Scottish Premier League 2007-08
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 |
This article documents a current sports-related event. Information may change as the event progresses. |
| Bank of Scotland Premier League | |
|---|---|
| Season | 2007–08 |
| Champions | Celtic |
| Relegated | No relegation[1] |
| Champions League | Celtic, Rangers |
| UEFA Cup | Motherwell |
| Intertoto Cup | Hibernian |
| Top goalscorer | Scott McDonald (25) |
| Biggest home win | Rangers 7–2 Falkirk (18 Aug) Inverness CT 6–1 Gretna (03 May) Celtic 5–0 Hearts (25 Aug) Celtic 5–0 Inverness CT (15 Sep) |
| Biggest away win | Aberdeen 1–5 Celtic (10 Feb) St. Mirren 1–5 Celtic (02 Sep) St. Mirren 1–5 Falkirk (01 Dec) Gretna 0–4 Falkirk (04 Aug) Gretna 0–4 Inverness CT (27 Oct) Hearts 0–4 Rangers (27 Feb) |
| Highest attendance | 60,000, Celtic 0–0 Kilmarnock (05 Aug) |
| Lowest attendance | 431, Gretna 1–2 Inverness CT (05 Apr) |
| ← Previous season 2006–07 |
Next season → 2008–09 |
The 2007-08 Scottish Premier League season was the tenth season of the Scottish Premier League. It began on August 4, 2007 and was originally due to end on 18 May 2008. Due to Rangers progression to the 2008 UEFA Cup Final and the postponement of fixtures during the winter due to poor weather and the death of Phil O'Donnell, a backlog of Rangers fixtures led the SPL's decision to move the final round of fixtures to 22 May 2008[2]. It is the first season under the sponsorship of the Clydesdale Bank.
The league champions Celtic qualified directly for the Champions League, while second-placed Rangers qualified for the Second qualifying round. Third-placed Motherwell qualified for the UEFA Cup and Hibernian will play in the Intertoto Cup. First Division Queen of the South also qualified for the UEFA Cup after reaching the Scottish Cup Final. Gretna were relegated to the First Division after just one season in the SPL and will be replaced by Hamilton Academical, who were First Division champions.
Gretna were promoted from the First Division last season and played in the SPL for the first time, replacing Dunfermline Athletic. Gretna did not play at their home stadium (Raydale Park) because it did not meet SPL stadia criteria. Gretna used Fir Park for most of their games instead, although they also played one match at Livingston.
Contents |
[edit] Promotion and Relegation from 2006–07
Promoted from First Division to Premier League
Relegated from Premier League to First Division
[edit] Events
- December 29: Motherwell captain Phil O'Donnell, 35, collapsed on the pitch at Fir Park during a match against Dundee United, and died later that evening.[3]
- March 29: Gretna are relegated after losing 2–0 to St. Mirren at St. Mirren Park. [4]
- April 19: Hamilton Academical win promotion to the Scottish Premier League as First Division champions following a 2–0 over Clyde.[5]
- May 22: Celtic win a third in a row SPL title after defeating Dundee United 1–0. [6]
- May 29: Gretna are demoted to the Third Division after administrator David Elliot could not guareentee the Football League that the club would fulfil its fixtures next season.[7]
- June 2: Gretna have resigned from the Scottish Football League because the administrator concluded that the club could not continue to run as a business.[8]
[edit] League table
| P |
Team |
Pld |
W |
D |
L |
GF |
GA |
GD |
Pts |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Celtic (C) | 38 | 28 | 5 | 5 | 84 | 26 | 58 | 89 | UEFA Champions League 2008-09 Group stage |
| 2 | Rangers | 38 | 27 | 5 | 6 | 84 | 33 | 51 | 86 | UEFA Champions League 2008-09 Second qualifying round |
| 3 | Motherwell | 38 | 18 | 6 | 14 | 50 | 46 | 4 | 60 | UEFA Cup 2008-09 First round |
| 4 | Aberdeen | 38 | 15 | 8 | 15 | 50 | 58 | -8 | 53 | |
| 5 | Dundee United | 38 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 53 | 47 | 6 | 52 | |
| 6 | Hibernian | 38 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 49 | 45 | 4 | 52 | UEFA Intertoto Cup 2008 Second round |
| 7 | Falkirk | 38 | 13 | 10 | 15 | 45 | 49 | -4 | 49 | |
| 8 | Hearts | 38 | 13 | 9 | 16 | 47 | 55 | -8 | 48 | |
| 9 | Inverness CT | 38 | 13 | 4 | 21 | 51 | 62 | -11 | 43 | |
| 10 | St. Mirren | 38 | 10 | 11 | 17 | 26 | 54 | -28 | 41 | |
| 11 | Kilmarnock | 38 | 10 | 10 | 18 | 39 | 52 | -13 | 40 | |
| 12 | Gretna | 38 | 5 | 8 | 25 | 32 | 83 | -51 | 13 | Resigned from the Scottish Football League |
Source: BBC Sport
Rules for classification: 1st points; 2nd goal difference; 3rd goals scored.
Gretna: 10 points were deducted from Gretna for going into administration.[9] They have resigned from the Scottish Football League because the administrator concluded that the club could not continue to run as a business.[8]
Intertoto Cup: The highest-placed team who applied for the Intertoto Cup and not in an automatic UEFA Cup spot was awarded a place in that competition, Falkirk and Hibernian were the applicants for the Intertoto Cup.
P = Position; Pld = Matches played; W = Matches won; D = Matches drawn; L = Matches lost; GF = Goals for; GA = Goals against; GD = Goal difference; Pts = Points; (C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted.
[edit] Results
[edit] Matches 1-22
During matches 1-22 each team plays every other team twice (home and away).
| Home \ Away1 | ABER | CELT | DUNU | FALK | GRET | HEAR | HIBS | INVE | KILM | WELL | RANG | STMI |
| Aberdeen | 1–3 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 4–0 | |
| Celtic | 3–0 | 3–0 | 4–0 | 3–0 | 5–0 | 1–1 | 5–0 | 0–0 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | |
| Dundee United | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 4–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | |
| Falkirk | 0–0 | 1–4 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 0–1 | |
| Gretna | 1–1 | 1–2 | 3–2 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–4 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 1–2 | 0–0 | |
| Hearts | 4–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 4–2 | 0–1 | |
| Hibernian | 3–3 | 3–2 | 2–2 | 1–1 | 4–2 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–1 | |
| Inverness CT | 1–2 | 3–2 | 0–3 | 4–2 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 0–3 | 0–3 | 1–0 | |
| Kilmarnock | 0–1 | 1–2 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 3–3 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 2–2 | 0–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | |
| Motherwell | 3–0 | 1–4 | 5–3 | 0–3 | 3–0 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | |
| Rangers | 3–0 | 3–0 | 2–0 | 7–2 | 4–0 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–1 | 2–0 | |
| St. Mirren | 0–1 | 1–5 | 0–3 | 1–5 | 1–0 | 1–3 | 2–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | 0–1 | 0–3 |
Source: BBC Sport
1The home team is listed in the left-hand column.
Colours: Blue = home team win; White = draw; Red = away team win.
For coming matches, an a indicates there is an article about the match.
[edit] Matches 23-33
During matches 23-33 each team will play every other team once (either at home or away). This means that during matches 1-33 each team will play every other team 3 times (either 1 home, 2 away or 2 home, 1 away).
| Home \ Away1 | ABER | CELT | DUNU | FALK | GRET | HEAR | HIBS | INVE | KILM | WELL | RANG | STMI |
| Aberdeen | 1–5 | 2–1 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | ||||||
| Celtic | 0–0 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 0–1 | |||||||
| Dundee United | 3–0 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 3–3 | 1–1 | ||||||
| Falkirk | 0–1 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 0–0 | 4–0 | |||||||
| Gretna | 0–3 | 0–3 | 2–0 | 1–2 | 4–2 | 1–3 | ||||||
| Hearts | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–4 | |||||||
| Hibernian | 3–1 | 0–2 | 4–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | ||||||
| Inverness CT | 3–4 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–3 | 0–1 | |||||||
| Kilmarnock | 3–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 4–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | ||||||
| Motherwell | 0–1 | 1–0 | 3–1 | 1–0 | 1–1 | |||||||
| Rangers | 3–1 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 4–2 | 2–1 | 4–0 | ||||||
| St. Mirren | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 3–1 |
Source: BBC Sport
1The home team is listed in the left-hand column.
Colours: Blue = home team win; White = draw; Red = away team win.
For coming matches, an a indicates there is an article about the match.
[edit] Matches 34-38
During matches 34-38 each team will play every other team in their half of the table once (either at home or away).
[edit] Top six
Source: BBC Sport 1The home team is listed in the left-hand column. Colours: Blue = home team win; White = draw; Red = away team win. For coming matches, an a indicates there is an article about the match. |
[edit] Bottom six
1The home team is listed in the left-hand column. Colours: Blue = home team win; White = draw; Red = away team win. |
[edit] Goals
[edit] Top scorers
Source: BBC Sport
[edit] Hat-tricks
[edit] Kits and shirt sponsors
| Team | Kitmaker | Shirt Sponsor | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen | Nike | Apex Tubulars | New home and third kits |
| Celtic | Nike | Carling | New home kit and new away kit to celebrate 40 years since being the first British team to win the European Cup. |
| Dundee United | hummel | Anglian Home Improvements | New home and away kit |
| Falkirk | Lotto | Central Demolition | Lotto take over from previous manufacturer, TFG. Home kit is to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the club's Scottish Cup victory in 1957. |
| Gretna | Crest Teamwear | Subway | Subway take over as new sponsor |
| Hearts | Umbro | Ukio Bankas | Umbro take over from previous manufacturer, Hummel |
| Hibernian | Le Coq Sportif | Whyte and Mackay | New away kit and new home kit |
| Inverness CT | Erreà | Flybe | Flybe take over as new sponsor |
| Kilmarnock | Lotto | www.smallworldmedia.com | Lotto take over from previous manufacturer, TFG. |
| Motherwell | Bukta | Anglian Home Improvements | Bukta take over from previous manufacturer, Xara |
| Rangers | Umbro | Carling | New home and away kits also new 3rd kit |
| St Mirren | hummel | Braehead Shopping Centre | Hummel take over from previous manufacturer, Xara |
For the first time in the SPL, certain teams are also carrying secondary sponsors on the back of their jerseys, above the players' names.
[edit] Attendances
| Team | Stadium | Capacity | Lowest | Highest | Average |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Celtic | Celtic Park | 60,832 | 45,000 | 60,000 | 56,676 |
| Rangers | Ibrox Stadium | 51,082 | 47,419 | 50,440 | 49,143 |
| Hearts | Tynecastle Stadium | 17,420 | 10,512 | 17,131 | 15,930 |
| Hibernian | Easter Road | 17,500 | 7,650 | 17,015 | 13,840 |
| Aberdeen | Pittodrie | 22,199 | 8,240 | 17,798 | 11,993 |
| Dundee United | Tannadice Park | 14,209 | 5,845 | 13,613 | 8,530 |
| Motherwell1 | Fir Park | 13,742 | 4,259 | 10,445 | 6,598 |
| Kilmarnock | Rugby Park | 18,128 | 4,086 | 11,544 | 6,181 |
| Falkirk | Falkirk Stadium | 6,935 | 4,490 | 6,803 | 5,567 |
| Inverness CT | Caledonian Stadium | 7,500 | 3,420 | 7,753 | 4,752 |
| St. Mirren | St. Mirren Park | 10,800 | 3,163 | 7,840 | 4,547 |
| Gretna1 | Fir Park | 13,742 | 431 | 6,137 | 2,283 |
Source: SPL official website
1 Gretna were sharing Motherwell's stadium whilst Raydale Park was being upgraded. However, in March the Fir Park pitch was considered unplayable so the game between Gretna and Celtic was played instead at Almondvale, the home of First Division club Livingston.[10]
[edit] Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Replaced by | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Motherwell |  Maurice Malpas |
Sacked | 18 June 2007 | Mark McGhee |
1 June 2007 |
| Gretna | Rowan Alexander |
Health | 4 August 2007 | David Irons |
18 July 2007 |
| Hearts |  Valdas Ivanauskas |
Mutual consent | Stephen Frail &  Anatoly Korobochka |
30 July 2007 | |
| Inverness CT | Charlie Christie |
Resigned | August 2007 | Craig Brewster |
27 August 2007 |
| Hibernian | John Collins |
Resigned | 20 December 2007 |  Mixu Paatelainen |
10 January 2008 |
| Gretna | David Irons |
Resigned | 19 February 2008 | Vacant | |
| Hearts | Stephen Frail |
Mutual Consent | 27 May 2008 | Vacant | |
[edit] Awards
[edit] Monthly awards
| Month | Manager | Player | Young player | Rising star |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| August | Walter Smith (Rangers) |
 Carlos Cuéllar (Rangers) |
Steven Fletcher (Hibernian) |
Mark Staunton (Falkirk) |
| September | John Collins (Hibernian) |
 Scott McDonald (Celtic) |
 Andrew Driver (Hearts) |
Scott Anson (Kilmarnock) |
| October | Craig Levein (Dundee United) |
Lee Wilkie (Dundee United) |
Ross McCormack (Motherwell) |
Jack Wilson (Hibernian) |
| November | Mark McGhee (Motherwell) |
 Aiden McGeady (Celtic) |
Ross McCormack (Motherwell) |
Liam Cusack (Gretna) |
| December | Craig Brewster (Inverness CT) |
 Marius Niculae (Inverness CT) |
Scott Arfield (Falkirk) |
— |
| January | Walter Smith (Rangers) |
Barry Robson (Dundee United) |
Danny Grainger (Dundee United) |
— |
| February | Mixu Paatelainen (Hibernian) |
Aiden McGeady (Celtic) |
Steven Fletcher (Hibernian) |
Ryan Strachan (Aberdeen) |
| March | Walter Smith (Rangers) |
Darren Barr (Falkirk) |
Garry Kenneth (Dundee United) |
Ryan Crighton (St. Mirren) |
| April | Gordon Strachan (Celtic) |
Barry Robson (Celtic) |
Gary Glen (Hearts) |
— |
[edit] Scottish Writers Clydesdale Bank Premier League Awards
| Award | Recipient |
|---|---|
| Player of the Season | Carlos Cuéllar (Rangers) |
| Manager of the Season | Walter Smith (Rangers) |
| Young Player of the Season | Aiden McGeady (Celtic) |
| Goal of the Season | Willo Flood (Dundee United v St. Mirren) |
| Under-19 League Player of the Season | Scott Anson (Kilmarnock) |
| Best Club Media Relations | Kilmarnock |
| Best Fan Initiative | Hearts |
| Best Matchday Hospitality Package | Rangers |
| Best Community Initiative | Falkirk |
| Best Away Ground | Tynecastle (Hearts) |
[edit] Broadcasting rights
- Setanta Sports will continue to provide domestic TV live coverage and highlights as in previous seasons, with STV and BBC Scotland also now broadcasting free-to-air highlights.
- BBC Radio Scotland will continue to provide domestic radio coverage, with many games also available internationally, and all domestically, through their website.
- The BBC hold rights to show highlights online and do so through the BBC Sport website.
- Internationally, the Premier League's overseas television broadcasting partner is TWI, with coverage of the SPL available in over 100 territories worldwide.[1]
[edit] Transfer deals
[edit] External links
- Scottish Premier League 2007-08 on BBC Sport: News - Recent results - Upcoming fixtures - Live Scores - Current standings
- Official Premier League site
- Scottish Premier League Kits
[edit] References
- ^ "Crisis-hit Gretna facing uncertain future", The Times, 2008-03-13. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
- ^ SPL prepares for season extension
- ^ Motherwell captain O'Donnell dies BBC Sport. Retrieved on 29 December 2007
- ^ "St Mirren 2-0 Gretna", BBC Sport, 2008-03-29. Retrieved on 2008-03-29.
- ^ "Hamilton Accies 2-0 Clyde", BBC Sport, 2008-04-19. Retrieved on 2008-04-19.
- ^ "Dundee United 0-1 Celtic", BBC Sport, 2008-05-22. Retrieved on 2008-05-22.
- ^ "Gretna demoted to Division Three", BBC Sport, 2008-05-29. Retrieved on 2008-05-29.
- ^ a b "Gretna resign from Scottish Football League", The Times, 2008-06-02. Retrieved on 2008-06-02.
- ^ "Crisis-hit Gretna facing uncertain future", The Times, 2008-03-13. Retrieved on 2008-03-13.
- ^ BBC Sport (2008-04-01). Gretna return 'home' to Fir Park. Retrieved on 2008-04-01.
