2007–08 in Scottish football
# 2007–08 in Scottish football

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

## 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.
* Dunfermline Athletic competed in the First Division after being relegated from the Scottish Premier League.
* Greenock Morton and Stirling Albion played in the First Division after being promoted as Second Division champions and First Division play-off winners, respectively.
* 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.
* 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.
* 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.
* 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.
* 20 July – Irn-Bru became the new sponsor of the Scottish Football League, signing a three-year deal.
* 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.
* 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.
* 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.

### 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.
* 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.
* 29 March – Berwick Rangers are relegated from the Second Division after a 2–2 draw with Peterhead.
* 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.
* 8 April – Stirling Albion are relegated from the First Division after a 1–0 defeat to Partick Thistle.
* 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.
* 19 April – Hamilton Academical win promotion to the Scottish Premier League as First Division champions following a 2–0 over Clyde.
* 10 May – Clyde retain their First Division status after defeating Airdrie United 3–0 on aggregate in the First Division play-off final.
* 10 May – Arbroath are promoted to the Second Division after a 2–1 aggregate win over Stranraer in the Second Division play-off final. 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.
* 22 May – Celtic win their third successive SPL title after defeating Dundee United 1–0.
* 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.
* 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.

## Managerial changes

| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Replaced by | Date of appointment |
| - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Clyde | Joe Miller | Mutual Consent | 25 May | Colin Hendry | 11 June |
| Motherwell | Maurice Malpas | Resigned | 1 June | Mark McGhee | 18 June |
| Gretna | Rowan Alexander | Sacked | 18 July | David Irons | 18 July |
| Inverness CT | Charlie Christie | Resigned | 20 August | Craig Brewster | 27 August |
| Stenhousemuir | Campbell Money | Resigned | 29 September | John Coughlin | 12 October |
| Ross County | Dick Campbell | Mutual consent | 2 October | Derek Adams | 21 November |
| Berwick Rangers | John Coughlin | Resigned | 7 October | Michael Renwick | 24 October |
| Ayr United | Neil Watt | Resigned | 23 October | Brian Reid | 24 October |
| Dumbarton | Gerry McCabe | Sacked | 11 November | Jim Chapman | 31 December |
| St Johnstone | Owen Coyle | Mutual consent | 22 November | Derek McInnes | 27 November |
| Dunfermline Athletic | Stephen Kenny | Sacked | 4 December | Jim McIntyre | 3 January |
| Hibernian | John Collins | Resigned | 20 December | Mixu Paatelainen | 10 January |
| Queen's Park | Billy Stark | Resigned | 9 January | Gardner Speirs | 25 January |
| Clyde | Colin Hendry | Resigned | 18 January | John Brown | 26 January |
| Greenock Morton | Jim McInally | Resigned | 12 February | David Irons | 19 February |
| Gretna | David Irons | Resigned | 19 February | Mick Wadsworth | 19 February |
| East Stirlingshire | Gordon Wylde | Resigned | 28 February | Jim McInally | 13 March |
| Forfar Athletic | Jim Moffat | Mutual consent | 21 April | Dick Campbell | 8 May |
| Berwick Rangers | Michael Renwick | Sacked | 28 February | Allan McGonigal | 13 May |
| Heart of Midlothian | Stephen Frail | Mutual Consent | 27 May 2008 | Csaba László | 11 July |
| Livingston | Mark Proctor | Sacked | 3 June | Roberto Landi | 11 June |

## League competitions

### 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.

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| 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 |
| 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 and liquidated |

* ↑ 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.
* ↑ Hibernian qualified for the Intertoto Cup as the highest ranked club to apply for a place in the competition.
* ↑ Gretna were deducted 10 points for entering administration.
* ↑ 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

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 | Teamvte | 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 |
| 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 |
| 10 | Stirling Albion (R) | 36 | 4 | 12 | 20 | 41 | 71 | −30 | 24 | Relegation to the Second Division |

* ↑ Queen of the South qualified for the UEFA Cup Second Qualifying Round as Scottish Cup runners-up
* ↑ 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

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 | Teamvte | 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 |
| 3 | Raith Rovers | 36 | 19 | 3 | 14 | 60 | 50 | +10 | 60 | Qualification for the First Division Play-offs |
| 4 | Alloa Athletic | 36 | 16 | 8 | 12 | 57 | 56 | +1 | 56 | Qualification for the First Division Play-offs |
| 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 |
| 10 | Berwick Rangers (R) | 36 | 3 | 7 | 26 | 40 | 101 | −61 | 16 | Relegation to the Third Division |

* ↑ 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.
* ↑ 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

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 | Teamvte | 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 (P) | 36 | 19 | 8 | 9 | 65 | 43 | +22 | 65 | Qualification for the Second Division Play-offs |
| 3 | Montrose | 36 | 17 | 8 | 11 | 59 | 36 | +23 | 59 | Qualification for the Second Division Play-offs |
| 4 | Arbroath (P, O) | 36 | 14 | 10 | 12 | 54 | 47 | +7 | 52 | Qualification for the Second Division Play-offs |
| 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 | 36 | 10 | 4 | 22 | 48 | 71 | −23 | 34 | |
| 10 | Forfar Athletic | 36 | 8 | 9 | 19 | 35 | 62 | −27 | 33 | |

* ↑ Stranraer won promotion to Second Division after Gretna were relegated to the Third Division.
* ↑ 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.
* ↑ 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 | 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 | SPL | SPL | SPL | SFL | SFL | SFL | SFL | SFL |
| - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Month | 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) |

## 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 | 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 | 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 | Apostolos Nikolaidis 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 | 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 | Apostolos Nikolaidis 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 | 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 |

## 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 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, his assistants Roy Aitken and Andy Watson joined him at Birmingham. He was eventually replaced on 24 January 2008 by Southampton manager George Burley, he appointed Steven Pressley and former England captain Terry Butcher as his assistants. In first match in charge a 1–1 draw was achieved against Croatia despite the withdrawal of 7 players.

### Results

| Date | Venue | Opponents | Score | 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, 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 |

## Deaths

* 12 July: Forbes Johnston, 35, Falkirk and Airdrie midfielder.
* 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).
* 30 November: Ian Crawford, 73, Hamilton and Hearts winger.
* 29 December: Phil O'Donnell, 35, Motherwell, Celtic and Scotland midfielder (died whilst playing for Motherwell).
* 14 January: Johnny Steele, 91, East Fife and Ayr United inside forward.
* 20 April: Derek McKay, 59, Dundee and Aberdeen winger.
* 15 May: Tommy Burns, 51, Celtic, Kilmarnock and Scotland midfielder; Kilmarnock and Celtic manager.
* 7 June: Jimmy Bonthrone, 78, East Fife, Dundee and Stirling Albion inside forward; East Fife and Aberdeen manager.
