2007–08 Aberdeen F.C. season
Aberdeen competed in the Scottish Premier League, Scottish Cup, Scottish League Cup and UEFA Cup in season 2007–08. It was the club's first season in European competition since 2002–03.
2007–08 season | |
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Chairman | Stewart Milne |
Manager | Jimmy Calderwood |
Stadium | Pittodrie Stadium |
Scottish Premier League | 4th |
Scottish Cup | Semi-finals |
League Cup | Semi-finals |
Top goalscorer | League: Lee Miller (13) All: Lee Miller (13) |
Highest home attendance | 20,446 (v Copenhagen, 20 December 2007) |
Lowest home attendance | 7,270 (v Inverness CT, 31 October 2007) |
Average home league attendance | 12,888 |
Qualification for the group stages of the UEFA Cup was secured with an away-goals qualifying victory over FC Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk. Aberdeen were drawn in Group B along with Panathinaikos, Lokomotiv Moscow, Atlético Madrid and Copenhagen. Aberdeen qualified for the round of 32 following a 4–0 victory over F.C. Copenhagen. They were drawn against Bayern Munich and lost 7–3 on aggregate, but did manage a 2–2 home draw with the German club.
Transfers and other changes
Summer Transfers | ||
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Player in | From | Fee |
Lee Mair | Dundee United | Bosman |
Jonathan Kurrant | Charlton Athletic | Free [1] |
Jackie McNamara | Wolves | Free [2] |
Jeffrey de Visscher | De Graafschap | Free [3] |
Derek Young | Partick Thistle | Free [4] |
Jonathan Smith | Wigan | Free [5] |
Sone Aluko | Birmingham | Loan [5] |
Player out | To | Fee |
Jamie Winter | Chesterfield | Free [6] |
David Donald | Peterhead | Free |
Gary Dempsey | Yeovil Town | Free [7] |
Dyron Daal | St Johnstone | Free [8] |
Russell Anderson | Sunderland | £1 Million |
Craig Brewster | Inverness CT | Free |
Summer transfers
Aberdeen had already announced that the contracts of Jamie Winter and David Donald were not to be renewed. Gary Dempsey rejected a new two-year deal to sign for Yeovil Town, and Dyron Daal left to join St Johnstone.
Aberdeen had secured the signatures of defenders Lee Mair from Dundee United, and youngster Jonathan Kurrant, who would join after he had finished his A-Levels. Both agreed pre-contracts. Wolves experienced defender Jackie McNamara and De Graafschap winger Jeffrey de Visscher both signed on free transfers. Former player Derek Young returned to the club on a free transfer after spells at Dunfermline and Partick Thistle. Sone Aluko was signed on a free loan deal from Birmingham.
Jamie Langfield
On 8 June 2007 it had been reported that Aberdeen's first-choice goalkeeper Jamie Langfield had been demoted after falling out with manager Jimmy Calderwood. The fall-out was believed to have been related to Calderwood's decision to reject a £70,000 offer from Rangers. The club later confirmed that they had made Langfield available for transfer, with an asking price of £100,000.[9]
Langfield was recalled to the starting line-up for the UEFA Cup game against Dnipro at Pittodrie on 20 September.
The day after Aberdeen's UEFA cup victory over FC Copenhagen on 20 December 2007, Langfield signed a new three-year contract with Aberdeen.[10]
Russell Anderson
On 27 June 2007 club captain Russell Anderson moved to Premiership side Sunderland. He signed a 3-year contract with the club, but also donated his signing-on fee to the youth development scheme at Pittodrie.[11]
Winter transfers
Winter Transfers | ||
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Player in | From | Fee |
Stuart Duff | Dundee United | Free [5] |
Josh Walker | Middlesbrough | Loan [12] |
Dave Bus | De Graafschap | Free [13] |
Alan Maybury | Leicester City | Free [14] |
Player out | To | Fee |
Chris Clark | Plymouth Argyle | £200,000 [15] |
Michael Hart | Preston North End | Undisclosed [15] |
Michael Paton | Brechin City | Loan |
Stuart Smith | Peterhead | Loan [14] |
Neil McVitie | Peterhead | Loan [14] |
Chris Clark was the first player to leave Aberdeen in the January window after signing a three-and-a-half-year deal with Plymouth Argyle. The clubs agreed a fee of £200,000 for the midfielder who had played at Aberdeen for seven years. Michael Paton extended his loan deal with Brechin City until the end of the season. Striker Stuart Smith and defender Neil McVitie both went on loan to Peterhead until the end of the season.
Stuart Duff was Aberdeen's first signing of the January transfer window. They signed the midfielder from Dundee United on a free transfer. Sone Aluko agreed to extend his loan from Birmingham City until the end of the season.[16] Defender Dave Bus was signed from De Graafschap until the end of the season. Aberdeen signed Middlesbrough midfielder and England under-18 captain Josh Walker on a loan deal until the end of the season. The Republic of Ireland international Alan Maybury was signed from Leicester on a loan deal until the end of the season.
Michael Hart
After Michael Hart rejected a new deal with Aberdeen, a fee thought to be in the region of £200,000 was agreed between Aberdeen and Preston North End for his transfer.[17] However, Preston reduced their offer after carrying out medical tests on an injury due to keep him out for weeks.[18] Aberdeen refused to release the player unless Preston pay the agreed fee. He eventually moved to Preston for an undisclosed fee thought to be in the region of £100,000.[19]
Summer clearout
It was announced on 15 April that seven contracted players would be leaving at the end of the season,[20] Barry Nicholson decided to leave, rejecting a new deal. The other six players were all not offered new deals, these were; Goalkeepers Derek Soutar (who had replaced Jamie Langfield for a large part of the season) and Greg Kelly, defenders Richie Byrne and Dave Bus and strikers Jonathan Smith and Steve Lovell. Loan signings Sone Aluko and Josh Walker returned to their clubs at the end of their loan periods.
On 21 April defender Jackie McNamara was released from his contract by the club.
Results
Pre-season friendlies
Date | Opponent | H/A | Score[21] | Aberdeen Scorers[22] |
---|---|---|---|---|
12 July | Cove Rangers | A | 5–1 | Maguire (19), Miller (43, 65), De Visscher (52), Lovell (90) |
15 July | Buckie Thistle | A | 3–0 | Brewster (31, 52), Mackie (88) |
18 July | Al Mokawloon | A | 0–2 | |
21 July | Al Aluminium | A | 2–0 | Brewster (47), Foster (66) |
23 July | Al Ittihad | A | 2–1 | de Visscher (44), Lovell (74) |
25 July | Telecom Egypt | A | 5–1 | Smith (20), Clark (21), Miller (40, 43, 60) |
31 July | Inverurie Loco Works | A | 6–0 | Maguire (14, 31), Kurrant (25), Brewster (52, 66), Paton (73) |
Scottish Premier League
Match Day |
Date | Opponent | H/A | Score[21] | Aberdeen Scorer(s)[22] | Attendance | Report |
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1 | 4 August | Dundee United | A | 0–1 | 12,496 | BBC Sport | |
2 | 12 August | Heart of Midlothian | H | 1–1 | Nicholson (45) | 13,134 | BBC Sport |
3 | 19 August | Celtic | H | 1–3 | Brewster (24) | 16,232 | BBC Sport |
4 | 25 August | Hibernian | A | 3–3 | Brewster (18, 37), Jamie Smith (57) | 15,280 | BBC Sport |
5 | 1 September | Kilmarnock | A | 1–0 | Miller (54) | 5,814 | BBC Sport |
6 | 15 September | Motherwell | H | 1–2 | Jamie Smith (65) | 10,154 | BBC Sport |
7 | 23 September | Rangers | A | 0–3 | 49,046 | BBC Sport | |
8 | 29 September | Gretna | H | 2–0 | Diamond (16), Jamie Smith (18) | 10,279 | BBC Sport |
9 | 7 October | St Mirren | H | 4–0 | Severin (43, 71) Miller (63, 88) | 12,841 | BBC Sport |
10 | 21 October | Inverness CT | A | 2–1 | Young (8), Tokely (62 o.g.) | 6,023 | BBC Sport |
11 | 28 October | Falkirk | H | 1–1 | Severin (45) | 10,399 | BBC Sport |
12 | 3 November | Dundee United | H | 2–0 | Aluko (45), Miller (90) | 11,964 | BBC Sport |
13 | 11 November | Heart of Midlothian | A | 1–4 | de Visscher (38) | 17,122 | BBC Sport |
14 | 24 November | Celtic | A | 0–3 | 58,000 | BBC Sport | |
15 | 2 December | Hibernian | H | 3–1 | Miller (33), Clark (47), Young (86) | 10,110 | BBC Sport |
16 | 8 December | Kilmarnock | H | 2–1 | Nicholson (63), Miller (75) | 10,207 | BBC Sport |
17 | 15 December | Motherwell | A | 0–3 | 5,326 | BBC Sport | |
18 | 23 December | Rangers | H | 1–1 | Miller (45) | 17,798 | BBC Sport |
19 | 26 December | Gretna | A | 1–1 | Lovell (85) | 1,730 | BBC Sport |
20 | 29 December | St Mirren | A | 1–0 | Lovell (85) | 5,025 | BBC Sport |
21 | 2 January | Inverness CT | H | 1–0 | Nicholson (83 pen.) | 18,372 | BBC Sport |
22 | 12 January | Falkirk | A | 0–0 | 5,457 | BBC Sport | |
23 | 19 January | Dundee United | A | 0–3 | 8,579 | BBC Sport | |
24 | 26 January | Heart of Midlothian | H | 0–1 | 14,000 | BBC Sport | |
25 | 10 February | Celtic | H | 1–5 | Miller (62) | 14,651 | BBC Sport |
26 | 16 February | Hibernian | A | 1–3 | Diamond (18) | 13,825 | BBC Sport |
27 | 24 February | Kilmarnock | A | 1–3 | Alan Combe (86 o.g.) | 6,113 | BBC Sport |
28 | 27 February | Motherwell | H | 1–1 | Diamond (28) | 8,240 | BBC Sport |
29 | 1 March | Rangers | A | 1–3 | Lovell (28) | 50,066 | BBC Sport |
30 | 15 March | Gretna | H | 3–0 | Maguire (40), Miller (71 pen.), Nicholson (73) | 9,025 | BBC Sport |
31 | 22 March | St Mirren | H | 1–1 | Mair (29) | 9,779 | BBC Sport |
32 | 29 March | Inverness CT | A | 4–3 | Aluko (7), Nicholson (45), Miller (53), Maguire (90) | 5,655 | BBC Sport |
33 | 7 April | Falkirk | H | 2–1 | Maguire (22, 82) | 11,484 | BBC Sport |
34 | 19 April | Celtic | A | 0–1 | 55,766 | BBC Sport | |
35 | 26 April | Hibernian | H | 2–1 | Mackie (64), Miller (70 pen.) | 8,387 | BBC Sport |
36 | 3 May | Dundee United | H | 2–1 | Foster (30), Touzani (48) | 10,312 | BBC Sport |
37 | 10 May | Motherwell | A | 1–2 | Aluko (67) | 8,574 | BBC Sport |
38 | 22 May | Rangers | H | 2–0 | Miller (63), Mackie (77) | 17,509 | BBC Sport |
UEFA Cup
Round | Date | Opponent | H/A | Score[21] | Aberdeen Scorer(s)[22] | Attendance | Report |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
FR | 20 September | Dnipro | H | 0–0 | 15,431 | BBC Sport | |
FR | 4 October | Dnipro | A | 1–1 | Mackie (28) | 26,275 | BBC Sport |
GS | 25 October | Panathinaikos | A | 0–3 | 8,154 | BBC Sport | |
GS | 8 November | Lokomotiv Moscow | H | 1–1 | Diamond (27) | 18,843 | BBC Sport |
GS | 29 November | Atlético Madrid | A | 0–2 | 30,000 | BBC Sport | |
GS | 20 December | Copenhagen | H | 4–0 | Smith (47, 55), Antonsson (71 o.g.), Foster (83) | 20,446 | BBC Sport |
Ro32 | 13 February | Bayern Munich | H | 2–2 | Walker (23), Aluko (40) | 20,047 | BBC Sport |
Ro32 | 21 February | Bayern Munich | A | 1–5 | Lovell (83) | 66,000 | BBC Sport |
Scottish League Cup
Round | Date | Opponent | H/A | Score[21] | Aberdeen Scorer(s)[22] | Attendance | Report |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R3 | 26 September | Partick Thistle | A | 2–0 | Young (42), Considine (64) | 3,337 | BBC Sport |
QF | 31 October | Inverness CT | H | 4–1 | Nicholson (10 pen. 21 pen. 78), Miller (45) | 7,270 | BBC Sport |
SF | 5 February | Dundee United | N | 1–4 | Considine (18) | 12,046 | BBC Sport |
Scottish Cup
Round | Date | Opponent | H/A | Score[21] | Aberdeen Scorer(s)[22] | Attendance | Report |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
R4 | 12 January | Falkirk | A | 2–2 | Smith (4), Lovell (10) | 5,798 | BBC Sport |
R4 (R) | 22 January | Falkirk | H | 3–1 | Smith (19, 55), de Visscher (43) | 8,547 | BBC Sport |
R5 | 2 February | Hamilton Academical | H | 1–0 | Diamond (62) | 6,441 | BBC Sport |
QF | 9 March | Celtic | H | 1–1 | de Visscher (78) | 10,909 | BBC Sport |
QF (R) | 18 March | Celtic | A | 1–0 | Mackie (69) | 33,506 | BBC Sport |
SF | 12 April | Queen of the South | N | 3–4 | Considine (36, 59), Nicholson (53) | 24,008 | BBC Sport |
Players
Squad
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Players out on loan
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Goalscorers
Source: BBC Sport
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Discipline
Source: BBC Sport
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Competitions
Overall
Competition | Started round | Final position / round |
First match | Last match |
---|---|---|---|---|
Scottish Premier League | — | 4 | 4 August 2007 | 22 May 2008 |
UEFA Cup | First Round | Round of 32 | 20 September 2007 | 22 February 2008 |
Scottish League Cup | Third Round | Semi Finals | 26 September 2007 | 5 February 2008 |
Scottish Cup | Fourth round | Semi Finals | 12 January 2008 | 12 April 2008 |
Source: Competitions
SPL
Classification
Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation[lower-alpha 1] |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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[lower-alpha 2] |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
Notes:
- 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.
Results summary
Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
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Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
38 | 15 | 8 | 15 | 50 | 58 | −8 | 53 | 11 | 5 | 4 | 33 | 21 | +12 | 4 | 3 | 11 | 17 | 37 | −20 |
Source: BBC Sport
Results by round
Club
The management
Source: Other information
Source: afc.co.uk
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Team kitSupplier: Nike
Source: afc.co.uk
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See also
References
- Kurrant's A Don Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine, TotallyJemish.com, 16 May 2007
- Wolves' McNamara joins Aberdeen, BBC Sport, 18 May 2007
- Dons swoop to sign Dutch winger, BBC Sport, 30 May 2007
- Calderwood welcomes Young return, BBC Sport, 25 July 2007
- Dons bring in two young strikers, BBC Sport, 31 August 2007.
- Chesterfield set to sign Winter, BBC Sport, 20 July 2007
- Dempsey to Depart Dons, Aberdeen FC, 26 March 2007
- St Johnstone seal Daal transfer, BBC Sport, 7 June 2007
- Keeper pays for stag night antics, BBC Sport, 8 June 2007
- Langfield nets new Aberdeen deal , BBC Sport, 21 December 2007
- Anderson seals Sunderland switch, BBC Sport, 27 June 2007
- Boro midfielder in Dons loan move, BBC Sport, 29 January 2008.
- Defender Bus makes Aberdeen stop BBC Sport, 24 January 2008.
- Foxes' Maybury joins Dons on loan BBC Sport, 31 January 2008.
- Plymouth snap up Aberdeen's Clark, BBC Sport, 16 January 2008
- , BBC Sport, 14 January 2008.
- Dons defender agrees Preston move, BBC Sport, 14 January 2008
- Dons reject Preston's Hart offer, BBC Sport, 26 January 2008
- Dons' Hart completes Preston move, BBC Sport, 30 January 2008
- Nicholson joins six leaving Dons , BBC Sport, 15 April 2008
- Aberdeen's score is shown first.
- The number(s) in brackets shows the minute the goal(s) was/were scored.