The
2007–08 Scottish Premier League season was the
tenth season of the
Scottish
Premier League. It began on 4 August 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 to the SPL's decision to move the
final round of fixtures to 22 May 2008. It was the first season
under the sponsorship of the
Clydesdale
Bank.
Gretna were promoted from the First Division the previous 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 Motherwell's Fir Park
for most of
their games instead, although they also played one match at
Livingston's Almondvale
Stadium
.
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 qualified for the
Intertoto Cup. First Division
Queen of the South also qualified
for the UEFA Cup after reaching the
Scottish Cup Final.
Gretna were
relegated after just one season in
the SPL and were replaced by
Hamilton Academical for the
following
season's competition, who were
First Division
champions.
The championship was determined on the final day of the season.
Leaders
Celtic travelled to Tannadice
to play Dundee
United knowing that a win would secure the title. They
achieved this, courtesy of a single-goal victory following a
second-half header from
Jan
Vennegoor of Hesselink.
Rangers needed to win or draw their final
match of the season against Aberdeen
at Pittodrie
and hope that Celtic at least drew or lost
respectively, neither of these happened as Rangers lost their final
league match 2–0.
Promotion and Relegation from 2006–07
Promoted from First
Division to Premier
League
Relegated from Premier
League to First
Division
Events
- 29 May: Gretna were
demoted to the Third Division after
administrator David Elliot could not guarantee the Football League
that the club would fulfil its fixtures next season.
- 2 June: Gretna resigned from the Scottish
Football League because the administrator concluded that the club
could not continue to run as a business.
League table
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||Resigned from the Scottish Football League
Results
Matches 1–22
During matches 1–22 each team played every other team twice (home
and away).
Matches 23–33
During matches 23–33 each team played every other team once (either
at home or away).
Matches 34–38
During matches 34–38 each team played every other team in their
half of the table once.
Top six
Bottom six
Goals
Top scorers
Hat-tricks
Kits and shirt sponsors
For the first time in the SPL, certain teams also carried secondary
sponsors on the back of their jerseys, above the players'
names.
Attendances
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.
Managerial changes
Awards
Monthly awards
Scottish Writers Clydesdale Bank Premier League Awards
Broadcasting rights
Setanta Sportsprovided domestic TV
live coverage and highlights as in previous seasons, with STVand BBC Scotlandalso
broadcasting free-to-air highlights. BBC Radio Scotlandcontinued to provide
domestic radio coverage, with many games also available
internationally, and all domestically, through their website. The
BBCheld rights to show highlights online and do
so through the BBC Sport website. Internationally, the Premier
League's overseas television broadcasting partner was TWI,
with coverage of the SPL available in over 100 territories
worldwide.[484740]
Transfer deals
- See: List of
Scottish football transfers 2007–08
External links
References
- SPL prepares for season extension
- Motherwell captain O'Donnell dies BBC
Sport. Retrieved on 29 December 2007
| Player |
Goals |
Club |
|
|
25 |
Celtic |
|
|
15 |
Celtic |
|
|
14 |
Rangers |
|
|
Motherwell |
|
|
13 |
Hibernian |
|
|
Dundee United |
|
|
Dundee United/Celtic |
|
|
12 |
Motherwell |
|
|
Rangers |
|
|
Aberdeen |
|
|
11 |
Kilmarnock/Hibernian |
|
|
10 |
Rangers |
|
|
Rangers |
|
|
9 |
Inverness
CT |
|
|
8 |
Falkirk |
|
|
|
| Scorer |
| For |
| Against |
| Date |
|
| Scott McDonald |
| Celtic |
| Dundee United |
| 29 September 2007 |
|
| Clayton Donaldson |
| Hibernian |
| Kilmarnock |
| 29 September 2007 |
|
| Scott McDonald |
| Celtic |
| Motherwell |
| 27 October 2007 |
|
| Aiden McGeady |
| Celtic |
| Falkirk |
| 11 December 2007 |
|
| Barry Robson |
| Dundee United |
| Heart of
Midlothian |
| 2 January 2008 |
|
| Steven
Fletcher |
| Hibernian |
| Gretna |
| 13 February 2008 |
|
|
| 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 |
|
| Heart of Midlothian |
| 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, away and third kits |
|
| St. Mirren |
| hummel |
Braehead
Shopping Centre |
| Hummel take over from previous manufacturer, Xara |
|
|
| 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 |
|
| Heart of Midlothian |
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 |
Love Street |
10,800 |
3,163 |
7,840 |
4,547 |
|
| Gretna1 |
Fir
Park |
13,742 |
431 |
6,137 |
2,283 |
|
|
| 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 |
|
| Heart of
Midlothian |
| 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 |
| Mick Wadsworth |
| 19 February |
|
| Heart of
Mdilothian |
| Stephen Frail |
| Mutual Consent |
| 27 May 2008 |
| Csaba László |
| 11 July |
|
| 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 (Heart of Midlothian) |
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 (Heart of Midlothian) |
— |
|
| Award |
Recipient |
|
| Player of the Season |
Aiden McGeady (Celtic) |
|
| Manager of the Season |
Gordon Strachan (Celtic) |
|
| 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 |
Heart of
Midlothian |
|
| Best Matchday Hospitality Package |
Rangers |
|
| Best Community Initiative |
Falkirk |
|
| Best Away Ground |
Tynecastle (Heart of
Midlothian) |
|
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