2007–08 in Scottish football

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Football in Scotland
Season2007–08
← 2006–07 Scotland 2008–09 →
2007–08 in Scottish football
Flag of Scotland with football.png
Premier League champions
Celtic
First Division champions
Hamilton Academical
Second Division champions
Ross County
Third Division champions
East Fife
Scottish Cup winners
Rangers
League Cup winners
Rangers
Challenge Cup winners
St Johnstone
Junior Cup winners
Bathgate Thistle
Teams in Europe
Aberdeen, Celtic, Dunfermline Athletic, Rangers
Scotland national team
UEFA Euro 2008 qualifying

The 2007–08 season was the 111th season of competitive football in Scotland. [1]

Overview[]

  • 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.

Notable events[]

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]

Transfer deals[]

Main article: List of Scottish football transfers 2007–08

Managerial changes[]

Team Outgoing manager Manner of departure Date of vacancy Replaced by Date of appointment
Clyde Scotland Joe Miller Mutual Consent 25 May[22] Scotland Colin Hendry 11 June[23]
Motherwell Scotland Maurice Malpas Resigned 1 June[24] Scotland Mark McGhee 18 June[25]
Gretna Scotland Rowan Alexander Sacked 18 July[26] Scotland David Irons 18 July[26]
Inverness CT Scotland Charlie Christie Resigned 20 August[27] Scotland Craig Brewster 27 August[28]
Stenhousemuir Scotland Campbell Money Resigned 29 September[29] Scotland John Coughlin 12 October[30]
Ross County Scotland Dick Campbell Mutual consent 2 October[31] Scotland Derek Adams 21 November[32]
Berwick Rangers Scotland John Coughlin Resigned 7 October[33] Scotland Michael Renwick 24 October[34]
Ayr United Scotland Neil Watt Resigned 23 October[35] Scotland Brian Reid 24 October[36]
Dumbarton Scotland Gerry McCabe Sacked 11 November[37] Scotland Jim Chapman 31 December[38]
St Johnstone Scotland Owen Coyle Mutual consent 22 November[39] Scotland Derek McInnes 27 November[40]
Dunfermline Athletic Republic of Ireland Stephen Kenny Sacked 4 December[41] Scotland Jim McIntyre 3 January[42]
Hibernian Scotland John Collins Resigned 20 December[43] Finland Mixu Paatelainen 10 January[44]
Queen's Park Scotland Billy Stark Resigned 9 January[45] Scotland Gardner Speirs 25 January[46]
Clyde Scotland Colin Hendry Resigned 18 January[47] Scotland John Brown 26 January[48]
Greenock Morton Scotland Jim McInally Resigned 12 February[49] Scotland David Irons 19 February[50]
Gretna Scotland David Irons Resigned 19 February[50] England Mick Wadsworth 19 February
East Stirlingshire Scotland Gordon Wylde Resigned 28 February[51] Scotland Jim McInally 13 March[52]
Forfar Athletic Scotland Jim Moffat Mutual consent 21 April[53] Scotland Dick Campbell 8 May[54]
Berwick Rangers Scotland Michael Renwick Sacked 28 February[55] Scotland Allan McGonigal 13 May[56]
Heart of Midlothian Scotland Stephen Frail Mutual Consent 27 May 2008[57] Hungary Csaba László 11 July[58]
Livingston England Mark Proctor Sacked 3 June[59] Italy Roberto Landi 11 June[60]

League competitions[]

Scottish Premier League[]

Main article: 2007–08 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 passed away 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.

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation[a]
1 Celtic 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 38 5 8 25 32 83 −51 13[c] Resigned from the Scottish Football League and liquidated[d]
Source: Scottish Professional Football League
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
Notes:
  1. ^ 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.
  2. ^ Hibernian qualified for the Intertoto Cup as the highest ranked club to apply for a place in the competition.
  3. ^ Gretna were deducted 10 points for entering administration.
  4. ^ At the end of the season, Gretna were relegated to the Third Division due to their financial struggles. However, as no buyer was found for the club, they resigned from the Scottish Football League and were subsequently liquidated.

Scottish First Division[]

Main article: 2007–08 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.

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation
1 Hamilton Academical (C, P) 36 23 7 6 62 27 +35 76 Promotion to the Premier League
2 Dundee 36 20 9 7 58 30 +28 69
3 St Johnstone 36 15 13 8 60 45 +15 58
4 Queen of the South 36 14 10 12 47 43 +4 52 Qualification for the UEFA Cup second qualifying round[a]
5 Dunfermline Athletic 36 13 12 11 36 41 −5 51
6 Partick Thistle 36 11 12 13 40 39 +1 45
7 Livingston 36 10 9 17 55 66 −11 39
8 Greenock Morton 36 9 10 17 40 58 −18 37
9 Clyde 36 9 10 17 40 59 −19 37 Qualification for the First Division Play-offs[b]
10 Stirling Albion (R) 36 4 12 20 41 71 −30 24 Relegation to the Second Division
Source: BBC Sport
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champion; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ Queen of the South qualified for the UEFA Cup Second Qualifying Round as Scottish Cup runners-up
  2. ^ The 9th placed team were entered into a play-off with the Second Division's 2nd, 3rd and 4th placed teams. The winning team were awarded a place in the 2008–09 First Division, Clyde won the play-off to stay in the division.

Scottish Second Division[]

Main article: 2007–08 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.

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion, qualification or relegation
1 Ross County (C, P) 36 22 7 7 78 44 +34 73 Promotion to the First Division
2 Airdrie United (P) 36 20 6 10 64 34 +30 66 Qualification for the First Division Play-offs[a]
3 Raith Rovers 36 19 3 14 60 50 +10 60
4 Alloa Athletic 36 16 8 12 57 56 +1 56
5 Peterhead 36 16 7 13 65 54 +11 55
6 Brechin City 36 13 13 10 63 48 +15 52
7 Ayr United 36 13 7 16 51 62 −11 46
8 Queen's Park 36 13 5 18 48 51 −3 44
9 Cowdenbeath (R) 36 10 7 19 47 73 −26 37 Qualification for the Second Division Play-offs[b]
10 Berwick Rangers (R) 36 3 7 26 40 101 −61 16 Relegation to the Third Division
Source: SPFL Archive
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champion; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ The 2nd, 3rd and 4th placed teams will be entered into a play-off with the First Division's 9th placed team. The winning team were awarded a place in the 2008–09 First Division, Clyde won the play-off to stay in the division. However, with Gretna being relegated to the Third Division, Airdrie were promoted to Division One. Airdrie United won promotion to the First Division after Gretna were relegated to the Third Division.
  2. ^ The 9th placed team were entered into a play-off with the Third Division's 2nd, 3rd and 4th placed teams. The winning team were awarded a place in the 2008–09 Second Division, Cowdenbeath were relegated and Arbroath were promoted. Due to Gretna's relegation, Stranraer were also promoted.

Scottish Third Division[]

Main article: 2007–08 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.

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Promotion or qualification
1 East Fife (C, P) 36 28 4 4 77 24 +53 88 Promotion to the Second Division
2 Stranraer[a] (P) 36 19 8 9 65 43 +22 65 Qualification for the Second Division Play-offs[b]
3 Montrose 36 17 8 11 59 36 +23 59
4 Arbroath (P, O) 36 14 10 12 54 47 +7 52
5 Stenhousemuir 36 13 9 14 50 59 −9 48
6 Elgin City 36 13 8 15 56 68 −12 47
7 Albion Rovers 36 9 10 17 51 68 −17 37
8 Dumbarton 36 9 10 17 31 48 −17 37
9 East Stirlingshire[c] 36 10 4 22 48 71 −23 34
10 Forfar Athletic 36 8 9 19 35 62 −27 33
Source: SPFL archive
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champion; (O) Play-off winner; (P) Promoted
Notes:
  1. ^ Stranraer won promotion to Second Division after Gretna were relegated to the Third Division.
  2. ^ The 9th placed Second Division team were entered into a play-off with the Third Division's 2nd, 3rd and 4th placed teams. The winning team were awarded a place in the 2008–09 Second Division, Cowdenbeath were relegated and Arbroath were promoted. With Gretna being relegated to the Third Division, Stranraer were also promoted.
  3. ^ Had East Stirlingshire finished bottom of the table for what would have been a sixth consecutive time, they would have lost their Scottish Football League status, they finished second bottom.

Other honours[]

Main cup honours[]

Competition Winner score Runner-up Report
Scottish Cup 2007–08 Rangers 3–2 Queen of the South Wikipedia article
League Cup 2007–08 Rangers 2 – 2 (a.e.t.)
(3 – 2 pen.) 		Dundee United Wikipedia article
Challenge Cup 2007–08 St Johnstone 3–2 Dunfermline Athletic Wikipedia article
Junior Cup Bathgate Thistle 2–1 Cumnock Juniors The Scotsman

Non-league honours[]

Senior[]

Competition Winner
Highland League 2007–08 Cove Rangers
Highland League Cup Inverurie Loco Works
East of Scotland Premier Division Whitehill Welfare
East of Scotland First Division Heriot-Watt University
East of Scotland King Cup
East of Scotland League Cup Spartans
South of Scotland League Crichton
South of Scotland League Cup St Cuthbert Wanderers
SFA North Challenge Cup Huntly
SFA South Challenge Cup Annan Athletic

Junior[]

West Region

Competition Winner
Premier League Pollok
Division One Kirkintilloch Rob Roy
Ayrshire League Hurlford United
Central League Division One Port Glasgow
Central League Division Two Vale of Leven
Competition Winner
Evening Times Cup Pollok
West of Scotland Cup Kilbirnie Ladeside
Central League Cup Arthurlie
Central Sectional League Cup Rutherglen Glencairn
Ayrshire League Cup Cumnock Juniors
Ayrshire Sectional League Cup Auchinleck Talbot
North Ayrshire Cup Ardrossan Winton Rovers
South Ayrshire Cup Maybole

East Region

Competition Winner
Super League Lochee United
Premier League Bo'ness United
North Division Blairgowrie
Central Division Ballingry Rovers
South Division Fauldhouse United

North Region

Competition Winner
Premier League Banks O'Dee
Division One Banchory St. Ternan
Division Two Lossiemouth United

Individual honours[]

PFA Scotland awards[]

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

SFWA awards[]

Award Winner Team
Footballer of the Year Spain Carlos Cuéllar Rangers
Young Player of the Year Scotland Steven Fletcher Hibernian
Manager of the Year Scotland Walter Smith Rangers

Monthly awards[]

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

Scottish clubs in Europe[]

Summary[]

Club Competition(s) Final round Coef.
Celtic UEFA Champions League Round of 16 11.00
Rangers UEFA Champions League

UEFA Cup

Group stage

Runners-up

23.50
Aberdeen UEFA Cup Round of 32 6.00
Dunfermline Athletic UEFA Cup Second qualifying round 0.50

Celtic[]

Date Venue Opponents Score[61] Celtic scorer(s) Report
Champions League third qualifying round
15 August Luzhniki Stadium, Moscow (A) Russia Spartak Moscow 1–1 Paul Hartley BBC Sport
29 August Celtic Park, Glasgow (H) Russia Spartak Moscow 1–1 (a.e.t.)
(4–3 Pen.) 		Scott McDonald BBC Sport
Champions League group stage
18 September RSK Olimpiyskyi, Donetsk (A) Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk 0–2 BBC Sport
18 September Celtic Park, Glasgow (H) Italy A.C. Milan 2–1 Stephen McManus, Scott McDonald BBC Sport
24 October Estádio da Luz, Lisbon (A) Portugal Benfica 0–1 BBC Sport
6 November Celtic Park, Glasgow (H) Portugal Benfica 1–0 Aiden McGeady BBC Sport
28 November Celtic Park, Glasgow (H) Ukraine Shakhtar Donetsk 2–1 Jiří Jarošík, Massimo Donati BBC Sport
4 December San Siro, Milan (A) Italy A.C. Milan 0–1 BBC Sport
Champions League Round of 16
20 February Celtic Park, Glasgow (H) Spain Barcelona 2–3 Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink, Barry Robson BBC Sport
4 March Nou Camp, Barcelona (A) Spain 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) Montenegro FK Zeta 2–0 David Weir, Lee McCulloch BBC Sport
7 August Podgorica City Stadium, Podgorica (A) Montenegro FK Zeta 1–0 DaMarcus Beasley BBC Sport
Champions League third qualifying round
14 August Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow (H) Serbia Red Star Belgrade 1–0 Nacho Novo BBC Sport
28 August Stadion Crvena Zvezda, Belgrade (A) Serbia Red Star Belgrade 0–0 BBC Sport
Champions League group stage
13 September Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow (H) Germany Stuttgart 2–1 Charlie Adam, Jean-Claude Darcheville BBC Sport
19 September Stade Gerland, Lyon (A) France Lyon 3–0 Lee McCulloch, Daniel Cousin DaMarcus Beasley BBC Sport
23 October Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow (H) Spain Barcelona 0–0 BBC Sport
7 November Nou Camp, Barcelona (A) Spain Barcelona 0–2 BBC Sport
27 November Gottlieb-Daimler-Stadion, Stuttgart (A) Germany Stuttgart 2–3 Charlie Adam, Barry Ferguson BBC Sport
12 December Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow (H) France Lyon 0–3 BBC Sport
UEFA Cup Round of 32
13 February Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow (H) Greece Panathinaikos 0–0 BBC Sport
21 February Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium, Athens (A) Greece Panathinaikos (a)1–1 Nacho Novo BBC Sport
UEFA Cup Round of 16
6 March Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow (H) Germany Werder Bremen 2–0 Daniel Cousin, Steven Davis BBC Sport
13 March Weserstadion, Bremen (A) Germany Werder Bremen 0–1 BBC Sport
UEFA Cup Quarter-final
3 April Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow (H) Portugal Sporting CP 0–0 BBC Sport
10 April Estádio José Alvalade, Lisbon (A) Portugal Sporting CP 2–0 Jean-Claude Darcheville, Steven Whittaker BBC Sport
UEFA Cup Semi-final
24 April Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow (H) Italy Fiorentina 0–0 BBC Sport
1 May Stadio Artemio Franchi, Florence (A) Italy Fiorentina 0–0 (a.e.t.)
(4–2 pen.) 		BBC Sport
UEFA Cup Final
14 May City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester (N) Russia 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) Ukraine Dnipro 0–0 BBC Sport
4 October Meteor Stadium, Dnipropetrovsk (A) Ukraine Dnipro (a)1–1 Darren Mackie BBC Sport
UEFA Cup group stage
25 October Apostolos Nikolaidis Stadium, Athens (A) Greece Panathinaikos 0–3 BBC Sport
8 November Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen (H) Russia Lokomotiv Moscow 1–1 Zander Diamond BBC Sport
29 November Vicente Calderón Stadium, Madrid (A) Spain Atlético Madrid 0–2 BBC Sport
20 December Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen (H) Denmark 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) Germany Bayern Munich 2–2 Josh Walker, Sone Aluko BBC Sport
21 February Allianz Arena, Munich (A) Germany 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) Sweden BK Häcken 1–1 Jim Hamilton BBC Sport
30 August Rambergsvallen, Gothenburg (A) Sweden BK Häcken 0–1 BBC Sport

National teams[]

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[]

Main article: Scotland national football team 2000–19 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

Youth and Reserve football[]

Main article: 2007–08 in Scottish reserve and youth football

Deaths[]

  • 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]

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