2005–06 in Scottish football

The 2005–06 season was the 109th season of competitive football in Scotland.[1]

Football in Scotland
Season2005–06
← 2004–05Scotland2006–07 →
2005–06 in Scottish football
Premier League champions
Celtic
First Division champions
St Mirren
Second Division champions
Gretna
Third Division champions
Cowdenbeath
Scottish Cup winners
Heart of Midlothian
League Cup winners
Celtic
Challenge Cup winners
St Mirren
Junior Cup winners
Auchinleck Talbot
Teams in Europe
Celtic, Dundee United, Hibernian, Rangers
Scotland national team
2006 World Cup qualification, Kirin Cup

Notable events edit

2005 edit

  • 1 June: Gordon Strachan officially takes charge of Celtic after the resignation of Martin O'Neill[2]
  • 1 June: Former Celtic player Paul Lambert officially takes charge of Livingston following the resignation of Richard Gough.
  • 16 June: The SPL fine Livingston £15,000 for breaching transfer regulations after it emerged that amateur signing from last season, Hassan Kachloul, was paid money during his time at the club.
  • 30 June: George Burley is confirmed as the new manager of Hearts after days of discussions with Chief Executive Phil Anderton and major shareholder Vladimir Romanov.
  • 27 July: Celtic manager Gordon Strachan is under pressure after his first match in charge as Celtic are beaten 5–0 away to Artmedia Bratislava in the first leg of their Champions League second qualifying round match, all but ending their European hopes for the season.[3]
  • 2 August: Celtic crash out of Europe, despite beating Artmedia Bratislava 4–0 in the second leg of their Champions League qualifier.[4]
  • 7 August: Hearts demonstrate their SPL title-challenge credentials as they claim a 4–0 home victory over local rivals Hibernian.[5]
  • 22 October: Despite their unbeaten start to the SPL season, Hearts Manager George Burley departs from his position just hours before their league match with Dunfermline. A club statement after the game declared that the departure of Burley had been mutually agreed and that there were "irreconcilable differences" between him and the Hearts board. Throughout his short spell in charge rumours persisted about an uneasy relationship between Burley and major shareholder Vladimir Romanov with Romanov having bought players without the consent of the Manager.[6]
  • 6 November: St Mirren win the first trophy of the season beating Hamilton Academical 2–1 in the Challenge Cup final.[7]
  • 8 November: Graham Rix is appointed as Hearts new head coach.[8]
  • 14 November: Rangers Chairman David Murray gives his short-term backing to under-fire Manager Alex McLeish despite recent poor results.[9]
  • 6 December: Rangers become first Scottish club to reach the Champions League knock-out stages after drawing 1–1 with Inter Milan at Ibrox.

2006 edit

  • 10 January: Gordon Chisholm is sacked as Manager of Dundee United.[10]
  • 13 January: Dundee United appoint Inverness Manager Craig Brewster at the helm after the sacking of Gordon Chisholm.[11]
  • 19 January: Wolves and Scotland striker Kenny Miller signs a pre-contract agreement to play for Celtic from next season. The former Rangers player will become only the third man to play for both Old Firm clubs since the Second World War.
  • 27 January: Inverness coach and former player Charlie Christie is appointed as the club's new manager.
  • 8 February: Hearts principal shareholder Vladimir Romanov agrees to a meeting requested by the Hearts players, following speculation that Romanov had selected the team in the previous two matches, Manager Graham Rix meanwhile, refused to confirm or deny the speculation.
  • 9 February: Rangers Chairman David Murray confirms that manager Alex McLeish will leave the club at the end of the current season. He also stated that an announcement regarding a new manager and significant levels of investment into the club will be made in March.[12]
  • 11 February: Livingston Manager Paul Lambert resigns after defeat at home to Dunfermline left them six points adrift at the bottom of the table having taken just 12 points from 26 games.[13]
  • 15 February: Livingston appoint former player John Robertson as their new Manager.
  • 8 March: Rangers Chairman David Murray's announces a 10-year licence agreement with sports retailer JJB Sports. Rangers will net an initial £18m and a minimum of £3m each year on royalty fees for the duration of the licence.[14]
  • 11 March: Rangers confirm that former Olympique Lyonnais manager Paul Le Guen will succeed Alex McLeish at the start of the 2006–07 season, signing a three-year contract.
  • 13 March: Former Celtic legend Jimmy Johnstone dies at the age of 61 after a long battle with motor neurone disease.[15]
  • 19 March: Celtic win the League Cup, beating Dunfermline 3–0 at Hampden Park.[16]
  • 23 March: Hearts sack head coach Graham Rix after just 4 months in charge. Valdas Ivanauskas was appointed as head coach for the interim[17]
  • 25 March: Gretna win the Second Division and are promoted to the First Division with their second successive promotion.[18]
  • 5 April: Celtic win the SPL after beating 2nd placed Hearts 1–0 at Celtic Park.[19]
  • 16 April: St Mirren win promotion to the SPL after a 2–1 win over Dundee.[20]
  • 29 April: Livingston are relegated from the SPL after a 1–0 defeat to Inverness Caledonian Thistle.[21] Meanwhile, Cowdenbeath clinch the Third Division title after beating Elgin City 2–1.[22]
  • 3 May: Hearts clinch second place and a spot in the Champions League qualifiers with a 1–0 home win over Aberdeen. This marks the first time since the 1994–95 season that the Old Firm clubs have failed to finish in the top two places in the SPL. Hearts' win also ensures that Gretna will play European football next season in the UEFA Cup.
  • 13 May: Hearts win the Scottish Cup 4–2 on penalties after a 1–1 draw with Second Division champions Gretna.[23]

Major transfer deals edit

2005 edit

2006 edit

League competitions edit

Scottish Premier League edit

The Scottish Premier League 2005–06 season finished in May 2006 with Celtic as champions. Livingston were relegated to the First Division and First Division winners St Mirren were promoted. For the first time in 11 years, when Celtic finished fourth behind Rangers, Motherwell and Hibernian, the Old Firm were separated with Rangers finishing third behind Hearts. Kris Boyd was the top scorer with 32 goals (15 for Kilmarnock and 17 for Rangers). Attendances went up to 3.7 million, the highest figure in top-flight Scottish football since the 1960s.

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsQualification or relegation[a]
1Celtic (C)3828739337+5691Qualification for the Champions League group stage
2Heart of Midlothian3822887131+4074Qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round
3Rangers38211076737+3073Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round
4Hibernian38175166156+556Qualification for the UEFA Intertoto Cup second round[b]
5Kilmarnock381510136364−155
6Aberdeen381315104640+654
7Inverness Caledonian Thistle381513105138+1358
8Motherwell381310155561−649
9Dundee United38712194166−2533
10Falkirk3889213564−2933
11Dunfermline Athletic3889213368−3533
12Livingston (R)3846282579−5418Relegation to the Scottish First Division
Source: Scottish Professional Football League
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions; (R) Relegated
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 2006 UEFA Intertoto Cup by being the highest place applicant for the competition.

Scottish First Division edit

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsPromotion, qualification or relegation
1St Mirren (C, P)3623765228+2476Promotion to the Premier League
2St Johnstone36181265934+2566
3Hamilton Academical36151475339+1459
4Ross County36141484740+756
5Clyde361510115442+1255
6Airdrie United361112135743+1445
7Dundee36916114350−743
8Queen of the South36712173154−2333
9Stranraer (R)36514173353−2029Qualification for the First Division Play-offs
10Brechin City (R)36211232874−4617Relegation to the Second Division
Source: "2005-2006 First Division - SPFL Archive". SPFL. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated

Scottish Second Division edit

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsPromotion, qualification or relegation
1Gretna (C, P)3628449730+6788Promotion to the 2006–07 First Division and
qualification for UEFA Cup second qualifying round[a]
2Greenock Morton3621785833+2570Qualification for the First Division Play-offs[b]
3Peterhead36176135347+657
4Partick Thistle (P)36169115756+157
5Stirling Albion36156155463−951
6Ayr United361012145661−542
7Raith Rovers36119164454−1042
8Forfar Athletic36124204455−1140
9Alloa Athletic3688203677−4132Qualification for the Second Division Play-offs[c]
10Dumbarton (R)3675244063−2326Relegation to the 2006–07 Third Division
Source: "2005-2006 Second Division - SPFL Archive". SPFL. Retrieved 29 April 2021.
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted; (R) Relegated
Notes:
  1. ^ As Heart of Midlothian, the Scottish Cup winners, qualified for the Champions League via their league position, the place in the UEFA Cup was passed to Gretna, the cup runner-up.
  2. ^ 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 2006–07 First Division, Stranraer were relegated and Partick Thistle were promoted.
  3. ^ 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 2006–07 Second Division, Alloa Athletic won the play-off to stay in the division.

Scottish Third Division edit

PosTeamPldWDLGFGAGDPtsPromotion or qualification
1Cowdenbeath (C, P)3624488134+4776Promotion to the Second Division
2Berwick Rangers3623765427+2776Qualification for the Second Division Play-offs[a]
3Stenhousemuir3623497838+4073
4Arbroath36167135747+1055
5Elgin City36157145558−352
6Queen's Park361312114742+551
7East Fife36134194864−1643
8Albion Rovers3678213960−2129
9Montrose36610203159−2828
10East Stirlingshire3665252889−6123
Source: Soccerway
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions; (P) Promoted
Notes:
  1. ^ The 2nd, 3rd and 4th placed teams will be entered into a play-off with the Second Division's 9th placed team. The winning team will be awarded a place in the 2006–07 Second Division, Alloa Athletic won the play-off to stay in the division.

Other honours edit

Cup honours edit

Hearts became the first non-Old Firm club to win the Scottish Cup since they themselves lifted the trophy in 1998. Second Division side Gretna became the first club in history from the third-tier of Scottish football to reach the final. Celtic meanwhile lifted the League Cup in what was manager Gordon Strachan's first trophy as manager. St Mirren were winners of the Challenge Cup in a season that would eventually see them promoted to the SPL. Auchinleck Talbot lifted the Junior Cup.

CompetitionWinnerScoreRunner-upReport
Scottish Cup 2005–06Heart of Midlothian1 – 1
(4 – 2 pen.)
GretnaWikipedia article
League Cup 2005–06Celtic3–0Dunfermline AthleticWikipedia article
Challenge Cup 2005–06St Mirren2–1Hamilton AcademicalWikipedia article
Youth CupCeltic3–1Heart of Midlothian
Junior CupAuchinleck Talbot2–1Bathgate ThistleBBC Sport

Non-league honours edit

Senior honours edit

CompetitionWinner
Highland League 2005–06Deveronvale
East of Scotland LeagueEdinburgh City
South of Scotland LeagueThreave Rovers

Junior honours edit

CompetitionWinner
West RegionAuchinleck Talbot
East RegionTayport
North RegionCulter

Individual honours edit

SPFA awards edit

AwardWinnerClub
Players' Player of the Year Shaun MaloneyCeltic
Young Player of the Year Shaun MaloneyCeltic

SFWA awards edit

AwardWinnerClub
Footballer of the Year Craig GordonHeart of Midlothian
Young player of the Year Steven NaismithKilmarnock
Manager of the Year Gordon StrachanCeltic

Scottish clubs in Europe edit

Summary edit

ClubCompetitionFinal roundCoef.
RangersUEFA Champions LeagueRound of 1614.00
CelticUEFA Champions LeagueSecond qualifying round1.00
HibernianUEFA CupFirst round1.00
Dundee UnitedUEFA CupSecond qualifying round1.00

Average coefficient – 4.250

Rangers edit

DateVenueOpponentsScore[a]Rangers scorer(s)Reports
Champions League Third qualifying round
9 AugustGSP, Nicosia (A) Anorthosis Famagusta2–1Nacho Novo, Fernando RicksenBBC Sport, UEFA.com
24 AugustIbrox Stadium, Glasgow (H) Anorthosis Famagusta2–0Thomas Buffel, Dado PršoBBC Sport, UEFA.com
Champions League Group stage
13 SeptemberIbrox Stadium, Glasgow (H) FC Porto3–2Peter Løvenkrands, Dado Pršo, Sotirios KyrgiakosBBC Sport, UEFA.com
28 SeptemberSan Siro, Milan (A) Internazionale0–1BBC Sport, UEFA.com
19 OctoberIbrox Stadium, Glasgow (H) Artmedia Bratislava0–0BBC Sport, UEFA.com
1 NovemberTehelné pole, Bratislava (A) Artmedia Bratislava2–2Dado Pršo, Steven ThompsonBBC Sport, UEFA.com
23 NovemberEstádio do Dragão, Porto (A) FC Porto1–1Ross McCormackBBC Sport, UEFA.com
6 DecemberIbrox Stadium, Glasgow (H) Internazionale1–1Peter LøvenkrandsBBC Sport, UEFA.com
Champions League Round of 16
22 FebruaryIbrox Stadium, Glasgow (H) Villarreal2–2Peter Løvenkrands, Peña (o.g.)BBC Sport, UEFA.com
7 MarchEl Madrigal, Vila-real (A) Villarreal1–1Peter LøvenkrandsBBC Sport, UEFA.com

Celtic edit

DateVenueOpponentsScore[a]Celtic scorer(s)Reports
Champions League Second qualifying round
27 JulyTehelné pole, Bratislava (A) Artmedia Bratislava0–5BBC Sport, UEFA.com
2 AugustCeltic Park, Glasgow (H) Artmedia Bratislava4–0Alan Thompson (pen.), John Hartson, Stephen McManus,
Craig Beattie
BBC Sport, UEFA.com

Hibernian edit

DateVenueOpponentsScore[a]Hibernian scorer(s)Report
UEFA Cup First round
15 SeptemberEaster Road, Edinburgh (H) Dnipro0–0BBC Sport
29 SeptemberMeteor Stadium, Dnipropetrovsk (A) Dnipro1–5Derek RiordanBBC Sport

Dundee United edit

DateVenueOpponentsScore[a]Dundee United scorer(s)Report
UEFA Cup Second qualifying round
11 AugustSaviniemi, Anjalankoski (A) MyPa0–0BBC Sport
25 AugustTannadice Park, Dundee (H) MyPa2–2Mark Kerr, Collin SamuelBBC Sport

Scotland national team edit

Scotland failed in their attempt to qualify for the 2006 World Cup, eventually finishing third in their group. However, significant improvement was shown in results with just two defeats from nine matches, compared with four defeats from nine during the previous season. Wins against Moldova and Norway and a draw at home to Italy had raised hopes that Scotland could gain second place behind Italy and therefore enter the play-offs. However a 1–0 defeat at home to Belarus ended their hopes of qualification. They finished the season strongly, however, with a victory over Slovenia and also lifted the Kirin Cup — beating Bulgaria and drawing with hosts Japan.

DateVenueOpponentsScore[b]CompetitionScotland scorer(s)Report
17 AugustArnold Schwarzenegger Stadion, Graz (A)  Austria2–2FriendlyKenny Miller, Garry O'ConnorBBC Sport
3 SeptemberHampden Park, Glasgow (H)  Italy1–1WCQ5Kenny MillerBBC Sport
7 SeptemberUllevaal Stadium, Oslo (A)  Norway2–1WCQ5Kenny Miller (2)BBC Sport
8 OctoberHampden Park, Glasgow (H)  Belarus0–1WCQ5BBC Sport
12 OctoberArena Petrol, Celje (A)  Slovenia3–0WCQ5Darren Fletcher, James McFadden, Paul HartleyBBC Sport
12 NovemberHampden Park, Glasgow (H)  United States1–1FriendlyAndy WebsterBBC Sport
1 MarchHampden Park, Glasgow (H)   Switzerland1–3FriendlyKenny MillerBBC Sport
11 MayKobe Wing Stadium, Kobe (N)  Bulgaria5–1Kirin CupKris Boyd (2), Chris Burke (2), James McFaddenBBC Sport
13 MaySaitama Stadium, Tokyo (A)  Japan0–0Kirin CupBBC Sport
Key
  • (A) = Away match
  • (H) = Home match
  • WCQ5 = World Cup Qualifying – Group 5

Deaths edit

Notes edit

  1. ^ a b c d The score of the Scottish team is shown first.
  2. ^ Scotland's score is shown first.

References edit

External links edit