2007–08 Motherwell F.C. season

The 2007–08 season was Motherwell's 10th season in the Scottish Premier League, and their 23rd consecutive season in the top division of Scottish football. Because of finishing 3rd in the SPL, the club managed to qualify for Europe in the UEFA Cup, their first season in Europe for 13 years.

Motherwell
2007–08 season
ChairmanJohn Boyle
ManagerMark McGhee
Premier League3rd
Scottish CupFifth Round
League CupQuarter-finals
Top goalscorerChris Porter (18)
Highest home attendance10,445 vs Rangers (17 May 2008)
Lowest home attendance3,571 vs Raith Rovers (29 August 2007)
Average home league attendance6,599

Important events

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  • 18 June 2007 – Motherwell name Mark McGhee as their new manager, replacing Maurice Malpas, who was sacked at the end of the previous season.[1]
  • 4 August 2007 – The first Scottish Premier League fixture of the season (against St Mirren) ends in a 1–0 win at Love Street.
  • 25 August 2007 – Motherwell play at Fir Park as the away team for the first time in their history, in a match with Gretna, who are groundsharing for the season. Motherwell win the match 2–1
  • 29 August 2007 – The first League Cup fixture of the season against Raith Rovers ends in a 3–1 win at Fir Park. Motherwell advance to the Third Round.
  • 31 October 2007 – Motherwell are eliminated from the League Cup against Rangers, ending in a 2–1 defeat at Fir Park
  • 29 December 2007 – Captain Phil O'Donnell dies after collapsing on the pitch during Motherwell's 5–3 win over Dundee United. A post mortem reveals left ventricular failure of the heart. Motherwell's next two games (against Hibernian and Celtic) are postponed as a mark of respect. Players wear O'Donnell's signature on their shirts for the rest of the season.[2]
  • 4 January 2008 – The funeral of Phil O'Donnell is held at St. Mary's Church, Hamilton.[3]
  • 12 January 2008 – The first Scottish Cup fixture of the season against Hearts (also the first match Motherwell play since O'Donnell's death) ends in a 2–2 draw at Tynecastle. Motherwell win the replay 1–0. The club advance to the Fifth Round.
  • 4 February 2008 – Motherwell are eliminated from the Scottish Cup after a 2–1 defeat to Dundee at Fir Park.
  • 10 May 2008 – Motherwell beat Aberdeen 2–1 to all but seal their place in next seasons UEFA Cup. Hibernian's 2–0 defeat to Celtic confirms Motherwell's place in Europe for the first time in 13 years.
  • 22 May 2008 – The final Scottish Premier League fixture of the season against Hibernian ends in a 2–0 win at Easter Road.

Squad

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Updated 5 December 2010[4]

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   SCO Graeme Smith
2 DF   SCO Martyn Corrigan
3 DF   SCO Steven Hammell
4 DF   SCO Mark Reynolds
5 DF   NIR Stephen Craigan
6 DF   NIR Brian McLean
7 MF   SCO Stephen Hughes
8 FW   SCO Simon Lappin
9 FW   ENG Chris Porter
11 FW   SCO Ross McCormack
12 FW   SCO David Clarkson
14 MF   SCO Keith Lasley
No. Pos. Nation Player
15 GK   ENG Luke Daniels
16 MF   SCO Marc Fitzpatrick
17 MF   SCO Robert Malcolm
18 MF   SCO Steven McGarry
20 GK   SCO Colin Meldrum
23 DF   SCO Paul Quinn
23 MF   SCO Darren Smith
30 FW   SCO Paul Slane
32 FW   SCO Jamie Murphy
33 FW   SCO Mark Archdeacon
44 FW   SCO Robert McHugh

Transfers

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Date Position Nationality Name From Fee
31 August 2007 MF   Stephen Hughes   Leicester City Undisclosed[5]
31 January 2008 DF   Steven Hammell   Southend £110,000[6]
26 February 2008 DF   Robert Malcolm   Derby County Free[7]

Loans in

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Date from Date to Position Nationality Name From
31 August 2007[5] 6 Months   Lewis Grabban   Crystal Palace
31 January 2008 6 Months MF   Simon Lappin   Norwich City
31 January 2008 6 Months   Luke Daniels   West Brom


Date Position Nationality Name To Fee
24 May 2007 MF   Kevin McBride   Darlington Free[8]
25 July 2007 MF   Brian Kerr Hibernian Free
30 July 2007 FW   Scott McDonald Celtic £700,000
1 August 2007 GK   Alan Martin   Leed United Free
17 August 2007 DF   Paul Keegan Partick Thistle Undisclosed[9]
29 November 2007 DF   Simon Mensing Hamilton Undisclosed
4 January 2008 DF   Martyn Corrigan Kilmarnock Free
19 January 2008 DF   William Kinniburgh Partick Thistle Undisclosed
19 January 2008 DF   Jim Paterson   Plymouth Undisclosed[10]

Loans out

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Date from Date to Position Nationality Name To
5 October 2007[11] 5 November 2007 DF   Martyn Corrigan Dundee
19 October 2007[12] 3 months DF   David Nixon Queen of the South
2 November 2007[13] 3 months DF   Danny Murphy Dunfermline
29 November 2007 2 months DF   William Kinniburgh Partick Thistle
20 February 2008 6 months FW   Martin Grehan Forfar


Released

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Date Position Nationality Name Joined Date

Competitions

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Overview

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Competition First match Last match Starting round Final position Record
Pld W D L GF GA GD Win %
Premier League 4 August 2007 22 May 2008 Matchday 1 3rd 38 18 6 14 50 46 +4 047.37
Scottish Cup 12 January 2008 11 February 2008 Fourth round Fifth Round 3 1 1 1 4 4 +0 033.33
League Cup 29 August 2007 31 October 2007 Second round Quarterfinal 3 2 0 1 8 5 +3 066.67
Total 44 21 7 16 62 55 +7 047.73

Last updated: 22 May 2008
Source: Soccerway

Premier League

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Table

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Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation[a]
1 Celtic (C) 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
Source: Scottish Professional Football League
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
(C) Champions
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.

Results summary

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Overall Home Away
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts W D L GF GA GD W D L GF GA GD
38 18 6 14 50 46  +4 60 9 4 6 30 26  +4 9 2 8 20 20  0

Source: BBC Sport

Results by round

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Round1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738
GroundAHHAHAAHAHAHAAHAHHAHAHAHHAAAAHAHHHAHHA
ResultWWLWLWLDLWLDWWWWWLLWLWWWLDDLLWWLDLLWDW
Position43435455656555533333443333345433333333
Source: BBC Sport
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Results

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[14]

Date Opponent Venue Result[15] Attendance Motherwell Scorer(s)[16] Report
4 August 2007 St Mirren Love Street, Paisley (A) 1–0 5,257 McGarry (3) BBC Sport
11 August 2007 Inverness C.T. Fir Park, Motherwell (H) 2–1 4,259 O'Donnell   85', McCormack   90' (pen.)
18 August 2007 Kilmarnock Fir Park, Motherwell (H) 1–2 4,985 Clarkson (23)
25 August 2007 Gretna Fir Park, Motherwell[17] (A) 2–1 3,758 Lasley (8), Porter (62) BBC Sport
3 September 2007 Hearts Fir Park, Motherwell (H) 0–2 5,081
15 September 2007 Aberdeen Pittodrie, Aberdeen (A) 2–1 10,154 Quinn (34), Porter (37) BBC Sport
22 September 2007 Falkirk Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk (A) 0–1 5,245
29 August 2007 Rangers Fir Park, Motherwell (H) 1–1 10,009 Porter (24) BBC Sport
6 October 2007 Dundee United Tannadice, Dundee (A) 0–1 6,286 BBC Sport
20 October 2007 Hibernian Fir Park, Motherwell (H) 2–1 7,071 McCormack (35,37)
27 October 2007 Celtic Celtic Park, Glasgow (A) 0–3 57,566 BBC Sport
3 November 2007 St Mirren Fir Park, Motherwell (H) 1–1 5,123 Porter (29) BBC Sport
10 November 2007 Inverness C.T. Caledonian Stadium, Inverness (A) 3–0 3,608 Clarkson (15,53), Smith (87)
24 November 2007 Kilmarnock Rugby Park, Kilmarnock (A) 1–0 5,016 O'Donnell (46) BBC Sport
1 December 2007 Gretna Fir Park, Motherwell (H) 3–0 6,431 Clarkson (44,74), Porter (61) BBC Sport
8 December 2007 Hearts Tynecastle, Edinburgh (A) 2–1 16,633 Porter (53), Zaliukas (67 og)
15 December 2007 Aberdeen Fir Park, Motherwell (H) 3–0 5,326 McCormack (8 pen.,45), McGarry (12) BBC Sport
22 December 2007 Falkirk Fir Park, Motherwell (H) 0–3 5,241 BBC Sport
26 December 2007 Rangers Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow (A) 1–3 49,823 Quinn (65) BBC Sport
29 December 2007 Dundee United Fir Park, Motherwell (H) 5–3 5,227 Hughes (11), Porter (14), McCormack (17), Clarkson (55,56) BBC Sport
19 January 2008 St Mirren Love Street, Paisley (A) 1–3 4,291 Clarkson (11) BBC Sport
9 February 2008 Kilmarnock Fir Park, Motherwell (H) 1–0 6,618 Clarkson (90)
16 February 2008 Gretna Fir Park, Motherwell[17] (A) 3–1 2,877 Porter (25), McCormack (47,90) BBC Sport
20 February 2008 Inverness C.T. Fir Park, Motherwell (H) 3–1 4,526 Clarkson (7,42), Porter (10)
23 February 2008 Hearts Fir Park, Motherwell (H) 0–1 5,925
27 February 2008 Aberdeen Pittodrie, Aberdeen (A) 1–1 8,240 Smith (83) BBC Sport
1 March 2008 Falkirk Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk (A) 0–0 5,108 BBC Sport
12 March 2008 Hibernian Easter Road, Edinburgh (A) 0–1 11,692 BBC Sport
22 March 2008 Dundee United Tannadice, Dundee (A) 0–2 6,779 BBC Sport
29 March 2008 Hibernian Fir Park, Motherwell (H) 1–0 6,580 Clarkson (3)
5 April 2008 Celtic Celtic Park, Glasgow (A) 1–0 58,624 Lappin (43) BBC Sport
13 April 2008 Celtic Fir Park, Motherwell (H) 1–4 9,771 McManus (24 og) BBC Sport
26 April 2008 Dundee United Fir Park, Motherwell (H) 2–2 5,027 Porter (17,50)
3 May 2008 Celtic Fir Park, Motherwell (H) 1–2 9,158 Porter (60) BBC Sport
7 May 2008 Rangers Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow (A) 0–1 48,238 BBC Sport
10 May 2008 Aberdeen Fir Park, Motherwell (H) 2–1 8,574 Smith (61), Porter (81) BBC Sport
17 May 2008 Rangers Fir Park, Motherwell (H) 1–1 10,445 Porter (50) BBC Sport
22 May 2008 Hibernian Easter Road, Edinburgh (A) 2–0 10,754 Lappin   4', Murphy   50' (pen.) BBC Sport

Scottish Cup 2007–08

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Date Round Opponent H/A Score[15] Motherwell Scorer(s)[16] Attendance Report
12 January 2008 4th Round Hearts A 2–2 Chris Porter (64,78) 13,651 BBC Sport
22 January 2008 4th Round Replay Hearts H 1–0 Ross McCormack (23 pen.) 8,300
11 February 2008 5th Round Dundee H 1–2 Darren Smith (61) 5,733

Scottish League Cup 2007–08

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Date Round Opponent H/A Score[15] Motherwell Scorer(s)[16] Attendance Report
29 August 2007 2nd Round Raith Rovers H 3–1 Brian McLean (45), Ross McCormack (74), Chris Porter (90) 3,571
26 September 2007 3rd Round Hibernian A 4–2 David Clarkson (17), Keith Lasley (20), Ross McCormack (24), Chris Porter (83) 7,000 BBC Sport
31 October 2007 Quarter-finals Rangers H 1–2 Paul Quinn (90) 9,283 BBC Sport

Squad statistics

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Appearances

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As of match played 22 May 2008[18][14]
No. Pos Nat Player Total Premier League Scottish Cup League Cup
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
1 GK   SCO Graeme Smith 42 0 36 0 3 0 3 0
2 DF   SCO Martyn Corrigan 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
3 DF   SCO Steven Hammell 16 0 15 0 1 0 0 0
4 DF   SCO Mark Reynolds 44 0 38 0 3 0 3 0
5 DF   NIR Stephen Craigan 43 0 38 0 3 0 2 0
6 DF   NIR Brian McLean 11 1 6+3 0 1 0 1 1
7 MF   SCO Stephen Hughes 35 1 29+2 1 3 0 1 0
8 MF   SCO Simon Lappin 15 2 7+7 2 0+1 0 0 0
9 FW   ENG Chris Porter 42 18 34+3 14 2 2 2+1 2
11 FW   SCO Ross McCormack 42 11 30+6 8 3 1 3 2
12 FW   SCO David Clarkson 41 13 34+1 12 3 0 2+1 1
14 MF   SCO Keith Lasley 38 2 25+7 1 3 0 3 1
15 GK   ENG Luke Daniels 2 0 2 0 0 0 0 0
16 MF   SCO Marc Fitzpatrick 35 0 19+11 0 2+1 0 1+1 0
17 MF   SCO Bob Malcolm 8 0 8 0 0 0 0 0
18 MF   SCO Steven McGarry 34 2 27+3 2 2 0 1+1 0
22 DF   SCO Paul Quinn 35 3 31 2 2 0 2 1
23 MF   SCO Darren Smith 27 4 4+19 3 0+3 1 1 0
24 FW   SCO Martin Grehan 1 0 0+1 0 0 0 0 0
27 MF   SCO Stephen Maguire 1 0 0+1 0 0 0 0 0
32 FW   SCO Jamie Murphy 17 1 0+16 1 0+1 0 0 0
44 FW   SCO Bob McHugh 1 0 0+1 0 0 0 0 0
Players away from the club on loan:
Players who left Motherwell during the season:
3 DF   SCO Jim Paterson 25 0 20 0 2 0 3 0
8 MF   GER Simon Mensing 4 0 0+2 0 0 0 1+1 0
10 MF   SCO Phil O'Donnell 19 2 15+3 2 0 0 0+1 0
15 FW   ENG Lewis Grabban 6 0 0+5 0 0 0 0+1 0
17 DF   SCO Willie Kinniburgh 2 0 0+1 0 0 0 1 0
21 DF   IRL Danny Murphy 2 0 0+2 0 0 0 0 0

Goal scorers

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As of match played 22 May 2008
Ranking Nation Position Number Name Premier League Scottish Cup League Cup Total
1 FW   9 Chris Porter 14 2 2 18
2 FW   12 David Clarkson 12 0 1 13
3 FW   11 Ross McCormack 8 1 2 11
4 DF   22 Paul Quinn 2 1 1 4
5 DF   23 Darren Smith 3 0 0 3
6 MF   8 Simon Lappin 2 0 0 2
MF   18 Steven McGarry 2 0 0 2
MF   10 Phil O'Donnell 2 0 0 2
MF   14 Keith Lasley 1 0 1 2
Own goal 2 0 0 2
11 MF   7 Stephen Hughes 1 0 0 1
FW   32 Jamie Murphy 1 0 0 1
DF   6 Brian McLean 0 0 1 1
TOTALS 50 4 8 62

Clean sheets

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As of match played 22 May 2008
Ranking Nation Position Number Name Premier League Scottish Cup League Cup Total
1 GK   1 Graeme Smith 9 1 0 10
1 GK   15 Luke Daniels 1 0 0 1
TOTALS 10 1 0 11

Disciplinary record

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As of match played 22 May 2008
Nation Position Number Name Premier League Scottish Cup League Cup Total
               
  GK 1 Graeme Smith 1 0 1 0 2 0 4 0
  DF 2 Martyn Corrigan 5 2 0 0 0 0 5 2
  DF 3 Steven Hammell 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 0
  DF 4 Mark Reynolds 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0
  DF 5 Stephen Craigan 6 0 2 0 0 0 8 0
  DF 6 Brian McLean 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
  MF 7 Stephen Hughes 4 0 0 0 1 0 5 0
  MF 8 Simon Lappin 2 0 0 0 1 0 3 0
  FW 9 Chris Porter 6 0 0 0 0 0 6 0
  FW 11 Ross McCormack 5 0 0 0 0 0 5 0
  FW 12 David Clarkson 7 0 0 0 0 0 7 0
  MF 14 Keith Lasley 5 0 1 0 1 0 7 0
  MF 16 Marc Fitzpatrick 3 0 0 0 1 0 4 0
  MF 17 Robert Malcolm 2 1 0 0 0 0 2 1
  MF 18 Steven McGarry 1 0 0 0 1 0 2 0
  DF 23 Paul Quinn 7 0 2 0 0 0 9 0
  FW 23 Darren Smith 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
Players away from Motherwell on loan:
Players who left Motherwell during the season:
  DF 3 Jim Paterson 6 0 0 0 1 0 7 0
  MF 8 Simon Mensing 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0
  MF 10 Phil O'Donnell 3 0 0 0 1 0 4 0
TOTALS 63 1 6 0 10 0 79 1

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "McGhee named new Motherwell manager". BBC Sport.
  2. ^ Motherwell Captain O'Donnell Dies, BBC Sport, 29 December 2007
  3. ^ Footballer Died Of Heart Failure, BBC News, 1 January 2008
  4. ^ "FootballSquads – Motherwell – 2007/08". Footballsquads.co.uk. Retrieved 4 July 2018.
  5. ^ a b "Hughes and Grabban move to Well". BBC Sport. 31 August 2007.
  6. ^ "Well capture Hammell and Lappin". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  7. ^ "Malcolm seals Motherwell switch". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  8. ^ "Midfielder McBride quits Fir Park". BBC Sport. 24 May 2007.
  9. ^ "Thistle complete Keegan signing". BBC Sport. 17 August 2007.
  10. ^ "Sturrock signs defender Paterson". BBC Sport. Retrieved 7 May 2014.
  11. ^ "Dundee sign Corrigan on loan deal". news.bbc.co.uk. BBC Sport. 5 October 2007.
  12. ^ "Well's Nixon makes Queens move". BBC Sport. 19 October 2007.
  13. ^ "Well's Murphy joins Pars on loan". BBC Sport. 2 November 2007.
  14. ^ a b Motherwell FC season 2007–08, Fir Park Corner
  15. ^ a b c Motherwell's score is shown first.
  16. ^ a b c The number(s) in brackets shows the minutes of the goal(s) that was/were scored.
  17. ^ a b The match was played at Fir Park due to Gretna groundsharing at the stadium for the season.
  18. ^ Motherwell F.C. 2007–08 Statistics, Motherwell F.C. Official Site