1997–98 Scottish Premier Division
| Season | 1997–98 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Celtic |
| Promoted | St Johnstone |
| Relegated | Hibernian |
| Champions League | Celtic |
| Cup Winners' Cup | Heart of Midlothian |
| UEFA Cup | Rangers Kilmarnock |
| Goals scored | 497 ( 7) |
| Average goals/game | 2.8 |
| Top goalscorer | Marco Negri (32) |
| Biggest home win | Rangers 7–0 Dunfermline (18 Oct) |
| Biggest away win | Kilmarnock 0–3 Rangers (24 Sep) |
| Highest attendance | 50,500, Celtic v St Johnstone (9 May) |
| Lowest attendance | 4,385, St Johnstone v Kilmarnock (13 Dec) |
| Average attendance | 18,036 ( 842) |
← 1996–97 1998–99 → | |
The 1997–98 Scottish Premier Division season was the last season of Scottish Football League Premier Division football before the change to the Scottish Premier League. It began on 1 August 1997.
Overview
The 1997–98 Scottish Premier Division season ended in success for Celtic who won the title by two points from nearest rivals Rangers, beating St Johnstone on the last day to clinch the title. Claiming the title would have given Rangers a recording breaking 10 Scottish League Championship in a row (having matched Celtic's record the previous season). Heart of Midlothian ran Celtic and Rangers very close to winning the title, and led for large spells of the season before falling away towards the end of the season. Hibernian were relegated to the First Division after finishing bottom. As champions, Celtic qualified for the Champions League while Rangers were joined by Kilmarnock in qualifying for the UEFA Cup. Third-placed Heart of Midlothian qualified for the last-ever Cup Winners' Cup as Scottish Cup winners.[1]
Rangers were involved in some of the season's big transfers with Lorenzo Amoruso and Marco Negri arriving in multi-million pound deals. Paul Gascoigne also left the club, heading for Middlesbrough in a £3.5m deal. Negri went on to become only the second player to score five goals in a Scottish Premier Division match, equalling Paul Sturrock's record by netting all five goals in a 5–1 win over Dundee United.
The season began on 2 August with the first goal of the season scored by Dundee United's Kjell Olofsson as they drew 1–1 at newly promoted St Johnstone. The season ended on 9 May with Hibernian's Stevie Crawford netting a last-minute equaliser away to Kilmarnock to score the final goal of the season.
Promotion and relegation from 1996–97
Promoted from First Division to Premier League
Relegated from Premier Division to First Division
Events
- 23 August: Marco Negri equals Paul Sturrock's record with five goals in one match in the 5–1 win over Dundee United
- September: Darren Jackson undergoes surgery for hydrocephalus,[2] returning to action within three months[3]
- 9 May: Celtic win the title after a 2–0 home win over St Johnstone F.C
League table
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Results
Matches 1–18
During matches 1–18 each team plays every other team twice (home and away).
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Matches 19–36
During matches 19–36 each team plays every other team a further two times (home and away).
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Top scorers
| Player | Goals | Team |
|---|---|---|
 Marco Negri |
32 | Rangers |
 Kjell Olofsson |
18 | Dundee United |
| Henrik Larsson |
16 | Celtic |
 Andy Smith |
Dunfermline Athletic | |
 Tommy Coyne |
14 | Motherwell |
| Jim Hamilton |
Heart of Midlothian | |
| Owen Coyle |
11 | Motherwell |
 Jorg Albertz |
10 | Rangers |
| Craig Burley |
Celtic | |
| Billy Dodds |
Aberdeen | |
| Simon Donnelly |
Celtic | |
| Neil McCann |
Heart of Midlothian | |
 George O'Boyle |
St Johnstone | |
| Paul Wright |
Kilmarnock |
Source: Soccerbot
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Replaced by | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dundee United | Tommy McLean
|
Mutual consent | 4 September 1997 | Paul Sturrock
|
5 September 1997 |
| St Johnstone | Paul Sturrock
|
Resigned | 5 September 1997 | Sandy Clark
|
7 September 1997 |
| Motherwell |  Harri Kampman
|
Resigned | 15 October 1997 | Billy Davies
|
15 October 1997 |
| Aberdeen | Alex Miller
|
Sacked | 8 December 1997 | Paul Hegarty (Caretaker)
|
8 December 1997 |
| Dunfermline Athletic | Bert Paton
|
Resigned | 5 January 1998 | Dick Campbell (Caretaker)
|
5 January 1998 |
| Rangers | Walter Smith
|
Resigned | May 1998 |  Dick Advocaat
|
June 1998 |
| Celtic | Wim Jansen
|
Resigned | May 1998 |  Jozef Vengloš
|
June 1998 |
References
- ^ "1997/98 Scottish Premier Division". Soccerbot. Retrieved 2008-06-03.
- ^ "Winners against the odds". BBC Sport website. 2000-07-20.
- ^ "The Scotland Squad". BBC News & Sport website. 1998-05-03. Retrieved 2008-06-03.