2007–08 Aberdeen F.C. season

Aberdeen competed in the Scottish Premier League, Scottish Cup, Scottish League Cup and UEFA Cup in the 2007–08 season. It was the club's first season in European competition since 2002–03.

Aberdeen
2007–08 season
ChairmanStewart Milne
ManagerJimmy Calderwood
StadiumPittodrie Stadium
Scottish Premier League4th
Scottish CupSemi-finals
League CupSemi-finals
UEFA Europa LeagueRound of 32
Top goalscorerLeague:
Lee Miller (13)
All:
Lee Miller (13)
Highest home attendance20,446 (vs Copenhagen, 20 December)
Lowest home attendance7,270 (vs Inverness CT, 31 October)
Average home league attendance12,888

Qualification for the group stages of the UEFA Cup was secured with an away-goals qualifying victory over Dnipro. 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
Summer Transfers
Player inFromFee
Scotland Lee MairDundee UnitedBosman
England Jonathan KurrantCharlton AthleticFree [1]
Scotland Jackie McNamaraWolverhampton WanderersFree [2]
Netherlands Jeffrey de VisscherDe GraafschapFree [3]
Scotland Derek YoungPartick ThistleFree [4]
England Jonathan SmithWigan AthleticFree [5]
England Sone AlukoBirmingham CityLoan [5]
Player outToFee
Scotland Jamie WinterChesterfieldFree [6]
Scotland David DonaldPeterheadFree
Republic of Ireland Gary DempseyYeovil TownFree [7]
Netherlands Antilles Dyron DaalSt JohnstoneFree [8]
Scotland Russell AndersonSunderland£1 Million
Scotland Craig BrewsterInverness CTFree

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. Wolverhampton Wanderers' 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 loan from Birmingham City.

On 8 June, it was 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 Copenhagen on 20 December, Langfield signed a new three-year contract with Aberdeen.[10]

On 27 June, club captain Russell Anderson moved to Premier League side Sunderland, signing a 3-year contract with the club. He donated his signing-on fee to the youth development scheme at Pittodrie.[11]

Winter transfers
Winter Transfers
Player inFromFee
Scotland Stuart DuffDundee UnitedFree [5]
England Josh WalkerMiddlesbroughLoan [12]
Netherlands Dave BusDe GraafschapFree [13]
Republic of Ireland Alan MayburyLeicester CityFree [14]
Player outToFee
Scotland Chris ClarkPlymouth Argyle£200,000 [15]
Scotland Michael HartPreston North EndUndisclosed [15]
Scotland Michael PatonBrechin CityLoan
Scotland Stuart SmithPeterheadLoan [14]
Scotland Neil McVitiePeterheadLoan [14]

Chris Clark was the first player to leave Aberdeen in the January window, 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 City on a loan deal until the end of the season.

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 paid 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 – 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 – were not offered new deals. Loan signings Sone Aluko and Josh Walker returned to their clubs at the end of their loan periods.

On 21 April, Jackie McNamara was released from his contract by the club.

Results

Pre-season friendlies
Date Opponent H/A Score[21] Aberdeen Scorers[22]
12 JulyCove RangersA5–1Maguire (19), Miller (43, 65), De Visscher (52), Lovell (90)
15 JulyBuckie ThistleA3–0Brewster (31, 52), Mackie (88)
18 JulyEgypt Al MokawloonA0–2
21 JulyEgypt Al AluminiumA2–0Brewster (47), Foster (66)
23 JulyEgypt Al IttihadA2–1de Visscher (44), Lovell (74)
25 JulyEgypt Telecom EgyptA5–1Smith (20), Clark (21), Miller (40, 43, 60)
31 JulyInverurie Loco WorksA6–0Maguire (14, 31), Kurrant (25), Brewster (52, 66), Paton (73)

Scottish Premier League
Main article: 2007–08 Scottish Premier League
Match
Day		 Date Opponent H/A Score[21] Aberdeen Scorer(s)[22] Attendance Report
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
Main article: 2007–08 UEFA Cup
Round Date Opponent H/A Score[21] Aberdeen Scorer(s)[22] Attendance Report
FR 20 September Ukraine Dnipro H 0–0 15,431 BBC Sport
FR 4 October Ukraine Dnipro A 1–1 Mackie (28) 26,275 BBC Sport
GS 25 October Greece Panathinaikos A 0–3 8,154 BBC Sport
GS 8 November Russia Lokomotiv Moscow H 1–1 Diamond (27) 18,843 BBC Sport
GS 29 November Spain Atlético Madrid A 0–2 30,000 BBC Sport
GS 20 December Denmark Copenhagen H 4–0 Smith (47, 55), Antonsson (71 o.g.), Foster (83) 20,446 BBC Sport
Ro32 14 February Germany Bayern Munich H 2–2 Walker (23), Aluko (40) 20,047 BBC Sport
Ro32 21 February Germany Bayern Munich A 1–5 Lovell (83) 66,000 BBC Sport

Scottish League Cup
Main article: 2007–08 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
Main article: 2007–08 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

First-team squad
Squad at end of season[23]

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 Scotland SCO Jamie Langfield
3 DF Republic of Ireland IRL Richie Byrne
5 DF Scotland SCO Zander Diamond
6 MF Scotland SCO Scott Severin (captain)
7 MF Scotland SCO Jamie Smith
8 MF Scotland SCO Barry Nicholson
9 FW England ENG Steve Lovell
10 FW Scotland SCO Darren Mackie
11 MF Scotland SCO Stuart Duff
14 MF Scotland SCO Richard Foster
15 DF Netherlands NED Karim Touzani
16 FW Scotland SCO Lee Miller
17 DF England ENG Dan Smith
18 DF Scotland SCO Lee Mair
19 MF Scotland SCO Derek Young
20 GK Scotland SCO Derek Soutar
21 DF Scotland SCO Andrew Considine
No. Pos. Nation Player
22 FW Scotland SCO Chris Maguire
23 DF Netherlands NED Dave Bus (on loan from De Graafschap)
24 MF Netherlands NED Jeffrey de Visscher
25 FW England ENG Jonathan Smith
26 FW England ENG Sone Aluko[notes 1] (on loan from Birmingham City)
27 MF England ENG Josh Walker (on loan from Middlesbrough)
28 DF Republic of Ireland IRL Alan Maybury (on loan from Leicester City)
30 GK Scotland SCO Greg Kelly
34 MF Scotland SCO Greig Lamberty
35 DF Scotland SCO Ryan Strachan
36 DF Scotland SCO Jonathan Crawford
38 FW Scotland SCO Gary Carroll
39 MF Scotland SCO Peter Pawlett[notes 2]
40 GK England ENG Jonathan Bateman
42 DF Scotland SCO Scott Ross
44 MF Scotland SCO Ryan Jack

Left club during season

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
2 DF Scotland SCO Michael Hart (Preston North End)
4 DF Scotland SCO Jackie McNamara (released)
11 MF Scotland SCO Chris Clark (to Plymouth Argyle)
23 FW Scotland SCO Craig Brewster (to Inverness Caledonian Thistle)
No. Pos. Nation Player
29 DF Scotland SCO Neil McVitie (on loan to Peterhead)
31 MF Scotland SCO Michael Paton (on loan to Brechin City)
33 MF Scotland SCO Stuart Smith (on loan to Peterhead)
37 MF England ENG Jonathan Kurrant (released)

Statistics

Competitions

Overall
Competition Started round Final
position / round		 First match Last match
Scottish Premier League — 4 4 August 200722 May 2008
UEFA Cup First round Round of 32 20 September 200722 February 2008
Scottish League Cup Third round Semi-finals 26 September 20075 February 2008
Scottish Cup Fourth round Semi-finals 12 January 200812 April 2008

Source: Competitions

SPL
Main article: 2007–08 Scottish Premier League

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]
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.

Results summary
OverallHomeAway
PldWDLGFGAGDPtsWDLGFGAGDWDLGFGAGD
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
Round1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738
GroundAHHAAHAHHAHHAAHHAHAAHAAHHAAHAHHAHAHHAH
ResultLDLDWLLWWWDWLLWWLDDWWDLLLLLDLWDWWLWWLW
Source: BBC Sport
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Club

See also

Notes
  1. Aluko was born in Hounslow, England, and represented England at U-16, U-17, U-18 and U-19 level, but also qualified to represent Nigeria internationally through his parents and made his international debut for Nigeria in May 2009.
  2. Pawlett was born in Kingston upon Hull, England, but was raised in Scotland from the age of 7 and represented Scotland at U-19 and U-21 level.

Squad

Appearances & Goals
No. Pos Nat Player Total SPL Scottish Cup League Cup Europa League
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
1 GK Scotland SCO Jamie Langfield 39 0 25 0 3 0 3 0 8 0
3 DF Republic of Ireland IRL Richie Byrne 17 0 13 0 1 0 1 0 2 0
5 DF Scotland SCO Zander Diamond 42 5 26 3 6 1 2 0 8 1
6 MF Scotland SCO Scott Severin (c) 51 3 35 3 6 0 2 0 8 0
7 MF Scotland SCO Jamie Smith 26 8 17 3 3 3 2 0 4 2
8 MF Scotland SCO Barry Nicholson 53 9 38 5 5 1 3 3 7 0
9 FW England ENG Steve Lovell 30 5 22 3 3 1 0 0 5 1
10 FW Scotland SCO Darren Mackie 26 4 19 2 3 1 1 0 3 1
11 MF Scotland SCO Stuart Duff 11 0 10 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
14 DF Scotland SCO Richard Foster 48 2 33 1 5 0 3 0 7 1
15 DF Netherlands NED Karim Touzani 18 1 14 1 2 0 0 0 2 0
16 FW Scotland SCO Lee Miller 52 13 36 12 6 0 3 1 7 0
17 DF England ENG Dan Smith 4 0 3 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
18 DF Scotland SCO Lee Mair 26 1 18 1 2 0 2 0 4 0
19 MF Scotland SCO Derek Young 36 3 24 2 4 0 3 1 5 0
20 GK Scotland SCO Derek Soutar 16 0 13 0 3 0 0 0 0 0
21 DF Scotland SCO Andrew Considine 37 4 22 0 5 2 3 2 7 0
22 FW Scotland SCO Chris Maguire 35 4 28 4 3 0 0 0 4 0
23 DF Netherlands NED David Bus 7 0 6 0 0 0 1 0 0 0
24 MF Netherlands NED Jeffrey de Visscher 30 3 22 1 3 2 1 0 4 0
25 FW England ENG Jonathan Smith 2 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0
26 FW Nigeria NGA Sone Aluko 31 4 20 3 4 0 2 0 5 1
27 MF England ENG Josh Walker 13 1 8 0 2 0 1 0 2 1
28 DF Republic of Ireland IRL Alan Maybury 19 0 13 0 4 0 0 0 2 0
30 GK Scotland SCO Greg Kelly 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
Players who left the club during the season
2 DF Scotland SCO Michael Hart 26 0 18 0 0 0 2 0 6 0
4 DF Scotland SCO Jackie McNamara 25 0 17 0 3 0 2 0 3 0
11 MF Scotland SCO Chris Clark 27 1 18 1 1 0 2 0 6 0
23 FW Scotland SCO Craig Brewster 3 3 3 3 0 0 0 0 0 0

References
  1. Kurrant's A Don Archived 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine, TotallyJemish.com, 16 May 2007
  2. Wolves' McNamara joins Aberdeen, BBC Sport, 18 May 2007
  3. Dons swoop to sign Dutch winger, BBC Sport, 30 May 2007
  4. Calderwood welcomes Young return, BBC Sport, 25 July 2007
  5. Dons bring in two young strikers, BBC Sport, 31 August 2007.
  6. Chesterfield set to sign Winter, BBC Sport, 20 July 2007
  7. Dempsey to Depart Dons, Aberdeen FC, 26 March 2007
  8. St Johnstone seal Daal transfer, BBC Sport, 7 June 2007
  9. Keeper pays for stag night antics, BBC Sport, 8 June 2007
  10. Langfield nets new Aberdeen deal , BBC Sport, 21 December 2007
  11. Anderson seals Sunderland switch, BBC Sport, 27 June 2007
  12. Boro midfielder in Dons loan move, BBC Sport, 29 January 2008.
  13. Defender Bus makes Aberdeen stop BBC Sport, 24 January 2008.
  14. Foxes' Maybury joins Dons on loan BBC Sport, 31 January 2008.
  15. Plymouth snap up Aberdeen's Clark, BBC Sport, 16 January 2008
  16. , BBC Sport, 14 January 2008.
  17. Dons defender agrees Preston move, BBC Sport, 14 January 2008
  18. Dons reject Preston's Hart offer, BBC Sport, 26 January 2008
  19. Dons' Hart completes Preston move, BBC Sport, 30 January 2008
  20. Nicholson joins six leaving Dons , BBC Sport, 15 April 2008
  21. Aberdeen's score is shown first.
  22. The number(s) in brackets shows the minute the goal(s) was/were scored.
  23. "FootballSquads - Aberdeen - 2007/08".
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