| 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 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) |
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← 2006–07
2008–09 →
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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 forward four days to 22 May 2008.[2] 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 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. Leaders Celtic travelled to Tannadice to play Dundee United knowing that a win would secure the title. They achieved this with a 1–0 victory following Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink's second-half header. 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, but neither of these happened as Rangers lost their final league match 2–0.
Contents |
Promoted from First Division to Premier League
Relegated from Premier League to First Division
| Pos |
Team |
Pld |
W |
D |
L |
GF |
GA |
GD |
Pts |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Celtic (C) | 38 | 28 | 5 | 5 | 84 | 26 | +58 | 89 | 2008–09 UEFA Champions League Group stage |
| 2 | Rangers | 38 | 27 | 5 | 6 | 84 | 33 | +51 | 86 | 2008–09 UEFA Champions League Second qualifying round |
| 3 | Motherwell | 38 | 18 | 6 | 14 | 50 | 46 | +4 | 60 | 2008–09 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 | UEFA Intertoto Cup 2008 Second round |
| 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 | 38 | 5 | 8 | 25 | 32 | 83 | −51 | 13 | Resigned from the Scottish Football League |
Source: BBC Sport
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
Gretna: 10 points were deducted from Gretna for going into administration.[9] They subsequently 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.
(C) = Champion; (R) = Relegated; (P) = Promoted; (O) = Play-off winner; (A) = Advances to a further round.
Only applicable when the season is not finished:
(Q) = Qualified to the phase of tournament indicated; (TQ) = Qualified to tournament, but not yet to the particular phase indicated; (DQ) = Disqualified from tournament.
During matches 1–22 each team played every other team twice (home and away).
| Home \ Away1 | ABE | CEL | DUN | FAL | GRT | HOM | HIB | INV | KIL | MOT | RAN | STM |
| 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 | |
| Heart of Midlothian | 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 Caledonian Thistle | 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; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
For coming matches, an a indicates there is an article about the match.
During matches 23–33 each team played every other team once (either at home or away).
| Home \ Away1 | ABE | CEL | DUN | FAL | GRT | HOM | HIB | INV | KIL | MOT | RAN | STM |
| 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 | ||||||
| Heart of Midlothian | 1–0 | 0–0 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 0–4 | |||||||
| Hibernian | 3–1 | 0–2 | 4–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | ||||||
| Inverness Caledonian Thistle | 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; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
For coming matches, an a indicates there is an article about the match.
During matches 34–38 each team played every other team in their half of the table once.
Top six
Source: BBC Sport 1The home team is listed in the left-hand column. Colours: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win. For coming matches, an a indicates there is an article about the match. |
Bottom six
1The home team is listed in the left-hand column. Colours: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win. |
| 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 |
For the first time in the SPL, certain teams also carried secondary sponsors on the back of their jerseys, above the players' names.
| 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 |
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]
| 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[11] | Mutual Consent | 27 May 2008 | Csaba László | 11 July[12] |
| 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 | 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) |
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.[1]
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