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 the death of Phil O'Donnell and extremely poor weather causing the postponement of fixtures during the winter, as well as a backlog of Rangers fixtures and their progression to the UEFA Cup Final, the SPL decided to move the final round of fixtures back four days to 22 May 2008.[1] It was the first season under the sponsorship of the Clydesdale Bank.
| Season | 2007–08 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 4 August 2007 – 22 May 2008 |
| Champions | Celtic 6th Premier League title 42nd Scottish title |
| Relegated | Gretna |
| Champions League | Celtic Rangers |
| UEFA Cup | Motherwell |
| Intertoto Cup | Hibernian |
| Matches played | 228 |
| Goals scored | 610 (2.68 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Scott McDonald (25) |
| Biggest home win | Rangers 7–2 Falkirk (18 August) Inverness CT 6–1 Gretna (3 May) Celtic 5–0 Hearts (25 August) Celtic 5–0 Inverness CT (15 September) |
| Biggest away win | Aberdeen 1–5 Celtic (10 February) St Mirren 1–5 Celtic (2 September) St Mirren 1–5 Falkirk (1 December) Gretna 0–4 Falkirk (4 August) Gretna 0–4 Inverness CT (27 October) Hearts 0–4 Rangers (27 February) |
| Highest attendance | 60,000, Celtic 0–0 Kilmarnock (5 August) |
| Lowest attendance | 431, Gretna 1–2 Inverness CT (5 April) |
← 2006–07 2008–09 → | |
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 as it did not meet the SPL stadia criteria of 6,000 and instead used Motherwell's Fir Park for all but one of their games; that match was 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 side 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 First Division champions Hamilton Academical for the following season.
The championship was determined on the final day of the season with Celtic and Rangers even on 86 points. Celtic travelled to Tannadice to play Dundee United knowing that a win would likely secure the title due to their superior goal difference (+57 to +53). Meanwhile, Rangers needed to better Celtic's result in their match against Aberdeen at Pittodrie (a Ranger win and Celtic draw or a Ranger draw coupled with a Celtic loss). If both teams won or lost, then Rangers must better better Celtic's goal difference by 4 or more. As it turned out, Celtic won 1–0 following Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink's second-half header, while Aberdeen F.C. beat Rangers 2–0 thanks to goals from Lee Miller and Steve Lovell.
Clubs
Promotion and Relegation from 2006–07
Promoted from First Division to Premier League
Relegated from Premier League to First Division
Stadia and locations
| Aberdeen | Celtic | Dundee United | Falkirk |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pittodrie Stadium | Celtic Park | Tannadice Park | Falkirk Stadium |
| Capacity: 20,866[2] | Capacity: 60,411[3] | Capacity: 14,223[4] | Capacity: 7,937[5] |
 |  |  |  |
| Gretna |  Location of teams in 2007–08 Scottish Premier League | Heart of Midlothian | |
| Fir Park, Motherwell[6] | Tynecastle Park | ||
| Capacity: 13,677[7] | Capacity: 17,420[8] | ||
 |  | ||
| Hibernian | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | ||
| Easter Road | Caledonian Stadium | ||
| Capacity: 16,531[9] | Capacity: 7,500[10] | ||
 |  | ||
| Kilmarnock | Motherwell | Rangers | St Mirren |
| Rugby Park | Fir Park | Ibrox Stadium | Love Street |
| Capacity: 17,889[11] | Capacity: 13,677[7] | Capacity: 50,817[12] | Capacity: 10,800[13] |
 | |  |  |
Personnel and kits
| Team | Manager | Kit manufacturer | Kit sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen |  Jimmy Calderwood | Nike | Apex Tubulars |
| Celtic | Gordon Strachan | Nike | Carling |
| Dundee United | Craig Levein | hummel | Anglian Windows |
| Falkirk | John Hughes | Lotto | Central Demolition |
| Gretna | Mick Wadsworth (caretaker) | Crest Teamwear | Subway |
| Heart of Midlothian | Stephen Frail (caretaker) | Umbro | Ukio Bankas |
| Hibernian |  Mixu Paatelainen | Le Coq Sportif | Whyte and Mackay |
| Inverness Caledonian Thistle | Craig Brewster | Erreà | Flybe |
| Kilmarnock | Jim Jefferies | Lotto | www.smallworldmedia.com |
| Motherwell | Mark McGhee | Bukta | Anglian Home Improvements |
| Rangers | Walter Smith | Umbro | Carling |
| St Mirren | Gus MacPherson | hummel | Braehead Shopping Centre |
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Date of vacancy | Manner of departure | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Motherwell | Maurice Malpas | 1 June 2007[14] | Sacked | Pre-season | Mark McGhee | 18 June 2007[15] |
| Gretna | Rowan Alexander | 14 June 2007[16] | Sacked | Davie Irons | 18 July 2007[17] | |
| Inverness | Charlie Christie | 20 August 2007[18] | Resigned | 12th | Craig Brewster | 27 August 2007[19] |
| Hibernian | John Collins | 20 December 2007[20] | Resigned | 5th | Mixu Paatelainen | 10 January 2008[21] |
| Hearts |  Anatoliy Korobochka | 1 January 2008[22] | Sacked | 10th | Stephen Frail (caretaker) | 1 January 2008 |
| Gretna | Davie Irons | 19 February 2008[23] | Signed by Greenock Morton | 12th | Mick Wadsworth (caretaker) | 19 February 2008[23] |
Notable events
- 29 December: Thirty-five-year-old Motherwell captain Phil O'Donnell collapsed on the pitch at Fir Park during a match against Dundee United, and died later that evening.[24]
- 29 March: Gretna were relegated after losing 2–0 to St Mirren at Love Street.[25]
- 19 April: Hamilton Academical won promotion to the Scottish Premier League as First Division champions following a 2–0 over Clyde.[26]
- 22 May: Celtic won their third successive SPL title after defeating Dundee United 1–0.[27]
- 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.[28]
- 2 June: Gretna resigned from the Scottish Football League because the administrator concluded that the club could not continue to run as a business.[29]
League table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation[a] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Celtic (C) | 38 | 28 | 5 | 5 | 84 | 26 | +58 | 89 | Qualification for the Champions League group stage |
| 2 | Rangers | 38 | 27 | 5 | 6 | 84 | 33 | +51 | 86 | Qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round |
| 3 | Motherwell | 38 | 18 | 6 | 14 | 50 | 46 | +4 | 60 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup 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 | Qualification for the Intertoto Cup second round[b] |
| 7 | Falkirk | 38 | 13 | 10 | 15 | 45 | 49 | −4 | 49 | |
| 8 | Heart of Midlothian | 38 | 13 | 9 | 16 | 47 | 55 | −8 | 48 | |
| 9 | Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 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 (R) | 38 | 5 | 8 | 25 | 32 | 83 | −51 | 13[c] | Resigned from the Scottish Football League and liquidated[d] |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
Notes:
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.
Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
Bottom six
Goals
Top scorers
Hat-tricks
| 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 |
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 Windows | 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 |
For the first time in the SPL, certain teams also carried secondary sponsors on the back of their jerseys, above the players' names.
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 | 48,090 |
| 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 |
| Kilmarnock | Rugby Park | 18,128 | 4,456 | 11,544 | 6,181 |
| Motherwell1 | Fir Park | 13,742 | 4,086 | 10,445 | 6,598 |
| Falkirk | Falkirk Stadium | 6,935 | 4,490 | 6,803 | 5,657 |
| 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 |
As of 22 May 2008[30]
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.[31]
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 | Andy Smith | Health | 4 August 2007 | Davie 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 | Davie Irons | Resigned | 19 February 2008 | Mick Wadsworth | 19 February |
| Heart of Midlothian | Stephen Frail[32] | Mutual Consent | 27 May 2008 |  Csaba László | 11 July[33] |
Awards
Clydesdale Bank Premier League 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 (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) | — |
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 | Heart of Midlothian |
| Best Matchday Hospitality Package | Rangers |
| Best Community Initiative | Falkirk |
| Best Away Ground | Tynecastle (Heart of Midlothian) |
Broadcasting rights
Setanta Sports provided domestic TV live coverage and highlights as in previous seasons, with STV and BBC Scotland also broadcasting free-to-air highlights. BBC Radio Scotland continued to provide domestic radio coverage, with many games also available internationally, and all domestically, through their website. The BBC held 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.Overseas Broadcasting | Scottish Premier League | Broadcasting | Overseas
Transfer deals
External links
- Scottish Premier League 2007–08 on BBC Sport: News Archived 13 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine - Recent results Archived 3 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine - Upcoming fixtures Archived 28 April 2007 at the Wayback Machine - Live Scores Archived 7 July 2007 at the Wayback Machine - Current standings Archived 10 January 2009 at the Wayback Machine
- Official Premier League site
- Scottish Premier League Kits