2007–08 Melbourne Victory FC season
| 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 | ||
|
| |||
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.
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Transfers
- In
| Player | From | League | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} 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 | Melbourne Victory | 1 : 4 |  Juventus | Telstra Dome, Melbourne |
| Attendance: 43,357 |
| 6 June 2007 | Richmond Eagles | 0 : 1 | Melbourne Victory | Kevin Bartlett Reserve, Melbourne |
| 13 June 2007 | Oakleigh Cannons | 2 : 3 | Melbourne Victory | Jack Edwards Reserve, Melbourne |
| 20 June 2007 | South Melbourne | 1 : 5 | Melbourne Victory | Bob Jane Stadium, Melbourne |
| 4 July 2007 | China PR  | 1 : 0 | Melbourne Victory | Siu Sai Wan Sports Ground, Hong Kong |
| 7 July 2007 | Tianjin Teda | 1 : 1 | Melbourne Victory | TEDA Football Stadium, Tianjin |
| (5–6 pen.) |
- The match against China was played over three 30-minute periods.
2007 Pre-Season Cup
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | BP | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Adelaide United | 3 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 6 | 3 | +3 | 3 | 8 |
| 2 | Perth Glory | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 2 | +2 | 1 | 8 |
| 3 | Newcastle Jets | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 2 | 5 | −3 | 0 | 3 |
| 4 | Melbourne Victory | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 2 | 4 | −2 | 0 | 1 |
Source:
| 15 July 2007 Group Stage | Melbourne Victory  | 1 : 1 |  Adelaide United | Aurora Stadium, Launceston |
| Attendance: 8,061 |
| 22 July 2007 Group Stage | Melbourne Victory | 0 : 1 |  Newcastle Jets | Skilled Stadium, Geelong |
| Attendance: 8,500 |
| 28 July 2007 Group Stage | Perth Glory  | 2 : 1 | Melbourne Victory | Darwin Football Stadium, Darwin |
| Attendance: 2,700 |
| 4 August 2007 Play-offs | Melbourne Victory | 1 : 2 |  Wellington Phoenix | Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne |
| Attendance: 4,100 |
| 11 August 2007 Seventh Place Play-off | Melbourne Victory | 0 : 1 |  Sydney FC | Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne |
| Attendance: 3,400 |
2007-08 Hyundai A-League fixtures
| 25 August 2007 Round 1 | Wellington Phoenix | 2 : 2 | Melbourne Victory | 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 | Melbourne Victory | 0 : 0 | Perth Glory | Telstra Dome, Melbourne, Melbourne |
| 19:00 UTC+10 | Attendance: 31,545 Referee: Peter O'Leary |
| 7 September 2007 Round 3 | Adelaide United | 1 : 1 | Melbourne Victory | Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide |
| 19:30 UTC+9:30 | Dodd 83' (pen) |
Vargas 80' |
Attendance: 13,231 Referee: Peter Green |
| 16 September 2007 Round 4 | Melbourne Victory | 0 : 0 |  Central Coast Mariners | Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne |
| 17:00 UTC+10 | Vidmar  90+2' |
Attendance: 27,351 Referee: Mark Shield |
| 21 September 2007 Round 5 | Newcastle Jets | 2 : 2 | Melbourne Victory | 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 | Melbourne Victory | 2 : 0 |  Queensland Roar | Telstra Dome, Melbourne |
| 20:00 UTC+10 | Muscat 68' (pen) Thompson 85' |
Attendance: 25,622 Referee: Ben Williams |
| 6 October 2007 Round 7 | Sydney FC | 0 : 1 | Melbourne Victory | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney |
| 19:00 UTC+10 | Corica 25' |
Allsopp 82' |
Attendance: 18,436 Referee: Mark Shield |
| 12 October 2007 Round 8 | Adelaide United | 4 : 1 | Melbourne Victory | 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 | Melbourne Victory | 2 : 1 | Perth Glory | Telstra Dome, Melbourne |
| 16:30 UTC+10 | Hernandez 24' Thompson 34' |
Harnwell 42' |
Attendance: 25,598 Referee: Simon Przydacz |
| 26 October 2007 Round 10 | Melbourne Victory | 0 : 2 | Newcastle Jets | 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 | Central Coast Mariners | 2 : 1 | Melbourne Victory | 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 | Melbourne Victory | 0 : 0 | Sydney FC | Telstra Dome, Melbourne |
| 19:00 UTC+11 | Attendance: 31,884 Referee: Mark Shield |
| 16 November 2007 Round 13 | Queensland Roar | 1 : 0 | Melbourne Victory | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane |
| 19:00 UTC+10 | Kruse 10' |
Attendance: 17,207 Referee: Ben Williams |
| 24 November 2007 Round 14 | Melbourne Victory | 1 : 1 | Wellington Phoenix | 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 | Perth Glory | 3 : 1 | Melbourne Victory | 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 | Melbourne Victory | 2 : 2 | Adelaide United | 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 | Melbourne Victory | 1 : 3 | Newcastle Jets | 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 | Central Coast Mariners | 2 : 5 | Melbourne Victory | 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 | Queensland Roar | 1 : 2 | Melbourne Victory | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane |
| 19:00 UTC+10 | Marcinho 73' |
Allsopp 56' Thompson 63' |
Attendance: 21,475 Referee: Matthew Breeze |
| 11 January 2008 Round 20 | Melbourne Victory | 3 : 0 | Wellington Phoenix | Telstra Dome, Melbourne |
| 20:00 UTC+11 | Hernández 31' Ward 35'Patafta 88' |
Attendance: 25,489 Referee: Peter Green |
| 20 January 2008 Round 21 | Sydney FC | 2 : 2 | Melbourne Victory | 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
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Central Coast Mariners | 21 | 10 | 4 | 7 | 30 | 25 | +5 | 34 | Finals Series and 2009 AFC Champions League Group stage[lower-alpha 1] |
| 2 | Newcastle Jets (C) | 21 | 9 | 7 | 5 | 25 | 21 | +4 | 34 | |
| 3 | Sydney FC | 21 | 8 | 8 | 5 | 28 | 24 | +4 | 32 | Finals Series and 2008 Pan-Pacific Championship |
| 4 | Queensland Roar | 21 | 8 | 7 | 6 | 25 | 21 | +4 | 31 | Finals Series |
| 5 | Melbourne Victory | 21 | 6 | 9 | 6 | 29 | 29 | 0 | 27 | |
| 6 | Adelaide United | 21 | 6 | 8 | 7 | 31 | 29 | +2 | 26 | |
| 7 | Perth Glory | 21 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 27 | 34 | −7 | 20 | |
| 8 | Wellington Phoenix[lower-alpha 2] | 21 | 5 | 5 | 11 | 25 | 37 | −12 | 20 |
Source: ultimatealeague.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champion
Notes:
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champion
Notes:
- First place qualifies for the 2009 AFC Champions League Group stage.
Winning the 2008 A-League Grand Final earns qualification for the 2009 AFC Champions League Group stage, unless the Grand Final winners are also first place, in which case the Grand Final runner up qualifies. - Wellington Phoenix cannot qualify for the AFC Champions League as they are not recognised as an AFC club.
2008 AFC Champions League
Warm-up matches
| 14 February 2008 | Whittlesea Zebras | 1 : 3 | Melbourne Victory | Epping Stadium, Melbourne |
| 26 February 2008 | Melbourne Victory | 2 : 1 | Adelaide United | Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne |
| 4 March 2008 | Adelaide United | 1 : 1 | Melbourne Victory | 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 |
6 | 1 | 2 | 3 | 7 | 10 | −3 | 5 |
Source:
| 12 March 2008 | Melbourne Victory | 2 : 0 | Chunnam Dragons | Telstra Dome, Melbourne |
| Attendance: 23,356 |
| 19 March 2008 | Chonburi FC | 3 : 1 | Melbourne Victory | Suphachalasai Stadium, Bangkok |
| Attendance: 10,000 |
| 9 April 2008 | Melbourne Victory | 3 : 4 | Gamba Osaka | Telstra Dome, Melbourne |
| Attendance: 23,857 |
| 23 April 2008 | Gamba Osaka | 2 : 0 | Melbourne Victory | Osaka Expo '70 Stadium, Suita |
| Attendance: 8,132 |
| 7 May 2008 | Chunnam Dragons | 1 : 1 | Melbourne Victory | Gwang-Yang Stadium, Gwangyang |
| Attendance: 3,000 |
| 21 May 2008 | Melbourne Victory | 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.
| Home grounds |
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| Reserve grounds |
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| Other teams | |
| Rivalries | |
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