2007–08 Melbourne Victory FC season

Melbourne Victory
2007–08 season
Manager	Ernie Merrick
A-League	5th
Pre-Season Challenge Cup	8th
AFC Champions League	Group Stage (2nd)
Top goalscorer	League: ; Daniel Allsopp (7); All: ; Daniel Allsopp (9)
Highest home attendance	31,884 vs Sydney FC (10 November 2007)
Lowest home attendance	14,558 vs Chonburi FC (21 May 2008)
Average home league attendance	24,439
Home colours	Away colours
	← 2006–07 2008–09 →

Season summary

Looking to capitalise on their successful 2006–07 campaign, Melbourne made some strong off-season signings including Costa Rican international Carlos Hernández to cover the hole left by the departure of Fred to MLS club D.C. United.^[1] Again with the league's largest crowds and a record membership of over 20,000,^[2] Melbourne were undefeated after 7 rounds but the season slipped away with some poor home performances and a mounting injury list. A late season rally gave Melbourne a hope of making the finals up to the second last round but they finished 5th, 4 points out of the finals.

Players

First team squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
1	GK	AUS	Michael Theoklitos
2	MF	AUS	Kevin Muscat (captain)
3	DF	AUS	Daniel Piorkowski
5	DF	AUS	Ljubo Milicevic
6	DF	AUS	Steve Pantelidis
7	DF	AUS	Matthew Kemp
8	MF	SCO	Grant Brebner
9	FW	AUS	Daniel Allsopp
10	FW	AUS	Archie Thompson
11	DF	ENG	Joe Keenan
12	DF	AUS	Rodrigo Vargas


No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
13	MF	AUS	Kaz Patafta
14	MF	AUS	Adrian Caceres
15	FW	BRA	Leandro Love
16	MF	CRC	Carlos Hernández
17	MF	AUS	Daniel Vasilevski
18	MF	AUS	Leigh Broxham
19	MF	AUS	Evan Berger
20	GK	AUS	Eugene Galekovic
21	DF	AUS	Sebastian Ryall
30	GK	AUS	Mitchell Langerak

Transfers

In

Player	From	League	Date
Mitchell Langerak	AIS	VPL	23 February 2007
Ljubo Milicevic	BSC Young Boys	Swiss Super League	20 February 2007
Joe Keenan	Willem II	Eredivisie	30 March 2007
Matthew Kemp	Adelaide United	A-League	11 April 2007
Evan Berger	Marconi Stallions	NSWPL	29 May 2007
Carlos Hernández	LD Alajuelense	Primera División de Costa Rica	12 June 2007
Kaz Patafta	Benfica	Portuguese Liga	20 June 2007
Leandro Love	Vissel Kobe	J-League	25 July 2007
Sebastian Ryall	AIS	VPL	28 August 2007
Steven Pace	Preston Lions	VPL	30 October 2007
Nick Ward	Queens Park Rangers	Football League Championship	5 December 2007

Out

Player	To	League	Date
Michael Ferrante	Wellington Phoenix	A-League	1 March 2007
Mark Byrnes	released	-	1 March 2007
Fred	D.C. United	MLS	30 March 2007
James Robinson	Perth Glory	A-League	17 March 2007
Vince Lia	Wellington Phoenix	A-League	21 March 2007
Simon Storey	Partick Thistle F.C.	Scottish First Division	21 March 2007
Kristian Sarkies	Adelaide United	A-League	30 March 2007
Adrian Leijer	Fulham F.C.	Premier League	4 August 2007
Eugene Galekovic	Adelaide United	A-League	30 October 2007

Matches

Pre-season matches

30 May 2007	Template:ALeague MV	1 : 4	Juventus	Telstra Dome, Melbourne
				Attendance: 43,357

6 June 2007

Richmond Eagles

0 : 1

Template:ALeague MV

Kevin Bartlett Reserve, Melbourne

13 June 2007

Oakleigh Cannons

2 : 3

Template:ALeague MV

Jack Edwards Reserve, Melbourne

20 June 2007

South Melbourne

1 : 5

Template:ALeague MV

Bob Jane Stadium, Melbourne

4 July 2007

China

1 : 0

Template:ALeague MV

Siu Sai Wan Sports Ground, Hong Kong

7 July 2007	Tianjin Teda	1 : 1	Template:ALeague MV	TEDA Football Stadium, Tianjin
		(5 - 6 pen.)

The match against China was played over three 30 minute periods.

2007 Pre-Season Cup

Team	Pts	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	BP
Template:ALeague AU	8	3	1	2	0	6	3	3
Template:ALeague PG	8	3	2	1	0	4	2	1
Template:ALeague NUJ	3	3	1	0	2	2	5	0
Template:ALeague MV	1	3	0	1	2	2	4	0

15 July 2007 Group Stage	Template:ALeague MV	1 : 1	Template:ALeague AU	Aurora Stadium, Launceston
				Attendance: 8,061

22 July 2007 Group Stage	Template:ALeague MV	0 : 1	Template:ALeague NUJ	Skilled Stadium, Geelong
				Attendance: 8,500

28 July 2007 Group Stage	Template:ALeague PG	2 : 1	Template:ALeague MV	Darwin Football Stadium, Darwin
				Attendance: 2,700

4 August 2007 Play-offs	Template:ALeague MV	1 : 2	Template:ALeague WP	Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne
				Attendance: 4,100

11 August 2007 Seventh Place Play-off	Template:ALeague MV	0 : 1	Template:ALeague SFC	Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne
				Attendance: 3,400

2007-08 Hyundai A-League fixtures

25 August 2007 Round 1	Template:ALeague WP	2 : 2	Template:ALeague MV	Westpac Stadium, Wellington
16:00 UTC+12	Daniel 79' Smeltz 84'		Muscat 19' (pen) Allsopp 60'	Attendance: 14,421 Referee: Mark Shield

1 September 2007 Round 2	Template:ALeague MV	0 : 0	Template:ALeague PG	Telstra Dome, Melbourne, Melbourne
19:00 UTC+10				Attendance: 31,545 Referee: Peter O'Leary

7 September 2007 Round 3	Template:ALeague AU	1 : 1	Template:ALeague MV	Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
19:30 UTC+9:30	Dodd 83' (pen)		Vargas 80'	Attendance: 13,231 Referee: Peter Green

16 September 2007 Round 4	Template:ALeague MV	0 : 0	Template:ALeague CCM	Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne
17:00 UTC+10			Vidmar 90+2'	Attendance: 27,351 Referee: Mark Shield

21 September 2007 Round 5	Template:ALeague NUJ	2 : 2	Template:ALeague MV	EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
20:00 UTC+10	A Griffiths 5' Musialik 21'		Thompson 65' Caceres 83'	Attendance: 11,179 Referee: Matthew Breeze

28 September 2007 Round 6	Template:ALeague MV	2 : 0	Template:ALeague QR	Telstra Dome, Melbourne
20:00 UTC+10	Muscat 68' (pen) Thompson 85'			Attendance: 25,622 Referee: Ben Williams

6 October 2007 Round 7	Template:ALeague SFC	0 : 1	Template:ALeague MV	Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
19:00 UTC+10	Corica 25'		Allsopp 82'	Attendance: 18,436 Referee: Mark Shield

12 October 2007 Round 8	Template:ALeague AU	4 : 1	Template:ALeague MV	Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
19:30 UTC+9:30	Milicevic 14' (o.g.) Dodd 15', 54' Pantelis 90+2'		Thompson 45+2'	Attendance: 13,372 Referee: Mark Shield

21 October 2007 Round 9	Template:ALeague MV	2 : 1	Template:ALeague PG	Telstra Dome, Melbourne
16:30 UTC+10	Hernandez 24' Thompson 34'		Harnwell 42'	Attendance: 25,598 Referee: Simon Przydacz

26 October 2007 Round 10	Template:ALeague MV	0 : 2	Template:ALeague NUJ	Telstra Dome, Melbourne
20:00 UTC+10	Pantelidis 66'		A. Griffiths 8' J. Griffiths 88'	Attendance: 27,123 Referee: Matthew Breeze

4 November 2007 Round 11	Template:ALeague CCM	2 : 1	Template:ALeague MV	Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
17:00 UTC+11	Petrovski 83', 73' 90' Pondeljak 88'		Keenan 22' Hernández 77' Vargas 90'	Attendance: 11,354 Referee: Mark Shield

10 November 2007 Round 12	Template:ALeague MV	0 : 0	Template:ALeague SFC	Telstra Dome, Melbourne
19:00 UTC+11				Attendance: 31,884 Referee: Mark Shield

16 November 2007 Round 13	Template:ALeague QR	1 : 0	Template:ALeague MV	Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
19:00 UTC+10	Kruse 10'			Attendance: 17,207 Referee: Ben Williams

24 November 2007 Round 14	Template:ALeague MV	1 : 1	Template:ALeague WP	Telstra Dome, Melbourne
19:00 UTC+11	Muscat 34' 35' Allsopp 43'		Lia 58'	Attendance: 20,938 Referee: Peter Green

2 December 2007 Round 15	Template:ALeague PG	3 : 1	Template:ALeague MV	Members Equity Stadium, Perth
17:00 UTC+9	Harnwell 18' Rukavytsya 27' 46'		Caceres 38'	Attendance: 8,030 Referee: Ben Williams

8 December 2007 Round 16	Template:ALeague MV	2 : 2	Template:ALeague AU	Telstra Dome, Melbourne
19:00 UTC+11	Muscat 71' (pen) Alagich 90+2' (o.g.)		Agostino 18' 50'	Attendance: 22,466 Referee: Peter Green

16 December 2007 Round 17	Template:ALeague MV	1 : 3	Template:ALeague NUJ	Telstra Dome, Melbourne
17:00 UTC+11	Hernández 11'		Denni 41' J. Griffiths 54' 76'	Attendance: 22,626 Referee: Matthew Breeze

31 December 2007 Round 18	Template:ALeague CCM	2 : 5	Template:ALeague MV	Bluetongue Stadium, Gosford
18:00 UTC+11	Jedinak 32' J.Aloisi 63'		Caceres 4' Allsopp 23' 61' Thompson 36' Muscat 43' (pen)	Attendance: 18,686 Referee: Mark Shield

5 January 2008 Round 19	Template:ALeague QR	1 : 2	Template:ALeague MV	Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane
19:00 UTC+10	Marcinho 73'		Allsopp 56' Thompson 63'	Attendance: 21,475 Referee: Matthew Breeze

11 January 2008 Round 20	Template:ALeague MV	3 : 0	Template:ALeague WP	Telstra Dome, Melbourne
20:00 UTC+11	Hernández 31' Ward 35' Patafta 88'			Attendance: 25,489 Referee: Peter Green

20 January 2008 Round 21	Template:ALeague SFC	2 : 2	Template:ALeague MV	Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney
17:00 UTC+11	Corica 4' Brosque 62'	(Report) (Summary)	Milligan 46' (o.g.) Allsopp 76'	Attendance: 33,458 Referee: Peter O'Leary

Ladder

Template:A-League 2007-08 Position Ladder

2008 AFC Champions League

Warm-up matches

14 February 2008

Whittlesea Zebras

1 : 3

Template:ALeague MV

Epping Stadium, Melbourne

26 February 2008

Template:ALeague MV

2 : 1

Template:ALeague AU

Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne

4 March 2008

Template:ALeague AU

1 : 1

Template:ALeague MV

Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide

Matches

Team	Pld	W	D	L	GF	GA	GD	Pts
Gamba Osaka	6	4	2	0	14	8	6	14
Melbourne Victory	6	2	1	3	10	11	-1	7
Chunnam Dragons	6	1	3	2	8	10	-2	6
Chonburi FC	6	1	2	3	7	10	-3	5

12 March 2008	Template:ALeague MV	2 : 0	Chunnam Dragons	Telstra Dome, Melbourne
				Attendance: 23,356

19 March 2008	Chonburi FC	3 : 1	Template:ALeague MV	Suphachalasai Stadium, Bangkok
				Attendance: 10,000

9 April 2008	Template:ALeague MV	3 : 4	Gamba Osaka	Telstra Dome, Melbourne
				Attendance: 23,857

23 April 2008	Gamba Osaka	2 : 0	Template:ALeague MV	Osaka Expo '70 Stadium, Suita
				Attendance: 8,132

7 May 2008	Chunnam Dragons	1 : 1	Template:ALeague MV	Gwang-Yang Stadium, Gwangyang
				Attendance: 3,000

21 May 2008	Template:ALeague MV	3 : 1	Chonburi FC	Telstra Dome, Melbourne
				Attendance: 9,558

References

^ "Victory sign Costa Rican star". The Australian. 12 June 2007. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
^ Ormond, Aidan (31 August 2007). "Victory Hits The Magic 20K Mark". FourFourTwo Australia. Haymarket Group. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

[1] "Victory sign Costa Rican star". The Australian. 12 June 2007. Retrieved 28 June 2011.

[Victory20k-2] Ormond, Aidan (31 August 2007). "Victory Hits The Magic 20K Mark". FourFourTwo Australia. Haymarket Group. Archived from the original on 5 October 2012. Retrieved 28 June 2011. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)

[1]

[2]

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v t e Melbourne Victory Football Club
Managers Men Women Seasons Men Women Current season Men Women
Teams	Melbourne Victory FC Women Youth AWT
Home grounds	Men Olympic Park Stadium (2005–2007) Marvel Stadium (2007–2021) AAMI Park (2010–present) Women Marvel Stadium (2008–2020) Lakeside Stadium (2008–2020) Epping Stadium (2008–2022) David Barro Stadium (2011–2015) Wembley Park (2012) Kingston Heath Soccer Complex (2013–2014) John Ilhan Memorial Reserve (2014–2015) CB Smith Reserve (2021–2023) AAMI Park (2010–present) The Home of the Matildas (2023–present)
Honours	Men Women Youth
Players	Men Women Player of the Season
Rivalries	League record by opponent Melbourne Derby The Big Blue The Original Rivalry Western United rivalry
Media	Dream Big (TV series)
Related articles	Songs and Chants (Stand By Me Seven Nation Army Freed from Desire) Melbourne City v Melbourne Victory (17 December 2022)
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