September 1968. Two years later he assumed the role of Thistle"s general manager.
Player Manager.