2007–08 Hibernian F.C. season
Season 2007–08 for Hibernian could be split into three distinct parts: a great unbeaten start to the Scottish Premier League season that temporarily took the club to the top of the league;[1] a terrible middle phase which saw a long winless run and the resignation of John Collins as Hibs manager;[2] and, finally, a modest recovery under the management of Mixu Paatelainen, who was appointed in January 2008. This took Hibs into the top half of the SPL, but short of third place and the UEFA Cup spot, which was won by Motherwell.
| 2007–08 season | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Rod Petrie |
| Manager | John Collins Mixu Paatelainen |
| SPL | 6th |
| Scottish Cup | Fifth round |
| CIS Cup | Third round |
| Top goalscorer | League: Fletcher, 13 All: Fletcher, 14 |
Pre-season edit
Hibs started pre-season training at a training centre in Austria, where they worked with fitness coach Roger Propos.[3] At the end of the week they played SV Vöcklabruck in their first pre-season friendly. John Collins used this game to experiment, using 21 different players as Hibs lost the match 3–2.
Returning to Scotland, Hibs played a friendly against Brechin, which they won 2–0 with goals from Abdessalam Benjelloun and Clayton Donaldson. Four days later, Hibs routed First Division new boys Stirling Albion 5–0. Hibs then played their third friendly in eight days at the Almondvale Stadium, where they left it late against Livingston. Hibs eventually won 2–0 through goals by Steven Fletcher and Merouane Zemmama, who scored on a rebound from a penalty taken by Ross Chisholm. Hibs rounded off their pre-season campaign with two friendlies against Premiership opposition, beating Bolton Wanderers 3–0 and Middlesbrough 1–0.
Results edit
| 7 July 2007 Friendly match | SV Vöcklabruck | 3 – 2 | Hibernian | Voralpenstadion, Vöcklabruck |
| Benjelloun Joneleit | Attendance: 193 |
| 10 July 2007 Friendly match | Brechin City | 0 – 2 | Hibernian | Glebe Park, Brechin |
| Benjelloun Donaldson | Attendance: 661 Referee: Willie Hornby |
| 14 July 2007 Friendly match | Stirling Albion | 0 – 5 | Hibernian | Forthbank Stadium, Stirling |
| Benjelloun , Trialist Beuzelin Donaldson | Attendance: 1,757 Referee: Alan Muir |
| 18 July 2007 Friendly match | Livingston | 0 – 2 | Hibernian | Almondvale, Livingston |
| Shiels Zemmama | Attendance: 3,162 Referee: Steven Nicholls |
| 25 July 2007 Friendly match | Hibernian | 3 – 0 | Bolton Wanderers | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Fletcher Murphy Benjelloun | Attendance: 8,256 Referee: Dougie McDonald |
| 28 July 2007 Friendly match | Hibernian | 1 – 0 | Middlesbrough | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Campbell | Attendance: 9,082 Referee: Mike Tumilty |
League season edit
25 August 2007
Hibs got the season off to a dream start by beating Edinburgh derby rivals Hearts 1–0 at Tynecastle. Brian Kerr, who was making his competitive debut for Hibs, scored the goal in the second minute. Hibs continued their winning start to the season, coming from 2–0 down to beat Gretna 4–2.
Hibs extended their unbeaten run with two draws, 0–0 away to Dundee Utd and 3–3 at home with Aberdeen. In the latter game, Hibs had to come back from 3–1 down after two clear mistakes by their goalkeeper, Yves Ma-Kalambay. Hibs then beat Inverness 1–0 in their next game, during which Ma-Kalambay saved a penalty taken by Marius Niculae.
Despite being unbeaten in the league, Hibs were expected to struggle in the next three games, as they were due to play both of the Old Firm. Hibs upset league champions Celtic at Easter Road 3–2, although they were aided by two clear errors made by Celtic goalkeeper Artur Boruc. Hibs then bounced back from their disappointing CIS Cup exit by beating Kilmarnock 4–1, mainly thanks to a hat trick by Clayton Donaldson. In the following match, Hibs beat Rangers 1–0 at Ibrox to temporarily go top of the SPL and extend their unbeaten league run to 10 games, including the last game of the 2006–07 season.
Hibs then started a dreadful run of form by losing their next two games against Motherwell and St Mirren. After a 1–0 victory over Gretna, Hibs went on a run of 11 games without a win in the SPL. By the end of 2007, Hibs had fallen out of the top six. This slump prompted the resignation of manager John Collins in December.
4 May 2008
Mixu Paatelainen was appointed as manager on 10 January 2008. Hibs won their first game under him, defeating Inverness 3–0 in the Scottish Cup, but lost their first league game, 1–0 in the derby at Tynecastle. Hibs won four successive league games in February, defeating Gretna 4–2, Aberdeen 3–1, Inverness 2–0 and Falkirk 2–0. Hibs lost their next league game 2–0 against Celtic, but bounced back to win their next two games, 1–0 against Motherwell and 2–0 against Kilmarnock. This completed a run of 6 wins in 7 league games.
Hibs lost their next two games to Rangers and Motherwell, but defeated St Mirren 2–0 in their last game before the SPL split. Hibs guaranteed a spot in the Intertoto Cup by finishing in the top six at the split. This was because Falkirk, the only other SPL side who applied to enter the competition, finished in the bottom half of the table and therefore could no longer overtake Hibs. Hibs were in contention for a UEFA Cup place at this point, but then only took two points from the five games after the league split and finished in sixth place.
Results edit
| 6 August 2007 SPL | Heart of Midlothian | 0 – 1 | Hibernian | Tynecastle, Edinburgh |
| Kerr 2' | Attendance: 16,436 Referee: Stuart Dougal |
| 18 August 2007 SPL | Dundee United | 0 – 0 | Hibernian | Tannadice Park, Dundee |
| Attendance: 8,405 Referee: Mike McCurry |
| 1 September 2007 SPL | Hibernian | 1 – 0 | Inverness CT | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Fletcher 2' (pen.) | Attendance: 13,258 Referee: Eddie Smith |
| 15 September 2007 SPL | Falkirk | 1 – 1 | Hibernian | Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk |
| Moutinho 47' | Donaldson 5' (pen.) | Attendance: 6,298 Referee: William Collum |
| 29 September 2007 SPL | Hibernian | 4 – 1 | Kilmarnock | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Donaldson 12', 31' (pen.), 78' (pen.) Antoine-Curier 65' | Nish 76' | Attendance: 14,500 Referee: Stuart Dougal |
| 6 October 2007 SPL | Rangers | 0 – 1 | Hibernian | Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow |
| Murphy 61' | Attendance: 50,440 Referee: Kenny Clark |
| 20 October 2007 SPL | Motherwell | 2 – 1 | Hibernian | Fir Park, Motherwell |
| McCormack 35', 37' | Fletcher 31' (pen.) | Attendance: 7,071 Referee: Charlie Richmond |
| 27 October 2007 SPL | Hibernian | 0 – 1 | St Mirren | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Mehmet 13' | Attendance: 13,884 Referee: Chris Boyle |
| 4 November 2007 SPL | Hibernian | 1 – 1 | Heart of Midlothian | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Berra 18' (o.g.) | Nade 46' | Attendance: 17,015 Referee: Charlie Richmond |
| 10 November 2007 SPL | Gretna | 0 – 1 | Hibernian | Fir Park, Motherwell |
| Fletcher 52' | Attendance: 2,666 Referee: Eddie Smith |
| 24 November 2007 SPL | Hibernian | 2 – 2 | Dundee United | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Benjelloun 77' Antoine-Curier 82' (pen.) | Robertson 66', 74' | Attendance: 14,440 Referee: William Collum |
| 2 December 2007 SPL | Aberdeen | 3 – 1 | Hibernian | Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen |
| Miller 33' Clark 47' Young 86' | Fletcher 24' | Attendance: 10,110 Referee: Craig Thomson |
| 8 December 2007 SPL | Inverness CT | 2 – 0 | Hibernian | Caley Stadium, Inverness |
| Niculae 42', 78' | Attendance: 4,224 Referee: Kenny Clark |
| 15 December 2007 SPL | Hibernian | 1 – 1 | Falkirk | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Donaldson 21' (pen.) | Barrett 80' | Attendance: 12,391 Referee: Iain Brines |
| 22 December 2007 SPL | Celtic | 1 – 1 | Hibernian | Celtic Park, Glasgow |
| Jarosik 78' | Murphy 20' | Attendance: 58,016 Referee: Mike McCurry |
| 26 December 2007 SPL | Kilmarnock | 2 – 1 | Hibernian | Rugby Park, Kilmarnock |
| Nish 36' Taouil 75' | Shiels 90' (pen.) | Attendance: 6,372 Referee: Mike McCurry |
| 29 December 2007 SPL | Hibernian | 1 – 2 | Rangers | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Zemmama 88' | Naismith 12' Cousin 59' | Attendance: 16,217 Referee: Charlie Richmond |
| 5 January 2008 SPL | St Mirren | 2 – 1 | Hibernian | Love Street, Paisley |
| Maxwell 4' Mason 43' | Antoine-Curier 89' | Attendance: 4,212 Referee: Kenny Clark |
| 19 January 2008 SPL | Heart of Midlothian | 1 – 0 | Hibernian | Tynecastle, Edinburgh |
| Velicka 20' | Attendance: 17,131 Referee: Kenny Clark |
| 9 February 2008 SPL | Dundee United | 1 – 1 | Hibernian | Tannadice Park, Dundee |
| Hunt 13' (pen.) | Rankin 46' | Attendance: 6,635 Referee: Eddie Smith |
| 17 February 2008 SPL | Hibernian | 3 – 1 | Aberdeen | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Zemmama 49' Shiels 55' Fletcher 90' | Diamond 18' | Attendance: 13,825 Referee: Charlie Richmond |
| 23 February 2008 SPL | Hibernian | 2 – 0 | Inverness CT | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Nish 3' Fletcher 5' | Attendance: 12,522 Referee: Kenny Clark |
| 27 February 2008 SPL | Falkirk | 0 – 2 | Hibernian | Falkirk Stadium, Falkirk |
| Ross 12' (o.g.) Rankin 52' | Attendance: 5,928 Referee: Steve Conroy |
| 1 March 2008 SPL | Hibernian | 0 – 2 | Celtic | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Naylor 64' Samaras 75' | Attendance: 15,735 Referee: Iain Brines |
| 12 March 2008 SPL | Hibernian | 1 – 0 | Motherwell | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Nish 52' | Attendance: 11,692 Referee: William Collum |
| 15 March 2008 SPL | Hibernian | 2 – 0 | Kilmarnock | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Morais 29' Fletcher 73' | Attendance: 12,486 Referee: Charlie Richmond |
| 22 March 2008 SPL | Rangers | 2 – 1 | Hibernian | Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow |
| Darcheville 40' Novo 79' | Shiels 90' | Attendance: 50,117 Referee: Steve Conroy |
| 29 March 2008 SPL | Motherwell | 1 – 0 | Hibernian | Fir Park, Motherwell |
| Clarkson 3' | Attendance: 6,580 Referee: Kenny Clark |
| 5 April 2008 SPL | Hibernian | 2 – 0 | St Mirren | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Nish 4' Zemmama 5' | Attendance: 13,161 Referee: Stephen Finnie |
| 20 April 2008 SPL | Dundee United | 1 – 1 | Hibernian | Tannadice Park, Dundee |
| Hunt 60' (pen.) | Shiels 57' | Attendance: 7,404 Referee: Eddie Smith |
| 26 April 2008 SPL | Aberdeen | 2 – 1 | Hibernian | Pittodrie Stadium, Aberdeen |
| Mackie 63' Miller 70' (pen.) | Shiels 54' | Attendance: 8,387 Referee: Stuart Dougal |
| 4 May 2008 SPL | Hibernian | 0 – 0 | Rangers | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Attendance: 16,872 Referee: Calum Murray |
| 11 May 2008 SPL | Celtic | 2 – 0 | Hibernian | Celtic Park, Glasgow |
| McManus 37' McDonald 87' | Attendance: 58,515 Referee: Dougie McDonald |
| 22 May 2008 SPL | Hibernian | 0 – 2 | Motherwell | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Lappin 4' Murphy 50' (pen.) | Attendance: 10,754 Referee: Charlie Richmond |
Final table edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation[a] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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[b] |
| 7 | Falkirk | 38 | 13 | 10 | 15 | 45 | 49 | −4 | 49 | |
| 8 | Heart of Midlothian | 38 | 13 | 9 | 16 | 47 | 55 | −8 | 48 |
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.
Scottish League Cup edit
Hibs started their defence of the CIS Cup with a 2–1 win over Queen's Park at Hampden. After the game, manager John Collins was quick to praise Filipe Morais, who scored the opening goal. They were drawn to play Motherwell at home in the next round. Hibs took the lead through an early goal by Clayton Donaldson, but Motherwell ran out comfortable 4–2 winners, ending Hibs' defence of the Cup and their unbeaten start to the season.
Results edit
| 28 August 2007 Scottish League Cup | Queen's Park | 1 – 2 | Hibernian | Hampden Park, Glasgow |
| Dunlop 62' | Morais 56' Fletcher 58' | Attendance: 2,343 Referee: Eddie Smith |
| 26 September 2007 Scottish League Cup | Hibernian | 2 – 4 | Motherwell | Easter Road, Edinburgh |
| Donaldson 11' Antoine-Curier 85' | Clarkson 17' Lasley 20' McCormack 24' Porter 83' | Attendance: 7,000 Referee: Mike Tummilty |
Scottish Cup edit
Hibs progressed to the fifth round of the Scottish Cup after a 3–0 win over Inverness. Dean Shiels scored a hat-trick.
They were then drawn against league leaders Rangers in the next round, and drew the first game 0–0 at Easter Road. Rangers finished the match with ten men after Allan McGregor was sent off for a professional foul on Shiels. The tie was replayed at Ibrox on 9 March, but Hibs lost 0–1 to a goal by Chris Burke while Hibs were temporarily down to 10 men due to an injury sustained by Ian Murray. Rangers again had a player sent off late on the match (Nacho Novo), but Hibs were unable to take advantage of the extra man.
Results edit
| 12 January 2008 Scottish Cup | Hibernian | 3 – 0 | Inverness CT | Easter Road |
| Shiels 5', 53', 84' | Attendance: 12,578 Referee: Steve Conroy |
| 3 February 2008 Scottish Cup | Hibernian | 0 – 0 | Rangers | Easter Road |
| Attendance: 11,513 Referee: Craig Thomson |
| 9 March 2008 Scottish Cup | Rangers | 1 – 0 | Hibernian | Ibrox Stadium |
| Burke 39' | Attendance: 33,837 Referee: Craig Thomson |
Transfers edit
Hibs lost several key players in the 2007 close season. Star player Scott Brown was sold to Celtic for £4.4 million,[4] while Chris Killen, Hibs' top goalscorer in 2006–07, also moved to Celtic.[5] Ivan Sproule was sold to Bristol City for an undisclosed fee, estimated to be around £500,000.[6] Defender Shelton Martis joined up with former Hibs manager Tony Mowbray at West Brom for £50,000.
Hibs manager John Collins made several signings in an effort to replace those players. These included the Bosman signings of Brian Kerr, Clayton Donaldson, goalkeeper Yves Ma-Kalambay and Republic of Ireland international Alan O'Brien from Newcastle.[7] German youth international Torben Joneleit was taken on loan from AS Monaco.[8] On the last day of the summer transfer window, Hibs signed striker Mickaël Antoine-Curier from FK Haugesund for a nominal fee.[9]
During the January transfer window, new Hibs manager Mixu Paatelainen strengthened the squad by bringing in defenders Abderraouf Zarabi, Ian Murray and Martin Canning. He also signed midfielder John Rankin and striker Colin Nish. Unlike most of the summer signings, all of the winter signings, except Zarabi, had significant experience of playing in Scottish football. David Murphy was the only major transfer out during the winter, joining Birmingham for a fee of £1.5M.
Players in edit
| Players out edit
|
Loans in edit
| Loans out edit
|
Player stats edit
During the 2007–08 season, Hibs used 30 different players in competitive games. The table below shows the number of appearances and goals scored by each player.[10]
| No. | Pos | Nat | Player | Total | SPL | Scottish Cup | League Cup | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | Apps | Goals | ||||
| GK | BEL | Yves Ma-Kalambay | 34 | 0 | 29 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| GK | SCO | Andrew McNeil | 10 | 0 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | SCO | Martin Canning | 11 | 0 | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | CMR | Thierry Gathuessi | 25 | 1 | 23 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| DF | SCO | Paul Hanlon | 9 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| DF | ENG | Chris Hogg | 38 | 0 | 34 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| DF | GER | Torben Joneleit | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| DF | ENG | Rob Jones | 34 | 0 | 30 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| DF | SCO | Kevin McCann | 23 | 1 | 19 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| DF | SCO | Darren McCormack | 6 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| DF | ENG | David Murphy | 18 | 2 | 17 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| DF | ALG | Abderraouf Zarabi | 8 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | FRA | Guillaume Beuzelin | 30 | 0 | 27 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| MF | SCO | Ross Chisholm | 19 | 0 | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| MF | SCO | Brian Kerr | 30 | 1 | 25 | 1 | 3 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| MF | POR | Filipe Morais | 32 | 2 | 28 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |
| MF | SCO | Ian Murray | 17 | 0 | 15 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | FRA | Patrick Noubissie | 4 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | EIR | Alan O'Brien | 27 | 0 | 23 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| MF | SCO | John Rankin | 19 | 2 | 17 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| MF | NIR | Dean Shiels | 27 | 10 | 22 | 7 | 3 | 3 | 2 | 0 | |
| MF | SCO | Lewis Stevenson | 23 | 0 | 21 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | |
| MF | MAR | Merouane Zemmama | 31 | 6 | 28 | 6 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| FW | FRA | Mickael Antoine-Curier | 15 | 4 | 13 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| FW | MAR | Abdessalam Benjelloun | 18 | 1 | 15 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | |
| FW | SCO | Ross Campbell | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| FW | ENG | Clayton Donaldson | 21 | 6 | 18 | 5 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 1 | |
| FW | SCO | Steven Fletcher | 35 | 14 | 32 | 13 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 1 | |
| FW | ENG | Damon Gray | 2 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| FW | SCO | Colin Nish | 15 | 4 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Rangers 0–1 Hibernian". BBC Sport. 6 October 2007. from the original on 11 October 2007. Retrieved 7 October 2007.
- ^ "Collins resigns as Hibs manager". BBC Sport. BBC. 20 December 2007.
- ^ "We'll be SPL's man mountains". Edinburgh Evening News. 5 July 2007. Retrieved 5 May 2008.
- ^ Celtic win race for Hibs' Brown, BBC Sport, 15 May 2007.
- ^ Celtic confirm signing of Killen, BBC Sport, 31 May 2007.
- ^ Bristol City sign Hibs' Sproule, BBC Sport, 28 June 2007.
- ^ Alan O'Brien Joins Hibernian 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine, Hibernian official site.
- ^ Joneleit latest recruit 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine, Hibernian official site.
- ^ Mickael Antoine-Curier 27 September 2007 at the Wayback Machine, Hibernian official site.
- ^ "Hibernian 2007/2008 player appearances". Soccerbase. Retrieved 23 November 2008.
External links edit
- , Hibernian official site
- , Soccerbase