Who was Ian Petrie? – Hong Kong Rangers founder a revolutionary who squandered success with his inability to cultivate people
- He broke barriers by bringing in Asia’s first Western professionals but within less than two years they had abandoned him
- Petrie was said to have been chased down Leighton Road by a player who was wielding a hatchet and determined to use it
Ian Petrie was neither a larger-than-life character nor an introvert. He enjoyed fame – in Hong Kong at least – but was not necessarily popular. He was passionate about football, with a fiery personality that made him difficult to work with.
His achievements are akin to those of a revolutionary but he would eventually fade into obscurity. Petrie shook Asian football out of its inertia and opened the region to the world but his legacy is unlikely to filter beyond our city limits as the big leagues in Japan, South Korea and China celebrate their own pioneers.
Petrie had an eye for talent. Derek Currie, Walter Gerrard and Jackie Trainer were only the start. He would go on to sign a number of players from overseas, including Willie Henderson – among the best foreigners to play in Hong Kong – Alex Willoughby, Jim Forrest, Billy Semple and Hugh McCrory, among others.
With the resources at his disposal, he should have built a dynasty but he was hardly able to build a relationship. Few of the players he hoped would sustain Rangers hung around long enough. Indeed, Trainer fell out with his coach after a year and moved to South Africa before returning the following season to play for Eastern.
