9 July: Rangers defender Fernando Ricksen is banned for the club's pre-season trip to South Africa, following an incident on the outbound flight. Manager Paul Le Guen cited "wholly inappropriate and unacceptable" behaviour as the reason for Ricksen's omission. Ricksen later admitted that he fears for his future at Rangers claiming that the club have other motives for wanting him out.[2] He was later loaned to Russian Premier League club Zenit Saint Petersburg.
29 July: Scotland under-19s lose 2–1 to Spain in the final of the European Under-19 Football Championship.[3]
23 October: In the wake of their 2–0 home defeat to Kilmarnock, Hearts head coach Valdas Ivanauskas is given a two-week leave of absence after discussions with majority shareholder Vladimir Romanov. Ivanauskas cited ill-health as the reason for his temporary departure. Sporting Director, and former coach of Belarus, Eduard Malofeev is appointed for the interim.[4]
27 October: Hearts' majority shareholder Vladimir Romanov states that he will sell players if the club fail to beat Dunfermline Athletic in their forthcoming fixture. Club captain Steven Pressley released a statement shortly after expressing the players' discontent at the current situation at the club.[5]
14 November: After their 1–1 draw away at Falkirk, Hearts announce that interim head coach Eduard Malofeev is to be replaced by FBK Kaunas manager Eugenijus Riabovas, this is to allow Malofeev to pursue his Uefa coaching Pro-licence.[6]
24 November:Valdas Ivanauskas returns as Hearts head-coach.[7]
9 December: Hearts part company with captain Steven Pressley.[8][9]
20 December: Dundee part company with striker Andy McLaren after he was given three red cards in a 2–1 defeat to Clyde.[10]
2007[]
1 January: It is reported that Barry Ferguson has been stripped of the captaincy of Rangers and will not play for the club again under Paul Le Guen. Gavin Rae is appointed as the new captain.[11]
2 January: Paul Le Guen confirms that Gavin Rae will be the new Rangers captain. With regard to Barry Ferguson he stated "When you have someone you feel undermines you, it becomes harder and harder".[12] Asked whether Ferguson had been placed on the transfer list, Le Guen said "It remains to be seen. My own position, which is precarious, may have an influence on that."[13]
4 January: Paul Le Guen leaves Rangers by mutual consent after meeting with Rangers chairman Sir David Murray.[14]
8 January: The Scottish Football Association reject an approach from Rangers for manager Walter Smith.[15] A statement from the SFA revealed that Smith had requested to be relieved of his contract, however this was refused following a meeting.[16]
10 January: Walter Smith is confirmed as Rangers manager, having resigned from his position as Scotland manager.[17] The SFA release a statement stating that "No agreement has been reached with Mr Smith or Rangers Football Club on any compensation payment" and "In the absence of agreement, proceedings will require to be raised against Mr Smith for breach of contract and Rangers Football Club for inducement to breach the contract."[18]
11 January: The SFA agree a compensation package with Rangers over manager Walter Smith's switch to Ibrox.[19]
2 March: For the second time of the season, Hearts manager Valdas Ivanauskas is given leave of absence by the club. Sporting Director, and former CSKA Moscow player Anatoly Korobochka is appointed on a temporary basis.[20]
7 April:Second Division team Forfar Athletic become the first team in Scotland to confirm their relegation following a 9–1 defeat by Greenock Morton.[22]
14 April: Greenock Morton are promoted as champions of the Second Division, despite losing 2–0 to Raith Rovers.[23]
21 April:Berwick Rangers are promoted as champions of the Third Division after a 1–0 win over Arbroath.[24]
22 April: Celtic are crowned Scottish Premier League champions for the second successive season after defeating Kilmarnock 2–1.[25]
28 April:Gretna win promotion to the Premier League as First Division champions after beating Ross County 3–2 at Victoria Park, a result that relegated County to the Second Division.[26]
3 May:East Stirlingshire, having finished bottom of the Third Division for the fifth consecutive season, are told they will lose full member status if the club finish bottom again next season.[27]
5 May: Rangers ensure second place in the SPL and entry to the UEFA Champions LeagueSecond qualifying round after defeating Celtic 2–0 at Ibrox.[28]
12 May: Queen's Park gain promotion to the Second Division after defeating East Fife 7–2 on aggregate in the promotion play-off.[29] The Glasgow club swap places with Stranraer who lost to East Fife in the semi-final stage.
12 May: Stirling Albion gain promotion to the First Division, and swap places with Airdrie United, after defeating the North Lanarkshire club 5–4 on aggregate in the promotion/relegation play-off match[30]
The 2007 UEFA Cup Final was played at Hampden Park, Glasgow.
12 May: Dunfermline Athletic are relegated to the First Division. A 2–1 defeat at Inverness,[31] coupled with St Mirren's 3–2 win at Motherwell,[32] meant the Fife club exit the SPL after seven seasons in the top flight.
16 May:Sevilla win the UEFA Cup after defeating Espanyol 3–1 on penalties at Hampden Park. The match had finished 2–2 after 90 minutes.[33]
20 May: Aberdeen seal a UEFA Cup place for next season after defeating Rangers 2–0 at Pittodrie in the final game of the season.[34]
26 May: SPL champions Celtic complete the double after defeating Dunfermline Athletic 1–0 to win the Scottish Cup for the 34th time.[35]
Major transfer deals[]
2006[]
Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink moved from PSV Eindhoven to Celtic for £3.4m
Celtic made preparations for the Champions League with the high-profile signings of Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink from PSV Eindhoven, Jiri Jarosik from Chelsea and Thomas Gravesen from Real Madrid while Stilyan Petrov left to join former boss Martin O'Neill at Aston Villa. Celtic also signed former Rangers striker Kenny Miller on a free transfer from Wolverhampton Wanderers. Rangers, under new manager Paul Le Guen, brought in several players including Jérémy Clément from Paris Saint Germain and Filip Sebo from Austria Vienna while Peter Løvenkrands departed for Schalke 04. Hearts paid £200,000 for PAOK Salonika defender Hristos Karipidis and sold Rudi Skácel to Southampton after a dispute between the player and the club. Hibs brought in English League Two defenders Rob Jones and Shelton Martis but lost last season's top scorer Derek Riordan who joined Celtic.
Domestic[]
20 June 2006 – Noel Hunt from Dunfermline Athletic to Dundee United, £50,000
23 June 2006 – Derek Riordan from Hibernian to Celtic, Undisclosed (reportedly £150,000)
1 July 2006 – Gary Caldwell from Hibernian to Celtic, Bosman
11 July 2006 – Ross McCormack from Rangers to Motherwell, Undisclosed
13 July 2006 – John Rankin from Ross County to Inverness CT, Undisclosed (reportedly £65,000)
11 August 2006 – David Proctor from Inverness CT to Dundee United, £35,000
19 August 2006 – David Fernández from Dundee United to Kilmarnock, Free
29 August 2006 – Jim Hamilton from Motherwell to Dunfermline Athletic, Undisclosed
31 August 2006 – Stephen Crawford from Aberdeen to Dunfermline Athletic, Free
31 August 2006 – John Stewart from Aberdeen to Falkirk, £50,000
31 August 2006 – Lee Miller from Dundee United to Aberdeen, Free
29 July 2006 – Rudolf Skácel from Heart of Midlothian to Southampton, £1.6m
2 August 2006 – Jamie McAllister from Heart of Midlothian to Bristol City, Free
2 August 2006 – Chris Hackett from Heart of Midlothian to Millwall, Free
7 August 2006 – Adam Virgo from Celtic to Coventry City, Season loan
9 August 2006 – Lee Johnson from Heart of Midlothian to Bristol City, Free
11 August 2006 – Mohammed Camara from Celtic to Derby County, Free
14 August 2006 – Fernando Ricksen from Rangers to Zenit Saint Petersburg, Season loan
26 August 2006 – Hamed Namouchi from Rangers to FC Lorient, £500,000
30 August 2006 – Stilian Petrov from Celtic to Aston Villa, £6.5m
31 August 2006 – Stanislav Varga from Celtic to Sunderland, Undisclosed
31 August 2006 – Ross Wallace from Celtic to Sunderland, Undisclosed
28 November 2006 – Fernando Ricksen from Rangers to Zenit Saint Petersburg, £1m
2007[]
Celtic further strengthened their squad with the signings of Paul Hartley from Hearts and Mark Brown from Inverness, while Steven Pressley was also signed after being released by Hearts. Shaun Maloney joined Aston Villa after contract negotiations broke down. New Rangers manager Walter Smith brought in defenders David Weir, Andy Webster and Ugo Ehiogu and spent £2m on Hibs' highly rated midfielder Kevin Thomson. Hearts looked to boost their European qualification hopes with the signing of a further four players on loan from FBK Kaunas as well as Laryea Kingston from Terek Grozny. New Dunfermline boss Stephen Kenny brought in loan signings James O'Brien from Celtic, Adam Hammill from Liverpool and Stephen Glass from Hibs with the club bottom of the SPL.
Domestic[]
1 January 2007 – Morgaro Gomis from Cowdenbeath to Dundee United, Nominal fee
2 January 2007 – Ryan Stevenson from St Johnstone to Ayr United, Undisclosed
5 January 2007 – James O'Brien from Celtic to Dunfermline Athletic, Loan
6 January 2007 – Stephen Dobbie from St Johnstone to Queen of the South, Undisclosed
8 January 2007 – David Templeton from Stenhousemuir to Heart of Midlothian, £30,000
11 January 2007 – Markus Paatelainen from Cowdenbeath to Inverness Caledonian Thistle, Undisclosed
11 January 2007 – Paul McHale from Clyde to Dundee, Free
18 January 2007 – Mark Brown from Inverness Caledonian Thistle to Celtic, Undisclosed
19 January 2007 – Derek Carcary from Rangers to Raith Rovers, Free
25 January 2007 – Stephen Glass from Hibernian to Dunfermline Athletic, Loan
26 January 2007 – Stuart Golabek from Inverness Caledonian Thistle to Livingston, Loan
26 January 2007 – Derek Lilley from Morton to St Johnstone, Free
26 January 2007 – Jamie Mole from Heart of Midlothian to Livingston, Loan
26 January 2007 – from Heart of Midlothian to Cowdenbeath, Loan
26 January 2007 – Jamie MacDonald from Heart of Midlothian to Queen of the South, Loan
27 January 2007 – Willie Gibson from Queen of the South to Kilmarnock, Undisclosed
27 January 2007 – Willie Gibson from Kilmarnock to Queen of the South, Loan
27 January 2007 – Stevie Murray from Kilmarnock to Queen of the South, Loan
27 January 2007 – Jamie Adams from Kilmarnock to Queen of the South, Loan
30 January 2007 – Kevin Thomson from Hibernian to Rangers, £2m
31 January 2007 – Stephen O'Donnell from Clyde to St Mirren, Undisclosed
31 January 2007 – Eddie Malone from Clyde to St Mirren, Undisclosed
^Teams played each other three times (33 matches), before the league split into two groups (the top six and the bottom six) for the last five matches.
^As Celtic, the Scottish Cup winners, qualified for the Champions League
via their league position, the place in the UEFA Cup was passed to Dunfermline Athletic, the cup runner-up.