The 2006–07 season was the 126th season of competitive football by Heart of Midlothian, and their 24th consecutive season in the top level of Scottish football, competing in the Scottish Premier League. Hearts also competed in the Champions League, UEFA Cup, Scottish Cup and Scottish League Cup.
| 2006–07 season | |
|---|---|
| Chairman | Roman Romanov |
| Manager | Valdas Ivanauskas Eduard Malofeev Anatoliy Korobochka |
| Stadium | Tynecastle Stadium Murrayfield Stadium |
| Scottish Premier League | 4th |
| Scottish Cup | Fourth round |
| League Cup | Quarter-finals |
| UEFA Champions League | Third qualifying round |
| UEFA Cup | First round |
| Top goalscorer | League: Andrius Velicka (9) All: Andrius Velicka (12) |
| Highest home attendance | 32,459 V AEK Athens Champions League 9 August 2006 |
| Lowest home attendance | 15,912 V Inverness SPL 26 August 2006 |
Managers edit
Valdas Ivanauskas was confirmed as head coach on a permanent basis during the summer of 2006 following the Scottish Cup victory.
Following an inconsistent start to their League campaign, head coach Valdas Ivanauskas took a sabbatical from his role on 23 October. Eduard Malofeev was appointed interim head coach until Valdas Ivanauskas took the role later in the season, although he only resumed the role for a short time before becoming director of football once again. An interim head couch was required and previous director of football Anatoly Korobochka took charge of the team.
First team squad edit
- Squad at end of season[1]
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
Left club during season edit
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.
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Matches edit
Pre-season edit
Hearts travelled to Austria for a pre-season tour.
| 5 July 2006 Friendly | LASK Linz | 1–1 | Hearts | Stadion Windischgarsten |
Muhlbauer  62' |
Beslija 83' |
Attendance: 400 Referee: Dietmar Drabek |
| 8 July 2006 Friendly | Spartak Trnava | 1–3 | Hearts | Stadion Windischgarsten |
| Peter Duris 80' |
Cesnauskis 31' (36) Beslija 83' |
Attendance: 200 Referee: Thomas Prammer |
| 12 July 2006 Friendly | CluJ | 1–1 | Hearts | Stadion Stainach |
| Zelemcz 92' |
Makela 77' |
Attendance: 80 Referee: Rene Eisner |
| 15 July 2006 Friendly | Preston North End | 1–2 | Hearts | Deepdale Stadium |
| Whaley 33' |
Bednar 15' Mikoliunas 18' |
Attendance: 3,000 Referee: Chris Foy |
| 19 July 2006 Friendly | Hearts | 2–0 | Osasuna | Murrayfield Stadium |
| Velicka 73' Tall 90' |
Attendance: 18,997 Referee: Craig Mackay |
| 20 July 2006 Friendly | Livingston | 1–2 | Hearts | Almondvale Stadium |
| Weir 63' |
Neill 52' Beslija 54' |
Attendance: 900 |
Champions League edit
Hearts played their home 2006/2007 European Champions League games at Murrayfield Stadium, rather than in their home ground Tynecastle. A combination of Tynecastle falling short of UEFA requirements in terms of pitch size and hospitality facilities, and Murrayfield's greater capacity, meant that Murrayfield was the preferred choice for the Tynecastle board. Hearts won their second round qualifying tie against Bosnian champions Široki Brijeg 3–0 on aggregate, but were defeated 5–1 on aggregate by AEK Athens in the final qualifying round. The Greek side won 2–1 at Murrayfield due to two late goals and then won 3–0 in the Athens Olympic Stadium. Hearts had one player (Bruno Aguiar) sent off in the first leg and two players (Julien Brellier and Neil McCann) sent off in the second leg.
| 26 July 2006 Champions League Q2 | Hearts | 3–0 | Široki Brijeg | Murrayfield Stadium |
| Branimir Anic 53' (og.) Tall 79' Bednar 84' |
Attendance: 28,486 Referee: Espen Berntsen |
| 2 August 2006 Champions League Q2 | Široki Brijeg | 0–0 | Hearts | Stadion Pecara |
| Branimir Anic 53' (og.) Tall 79' Bednar 84' |
Attendance: 6,000 Referee: Viktor Kassai |
| 9 August 2006 Champions League Q3 | Hearts | 1–2 | AEK Athens | Murrayfield Stadium |
| Mikoliunas 62' |
Kapetanos 89' Berra 93' (og.) |
Attendance: 32,459 Referee: Nicolai Vollquartz |
| 23 August 2006 Champions League Q3 | AEK Athens | 3–0 | Hearts | Olympic Stadium (Athens) |
| Souza 79' (pen.), 86' Tall 79' Liberopoulos 82' |
Attendance: 45,000 Referee: Iouri Baskakov |
UEFA Cup edit
The loss in the final qualifying round meant that Hearts dropped into the UEFA Cup first round against Sparta Prague. In this competition they lost 2–0 at a muddy Murrayfield in the first leg and they were eliminated after a 0–0 draw in Prague in the return leg on 28 September 2006.
| 14 September 2006 2006–07 UEFA Cup R1 | Hearts | 0–2 | Sparta Prague | Murrayfield Stadium |
| Kolar 33' Matusovic 70' |
Attendance: 27,255 Referee: Paolo Bertini |
| 28 September 2006 2006–07 UEFA Cup R1 | Sparta Prague | 0–0 | Hearts | Letensky Stadion |
| Attendance: 16,505 Referee: Peter Sippel |
League Cup edit
| 20 September 2006 League Cup R3 | Alloa Athletic | 0–4 | Hearts | Recreation Park |
| BBC SPORT | Makela 46' (82), 88' Aguiar 88' |
Attendance: 2,551 Referee: Charlie Richmond |
| 8 November 2006 League Cup QF | Hibs | 1–0 | Hearts | Easter Road |
| Jones 32' |
BBC SPORT | Attendance: 15,825 Referee: Calum Murray |
Scottish Cup edit
| 6 January 2007 Scottish Cup R3 | Stranraer | 0–4 | Hearts | Stair Park |
| BBC SPORT | Velicka 17' (43), 90' Bednar 79' |
Attendance: 5,100 Referee: Eddie Smith |
| 3 February 2007 Scottish Cup R4 | Dunfermline Athletic | 1–0 | Hearts | East End Park |
| Wilson 90' |
BBC SPORT | Attendance: 9,597 Referee: Mike McCurry |
Scottish Premier League edit
Following an indifferent start to their League campaign, head coach Valdas Ivanauskas took a sabbatical from his role on 23 October. Club owner Vladimir Romanov, who stated "I have full confidence in Valdas and look forward to his return",[4] appointed the club's sporting director, Eduard Malofeev, as interim head coach. Further off-field disruption ensued four days later when Romanov warned his players that they would all be put up for sale if Hearts did not win their match against Dunfermline Athletic the next day. Captain Steven Pressley, flanked by senior players Paul Hartley and Craig Gordon, responded with a statement voicing the players' unhappiness at affairs at the club, stating in a pre-match media conference ahead of Dunfermline's visit that there was "significant unrest" in the dressing room.[5] The game was drawn 1–1.
The repercussions from the press conference stretched over several months and eventually led to the departure from the club of two of the so-called Riccarton Three.[6] Pressley was dropped for a match against Falkirk on 13 November[7] and named as an unused substitute for a 1–0 defeat by Rangers on 19 November.[8] Hartley was only used as a substitute in the former game. Pressley eventually left Hearts on 9 December, with accompanying press releases stating that this was an amicable agreement. He joined rivals Celtic on 1 January 2007 and captained his new squad to a 2–1 victory at Tynecastle on his first return to Edinburgh. Hartley also moved to Celtic during January 2007, in a £1.1 million transfer on 31 January. This only left Gordon, who was dropped for matches away to Dundee United and Rangers in December and January respectively, as the only member of the trio to remain at Hearts beyond the January transfer window.
Hearts failed to win a game under the management of Eduard Malofeev, who took control during Ivanauskas' sabbatical. Hearts lost at Celtic and Hibernian – a result which eliminated Hearts from the CIS Cup – and at home to Rangers. He remained as caretaker manager until late November 2006 when, despite media reports anticipating the appointment of Eugenijus Riabovas,[9] Ivanauskas returned to resume his duties as club manager.[10]
A 1–0 loss in the Scottish Cup at Dunfermline on 3 February 2007, with Gordon on the bench, ended Hearts' chance to retain the trophy. Later that month, Ivanauskas was moved to a director of football role,[11] with director of football Anatoly Korobochka assuming the role of interim head coach on 2 March. An improved run of form towards the end of the season witnessed Hearts challenge Aberdeen for third spot in the League and UEFA Cup qualification. The Dons scored a last minute equaliser in a head-to-head confrontation between the two teams at Tynecastle in May, and eventually finished four points clear in third place.
| 29 July 2006 SPL | Dunfermline | 1–2 | Hearts | East End Park |
| Stephen Simmons 62' |
Bednar 15' Pospisil 77' |
Attendance: 7,936 Referee: Brian Winter |
| 6 August 2006 SPL | Hearts | 2–1 | Celtic | Tynecastle Stadium |
| Bednar 49' (87) |
Petrov 65' |
Attendance: 16,822 Referee: Stuart Dougal |
| 12 August 2006 SPL | Hearts | 0–0 | Falkirk | Tynecastle Stadium |
| Attendance: 16,127 Referee: John Underhill |
| 19 August 2006 SPL | Rangers | 2–0 | Hearts | Ibrox |
| Boyd 47' (pen.), 49' |
Attendance: 50,239 Referee: Kenny Clark |
| 26 August 2006 SPL | Hearts | 4–1 | Inverness | Tynecastle Stadium |
| Pinilla 17' Mole 42' Driver 80' Aguiar 91' |
Bayne 29' |
Attendance: 15,912 Referee: Steve Conroy |
| 9 September 2006 SPL | Hearts | 0–1 | St Mirren | Tynecastle Stadium |
| Kean 82' |
Attendance: 16,823 Referee: Douglas McDonald |
| 17 September 2006 SPL | Motherwell | 0–1 | Hearts | Fir Park |
| Mole 68' |
Attendance: 5,931 Referee: Iain Brines |
| 24 September 2006 SPL | Aberdeen | 1–3 | Hearts | Pittodrie Stadium |
| Daal 82' |
Berra 64' Pinilla 76' Mikoliunas 81' |
Attendance: 11,160 Referee: Stuart Dougal |
| 1 October 2006 SPL | Hearts | 4–0 | Dundee United | Tynecastle Stadium |
| Velicka 29' Makela 39' Hartley 88' (pen.) Mole 89' |
Attendance: 16,849 Referee: Eddie Smith |
| 15 October 2006 SPL | Hibs | 2–2 | Hearts | Easter Road |
| Zemamma 5' Killen 16' |
Velicka 29' (72) |
Attendance: 16,623 Referee: Charlie Richmond |
| 21 October 2006 SPL | Hearts | 0–2 | Kilmarnock | Tynecastle Stadium |
| Invincible 28' Wales 35' |
Attendance: 16,849 Referee: Kenny Clark |
| 28 October 2006 SPL | Hearts | 1–1 | Dunfermline | Tynecastle Stadium |
| Velicka 12' |
Hamilton 48' |
Attendance: 17,031 Referee: Brian Winter |
| 4 November 2006 SPL | Celtic | 2–1 | Hearts | Celtic Park |
| Jarosik 86' Gordon 94' (og.) |
Velicka 72' |
Attendance: 58,971 Referee: Craig Thomson |
| 13 November 2006 SPL | Falkirk | 1–1 | Hearts | Falkirk Stadium |
| Latapy 84' |
Velicka 65' |
Attendance: 6,289 Referee: Mike McCurry |
| 19 November 2006 SPL | Hearts | 0–1 | Rangers | Tynecastle Stadium |
| Novo 78' |
Attendance: 17,040 Referee: Dougie McDonald |
| 25 November 2006 SPL | Inverness | 0–0 | Hearts | Caledonian Stadium |
| Attendance: 5,603 Referee: Iain Brines |
| 2 December 2006 SPL | St Mirren | 2–2 | Hearts | Love Street |
| Kean 19' (21) |
Mikoliunas 1' Zaliukas 51' |
Attendance: 5,728 Referee: Charlie Richmond |
| 9 December 2006 SPL | Hearts | 4–1 | Motherwell | Tynecastle Stadium |
| Fyssas 9' Quinn 55' (og.) Velicka 58' Aguiar 64' |
Foran 20' |
Attendance: 16,753 Referee: Craig Mackay |
| 16 December 2006 SPL | Hearts | 0–1 | Aberdeen | Tynecastle Stadium |
| Lovell 87' |
Attendance: 17,274 Referee: Stuart Dougal |
| 23 December 2006 SPL | Dundee United | 0–1 | Hearts | Tannadice Park |
| Hartley 54' (pen.) |
Attendance: 7,789 Referee: Charlie Richmond |
| 26 December 2006 SPL | Hearts | 3–2 | Hibernian | Tynecastle Stadium |
| Hartley 2' Jankauskas 48' Mikoliunas 70' |
Killen 55' Shiels 61' |
Attendance: 17,369 Referee: Craig Mackay |
| 30 December 2006 SPL | Kilmarnock | 0–0 | Hearts | Rugby Park |
| Attendance: 7,302 Referee: Charlie Richmond |
| 2 January 2007 SPL | Dunfermline Athletic | 0–1 | Hearts | East End Park |
| Pospisil 15' |
Attendance: 7,004 Referee: Craig Thomson |
| 14 January 2007 SPL | Hearts | 1–2 | Celtic | Tynecastle Stadium |
| Mikoliunas 28' |
Hesselink 59' Jarosik 81' |
Attendance: 17,129 Referee: Kenny Clark |
| 20 January 2007 SPL | Hearts | 1–0 | Falkirk | Tynecastle Stadium |
| Bednar 74' |
Attendance: 17,247 Referee: Steve Conroy |
| 27 January 2007 SPL | Rangers | 0–0 | Hearts | Ibrox |
| Attendance: 50,321 Referee: Charlie Richmond |
| 10 February 2007 SPL | Hearts | 1–0 | Inverness | Tynecastle Stadium |
| Pospisil 82' |
Attendance: 16,631 Referee: Eddie Smith |
| 17 February 2007 SPL | Hearts | 1–1 | St Mirren | Tynecastle Stadium |
| Kingston 71' |
O'Donnell 14' |
Attendance: 17,195 Referee: Dougie McDonald |
| 5 March 2007 SPL | Motherwell | 0–2 | Hearts | Fir Park |
| Tall 37' Craigan 66' (og.) |
Attendance: 4,389 Referee: Stuart Dougal |
| 17 March 2007 SPL | Hearts | 0–4 | Dundee United | Tynecastle Stadium |
| Robson 51' (70), 78' Hunt 59' |
Attendance: 17,172 Referee: Craig Mackay |
| 1 April 2007 SPL | Hibs | 0–1 | Hearts | Easter Road |
| Zaliukas 81' |
Attendance: 15,953 Referee: Kenny Clark |
| 7 April 2007 SPL | Hearts | 1–0 | Kilmarnock | Tynecastle Stadium |
| Pospisil 78' |
Attendance: 17,019 Referee: Mark Ritchie |
| 21 April 2007 SPL | Rangers | 2–1 | Hearts | Ibrox |
| Rae 52' Ferguson 79' |
Velicka 16' |
Attendance: 50,099 Referee: Iain Brines |
| 29 April 2007 SPL | Celtic | 1–3 | Hearts | Celtic Park |
| Steven Pressley 63' |
Ivaskevicius 57' Driver 61' Pospisil 73' (pen.) |
Attendance: 59,510 Referee: Stuart Dougal |
| 6 May 2007 SPL | Hearts | 1–1 | Aberdeen | Tynecastle Stadium |
| Velicka 14' |
Nicholson 90' |
Attendance: 17,208 Referee: Brian Winter |
| 12 May 2007 SPL | Hearts | 2–0 | Hibs | Tynecastle Stadium |
| Pospisil 1' Driver 23' |
Attendance: 16,434 Referee: Stuart Dougal |
| 20 May 2007 SPL | Kilmarnock | 1–0 | Hearts | Rugby Park |
| Steven Naismith 82' (pen.) |
Attendance: 11,030 Referee: Willie Collum |
Final table edit
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation[a] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Rangers | 38 | 21 | 9 | 8 | 61 | 32 | +29 | 72 | Qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round |
| 3 | Aberdeen | 38 | 19 | 8 | 11 | 55 | 38 | +17 | 65 | Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round |
| 4 | Heart of Midlothian | 38 | 17 | 10 | 11 | 47 | 35 | +12 | 61 | |
| 5 | Kilmarnock | 38 | 16 | 7 | 15 | 47 | 54 | −7 | 55 | |
| 6 | Hibernian | 38 | 13 | 10 | 15 | 56 | 46 | +10 | 49 |
Rules for classification: 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored
Notes:
- ^ 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.
Transfers edit
On the eve of the SPL season, Hearts announced the capture of Chile striker Mauricio Pinilla on a season-long loan. PAOK Salonika's Christos Karipidis and Tiago Costa, a full back from Benfica B were also signed, while in the final week of the transfer window three further Lithuanian players – Marius Žaliūkas, Kęstutis Ivaškevičius and Andrius Velička – joined on loan from FBK Kaunas. Hearts fans still anticipated the arrival of "two World Cup stars" but were left disappointed when the club announced that the final piece of business of the transfer window would be to sign the previously-loaned striker Roman Bednář on a permanent deal.
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "FootballSquads - Heart of Midlothian - 2006/07". footballsquads.co.uk.
- ^ Tall was born in Aubervilliers, France, but also qualifies to represent Senegal internationally through his parents and made his international debut for Senegal in 2003.
- ^ Driver was born in Oldham, England, but also qualified to represent Scotland internationally and represented them at U-16 level before representing England at U-21 level in 2009.
- ^ "Ivanauskas to take two-week break". BBC Sport. 23 October 2006. Retrieved 24 November 2006.
- ^ "Romanov issues player ultimatum". BBC Sport. 27 October 2006. Retrieved 25 November 2006.
- ^ Riccarton being the location of Hearts training ground, where the contentious press-conference took place.
- ^ "Pressley holds talks with union". BBC Sport. 15 November 2006. Retrieved 25 November 2006.
- ^ "Hearts 0–1 Rangers". BBC Sport. 19 November 2006. Retrieved 25 November 2006.
- ^ "Ribovas promises Hearts return". BBC Sport. 21 November 2006. Retrieved 24 November 2006.
- ^ "Valdas Returns". Hearts F.C. Archived from the original on 4 August 2012. Retrieved 27 November 2006.
- ^ "Ivanauskas set for change of role". BBC Sport. 28 February 2007. Retrieved 26 February 2007.
External links edit
- 2006–07 Heart of Midlothian F.C. season at ESPN Archived 24 October 2012 at the Wayback Machine