1998–99 Scottish Premier League
| Season | 1998–99 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Rangers |
| Promoted | Dundee |
| Relegated | Dunfermline Athletic |
| Champions League | Rangers |
| UEFA Cup | Celtic St. Johnstone Kilmarnock |
| Intertoto Cup | None |
| Goals scored | 471 ( 26) |
| Average goals/game | 2.62 |
| Top goalscorer |  Henrik Larsson (29) |
| Biggest home win | Celtic 6–1 Dundee (7 November) Rangers 6–1 Dundee (20 February) |
| Biggest away win | St. Johnstone 0–7 Rangers (8 November) |
| Highest attendance | 60,092, Celtic v St. Johnstone (31 January) |
| Lowest attendance | 3,532, Dunfermline Athletic v Motherwell (23 May) |
| Average attendance | 18,577 ( 541) |
← 1997–98 | |
The 1998–99 Scottish Premier League season was the inaugural season of Scottish Premier League football. It began on 1 August 1998.
Rangers finished the season as Scottish Premier League champions, gaining them their 48th Scottish top division title. Dunfermline Athletic were relegated in bottom place, being replaced by Scottish Division One champions Hibernian.
Overview
The 1998–99 Scottish Premier League season ended in success for Rangers who, managed by Dutchman Dick Advocaat, won the title by six points from nearest rivals Celtic.Dunfermline Athletic were relegated after three seasons in the top division. As champions, Rangers qualified for the Champions League while Celtic were joined by St. Johnstone in qualifying for the UEFA Cup. Fourth placed Kilmarnock also gained a UEFA Cup place via the UEFA Fair Play ranking.
The season began on 1 August 1998 with the first SPL goal scored by Aberdeen's Eoin Jess as they defeated newly promoted Dundee 2–0 at Dens Park.[1] Also on the first day of the season, Craig Burley scored the SPL's first hat-trick as defending champions Celtic defeated Dunfermline Athletic 5–0 at Celtic Park.[1]
1998–99 saw the introduction of a three week break during January, which was well received by both players and managers.[1] In its inaugural year, the SPL was broadcast to over 120 countries worldwide,[1] while attendances increased[1] and more money was invested in youth development than ever before.[1] A new Scottish transfer record was also set as Rangers paid Fiorentina £5.5m for former Manchester United and Everton winger Andrei Kanchelskis.[2]
Rangers clinched the SPL title by beating Old Firm-rivals Celtic 3–0 at Celtic Park.[3] Three players were red-carded during the game and referee Hugh Dallas was struck by a coin thrown by a Celtic supporter and required treatment from paramedics on the field.[3]
Promotion and relegation from 1997–98
Promoted from First Division to Premier League
Relegated from Premier Division to First Division
Events
- March 11: The Scottish Premier League agrees a two-year sponsorship deal with Bank of Scotland[4]
- May 2: Rangers win the title after defeating Celtic 3–0 at Celtic Park.[3]
League table
| P | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rangers | 36 | 23 | 8 | 5 | 78 | 31 | +47 | 77 | 1999–2000 UEFA Champions League Second qualifying round |
| 2 | Celtic | 36 | 21 | 8 | 7 | 84 | 35 | +49 | 71 | 1999–2000 UEFA Cup Qualifying round |
| 3 | St. Johnstone | 36 | 15 | 12 | 9 | 39 | 38 | +1 | 57 | 1999–2000 UEFA Cup Qualifying round |
| 4 | Kilmarnock | 36 | 14 | 14 | 8 | 47 | 29 | +18 | 56 | 1999–2000 UEFA Cup Qualifying round |
| 5 | Dundee | 36 | 13 | 7 | 16 | 36 | 56 | –20 | 46 | |
| 6 | Hearts | 36 | 11 | 9 | 16 | 44 | 50 | –6 | 42 | |
| 7 | Motherwell | 36 | 10 | 11 | 15 | 35 | 54 | –19 | 41 | |
| 8 | Aberdeen | 36 | 10 | 7 | 19 | 43 | 71 | –28 | 37 | |
| 9 | Dundee United | 36 | 8 | 10 | 18 | 37 | 48 | –11 | 34 | |
| 10 | Dunfermline Athletic | 36 | 4 | 16 | 16 | 28 | 59 | –31 | 28 | Relegated to 1999–2000 First Division |
Source: SPL official website
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 |
|---|---|---|
| Henrik Larsson |
29 | Celtic |
 Rod Wallace |
19 | Rangers |
 Billy Dodds |
16 | Dundee United |
| Eoin Jess |
14 | Aberdeen |
| Robbie Winters |
13 | Aberdeen |
| Gary McSwegan |
11 | Hearts |
 Jörg Albertz |
Rangers | |
| Craig Burley |
9 | Celtic |
| Eddie Annand |
Dundee | |
 Stéphane Adam |
Hearts | |
| Neil McCann |
8 | Hearts |
| Mark Burchill |
Celtic | |
| Andy Smith |
Dunfermline Athletic |
Source: SPL official website
Attendances
The average attendances for SPL clubs during the 1998–99 season are shown below:
| Team | Average |
|---|---|
| Celtic | 59,233 |
| Rangers | 49,094 |
| Hearts | 14,232 |
| Aberdeen | 12,713 |
| Kilmarnock | 11,184 |
| Dundee United | 9,187 |
| Motherwell | 8,533 |
| Dunfermline Athletic | 7,375 |
| Dundee | 7,178 |
| St. Johnstone | 7,038 |
Source: SPL official website
Managerial changes
| Team | Outgoing manager | Manner of departure | Date of vacancy | Replaced by | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rangers | Walter Smith
|
Resigned | May 1998 |  Dick Advocaat
|
June 1998 |
| Celtic | Wim Jansen
|
Resigned | May 1998 |  Jozef Vengloš
|
June 1998 |
| Dundee United | Tommy McLean
|
Mutual consent | 4 September 1998 | Paul Sturrock
|
5 September 1998 |
| St. Johnstone | Paul Sturrock
|
Resigned | 5 September 1998 | Sandy Clark
|
7 September 1998 |
| Motherwell |  Harri Kampman
|
Resigned | 15 October 1998 | Billy Davies
|
15 October 1998 |
| Aberdeen | Alex Miller
|
Sacked | 8 December 1998 | Paul Hegarty (Caretaker)
|
8 December 1998 |
| Dunfermline Athletic | Bert Paton
|
Resigned | 5 January 1999 | Dick Campbell (Caretaker)
|
5 January 1999 |
References
- ^ a b c d e f "Season Review - 1998-1999". ScotPrem.co.uk. Retrieved 2008-04-20.
- ^ "Kanchelskis move to Rangers". BBC News. 1998-07-15. Retrieved 2008-04-20.
- ^ a b c "Rangers make history out of chaos". BBC News. 1999-05-03. Retrieved 2008-04-20.
- ^ "Scottish sponsorship deal is defended". The Independent. 1999-03-11. Retrieved 2008-04-21.