2006–07 Melbourne Victory FC season

The Melbourne Victory A-League 2006–07 season was their most successful A-League season. They defeated Adelaide United 6–0 in their first Grand Final, winning the Championship, Premiership and qualifying for the AFC Champions League 2008.

Melbourne Victory
2006–07 season
ManagerErnie Merrick
A-League1st
Pre-Season Challenge Cup5th
Top goalscorerArchie Thompson (15)
Highest home attendance56,636 vs Adelaide United (18 February 2007)
Lowest home attendance15,563 vs New Zealand Knights (17 December 2006)
Average home league attendance27,928

Season summary
Melbourne Victory celebrating their A-League Grand Final victory.

Melbourne began the 2006–07 Hyundai A-League season hoping to vastly improve on their 7th place in the inaugural season. Coach Ernie Merrick had made a number of off-season signings to bolster the squad with skill and experience including 3 Brazilians Alessandro, Claudinho, Fred along with Scottish Premier League player Grant Brebner. After a hugely successful Round 2 fixture against Sydney FC at the Telstra Dome (now the Etihad Stadium) in front of a crowd of 39,730,[1] Melbourne Victory announced that they would move all but one match from Olympic Park to Telstra Dome.[2] Melbourne became the first team to complete the A-League double in the history of the competition; clinching the premiership against the New Zealand Knights 4–0 at Olympic Park with 4 rounds of the A-League season remaining,[3] then beating Adelaide United 6–0 in the Grand Final at a sold out Telstra Dome to take the championship.[4] Melbourne also qualified for the 2008 AFC Champions League as A-League Champions.

Players

First team squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Australia AUS Michael Theoklitos
2 MF Australia AUS Kevin Muscat (captain)
3 DF Australia AUS Daniel Piorkowski
4 DF Australia AUS Mark Byrnes
5 DF Belgium BEL Geoffrey Claeys
6 DF Australia AUS Steve Pantelidis
7 FW Australia AUS Michael Ferrante
8 MF Brazil BRA Fred
9 FW Australia AUS Daniel Allsopp
10 FW Australia AUS Archie Thompson
11 MF Australia AUS Vince Lia
12 DF Australia AUS Rodrigo Vargas
No. Pos. Nation Player
13 MF Australia AUS Kristian Sarkies
14 MF Australia AUS Adrian Caceres
15 DF Australia AUS Adrian Leijer
16 DF Australia AUS Simon Storey
17 MF Scotland SCO Grant Brebner
18 MF Brazil BRA Alessandro
19 FW Brazil BRA Claudinho
20 GK Australia AUS Eugene Galeković
21 FW England ENG James Robinson
22 MF Australia AUS Leigh Broxham
23 MF Australia AUS Antun Kovacic
30 GK Australia AUS Peter Gavalas

Transfers

In

Player From Country/State & League From Date
Australia Adrian CaceresPerth GloryAustralia A-League13 February 2006
Brazil AlessandroSport Club InternacionalBrazil Brazil Serie AJuly 2006
Brazil ClaudinhoAtlético ParanaenseBrazil Brazil Serie A24 May 2006
Brazil FredGuaraniBrazil Brazil Serie B24 May 2006
Australia Rodrigo VargasGreen Gully Cavaliers VPLJuly 2006
Scotland Grant BrebnerDundee UnitedScotland Scottish Premier LeagueJuly 2006
England James RobinsonRichmond SC VPL23 November 2006

Out

Player To Country/State & League From Date
Australia Chris TadrosseReleased (KFC Uerdingen)Germany Oberliga Nordrhein24 January 2006
Austria Richard KitzbichlerReleased (Red Bull Salzburg)Austria Austrian Bundesliga31 January 2006
Australia Ricky DiacoReleased (Bulleen Zebras) VPL15 February 2006
Australia Carl RecchiaReleased (Fawkner-Whittlesea Blues) (Club Disabanded) VPL15 February 2006
Australia Andy VlahosReleased (Heidelberg United) VPL-
Belgium Geoffrey ClaeysMelbourne Victory retiredAustralia A-League21 November 2006
Brazil ClaudinhoReleased17 December 2006

Matches

Pre-season friendlies

Melbourne started their 2006-07 pre-season with a number of practise matches against Victorian Premier League clubs. These included a laboured 1–0 win over Richmond SC, a 2–2 draw against Bulleen Zebras, a 4–0 victory against Green Gully, a 7–0 victory of Kingston City FC and 3-0 victories over Altona Magic and Oakleigh Cannons.

Victory also won the QNI North Queensland Trophy by beating leading Chinese Super League team Changchun Yatai 6–1 in the final. Michael Ferrante scored twice early on and then-trialist Grant Brebner added a spectacular thirty-yard free-kick to make it 3–0 at half-time, while Danny Allsopp scored three times in the second half to seal the win. The competition featured fellow A-League side Central Coast Mariners (Victory won 4–2 on penalties), the Young Socceroos (Victory lost 5–6 on penalties), and Changchun Yatai (Victory won 3–1 in the first meeting).

Melbourne kicked off their A-League Pre-Season Cup campaign with a disappointing 1–0 loss to Adelaide United at Launceston's Aurora Stadium in front of 6,834 spectators. The second match saw them play out a 1–1 draw away to Perth Glory, with Daniel Allsopp scoring Melbourne's only goal. Back at Olympic Park for the final group match, they were soundly beaten 3-1 by the Central Coast Mariners, ending the club's hopes of progressing to the next round of the competition. A "bonus round" match finished off the group stage, with the Melbourne defeating Newcastle Jets 3–2.

In the first match of a rather meaningless playoff section involving the lower placed teams of the group stage, Victory defeated the Queensland Roar 4–2 on penalties, having been locked at 0-0 after 120 minutes of play. The match was held at Epping Stadium in the outer north of Melbourne. The final match of the pre-season cup saw the Victory defeat Perth Glory 1–0 at Olympic Park in front of 2,215 loyal fans, and finish the competition in 5th place.

2006-07 Hyundai A-League fixtures
25 August 2006 Round 1 Melbourne Victory 2 : 0 Adelaide United Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne, Melbourne
20:00 UTC+10 Muscat 29' (pen)
Claudinho 78'		 Attendance: 15,781
Referee: Matthew Breeze
2 September 2006 Round 2 Melbourne Victory 3 : 2 Sydney FC Telstra Dome, Melbourne
19:00 UTC+10 Allsopp 8'
Muscat 11' (pen)
Allsopp 51'		 Fyfe 18'
Vargas 83' (OG)
Rudan Red card 13'		 Attendance: 39,730
Referee: Mark Shield
9 September 2006 Round 3 New Zealand Knights 0 : 3 Melbourne Victory North Harbour Stadium, Auckland
19:30 UTC+9:30 Allsopp 9'
Thompson 22'
Muscat 35'		 Attendance: 2,107
Referee: Matthew Breeze
17 September 2006 Round 4 Melbourne Victory 1 : 0 Central Coast Mariners Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne
15:00 UTC+10 Thompson 51' Attendance: 17,617
Referee: Angelo Nardi
24 September 2006 Round 5 Perth Glory 1 : 2 Melbourne Victory Members Equity Stadium, Perth
17:00 UTC+10 Tarka 90' Caceres 55'
Muscat 72' (pen)		 Attendance: 7,983
Referee: Peter Green
1 October 2006 Round 6 Melbourne Victory 4 : 1 Queensland Roar Telstra Dome, Melbourne
20:00 UTC+10 Fred 11'
Muscat 22' (pen)
Muscat 57' (pen)
Allsopp 82'		 Milicic 16' Attendance: 25,921
Referee: Simon Przydacz
8 October 2006 Round 7 Newcastle Jets 0 : 2 Melbourne Victory EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
19:00 UTC+10 Allsopp 69'
Allsopp 89'		 Attendance: 4,635
Referee: Peter Green
14 October 2006 Round 8 Melbourne Victory 0 : 1 Adelaide United Telstra Dome, Melbourne
13:00 UTC+10 Owens 83' Attendance: 32,368
Referee: Matthew Breeze
21 October 2006 Round 9 Sydney FC 1 : 2 Melbourne Victory Aussie Stadium, Sydney
20:00UTC+10 Corica 8' Thompson 50'
Thompson 73'		 Attendance: 20,881
Referee: Mark Shield
27 October 2006 Round 10 New Zealand Knights 0 : 4 Melbourne Victory North Harbour Stadium, Auckland
20:00 UTC+10 Fred 5'
Thompson 57'
Caceres 59'
Allsopp 72'
Caceres Red card 87'		 Attendance: 2,357
Referee: Simon Przydacz
3 November 2006 Round 11 Melbourne Victory 3 : 3 Central Coast Mariners Telstra Dome, Melbourne
19:00 UTC+11 Allsopp 5'
Thompson 11'
Allsopp 86'
Vargas Red card 23'
Muscat Red card 45'		 McMaster 7'
Petrie 12'
Kwasnik 23' (pen)		 Attendance: 28,118
Referee: Peter Green
9 November 2006 Round 12 Melbourne Victory 1 : 0 Perth Glory Telstra Dome, Melbourne
20:00 UTC+11 Brebner 89' Attendance: 22,890
Referee: Craig Zetter
17 November 2006 Round 13 Queensland Roar 0 : 2 Melbourne Victory Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
19:00 UTC+11 Parker 18' (OG)
Thompson 47'		 Attendance: 14,797
Referee: Simon Przydacz
25 November 2006 Round 14 Melbourne Victory 0 : 1 Newcastle Jets Telstra Dome, Melbourne
17:00 UTC+11 Rodriguez 61' Attendance: 27,753
Referee: Matthew Breeze
1 December 2006 Round 15 Adelaide United 1 : 3 Melbourne Victory Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
19:00 UTC+11 Fernando 43'
Bajic Red card 13'		 Muscat 16' (pen)
Allsopp 62'
Fred 86'
Brebner Red card 21'		 Attendance: 16,378
Referee: Mark Shield
8 December 2006 Round 16 Melbourne Victory 0 : 0 Sydney FC Telstra Dome, Melbourne
20:00 UTC+11 Attendance: 50,333
Referee: Mark Shield
17 December 2006 Round 17 Melbourne Victory 4 : 0 New Zealand Knights Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne
20:00 UTC+11 Allsopp 34'
Caceres 39'
Allsopp 44'
Thompson 45'		 Attendance: 15,563
Referee: Angelo Nardi
30 December 2006 Round 18 Central Coast Mariners 1 : 2 Melbourne Victory Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
17:00 UTC+11 Kwasnik 53' Fred 23'
Thompson 27'		 Attendance: 15,404
Referee: Simon Przydacz
7 January 2007 Round 19 Perth Glory 2 : 2 Melbourne Victory Members Equity Stadium, Perth
17:00 UTC+11 Harnwell 29'
Byrnes 43' (OG)		 Sarkies 59'
Sarkies 76'
Ferrante Red card 75'		 Attendance: 6,462
Referee: Peter Green
12 January 2007 Round 20 Melbourne Victory 1 : 2 Queensland Roar Telstra Dome, Melbourne
20:00 UTC+11 Thompson 80' Mori 18'
Vidosic 90'		 Attendance: 28,937
Referee: Mark Shield
19 January 2007 Round 21 Newcastle Jets 4 : 0 Melbourne Victory EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
17:00 UTC+11 Bridge 36'
Bridge 48'
Coveny 51'
Griffiths 73'		 Attendance: 19,601
Referee: Matthew Breeze

2006–07 Finals series
27 January 2007 Major Semi Final Leg 1 Adelaide United 0 : 0 Melbourne Victory Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
16:30 UTC+11 Attendance: 15,575
Referee: Simon Przydacz
4 February 2007 Major Semi Final Leg 2 Melbourne Victory 2 : 1 Adelaide United Telstra Dome, Melbourne
17:00 UTC+11 Allsopp 48'
Robinson 90'		 Dodd 4' Attendance: 47,413
Referee: Mark Shield
18 February 2007 Grand Final Melbourne Victory 6 : 0 Adelaide United Telstra Dome, Melbourne
16:00 UTC+11 Thompson 21', 29', 40', 56', 73'
Sarkies 90'		 Aloisi Red card 34' Attendance: 55,436
Referee: Mark Shield

Ladder

Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification
1 Melbourne Victory (C) 21 14 3 4 41 20 +21 45 Qualification for 2008 AFC Champions League group stage and Finals series
2 Adelaide United 21 10 3 8 32 27 +5 33
3 Newcastle Jets 21 8 6 7 32 30 +2 30 Qualification for Finals series
4 Sydney FC 21 8 8 5 29 19 +10 29[lower-alpha 1]
5 Queensland Roar 21 8 5 8 25 27 −2 29
6 Central Coast Mariners 21 6 6 9 22 26 −4 24
7 Perth Glory 21 5 5 11 24 30 −6 20
8 New Zealand Knights[lower-alpha 2] 21 5 4 12 13 39 −26 19 Disbanded at end of season
Source: ultimatealeague.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions
Notes:
  1. Sydney FC were penalised three competition points following round 18 due to salary cap breaches which occurred during the 2005–06 season
  2. New Zealand Knights cannot qualify for the AFC Champions League as they are not recognised as an AFC club.

2006–07 awards

References
  1. Watt, Stuart (2 September 2006). "Record crowd sees Victory down 10-man Sydney". Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC News). Retrieved 30 June 2011.
  2. Desira, Peter (21 September 2006). "Victory makes move to Docklands". Fox Sports. Premier Media Group. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
  3. "Victory hammer Knights to take minor premiership". ABC News. 17 December 2006. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
  4. Paine, Chris (18 February 2007). "Thompson haul guides Victory to A-League crown". ABC News. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
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