2005-06 IN SCOTTISH FOOTBALL

Competitive football has been played in Scotland since 1890

The '2005-06' season was the 109th season of competitive football in Scotland.

Contents
Notable events
2005
2006
Major transfer deals
2005
2006
Tables
Scottish Premier League
Scottish First Division
Scottish Second Division
Scottish Third Division
Play-offs
Division 1/Division 2 playoffs
Division 2/Division 3 playoffs
Cup honours
Non-league honours
Senior honours
Junior honours
Individual Honours
PFA awards
Writers' Association awards
Scottish clubs in Europe
Celtic
Rangers
Dundee United
Hibernian
Summary
Scotland national team
Deaths
References
See also
External links

Notable events


2005


★ 'June 1:' Gordon Strachan officially takes charge of Celtic after the resignation of Martin O'Neill[1]

★ 'June 1:' Former Celtic player Paul Lambert officially takes charge of Livingston following the resignation of Richard Gough.

★ 'June 16:' 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.

★ 'June 30:' George Burley is confirmed as the new manager of Hearts after days of discussions with Chief Executive Phil Anderton and major shareholder Vladimir Romanov.

★ 'July 27:' 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.[2]

★ 'August 2:' Celtic crash out of Europe, despite beating Artmedia Bratislava 4-0 in the second leg of their Champions League qualifier.[3]

★ 'August 7:' Hearts demonstrate their SPL title-challenge credentials as they claim a 4-0 home victory over local rivals Hibernian.[4]

★ 'October 22:' 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" beweeen 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.[5]

★ 'November 6:' St Mirren win the first trophy of the season beating Hamilton Academical 2-1 in the Challenge Cup final.[6]

★ 'November 8:' Graham Rix is appointed as Hearts new Head Coach.[7]

★ 'November 14:' Rangers Chairman David Murray gives his short-term backing to under-fire Manager Alex McLeish despite recent poor results.[8]

★ 'December 6:' Rangers become first Scottish club to reach the Champions League knock-out stages after drawing 1-1 with Inter Milan at Ibrox.
2006


★ 'January 10:' Gordon Chisholm is sacked as Manager of Dundee United.[9]

★ 'January 13:' Dundee United appoint Inverness Manager Craig Brewster at the helm after the sacking of Gordon Chisholm.[10]

★ 'January 19:' 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.

★ 'January 27:' Inverness coach and former player Charlie Christie is appointed as the club's new manager.

★ 'February 8:' 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.

★ 'February 9:' 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.[11]

★ 'February 11:' 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.[12]

★ 'February 15:' Livingston appoint former player John Robertson as their new Manager.

★ 'March 8:' 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.[13]

★ 'March 11:' 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.

★ 'March 13:' Former Celtic legend Jimmy Johnstone dies at the age of 61 after a long battle with motor neurone disease.[14]

★ 'March 19:' Celtic win the Scottish League Cup, beating Dunfermline 3-0 at Hampden Park.[15]

★ 'March 23:' Hearts sack head coach Graham Rix after just 4 months in charge. Valdas Ivanauskas was appointed as head coach for the interim[16]

★ 'March 25:' Gretna win the Second Division and are promoted to the First Division with their second successive promotion.[17]

★ 'April 5:' Celtic win the SPL after beating 2nd placed Hearts 1-0 at Celtic Park.[18]

★ 'April 16:' St Mirren win promotion to the SPL after a 2-1 win over Dundee.[19]

★ 'April 29:' Livingston are relegated from the SPL after a 1-0 defeat to Inverness Caledonian Thistle.[20] Meanwhile, Cowdenbeath clinch the Third Division title after beating Elgin City 2-1.[21]

★ 'May 3:' 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.

★ 'May 13:' Hearts win the Scottish Cup 4-2 on penalties after a 1-1 draw with Second Division champions Gretna.[22]

Major transfer deals


2005


June 3 2005 - Lee Miller from Bristol City to Dundee United, £225,000

June 9 2005 - Ian Murray from Hibernian to Rangers, Free

June 13 2005 - Jamie Smith from ADO Den Haag to Aberdeen, Free

June 14 2005 - Brahim Hemdani from Marseille to Rangers, Free

June 14 2005 - Jackie McNamara from Celtic to Wolves, Free

June 16 2005 - Paul Tierney from Manchester United to Livingston, Free

June 21 2005 - Mohammed Camara from Burnley to Celtic, Free

June 30 2005 - Michael Stewart from Manchester United to Hibernian, Free

July 1 2005 - Jérémie Aliadière from Arsenal to Celtic, Loan

July 5 2005 - Jose-Karl Pierre-Fanfan from Paris Saint Germain to Rangers, Free

July 6 2005 - Mark Burchill from Hearts to Dunfermline, Free

July 7 2005 - Maciej Żurawski from Wisła Kraków to Celtic, £2m

July 7 2005 - Derek Stillie from Dunfermline to Dundee United, Undisclosed fee

July 7 2005 - Barry Nicholson from Dunfermline to Aberdeen, Undisclosed fee (reportedly £250,000)

July 8 2005 - Federico Nieto from Club Almagro to Rangers, Loan

July 13 2005 - Artur Boruc from Legia Warszawa to Celtic, Loan

July 14 2005 - Steve Lovell from Dundee to Aberdeen, Undisclosed fee (reportedly £250,000)

July 19 2005 - Rudolf Skácel from Marseille to Hearts, Loan

July 20 2005 - Adam Virgo from Brighton to Celtic, £1.5m

July 21 2005 - Paul Telfer from Southampton to Celtic, Undisclosed fee

July 25 2005 - Edgaras Jankauskas from FBK Kaunas to Hearts, Loan

July 29 2005 - Shunsuke Nakamura from Reggina to Celtic, £2.5m

August 4 2005 - Julien Rodriguez from Monaco to Rangers, £1m

August 12 2005 - David Fernández from Celtic to Dundee United, Free

August 30 2005 - Sotirios Kyrgiakos from Panathinaikos to Rangers, Free

August 31 2005 - Maurice Ross from Rangers to Sheffield Wednesday, season Loan

August 31 2005 - Zurab Khizanishvili from Rangers to Blackburn Rovers, season Loan

August 31 2005 - Francis Jeffers from Charlton Athletic to Rangers, six month Loan

August 31 2005 - Samuel Almeida Camazzola from Juventude to Hearts, season Loan

August 31 2005 - Du Wei from Shanghai Shenhua to Celtic, Loan

August 31 2005 - Michael Ball from Rangers to PSV Eindhoven, Free

August 31 2005 - Filippo Maniero from Torino to Rangers, Free

September 1 2005 - Olivier Bernard from Southampton to Rangers, Free
2006


January 1 2006 - Kris Boyd from Kilmarnock to Rangers, Undisclosed fee (reportedly £400,000)

January 1 2006 - Roy Keane from Manchester United to Celtic, Free

January 3 2006 - Wes Hoolahan from Shelbourne to Livingston, £100,000

January 5 2006 - Chris Sutton from Celtic to Birmingham City, Free

January 10 2006 - Steven Thompson from Rangers to Cardiff City, Undisclosed fee (reportedly £250,000)

January 10 2006 - Darryl Duffy from Falkirk to Hull City, Undisclosed fee

January 11 2006 - Steven Hislop from Gillingham to Livingston, Undisclosed fee (reportedly Nominal)

January 11 2006 - Lee Johnson from Yeovil Town to Hearts, Nominal fee

January 13 2006 - Nerijus Barasa from FBK Kaunas to Hearts, six month Loan

January 16 2006 - Mark Wilson from Dundee United to Celtic, Undisclosed fee (reportedly £500,000)

January 17 2006 - Neil McCann from Southampton to Hearts, Free

January 24 2006 - Chris Hackett from Oxford United to Hearts, £20,000

January 26 2006 - Chris Killen from Oldham Athletic to Hibernian, Free

January 26 2006 - Neil MacFarlane from Hearts to Aberdeen, Free

January 27 2006 - Scott Muirhead from Aberdeen to Dunfermline, Free

January 27 2006 - Andy Campbell from Cardiff City to Dunfermline, Free

January 27 2006 - Stephen Simmons from Hearts to Dunfermline, Free

January 30 2006 - Dion Dublin from Leicester City to Celtic, Free

January 31 2006 - José Gonçalves from FBK Kaunas to Hearts, Loan

January 31 2006 - Juho Mäkelä from HJK Helsinki to Hearts, Free

January 31 2006 - Bruno Aguiar from FBK Kaunas to Hearts, Loan

January 31 2006 - Mirsad Bešlija from Racing Genk to Hearts, £850,000

January 31 2006 - Lindsay Wilson from PSV Eindhoven to Kilmarnock, Loan

January 31 2006 - Paul Dalglish from Livingston to Hibernian, Nominal fee

January 31 2006 - Luděk Stracený from FBK Kaunas to Hearts, Loan

January 31 2006 - Martin Petráš from FBK Kaunas to Hearts, Loan

January 31 2006 - Ferne Snoyl from Feyenoord to Aberdeen, Loan

March 8 2006 - Garry O'Connor from Hibernian to Lokomotiv Moscow, £1.6m

Tables


Scottish Premier League

Main articles: Scottish Premier League 2005-06

The Scottish Premier League 2005-06 season finished in May 2006 with Celtic as champions. Livingston were relegated to the Scottish Football League and for the first time in 11 years the Old Firm were separated with Rangers finishing third behind Hearts.
PosTeamPtsPldWDLGFGA
1Celtic'91'3828739337
2Hearts'74'3822887131
3Rangers'73'38211076737
4Hibernian'56'38175166156
5Kilmarnock'55'381510136364
6Aberdeen'54'381315104640
7Inverness Caledonian Thistle'58'381513105138
8Motherwell'49'381310155561
9Dundee United'33'38712194166
10Falkirk'33'3889213564
11Dunfermline Athletic'33'3889213368
12Livingston'18'3846282579

'Champions:' Celtic

'Relegated:' Livingston
Scottish First Division

Main articles: Scottish First Division 2005-06

PosTeamPtsPldWDLGFGA
1St Mirren'76'3623765228
2St Johnstone'66'36181265934
3Hamilton Academical'59'36151475339
4Ross County'56'36141484740
5Clyde'55'361510115442
6Airdrie United'45'361112135743
7Dundee'43'36916114350
8Queen of the South'33'36712173154
9Stranraer'29'36514173353
10Brechin City'17'36211232874

'Promoted:' St Mirren

'Relegated:' Stranraer, Brechin City
Scottish Second Division

Main articles: Scottish Second Division 2005-06

PosTeamPtsPldWDLGFGA
1Gretna'88'3628449730
2Greenock Morton'70'3621785833
3Peterhead'57'361716135347
4Partick Thistle'57'36169115756
5Stirling Albion'51'36156155463
6Ayr United'42'361012145661
7Raith Rovers'42'36119164454
8Forfar Athletic'40'36124204455
9Alloa Athletic'32'3688202677
10Dumbarton'26'3675244063

'Promoted:' Gretna, Partick Thistle

'Relegated:' Dumbarton
Scottish Third Division

Main articles: Scottish Third Division 2005-06

PosTeamPtsPldWDLGFGA
1Cowdenbeath'76'3624488134
2Berwick Rangers'76'3623765427
3Stenhousemuir'73'3623497838
4Arbroath'55'36167135747
5Elgin City'52'36157145558
6Queen's Park'51'361312114742
7East Fife'43'36134194864
8Albion Rovers'29'3678213960
9Montrose'28'36610203159
10East Stirlingshire'23'3665252889

'Promoted:' Cowdenbeath

Play-offs


Division 1/Division 2 playoffs

The playoff semi-finals took place on 3 May 2006 and 6 May 2006. The final took place on 10 May 2006 and 14 May 2006.
'Semi-finals'

★ Stranraer 1-3 Partick Thistle

★ Partick Thistle 1-2 Stranraer

★ Morton 0-0 Peterhead

★ Peterhead 1-0 Morton
'Final'

★ Partick Thistle 1-2 Peterhead

★ Peterhead 1-2 Partick Thistle
(Partick Thistle win 4-2 on penalties, aet)
Division 2/Division 3 playoffs

The Playoff semi-finals took on 3 May 2006 and 6 May 2006. The final took place on 10 May 2006 and 14 May 2006.
'Semi-finals'

★ Arbroath 1-1 Alloa Athletic

★ Alloa Athletic 1-0 Arbroath

★ Stenhousemuir 0-1 Berwick Rangers

★ Berwick Rangers 0-0 Stenhousemuir
'Final'

★ Alloa Athletic 4-0 Berwick Rangers

★ Berwick Rangers 2-1 Alloa Athletic

Cup honours


Hearts became the first non-Old Firm club to win the Scotish 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-upDetailsMatch report
Scottish CupHearts1-1
(4-2 pens)
GretnaScottish Cup 2005-06BBC
League CupCeltic3-0Dunfermline AthleticScottish League Cup 2005-06BBC
Challenge CupSt Mirren2-1Hamilton AcademicalBBC
Junior CupAuchinleck Talbot2-1Bathgate ThistleBBC

Non-league honours


Senior honours

CompetitionWinner
Highland LeagueDeveronvale
East of Scotland LeagueEdinburgh City
South of Scotland LeagueThreave Rovers

Junior honours

CompetitionWinner
West RegionAuchinleck Talbot
East Region''League restructured
North RegionCulter

Individual Honours


PFA awards

Award Player Club
Players' Player of the Year Shaun Maloney Celtic
Young Player of the Year Shaun Maloney Celtic

Writers' Association awards

Award Player Club
Footballer of the Year Craig Gordon Hearts
Young player of the Year Steven Naismith Kilmarnock
Manager of the Year Gordon Strachan Celtic

Scottish clubs in Europe


Results for Scotland's participants in European competition for the 2005-06 season
'Note that scores are written Scottish club first.'
Celtic

DateVenueOpponentsScoreCompetitionCeltic scorersMatch Reports
Champions League Qualifying
July 27, 2005Tehelné pole, Bratislava (A)Artmedia Bratislava0-5CLQ2BBC, UEFA.com
August 2, 2005Celtic Park, Glasgow (H)Artmedia Bratislava4-0CLQ2Alan Thompson (pen), John Hartson, Stephen McManus, Craig BeattieBBC, UEFA.com

Rangers

DateVenueOpponentsScoreCompetitionRangers scorersMatch Reports
Champions League Qualifying
August 9, 2005GSP, Nicosia (A)Anorthosis Famagusta2-1CLQ3Nacho Novo, Fernando RicksenBBC, UEFA.com
August 24, 2005Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow (H)Anorthosis Famagusta2-0CLQ3Thomas Buffel, Dado PršoBBC, UEFA.com
Champions League Group Stages
September 13, 2005Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow (H)FC Porto3-2CLHPeter Løvenkrands, Dado Pršo, Sotirios KyrgiakosBBC, UEFA.com
September 28, 2005San Siro, Milan (A)Internazionale0-1CLHBBC, UEFA.com
October 19, 2005Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow (H)Artmedia Bratislava0-0CLHBBC, UEFA.com
November 1, 2005Tehelné pole, Bratislava (A)Artmedia Bratislava2-2CLHDado Pršo, Steven ThompsonBBC, UEFA.com
November 23, 2005Estádio do Dragão, Porto (A)FC Porto1-1CLHRoss McCormackBBC, UEFA.com
December 6, 2005Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow (H)Internazionale1-1CLHPeter LøvenkrandsBBC, UEFA.com
Champions League Round of 16
February 22, 2006Ibrox Stadium, Glasgow (H)Villarreal 2-2CL16 Peter Løvenkrands, Peña (own goal)BBC, UEFA.com
March 7, 2006El Madrigal, Vila-real (A)Villarreal1-1CL16Peter LøvenkrandsBBC, UEFA.com

Dundee United

DateVenueOpponentsScoreCompetitionDundee United scorersMatch Reports
UEFA Cup Qualifying
August 11, 2005Saviniemi, Anjalankoski (A)MyPa0-0UCQ2BBC
August 25, 2005Tannadice Park, Dundee (H)MyPa2-2UCQ2Mark Kerr, Collin SamuelBBC

'Dundee United out on away goals rule'
Hibernian

DateVenueOpponentsScoreCompetitionHibernian scorersMatch Reports
UEFA Cup First Round
September 15, 2005Easter Road, Edinburgh (H)Dnipro0-0UC1BBC
September 29, 2005Meteor Stadium, Dnipropetrovsk (A)Dnipro1-5UC1Derek RiordanBBC

Summary

ClubCompetition(s)ProgressCoef.
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

Scotland national team


Main articles: List of Scotland national football team results

The Scotland national team failed in their attempt to qualify for the 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 the previous season. Wins against Moldova and Norway and a draw at home to Italy had risen hopes that Scotland could gain second place behind Italy and therefore enter the play-off matches. However a 1-0 defeat at home to Belarus ended their hopes of qualification. They finished the season strongly, however, with victory in Slovenia and also lifted the Kirin Cup - beating Bulgaria and drawing with hosts Japan.
'Note:' Scores are written Scotland first.
DateVenueOpponentsScoreCompetitionScotland scorersMatch Report
August 17, 2005Arnold Schwarzenegger Stadion, Graz (A)2-2FKenny Miller, Garry O'ConnorBBC
September 3, 2005Hampden Park, Glasgow (H)1-1WCQ5Kenny MillerBBC
September 7, 2005Ullevaal Stadium, Oslo (A)2-1WCQ5Kenny Miller (2)BBC
October 8, 2005Hampden Park, Glasgow (H)0-1WCQ5BBC
October 12, 2005Petrol Arena Stadium, Celje (A)3-0WCQ5Darren Fletcher, James McFadden, Paul HartleyBBC
November 12, 2005Hampden Park, Glasgow (H)1-1FAndy WebsterBBC
March 1, 2006Hampden Park, Glasgow (H)1-3FKenny MillerBBC
May 11, 2006Kobe Wing Stadium, Kobe (N)5-1Kirin CupKris Boyd (2), Chris Burke (2), James McFaddenBBC
May 13, 2006Saitama Stadium, Tokyo (A)0-0Kirin CupBBC

''KEY: WCQ5 = World Cup Qualification match - Group 5; F = Friendly''

Deaths



★ 'Jimmy Johnstone', 61, former Celtic player and part of the Lisbon Lions.

References



1. Strachan in for O'Neill at Celtic
2. Artmedia 5-0 Celtic
3. Celtic 4-0 Artmedia Bratislava
4. Hearts 4-0 Hibernian
5. Burley in shock exit from Hearts
6. St Mirren 2-1 Hamilton Accies
7. Hearts unveil Rix as head coach
8. McLeish given short-term backing
9. Dundee United sack boss Chisholm
10. Brewster takes over at Tannadice
11. McLeish to leave Rangers in May
12. Lambert stands down as Livi boss
13. Rangers reveal £48m retail deal
14. Celtic great Johnstone dies at 61
15. Dunfermline 0-3 Celtic
16. Rix sacked as Hearts head coach
17. Gretna 2-1 Alloa Athletic
18. Celtic 1-0 Hearts
19. St Mirren 2-1 Dundee
20. Livingston 0-1 Inverness CT
21. Cowdenbeath 2-1 Elgin City
22. Hearts 1-1 Gretna (4-2 on pens


See also



Celtic F.C. season 2005-06

Rangers F.C. season 2005-06

Dundee United F.C. season 2005-06

External links



Scottish Premier League official website

Scottish Football League official website

BBC Scottish Premier League portal

BBC Scottish Football League portal

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