2007–08 in Scottish football

• Gretna were competing in the Scottish Premier League for the first time, their first ever season in the top-flight, after being promoted as First Division champions the previous season.^[2]
• Dunfermline Athletic competed in the First Division after being relegated from the Scottish Premier League.^[2]
• Greenock Morton and Stirling Albion played in the First Division after being promoted as Second Division champions and First Division play-off winners, respectively.^[2]
• Ross County were competing in the Second Division after being relegated as the First Division's bottom team and Airdrie United were relegated through the Second Division play-offs.^[2]
• Berwick Rangers and Queen's Park were competing in the Second Division after being promoted from the Third Division as champions and Second Division play-offs winners, respectively.^[2]
• Forfar Athletic and Stranraer played Third Division football after being relegated as the Second Division's bottom team and Second Division play-off losers, respectively.^[2]
• East Stirlingshire had a suspended reduction to associate members hanging over them from the previous season. Finishing bottom of the Third Division would mean an automatic and instant reduction to associate members (and with it a potential expulsion from the league two years later at the end of the 2009–10 season), while finishing 9th or higher would annul any punishment.

2007

• 1 June – The Scottish Football Association appoint former Rangers and Kilmarnock striker Gordon Smith as the new Chief Executive following the departure of David Taylor who was appointed General Secretary of UEFA.^[3]
• 20 July – Irn-Bru became the new sponsor of the Scottish Football League, signing a three-year deal.^[4]
• 11 October – Celtic are fined £25,000 by UEFA for "lack of organisation and improper conduct by supporters" during their UEFA Champions League match with A.C. Milan at Celtic Park.^[5][6]
• 17 November – The Scotland national team fail to qualify for Euro 2008 after a 2–1 defeat by Italy at Hampden Park eliminated them at the qualifying stage.
• 25 November – St Johnstone beat Dunfermline 3–2 to win the Challenge Cup for the first time.^[7]
• 29 December – Motherwell captain Phil O'Donnell, 35, collapsed on the pitch at Fir Park during a match against Dundee United, and died later that evening.^[8]

2008

• 15 March – East Fife confirm their promotion to the Second Division as Third Division champions with a 3–0 victory over East Stirlingshire, becoming the first team in Britain to win a league trophy in the 2007–08 season.^[9]
• 16 March – Rangers win the Scottish League Cup by beating Dundee United 3–2 in a penalty shootout after a 2–2 draw in the final at Hampden Park.
• 22 March – Scotland's Under-17s qualify for the 2008 UEFA European Under-17 Football Championship after finishing top of their Elite qualifying group.
• 29 March – Gretna are relegated from the SPL after losing 2–0 to St Mirren at Love Street.^[10]
• 29 March – Berwick Rangers are relegated from the Second Division after a 2–2 draw with Peterhead.^[11]
• 5 April – Ross County win promotion to the First Division as Second Division champions after defeating already-relegated Berwick Rangers 4–0 and second place Airdrie United losing 2–1 to Brechin City.^[12]
• 8 April – Stirling Albion are relegated from the First Division after a 1–0 defeat to Partick Thistle.^[13]
• 12 April – First Division Queen of the South beat SPL Aberdeen 4–3 at Hampden Park to qualify for their first Scottish Cup final, in the highest scoring semi-final ever.^[14]
• 19 April – Hamilton Academical win promotion to the Scottish Premier League as First Division champions following a 2–0 over Clyde.^[15]
• 10 May – Clyde retain their First Division status after defeating Airdrie United 3–0 on aggregate in the First Division play-off final.^[16]
• 10 May – Arbroath are promoted to the Second Division after a 2–1 aggregate win over Stranraer in the Second Division play-off final.^[17] Cowdenbeath, who were beaten by Arbroath in the semi-finals, are relegated to the Third Division.
• 14 May – Rangers lose 2–0 to Zenit St. Petersburg in the UEFA Cup Final.^[18]
• 22 May – Celtic win their third successive SPL title after defeating Dundee United 1–0.^[19]
• 24 May – Rangers win the Scottish Cup for the 32nd time after defeating Queen of the South 3–2 in the Final. This was the Dumfries club's first ever Scottish Cup Final appearance in their history.^[20]
• 29 May – Gretna are demoted to the Third Division after administrator David Elliot could not guarantee the Football League that the club would fulfil its fixtures next season. Consequently, First Division play-off runners-up Airdrie United are promoted to the First Division and Second Division play-off runners-up Stranraer are promoted to the Second Division.^[21]

Scottish Premier League

Celtic won their third consecutive title, having been off the pace for much of the season before a run of seven consecutive victories in the closing stages lifted them to the top of the table. Their title win was dedicated to the memory of assistant manager Tommy Burns, who died from cancer a week before the season ended. Rangers lost out on the title thanks to indifferent form in the final weeks of the campaign, though the fact that they came so close and recorded victories in both domestic cups nonetheless meant the season was a considerable improvement on the two previous seasons, which both ended up trophyless and without a serious challenge for the title. Motherwell finished third and took the UEFA Cup berth, as former player Mark McGhee's return as manager brought a major turnaround in form.

At the other end of the table, Gretna's meteoric rise up the Scottish football pyramid came to a juddering halt; they went bottom of the table following a 4-0 thrashing in their first match, and never left it. The withdrawal of millionaire owner Brooks Mileson plunged them into a financial crisis that forced the club into administration, resulting in them becoming the first top-flight club to earn a ten-point deduction for doing so. This helped cause them to set a new record for the lowest top-flight points total since the adoption of 3 points for a win, and their financial troubles would ultimately prove terminal, resulting in the club folding and being reformed as Gretna F.C. 2008 in the Lowland League for the following year.

Scottish First Division

Hamilton Academical won the title, and with it, their third promotion in seven years, bringing them back into the top-flight for the first time since 1989.

Stirling Albion finished well adrift in bottom place, and suffered automatic relegation as a result. Clyde were sent into the play-offs, and retained their place in the First Division by beating Airdrie United in the final.

Scottish Second Division

Ross County won immediate promotion back to the First Division, vindicating their shock decision to sack manager Dick Campbell early in the campaign with the club top of the table, as rookie manager Derek Adams managed to further improve the club's form, resulting in them comfortably winning the title. Airdrie United initially lost out on promotion after failing to beat Clyde in the play-offs, but Gretna's demise meant Airdrie ended up being promoted anyway.

Berwick Rangers were relegated in bottom place after a dismal campaign, and Cowdenbeath joined them after losing in the play-offs.

Scottish Third Division

East Fife won the division by a wide margin after their play-off heartbreak the previous season. Arbroath, who had likewise lost out on promotion in the previous season's play-offs, were victorious in this year's campaign. Stranraer, who lost to Arbroath in the play-off final, still ended up earning an immediate return to Division Two, thanks to Gretna's demise.

East Stirlingshire, who had been given a suspended reduction to associate members in the previous campaign (meaning they would have faced an expulsion vote had they finished bottom in both this and the next seasons), managed to avoid this fate by pulling above Forfar Athletic on the final day of the season. It was the first time since 2002 that any other team had finished bottom of the SFL pyramid.

Main cup honours

Non-league honours

Senior

Junior

West Region

East Region

North Region

Individual honours

PFA Scotland awards

Award	Winner	Team
Players' Player of the Year	Aiden McGeady	Celtic
Young Player of the Year	Aiden McGeady	Celtic
Manager of the Year	Billy Reid	Hamilton Academical

SFWA awards

Award	Winner	Team
Footballer of the Year	Carlos Cuéllar	Rangers
Young Player of the Year	Steven Fletcher	Hibernian
Manager of the Year	Walter Smith	Rangers
International Player of the Year	James McFadden	Everton/ Birmingham City

Monthly awards

Month	SPL				SFL
	Manager	Player	Young player	Rising star	Div 1 manager	Div 2 manager	Div 3 manager	Player	Young player
August	Walter Smith (Rangers)	Carlos Cuéllar (Rangers)	Steven Fletcher (Hibernian)	Mark Staunton (Falkirk)	Billy Reid (Hamilton Academical)	Billy Stark (Queen's Park)	Gordon Wylde (East Stirlingshire)	Richard Offiong (Hamilton Academical)	Kevin McDonald (Dundee)
September	John Collins (Hibernian)	Scott McDonald (Celtic)	Andrew Driver (Heart of Midlothian)	Scott Anson (Kilmarnock)	Owen Coyle (St Johnstone)	Steve Paterson (Peterhead)	John McGlashan (Arbroath)	Ryan Stevenson (Ayr United)	James McArthur (Hamilton Academical)
October	Craig Levein (Dundee United)	Lee Wilkie (Dundee United)	Ross McCormack (Motherwell)	Jack Wilson (Hibernian)	Billy Reid (Hamilton Academical)	Alan Maitland (Alloa Athletic)	David Baikie (East Fife)	Bryn Halliwell (Hamilton Academical)	James McCarthy (Hamilton Academical)
November	Mark McGhee (Motherwell)	Aiden McGeady (Celtic)	Ross McCormack (Motherwell)	Liam Cusack (Gretna)	Alex Rae (Dundee)	Derek Adams (Ross County)	David Baikie (East Fife)	Kenny Deuchar (St Johnstone)	Scott Fox (East Fife)
December	Craig Brewster (Inverness CT)	Marius Niculae (Inverness CT)	Scott Arfield (Falkirk)	—	Jim McIntyre (Dunfermline Athletic)	Michael O'Neill (Brechin City)	Gerry Britton (Stranraer)	Allan Russell (Airdrie United)	Kevin McDonald (Dundee)
January	Walter Smith (Rangers)	Barry Robson (Dundee United)	Danny Grainger (Dundee United)	—	Gordon Chisholm (Queen of the South)	Derek Adams (Ross County)	David Baikie (East Fife)	Andrew Barrowman (Ross County)	Andy Jackson (St Johnstone)
February	Mixu Paatelainen (Hibernian)	Aiden McGeady (Celtic)	Steven Fletcher (Hibernian)	Ryan Strachan (Aberdeen)	Gordon Chisholm (Queen of the South)	Neale Cooper (Peterhead)	Derek Ferguson (Stranraer)	Mickaël Antoine-Curier (Dundee)	Graham Dorrans (Livingston)
March	Walter Smith (Rangers)	Darren Barr (Falkirk)	Garry Kenneth (Dundee United)	Ryan Crighton (St Mirren)	Ian McCall (Partick Thistle)	Brian Reid (Ayr United)	Robbie Williamson (Elgin City)	Jonathan Tuffey (Partick Thistle)	Leigh Griffiths (Livingston)
April	Gordon Strachan (Celtic)	Barry Robson (Celtic)	Gary Glen (Heart of Midlothian)	—	Gordon Chisholm (Queen of the South)	Alan Maitland (Alloa Athletic)	Derek Ferguson (Stranraer)	Mark McLaughlin (Hamilton Academical)	Brian Easton (Hamilton Academical)

Summary

Celtic

Date	Venue	Opponents	Score[61]	Celtic scorer(s)	Report
Champions League third qualifying round
15 August	Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow (A)	Spartak Moscow	1–1	Paul Hartley	BBC Sport
29 August	Celtic Park, Glasgow (H)	Spartak Moscow	1–1 (a.e.t.) (4–3 Pen.)	Scott McDonald	BBC Sport
Champions League group stage
18 September	RSK Olimpiyskyi, Donetsk (A)	Shakhtar Donetsk	0–2		BBC Sport
18 September	Celtic Park, Glasgow (H)	A.C. Milan	2–1	Stephen McManus, Scott McDonald	BBC Sport
24 October	Estádio da Luz, Lisbon (A)	Benfica	0–1		BBC Sport
6 November	Celtic Park, Glasgow (H)	Benfica	1–0	Aiden McGeady	BBC Sport
28 November	Celtic Park, Glasgow (H)	Shakhtar Donetsk	2–1	Jiří Jarošík, Massimo Donati	BBC Sport
4 December	San Siro, Milan (A)	A.C. Milan	0–1		BBC Sport
Champions League Round of 16
20 February	Celtic Park, Glasgow (H)	Barcelona	2–3	Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, Barry Robson	BBC Sport
4 March	Nou Camp, Barcelona (A)	Barcelona	0–1		BBC Sport

Rangers

Date	Venue	Opponents	Score[61]	Rangers scorer(s)	Report
Champions League second qualifying round
31 July	Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow (H)	FK Zeta	2–0	David Weir, Lee McCulloch	BBC Sport
7 August	Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica (A)	FK Zeta	1–0	DaMarcus Beasley	BBC Sport
Champions League third qualifying round
14 August	Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow (H)	Red Star Belgrade	1–0	Nacho Novo	BBC Sport
28 August	Stadion Crvena Zvezda, Belgrade (A)	Red Star Belgrade	0–0		BBC Sport
Champions League group stage
13 September	Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow (H)	Stuttgart	2–1	Charlie Adam, Jean-Claude Darcheville	BBC Sport
19 September	Stade Gerland, Lyon (A)	Lyon	3–0	Lee McCulloch, Daniel Cousin DaMarcus Beasley	BBC Sport
23 October	Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow (H)	Barcelona	0–0		BBC Sport
7 November	Nou Camp, Barcelona (A)	Barcelona	0–2		BBC Sport
27 November	Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion, Stuttgart (A)	Stuttgart	2–3	Charlie Adam, Barry Ferguson	BBC Sport
12 December	Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow (H)	Lyon	0–3		BBC Sport
UEFA Cup Round of 32
13 February	Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow (H)	Panathinaikos	0–0		BBC Sport
21 February	Leoforos Alexandras Stadium, Athens (A)	Panathinaikos	(a)1–1	Nacho Novo	BBC Sport
UEFA Cup Round of 16
6 March	Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow (H)	Werder Bremen	2–0	Daniel Cousin, Steven Davis	BBC Sport
13 March	Weserstadion, Bremen (A)	Werder Bremen	0–1		BBC Sport
UEFA Cup Quarter-final
3 April	Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow (H)	Sporting CP	0–0		BBC Sport
10 April	Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon (A)	Sporting CP	2–0	Jean-Claude Darcheville, Steven Whittaker	BBC Sport
UEFA Cup Semi-final
24 April	Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow (H)	Fiorentina	0–0		BBC Sport
1 May	Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence (A)	Fiorentina	0–0 (a.e.t.) (4–2 pen.)		BBC Sport
UEFA Cup Final
14 May	City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester (N)	Zenit St. Petersburg	0–2		BBC Sport

Aberdeen

Date	Venue	Opponents	Score[61]	Aberdeen scorer(s)	Report
UEFA Cup first round
20 September	Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen (H)	Dnipro	0–0		BBC Sport
4 October	Meteor Stadium, Dnipropetrovsk (A)	Dnipro	(a)1–1	Darren Mackie	BBC Sport
UEFA Cup group stage
25 October	Leoforos Alexandras Stadium, Athens (A)	Panathinaikos	0–3		BBC Sport
8 November	Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen (H)	Lokomotiv Moscow	1–1	Zander Diamond	BBC Sport
29 November	Vicente Calderón Stadium, Madrid (A)	Atlético Madrid	0–2		BBC Sport
20 December	Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen (H)	F.C. Copenhagen	4–0	Jamie Smith (2), Mikael Antonsson (o.g.), Richard Foster	BBC Sport
UEFA Cup Round of 32
13 February	Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen (H)	Bayern Munich	2–2	Josh Walker, Sone Aluko	BBC Sport
21 February	Allianz Arena, Munich (A)	Bayern Munich	1–5	Steve Lovell	BBC Sport

Dunfermline Athletic

Date	Venue	Opponents	Score[61]	Dunfermline scorer(s)	Report
UEFA Cup second qualifying round
16 August	East End Park, Dunfermline (H)	BK Häcken	1–1	Jim Hamilton	BBC Sport
30 August	Rambergsvallen, Gothenburg (A)	BK Häcken	0–1		BBC Sport

Summary

Scotland failed in their attempt to qualify for the Euro 2008, finishing third in Group B behind 2006 World Cup finalists France and Italy despite beating France twice. Scotland needed a win in their final group game against Italy to qualify, although a draw would have been enough if Ukraine beat France in the last group fixture. Scotland lost 2–1 as a result of a heavily criticised decision^[62] by Spanish referee Manuel Mejuto González to award Italy a free kick in stoppage time (resulting in a goal) when it was clear it should have been a free kick to Scotland.

Manager Alex McLeish resigned on 27 November 2007 following the loss against Italy and became manager of Birmingham City,^[63] his assistants Roy Aitken and Andy Watson joined him at Birmingham. He was eventually replaced on 24 January 2008 by Southampton manager George Burley,^[64] he appointed Steven Pressley and former England captain Terry Butcher as his assistants.^[65] In first match in charge a 1–1 draw was achieved against Croatia despite the withdrawal of 7 players.

Results

Date	Venue	Opponents	Score[66]	Competition	Scotland scorer(s)	Report
22 August	Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen (H)	South Africa	1–0	Friendly	Kris Boyd	BBC Sport
8 September	Hampden Park, Glasgow (H)	Lithuania	3–1	ECQ(B)	Kris Boyd, Stephen McManus, James McFadden	BBC Sport
12 September	Parc des Princes,[67] Paris (A)	France	1–0	ECQ(B)	James McFadden	BBC Sport
13 October	Hampden Park, Glasgow (H)	Ukraine	3–1	ECQ(B)	Kenny Miller, Lee McCulloch, James McFadden	BBC Sport
17 October	Boris Paichadze Stadium, Tbilisi (A)	Georgia	0–2	ECQ(B)		BBC Sport
17 November	Hampden Park, Glasgow (H)	Italy	1–2	ECQ(B)	Barry Ferguson	BBC Sport
26 March	Hampden Park, Glasgow (H)	Croatia	1–1	Friendly	Kenny Miller	BBC Sport
30 May	AXA Arena, Prague (A)	Czech Republic	1–3	Friendly	David Clarkson	BBC Sport

• 12 July: Forbes Johnston, 35, Falkirk and Airdrie midfielder.^[68]
• 31 August: Willie Cunningham, 77, St Mirren and Dunfermline defender; Dunfermline, Falkirk and St Mirren manager.
• 11 September: Ian Porterfield, 61, Aberdeen manager (1986–88).^[69]
• 30 November: Ian Crawford, 73, Hamilton and Hearts winger.^[70]
• 29 December: Phil O'Donnell, 35, Motherwell, Celtic and Scotland midfielder (died whilst playing for Motherwell).^[8]
• 14 January: Johnny Steele, 91, East Fife and Ayr United inside forward.
• 20 April: Derek McKay, 59, Dundee and Aberdeen winger.^[71]
• 15 May: Tommy Burns, 51, Celtic, Kilmarnock and Scotland midfielder; Kilmarnock and Celtic manager.^[72]
• 7 June: Jimmy Bonthrone, 78, East Fife, Dundee and Stirling Albion inside forward; East Fife and Aberdeen manager.^[73]

• Scottish Premier League official website
• Scottish Football League official website
• BBC Scottish Premier League portal Archived 13 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine
• BBC Scottish Football League portal Archived 14 April 2010 at the Wayback Machine