2007–08 Celtic F.C. season

Celtic started the 2007–08 season looking to retain the Scottish Premier League title and the Scottish Cup. They also competed in the Scottish League Cup. The team accepted an invitation to take part in the annual Major League Soccer All-Star Game for 2007, as part of a pre-season tour of the United States, Switzerland and England. On 9 October, Celtic opened their new training facilities at Lennoxtown.

Celtic

2007–08 season
Chairman	Brian Quinn, John Reid
Manager	Gordon Strachan
Ground	Celtic Park Glasgow, Scotland (Capacity: 60,355)
Scottish Premier League	1st
Scottish Cup	Quarter-finals
Scottish League Cup	Quarter-finals
Champions League	Round of 16
Top goalscorer	League: Scott McDonald (25) All: Scott McDonald (31)
Home colours Away colours Third colours
← 2006–07 2008–09 →

The last Old Firm clash of the season resulted in 3–2 victory for Celtic.

Domestic campaign

Celtic started the season with a scoreless draw at Celtic Park against Kilmarnock. They then won their next five league matches scoring 12 goals in six consecutive matches and topped the league for most of the first half of the season. At the end of 2007 Celtic were still on top of the SPL standings. The Old Firm derby on 2 January 2008 and a match against Motherwell were postponed due to the death of former Celtic player and Motherwell captain Phil O'Donnell, who died on 29 December. During the break in fixtures, the team slipped to second place behind Rangers. Celtic kept in close touch with Rangers until the 2nd Old Firm derby on 31 March 2008 at Ibrox. In contrast to the first Old Firm game at Ibrox in September, in which Rangers coasted to a 3–0 win, this was a close game which finished 1–0 to Rangers, courtesy of a Kevin Thomson goal just before half-time. This put Rangers seven points clear at the top of the SPL. Celtic suffered another set-back when they lost their next game at home to Motherwell by the same scoreline. With their closest rivals seven points ahead, and with a game in hand, coupled with the success Rangers were enjoying in all competitions, many fans began to doubt Gordon Strachan, a doubt which was clearly expressed throughout Celtic Park during the game against Motherwell, when Strachan decided to take off Scott McDonald, the club's leading goalscorer for Georgios Samaras in the final 15 minutes.

However a dramatic, and seemingly unlikely, turnaround in fortunes began on 16 April, when the third Old Firm clash took place in Celtic Park. This was a highly charged affair from the kick-off, with a re-invigorated Celtic dominating the opening proceedings and making their dominance count when Shunsuke Nakamura scored a spectacular goal from around 35 yards, which later ended up as Celtic's 'Goal of the Season', on the 20-minute mark. Rangers hit back in the second half when Nacho Novo equalised but Celtic got a chance to retake the lead when Nakamura's curling shot was illegally handled off the line by Carlos Cuéllar, who was sent off. However, McDonald's penalty was struck poorly and Allan McGregor, despite having an injured ankle, was able to save it. Celtic pushed in vain for a winner against 10 men but it seemed like Rangers would get the draw they played for, and which would all but seem to secure them the title. However, in the third minute of injury time, a quick throw in led to ball being played outside the box to Samaras who knocked it down to Gary Caldwell. Caldwell hit a diagonal ball into the box where McDonald squared the ball for Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink to nod the ball home inside the six-yard box past Neil Alexander, who replaced the injured McGregor. However spectacular Nakamura's first half goal was, Vennegoor of Hesselink's proved to be a hugely pivotal moment in the title race. There were jubilant scenes around all the Celtic fans. McDonald was visibly emotional after the final whistle. 2–1 was the final score and even with the small confrontations after the final whistle between the players, Celtic showed that they were not giving up their title without a fight.

On 27 April, the fourth and final Old Firm clash was played at Celtic Park. Picking up from 11 days earlier, the game exploded into life with a fourth-minute strike from McDonald. The goal was later shown by TV replays to have been offside, however Celtic were not going to let this good fortune pass them by. Rangers equalised in the 17th minute with a David Weir header from a corner kick and Celtic's set-piece weakness was exploited again less than 15 minutes later when Daniel Cousin scored from another corner kick. Shortly before half time though, Aiden McGeady found Scott McDonald just inside the Rangers box. He turned Christian Dailly and struck a looping shot past Neil Alexander to make it 2–2. The second half saw both teams have plenty of chances and Celtic were given a penalty after Kirk Broadfoot brought down McDonald. Barry Robson took the responsibility and duly delivered by driving the ball past Alexander. It remained 3–2 and Celtic went five points clear in the SPL, however due to fixture congestion, Rangers had played three matches fewer.

Celtic's chances of winning the title improved over the following weeks when Rangers drew consecutive games against Hibernian and Motherwell. Going into the last day of the league season, the clubs were tied on points although Celtic had a superior goal difference. Celtic travelled to Tannadice Park to play Dundee United, knowing that victory would give them the title while Rangers travelled to Pittodrie to play Aberdeen, needing Celtic to fail to win against Dundee United to have any chance at all. The game at Tannadice was a tense affair with chances for both sides. During the second half, Celtic supporters had found out that Aberdeen had taken the lead against Rangers and shortly after that, Vennegoor of Hesselink connected with a corner to give Celtic the lead that would secure the title. Gordon Strachan became only the third Celtic manager ever to win three league titles in a row. The victory was dedicated to the memory of Tommy Burns, former player and manager, who had died earlier that week. Victory in the league also secured Celtic automatic entry to the group stages of the UEFA Champions League in season 2008/09.

The club were less successful in the season's domestic cup competitions. They exited the Scottish League Cup at the quarter-final stage, after suffering a 2–0 defeat to Hearts. They lost at the same stage of the Scottish Cup, losing to Aberdeen in a replay.

UEFA Champions League campaign

Celtic was drawn against Russian side Spartak Moscow in the third round of qualifying for the Champions League. The first leg was played at the Luzhniki Stadium in Moscow, the venue for this year's Champions League final, and ended in a 1–1 draw, with Paul Hartley scoring his first goal for the club after joining from Heart of Midlothian eight months prior. In the return leg, Celtic emerged victorious after a 1–1 draw, with Scott McDonald scoring his first goal for the club. The game ended in a penalty shootout, with Artur Boruc saving twice.

Celtic were drawn alongside Milan, Benfica and Shakhtar Donetsk in the Champions League group stages. Celtic lost the first group match, away to Shakhtar in Ukraine, 2–0, but they rebounded with a 2–1 win over defending champions Milan at Celtic Park, leaving them in second in the group after two matches. Following McDonald's match-winning goal, Celtic fan Robert McHendry ran onto the pitch and tapped Milan goalkeeper Dida on the face as he ran past his goal; Dida initially gave chase, then fell to the pitch and was stretchered off. McHendry later surrendered to police and was banned for life from Parkhead, and Dida received a two-game suspension for breaching UEFA's policy of "principles of loyalty, integrity and sportsmanship", which was reduced to one match on appeal. Celtic were found guilty of "lack of organisation and improper conduct of supporters" and were issued a £25,000 fine, half of which was suspended for two years.^[1]

The third match day saw Celtic drop to bottom in the game against Benfica. Celtic lost 1–0 with the goal coming in the 86th minute. Next up, Celtic again faced Benfica, this time at home. They won this 1–0 with a goal from Aiden McGeady before half-time. In the next game at Celtic Park, they came back from 1–0 down against Shakhtar Donetsk to win 2–1 thanks to a winner from Massimo Donati with the last kick of the game, which moved them up to second in the group, guaranteeing post-Christmas European football, and leaving them needing one point from the last game in Milan to be sure of qualifying for the round of 16. Despite losing 1–0 in Milan, Celtic qualified as Benfica won 2–1 in Donetsk. In the knockout stage, Celtic drew Barcelona, where Celtic lost both the first leg at home (3–2) and the second leg and the second leg (1–0) away at Camp Nou.

Results

Scottish Premier League

Main article: 2007–08 Scottish Premier League

Celtic v Kilmarnock

5 August 2007 SPL	Celtic	0 – 0	Kilmarnock	Glasgow
		BBC Sport		Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 60,000 Referee: Craig Thomson

Falkirk v Celtic

11 August 2007 SPL	Falkirk	1 – 4	Celtic	Falkirk
	Higdon 5'	BBC Sport	Milne 30' (o.g.) Miller 76' Nakamura 79' Vennegoor of Hesselink 81'	Stadium: Falkirk Stadium Attendance: 6,329 Referee: Dougie McDonald

Aberdeen v Celtic

19 August 2007 SPL	Aberdeen	1 – 3	Celtic	Aberdeen
	Brewster 24'	BBC Sport	Donati 61' Miller 85', 90+2'	Stadium: Pittodrie Stadium Attendance: 16,232 Referee: Charlie Richmond

Celtic v Hearts

25 August 2007 SPL	Celtic	5 – 0	Hearts	Glasgow
	Berra 9' (o.g.) Donati 22' Brown 61' Vennegoor of Hesselink 63' (pen.) Nakamura 79'	BBC Sport		Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 57,300 Referee: Iain Brines

St Mirren v Celtic

2 September 2007 SPL	St Mirren	1 – 5	Celtic	Paisley
	Miranda 75'	BBC Sport	Brown 22' McDonald 25' Vennegoor of Hesselink 53' Miranda 56' (o.g.) McManus 74'	Stadium: Love Street Attendance: 7,840 Referee: Kenny Clark

Celtic v Inverness CT

15 September 2007 SPL	Celtic	5 – 0	Inverness CT	Glasgow
	Vennegoor of Hesselink 15', 59' Donati 41' Nakamura 56' McGuire 70' (o.g.)	BBC Sport		Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 56,020 Referee: Craig Thomson

Hibernian v Celtic

23 September 2007 SPL	Hibernian	3 – 2	Celtic	Edinburgh
	Fletcher 5' Gathuessi 41' Shiels 87'	BBC Sport	McGeady 26' Caldwell 66'	Stadium: Easter Road Attendance: 16,125 Referee: Alan Freeland

Celtic v Dundee United

29 September 2007 SPL	Celtic	3 – 0	Dundee United	Glasgow
	McDonald 7', 67', 72'	BBC Sport		Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 57,000 Referee: Dougie McDonald

Gretna v Celtic

7 October 2007 SPL	Gretna	1 – 2	Celtic	Motherwell
	Yantorno 37'	BBC Sport	Killen 86' McDonald 90+2'	Stadium: Fir Park Attendance: 6,011 Referee: Brian Winter

Rangers v Celtic

20 October 2007 SPL	Rangers	3 – 0	Celtic	Glasgow
	Novo 38', 78' (pen.) Ferguson 55'	BBC Sport		Stadium: Ibrox Stadium Attendance: 50,428 Referee: Mike McCurry

Celtic v Motherwell

27 October 2007 SPL	Celtic	3 – 0	Motherwell	Glasgow
	McDonald 42', 59', 88' (pen.)	BBC Sport		Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 57,633 Referee: Stuart Dougal

Kilmarnock v Celtic

3 November 2007 SPL	Kilmarnock	1 – 2	Celtic	Kilmarnock
	Wright 55'	BBC Sport	McDonald 34', 36'	Stadium: Rugby Park Attendance: 8,260 Referee: Dougie McDonald

Celtic v Aberdeen

24 November 2007 SPL	Celtic	3 – 0	Aberdeen	Glasgow
	Vennegoor of Hesselink 14' McGeady 27' McDonald 49'	BBC Sport		Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 58,000 Referee: Mike McCurry

Hearts v Celtic

1 December 2007 SPL	Hearts	1 – 1	Celtic	Edinburgh
	Velička 90+1' (pen.)	BBC Sport	McDonald 73'	Stadium: Tynecastle Stadium Attendance: 16,454 Referee: Kenny Clark

Celtic v St Mirren

8 December 2007 SPL	Celtic	1 – 1	St Mirren	Glasgow
	Riordan 85'	BBC Sport	McGinn 75'	Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 55,747 Referee: Charlie Richmond

Celtic v Falkirk

11 December 2007 SPL	Celtic	4 – 0	Falkirk	Glasgow
	McDonald 9' (pen.) McGeady 41', 67', 82'	BBC Sport		Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 54,291 Referee: Dougie McDonald

Inverness CT v Celtic

16 December 2007 SPL	Inverness CT	3 – 2	Celtic	Inverness
	Rankin 42' (pen.) Proctor 57' Cowie 61'	BBC Sport	Vennegoor of Hesselink 24', 26'	Stadium: Caledonian Stadium Attendance: 7,004 Referee: Alan Freeland

Celtic v Hibernian

22 December 2007 SPL	Celtic	1 – 1	Hibernian	Glasgow
	Jarošík 78'	BBC Sport	Murphy 21'	Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 58,016 Referee: Mike McCurry

Dundee United v Celtic

26 December 2007 SPL	Dundee United	0 – 2	Celtic	Dundee
		BBC Sport	Vennegoor of Hesselink 68' McManus 75'	Stadium: Tannadice Park Attendance: 12,357 Referee: Eddie Smith

Celtic v Gretna

29 December 2007 SPL	Celtic	3 – 0	Gretna	Glasgow
	McDonald 35' Brown 49' McGeady 90+3'	BBC Sport		Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 57,171 Referee: David Somers

Celtic v Kilmarnock

19 January 2008 SPL	Celtic	1 – 0	Kilmarnock	Glasgow
	Corrigan 64' (o.g.)	BBC Sport		Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 56,618 Referee: Mike McCurry

Falkirk v Celtic

27 January 2008 SPL	Falkirk	0 – 1	Celtic	Falkirk
		BBC Sport	McDonald 45+1'	Stadium: Falkirk Stadium Attendance: 6,803 Referee: John Underhill

Aberdeen v Celtic

10 February 2008 SPL	Aberdeen	1 – 5	Celtic	Aberdeen
	Miller 62'	BBC Sport	Nakamura 17' McGeady 34' McDonald 44' (pen.), 48' Robson 74'	Stadium: Pittodrie Stadium Attendance: 14,651 Referee: Craig Thomson

Celtic v Hearts

16 February 2008 SPL	Celtic	3 – 0	Hearts	Glasgow
	Vennegoor of Hesselink 14' McDonald 51' Hinkel 76'	BBC Sport		Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 56,738 Referee: Dougie McDonald

St Mirren v Celtic

24 February 2008 SPL	St Mirren	0 – 1	Celtic	Paisley
		BBC Sport	Nakamura 87'	Stadium: Love Street Attendance: 7,213 Referee: Eddie Smith

Celtic v Inverness CT

27 February 2008 SPL	Celtic	2 – 1	Inverness CT	Glasgow
	McDonald 45+1' Samaras 61'	BBC Sport	Niculae 70'	Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 56,787 Referee: Willie Collum

Hibernian v Celtic

1 March 2008 SPL	Hibernian	0 – 2	Celtic	Edinburgh
		BBC Sport	Naylor 63' Samaras 74'	Stadium: Easter Road Attendance: 15,735 Referee: Iain Brines

Celtic v Dundee United

12 March 2008 SPL	Celtic	0 – 0	Dundee United	Glasgow
		BBC Sport		Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 45,000 Referee: Mike McCurry

Gretna v Celtic

23 March 2008 SPL	Gretna	0 – 3	Celtic	Livingston
		BBC Sport	McDonald 42' Vennegoor of Hesselink 70' Samaras 88'	Stadium: Almondvale Stadium Attendance: 3,561 Referee: Craig Thomson

Rangers v Celtic

29 March 2008 SPL	Rangers	1 – 0	Celtic	Glasgow
	Thomson 45+2'	BBC Sport		Stadium: Ibrox Stadium Attendance: 50,325 Referee: Stuart Dougal

Celtic v Motherwell

5 April 2008 SPL	Celtic	0 – 1	Motherwell	Glasgow
		BBC Sport	Lappin 33'	Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 58,624 Referee: Calum Murray

Motherwell v Celtic

13 April 2008 SPL	Motherwell	1 – 4	Celtic	Motherwell
	McManus 24' (o.g.)	BBC Sport	McManus 17' McDonald 30' Vennegoor of Hesselink 43', 57'	Stadium: Fir Park Attendance: 9,771 Referee: Alan Freeland

Celtic v Rangers

16 April 2008 SPL	Celtic	2 – 1	Rangers	Glasgow
	Nakamura 20' Vennegoor of Hesselink 90+3'	BBC Sport	Novo 55'	Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 58,964 Referee: Kenny Clark

Celtic v Aberdeen

19 April 2008 SPL	Celtic	1 – 0	Aberdeen	Glasgow
	Samaras 56'	BBC Sport		Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 55,766 Referee: Iain Brines

Celtic v Rangers

27 April 2008 SPL	Celtic	3 – 2	Rangers	Glasgow
	McDonald 4', 43' Robson 70' (pen.)	BBC Sport	Weir 17' Cousin 29'	Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 58,662 Referee: Craig Thomson

Motherwell v Celtic

3 May 2008 SPL	Motherwell	1 – 2	Celtic	Motherwell
	Porter 60'	BBC Sport	McDonald 62' Samaras 79'	Stadium: Fir Park Attendance: 9,158 Referee: Steve Conroy

Celtic v Hibernian

11 May 2008 SPL	Celtic	2 – 0	Hibernian	Glasgow
	McManus 36' McDonald 87'	BBC Sport		Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 55,058 Referee: Dougie McDonald

Dundee United v Celtic

22 May 2008 SPL	Dundee United	0 – 1	Celtic	Dundee
		BBC Sport	Vennegoor of Hesselink 72'	Stadium: Tannadice Park Attendance: 13,613 Referee: Stuart Dougal

UEFA Champions League

Main article: 2007–08 UEFA Champions League

Spartak Moscow v Celtic

15 August 2007 Third Qualifying	Spartak Moscow	1 – 1	Celtic	Moscow, Russia
	Pavlyuchenko 42'	BBC Sport	Hartley 21'	Stadium: Luzhniki Stadium Attendance: 67,000 Referee: Herbert Fandel

Celtic v Spartak Moscow

29 August 2007 Third Qualifying	Celtic	1 – 1 (a.e.t.) (2 – 2 agg.) (4 – 3 p)	Spartak Moscow	Glasgow
	McDonald 27'	BBC Sport	Pavlyuchenko 45+1'	Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 65,000 Referee: Roberto Rosetti
	Penalties
	Caldwell Nakamura Vennegoor of Hesselink Riordan Żurawski		Mozart Titov Pavlyuchenko Șoavă Kalynychenko

Shakhtar Donetsk v Celtic

18 September 2007 Group stage	Shakhtar Donetsk	2 – 0	Celtic	Donetsk, Ukraine
	Brandão 5' Lucarelli 8'	BBC Sport		Stadium: Lokomotiv Stadium Attendance: 25,700 Referee: Alberto Undiano Mallenco

Celtic v A.C. Milan

3 October 2007 Group stage	Celtic	2 – 1	A.C. Milan	Glasgow
	McManus 62' McDonald 90+1'	BBC Sport	Kaká 68' (pen.)	Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 58,642 Referee: Markus Merk

Benfica v Celtic

24 October 2007 Group stage	Benfica	1 – 0	Celtic	Lisbon, Portugal
	Cardozo 87'	BBC Sport		Stadium: Estádio da Luz Attendance: 38,512 Referee: Massimo Busacca

Celtic v Benfica

6 November 2007 Group stage	Celtic	1 – 0	Benfica	Glasgow
	McGeady 45+1'	BBC Sport		Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 58,691 Referee: Martin Hansson

Celtic v Shakhtar Donetsk

28 November 2007 Group stage	Celtic	2 – 1	Shakhtar Donetsk	Glasgow
	Jarošík 45+1' Donati 90+2'	BBC Sport	Brandão 4'	Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 59,396 Referee: Bertrand Layec

A.C. Milan v Celtic

4 December 2007 Group stage	A.C. Milan	1 – 0	Celtic	Milan, Italy
	Inzaghi 70'	BBC Sport		Stadium: San Siro Attendance: 38,409 Referee: Tom Henning Øvrebø

Celtic v Barcelona

20 February 2008 Knockout Round	Celtic	2 – 3	Barcelona	Glasgow
	Vennegoor of Hesselink 16' Robson 38'	BBC Sport	Messi 18', 79' Henry 52'	Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 56,395 Referee: Peter Fröjdfeldt

Barcelona v Celtic

4 March 2008 Knockout Round	Barcelona	1 – 0 (4 – 2 agg.)	Celtic	Barcelona, Spain
	Xavi 3'	BBC Sport		Stadium: Camp Nou Attendance: 75,326 Referee: Pieter Vink

Scottish League Cup

Main article: 2007–08 Scottish League Cup

Dundee v Celtic

26 September 2007 Third round	Dundee	1 – 2	Celtic	Dundee
	K. McDonald 71'	BBC Sport	McDonald 27' Vennegoor of Hesselink 60'	Stadium: Dens Park Attendance: 8,203 Referee: Iain Brines

Celtic v Hearts

31 October 2007 Quarter-final	Celtic	0 – 2	Hearts	Glasgow
		BBC Sport	Velicka 77', 86'	Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 21,492 Referee: Kenny Clark

Scottish Cup

Main article: 2007–08 Scottish Cup

Celtic v Stirling Albion

12 January 2008 Fourth round	Celtic	3 – 0	Stirling Albion	Glasgow
	Vennegoor of Hesselink 37' McDonald 70' Nakamura 75'	BBC Sport		Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 27,923 Referee: Euan Norris

Kilmarnock v Celtic

2 February 2008 Fifth round	Kilmarnock	1 – 5	Celtic	Kilmarnock
	Hamill 66'	BBC Sport	McDonald 22', 67' Caldwell 52' Vennegoor of Hesselink 58' Samaras 85'	Stadium: Rugby Park Attendance: 6,491 Referee: Iain Brines

Aberdeen v Celtic

9 March 2008 Quarter-final	Aberdeen	1 – 1	Celtic	Aberdeen
	de Visscher 78'	BBC Sport	Vennegoor of Hesselink 90+1'	Stadium: Pittodrie Stadium Attendance: 10,909 Referee: Charlie Richmond

Celtic v Aberdeen

18 March 2008 Quarter-final RP	Celtic	0 – 1	Aberdeen	Glasgow
		BBC Sport	Mackie 69'	Stadium: Celtic Park Attendance: 33,506 Referee: Charlie Richmond

Player statistics

Appearances and goals

List of squad players, including number of appearances by competition

No.	Pos	Nat	Player	Total		Premier League		Scottish Cup		League Cup		Champions League
				Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals	Apps	Goals
1	GK	POL	Artur Boruc	45	0	30	0	4	0	2	0	9	0
2	DF	GER	Andreas Hinkel	19	1	16	1	3	0	0	0	0	0
3	DF	ENG	Lee Naylor	47	1	33	1	3	0	2	0	9	0
4	DF	SCO	Adam Virgo	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
5	DF	SCO	Gary Caldwell	51	2	35	1	4	1	2	0	9+1	0
6	DF	GUI	Dianbobo Balde	4	0	4	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
7	FW	POL	Maciej Żurawski	8	0	1+4	0	0	0	0	0	0+3	0
8	MF	SCO	Scott Brown	48	3	31+3	3	3	0	2	0	9	0
9	FW	SCO	Kenny Miller	2	3	1+1	3	0	0	0	0	0	0
9	FW	GRE	Georgios Samaras (from January)	21	6	5+11	5	0+3	1	0	0	0+2	0
10	FW	NED	Jan Vennegoor of Hesselink	46	20	31+1	15	4	3	2	1	7+1	1
11	MF	SCO	Paul Hartley	39	1	23+4	0	1+1	0	1	0	9	1
12	DF	SCO	Mark Wilson	16	0	8+3	0	0	0	0	0	4+1	0
14	FW	SCO	Derek Riordan	11	1	2+6	1	0+1	0	1	0	0+1	0
16	MF	DEN	Thomas Gravesen	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
17	DF	SCO	Steven Pressley	7	0	5	0	0	0	0	0	1+1	0
18	MF	ITA	Massimo Donati	41	4	22+3	3	3+1	0	2	0	7+3	1
19	MF	SCO	Barry Robson	16	3	9+6	2	0	0	0	0	1	1
20	MF	CZE	Jiří Jarošík	13	2	6+2	1	0	0	0	0	5	1
21	GK	SCO	Mark Brown	9	0	8	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
23	FW	ENG	Ben Hutchinson	2	0	0+2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
24	DF	CMR	Jean-Joël Perrier-Doumbé	3	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	1	0
25	MF	JPN	Shunsuke Nakamura	36	7	24+2	6	4	1	0	0	5+1	0
26	FW	IRL	Cillian Sheridan	1	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
27	FW	AUS	Scott McDonald	52	31	35+1	25	4	3	2	1	8+2	2
29	MF	JPN	Koki Mizuno	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
33	FW	NZL	Chris Killen	27	1	2+18	1	0+1	0	0+1	0	1+4	0
41	DF	SCO	John Kennedy	14	0	5+2	0	0	0	2	0	4+1	0
44	DF	SCO	Stephen McManus	53	5	37	4	4	0	2	0	10	1
45	MF	IRL	James O'Brien	2	0	0+1	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0
46	MF	IRL	Aiden McGeady	51	8	35+1	7	4	0	1	0	8+2	1
47	GK	NIR	Michael McGovern	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
48	DF	IRL	Darren O'Dea	10	0	3+3	0	1+1	0	0	0	1+1	0
52	DF	SCO	Paul Caddis	4	0	0+2	0	1	0	0	0	1	0
54	MF	SCO	Ryan Conroy	2	0	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
55	MF	SCO	Paul McGowan	1	0	0+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
56	MF	ISL	Teddy Bjarnason	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Team statistics

League table

Pos	Team v t e	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.

Technical staff

Position	Staff
Manager	Gordon Strachan
Assistant Manager	Gary Pendrey
First Team Coach	Tommy Burns
Goalkeeping Coach	Jim Blyth
Head of Youth Academy	Chris McCart
Head of Recruitment	John Park
Physiotherapist	Graeme Parsons
Physiotherapist	Gavin McCarthy
Doctor	Derek McCormack
Head of Sports Science	Greg Dupont

Last updated: 12 June 2017
Source: ^{[citation needed]}

Transfers

In

Player	From	Fee
Scott McDonald	Motherwell	£700,000[2]
Tomislav Pavlov	CSKA Sofia	Free
Scott Brown	Hibernian	£4,400,000[3]
Chris Killen	Hibernian	Free
Massimo Donati	AC Milan	£2,500,000
Laurence Gaughan	Liverpool	Free
Jean-Joël Perrier-Doumbé	Rennes	Free
Luca Santonocito	Internazionale	Free [4]
Andreas Hinkel	Sevilla	£1,900,000 [5]
Koki Mizuno	JEF United Ichihara Chiba	£300,000 [6]
Ben Hutchinson	Middlesbrough	£500,000[7]
Georgios Samaras	Manchester City	Loan [8]
Barry Robson	Dundee United	£1,200,000[9]

Out

Player	To	Fee
Neil Lennon	Nottingham Forest	Free
Alan Thompson	Leeds United	Free
Kjartan Finnbogason	Åtvidaberg	Loan
Craig Beattie	West Bromwich Albion	£1,250,000 [10]
David Marshall	Norwich City	£1,000,000[11]
Andrew Traub	Clyde	Free [12]
Adam Virgo	Colchester United	Loan [13]
Gary Irvine	St Johnstone	Undisclosed[14]
Dean Richardson	Bohemians	Undisclosed
Thomas Gravesen	Everton	Loan [15]
Kenny Miller	Derby County	£3,000,000 [16]
Michael Gardyne	Greenock Morton	Undisclosed [17]
Paul Lawson	Ross County	Undisclosed
Craig Reid	Stirling Albion	Loan
Rocco Quinn	St Johnstone	Loan
Mark Nolan	Bohemian	Free
Scott Fox	Ayr United	Loan [18]
Teddy Bjarnason	Lyn Oslo	£300,000 [19]
Craig Reid	Queen of the South	Undisclosed [20]
James O'Brien	Dundee United	Loan [21]
Jiří Jarošík	Krylia Sovetov Samara	£750,000 [22]
Maciej Żurawski	Larissa	£500,000 [23]

See also

• List of Celtic F.C. seasons