1998–99 Scottish Premier League

93rd season of top-tier football league in Scotland March 2026 Scottish Premier League 1998–99 1 August 1998 – 23 May 1999 Rangers 1st Premier League title 48th Scottish title Dundee Dunfermline Athletic Champions League Rangers UEFA Cup Celtic (via Scottish Cup)St JohnstoneKilmarnock (via Fair Play) Henrik Larsson (29) 180 471 Motherwell 1–7 Celtic (21 February) Celtic 6–1 Dundee (7 November) Rangers 6–1 Dundee (20 February) St Johnstone 0–7 Rangers (8 November) 60,092, Celtic v St Johnstone (31 January) 3,532, Dunfermline Athletic v Motherwell (23 May) 18,577 (12px541) 1997–98 (Premier Division) 1999–2000 The 1998–99 Scottish Premier League season (also known as the 1998–99 Bank of Scotland Scottish Premier League for sponsorship reasons from 11 Marchhttp://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4971530.html https://web.archive.org/web/20121019151242/http://www.highbeam.com/doc/1P2-4971530.html usurped 2012-10-19 The Independent Scottish sponsorship deal is defended 1999-03-11 HighBeam Research subscription 2008-04-21) was the inaugural season of Scottish Premier League football, the top division of Scottish football. It began on 1 August 1998 and concluded on 23 May 1999. The league was made up of the ten clubs that broke away from the Scottish Football League at the end of the 1997–98 season. Celtic went into the season as the defending Scottish champions, having won the 1997–98 Scottish Premier Division. Rangers won the title with 3 matches still to play on 2 May 1999, after defeating Old Firm rivals Celtic 3–0 in controversial circumstances at Celtic Park.https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/football/scottish_premier/334094.stm BBC News Rangers make history out of chaos 1999-05-03 2008-04-20 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. Teams On 8 September 1997, the clubs in the Premier Division decided to split from the Scottish Football League and form a Scottish Premier League (SPL). This followed an earlier example in England, which came into force during the 1992–93 season. This decision was fuelled by a desire by the top clubs in Scotland to retain more of the revenue generated by the game. Originally, league sponsorship money was divided proportionally between clubs in all four divisions. After the SPL was formed, its clubs retained all of its commercial revenues except for an annual payment to the SFL and a parachute payment to relegated clubs. The new league followed the same format as the previous season's Premier Division, with the ten clubs playing each other four times, twice at home and twice away. Hibernian were relegated to the First Division after finishing bottom of the 1997–98 Scottish Premier Division. They were replaced by Dundee, the champions of the previous season's First Division. Scotland Central Belt 400 right Location of clubs in 1998–99 Scottish Premier League Scotland Central Belt 6 57.159387 -2.088979 Aberdeen left Scotland Central Belt 6 56.495264 -2.973194 Dundee left Scotland Central Belt 6 56.474765 -2.968894 Dundee Utd right Scotland Central Belt 6 56.075308 -3.441906 Dunfermline Athletic right Scotland Central Belt 6 55.939167 -3.232222 Hearts right Scotland Central Belt 6 55.604321 -4.508300 Kilmarnock left Scotland Central Belt 6 55.853207 -4.309243 Rangers left Scotland Central Belt 6 56.389979 -3.476840 St. Johnstone left Scotland Central Belt 6 55.849705 -4.205414 Scotland Central Belt 6 55.780279 -3.980205 Scotland Central Belt TransparentPlaceholder.png 55.88 -4.28 Celtic right Scotland Central Belt TransparentPlaceholder.png 55.75 -3.40 Motherwell bottom Stadia and locations Aberdeen Celtic Dundee Pittodrie Stadium Celtic Park Dens Park Capacity: 20,866http://spfl.co.uk/clubs/aberdeen/ Aberdeen Football Club Scottish Professional Football League 11 November 2013 Capacity: 60,411http://spfl.co.uk/clubs/celtic/ Celtic Football Club Scottish Professional Football League 11 November 2013 Capacity: 11,506http://spfl.co.uk/clubs/dundee/ Dundee Football Club Scottish Professional Football League 11 November 2013 200px 200px 200px Dundee United Dunfermline Athletic Heart of Midlothian Tannadice Park East End Park Tynecastle Park Capacity: 14,223http://spfl.co.uk/clubs/dundee-united/ Dundee United Academical Football Club Scottish Professional Football League 11 November 2013 Capacity: 11,480http://spfl.co.uk/clubs/dunfermline-athletic/ Dunfermline Athletic Football Club Scottish Professional Football League 11 November 2013 Capacity: 18,008http://spfl.co.uk/clubs/hearts/ Heart of Midlothian Football Club Scottish Professional Football League 11 November 2013 https://web.archive.org/web/20131022121754/http://spfl.co.uk/clubs/hearts/ 2013-10-22 dead 200px 200px 200px Kilmarnock Motherwell Rugby Park Fir Park Capacity: 17,889http://spfl.co.uk/clubs/kilmarnock/ Kilmarnock Football Club Scottish Professional Football League 11 November 2013 Capacity: 13,677http://spfl.co.uk/clubs/motherwell/ Motherwell Football Club Scottish Professional Football League 11 November 2013 200px 200px Rangers St Johnstone Ibrox Stadium McDiarmid Park Capacity: 50,817http://spfl.co.uk/clubs/rangers/ Rangers Football Club Scottish Professional Football League 4 November 2015 Capacity: 10,696http://spfl.co.uk/clubs/st-johnstone/ St Johnstone Football Club Scottish Professional Football League 11 November 2013 200px 200px Personnel and kits Team Manager Kit manufacturer Shirt sponsor Aberdeen Scotland Paul Hegarty (caretaker) Pumahttp://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Scottish_Football_League/Aberdeen/Aberdeen.htm Aberdeen Historical Football Kits 6 February 2018 Atlantic Telecom Celtic Slovakia Jozef Vengloš Umbrohttp://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Scottish_Football_League/Celtic/Celtic.htm Celtic Historical Football Kits 6 February 2018 Umbro Dundee Scotland Jocky Scott Avec Sporthttp://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Scottish_Football_League/Dundee/Dundee.htm Dundee Historical Football Kits 6 February 2018 Scottish Hydro Electric Dundee UnitedScotland Paul SturrockOlympic Sportshttp://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Scottish_Football_League/Dundee_United/Dundee_United.htm Dundee United Historical Football Kits 6 February 2018Telewest Dunfermline AthleticScotland Dick Campbell Avec Sporthttp://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Scottish_Football_League/Dunfermline_Athletic/Dunfermline_Athletic.htm Dunfermline Athletic Historical Football Kits 6 February 2018Landmark Heart of MidlothianScotland Jim JefferiesOlympic Sportshttp://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Scottish_Football_League/Heart_of_Midlothian/Heart_of_Midlothian.htm Heart of Midlothian Historical Football Kits 6 February 2018Strongbow KilmarnockScotland Bobby Williamson Pumahttp://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Scottish_Football_League/Kilmarnock/Kilmarnock.htm Kilmarnock Historical Football Kits 6 February 2018 Sports Division MotherwellScotland Billy DaviesXarahttp://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Scottish_Football_League/Motherwell/Motherwell.htm Motherwell Historical Football Kits 6 February 2018Motorola RangersNetherlands Dick AdvocaatNikehttp://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Scottish_Football_League/Rangers/Rangers.htm Rangers Historical Football Kits 6 February 2018McEwan's St JohnstoneScotland Sandy ClarkXarahttp://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Scottish_Football_League/St_Johnstone/St_Johnstone.htm St Johnstone Historical Football Kits 6 February 2018 Scottish Hydro Electric Managerial changes Team Outgoing manager Date of vacancy Manner of departure Position in table Incoming manager Date of appointment Celtic Netherlands Wim Jansen 11 May 1998https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sport/91169.stm Jansen quits Celtic 11 May 1998 BBC News 6 February 2018 Resigned Pre-season Slovakia Jozef Vengloš 17 July 1998https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/football/134664.stm Celtic appoints new coach 17 July 1998 BBC News 6 February 2018 RangersScotland Walter Smith31 May 1998http://www.scotzine.com/legends-of-scotland/walter-smith/ Walter Smith Scotzine 6 February 2018 RetiredNetherlands Dick Advocaat1 June 1998https://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/sport/football/57264.stm Dutch boss to take over at Ibrox BBC News 6 February 2018 Dundee United Scotland Tommy McLean 5 September 1998 Mutual consent 9th Scotland Paul Sturrock 5 September 1998 St Johnstone Scotland Paul Sturrock 5 September 1998 Signed by Dundee United 8th Scotland Sandy Clark 7 September 1998 Motherwell Finland Harri Kampman 4 October 1998 Resigned 8th Scotland Billy Davies 14 October 1998http://www.heraldscotland.com/news/12254900.Davies_to_replace_Kampman_at_Fir_Park/ Davies to replace Kampman at Fir Park The Herald 6 February 2018 Aberdeen Scotland Alex Miller 8 December 1998https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-miller-departure-was-mutual-1190301.html https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220501/https://www.independent.co.uk/sport/football-miller-departure-was-mutual-1190301.html 2022-05-01 subscription Miller departure was 'mutual' The Independent 6 February 2018 Mutual consent 10th Scotland Paul Hegarty (caretaker) 8 December 1998https://www.theguardian.com/football/1998/dec/28/newsstory.sport Hegarty's hopes of Aberdeen job are higher with each victory The Guardian 6 February 2018 Dunfermline Athletic Scotland Bert Paton 6 January 1999 Resigned 10th Scotland Dick Campbell 6 January 1999https://www.theguardian.com/football/1999/mar/22/newsstory.sport5 Hearts sink The Guardian 6 February 2018 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.thumb|right|130px|The £5.5m transfer of Andrei Kanchelskis to Rangers set a new Scottish transfer record. 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.https://spfl.co.uk/news/article/season-review-199899-2008-06-01/ spfl.co.uk Season Review - 1998-1999 6 February 2018 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. 1998–99 saw the introduction of a three-week break during January, which was well received by both players and managers. In its inaugural year, the SPL was broadcast to over 120 countries worldwide, while attendances increased and more money was invested in youth development than ever before. A new Scottish transfer record was also set as Rangers paid Fiorentina £5.5m for former Manchester United and Everton winger Andrei Kanchelskis.https://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/sport/football/133326.stm BBC News Kanchelskis move to Rangers 1998-07-15 2008-04-20 Rangers clinched the SPL title on 2 May 1999 by beating Old Firm-rivals Celtic 3–0 at Celtic Park. 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. Dunfermline Athletic were relegated to the Scottish First Division on 8 May 1999 after a 2–1 defeat to Celtic at East End Park.http://www.thecelticwiki.com/page/1999-05-08%3A+Dunfermline+1-2+Celtic%2C+Premier+League The Celtic Wiki 1999-05-08: Dunfermline 1-2 Celtic, Premier League 6 February 2018 League table main WDL end of season Soccerway and SPL official website RAN CEL STJ KIL DND HOM MOT ABE DNU DNF CL2Q UCQ UCQ UCQ REL 10 7 19 43 71 21 8 7 84 35 13 7 16 36 56 8 10 18 37 48 4 16 16 28 59 R 11 9 16 44 50 14 14 8 47 29 10 11 15 35 54 23 8 5 78 31 C 15 12 9 39 38 Aberdeen Celtic Dundee Dundee United Dunfermline Athletic Heart of Midlothian Kilmarnock Motherwell Rangers St Johnstone 5 1) Points; 2) Goal difference; 3) Goals scored QR green1 Qualification for the Champions League second qualifying round blue1 Qualification for the UEFA Cup qualifying round red1 Relegation to the 1999–2000 Scottish First Division Since Rangers, the winners of the 1998–99 Scottish Cup, already qualified for the UEFA Champions League, Celtic, the losing finalist, earned a spot in the 1999–2000 UEFA Cup. As such, the league's UEFA Cup place moved down to third-placed St Johnstone. Scotland were also awarded an additional UEFA Cup place as the association was top of the UEFA Fair Play ranking. Kilmarnock earned this place as winners of the Scottish Fair Play ranking. Results Matches 1–18 During matches 1–18 each team plays every other team twice (home and away). main FBR grey ABE CEL DND DUN DNF HOM KIL MOT RAN STJ Aberdeen 3–2 2–2 0–3 2–1 2–0 0–1 1–1 1–1 0–1 Celtic 2–0 6–1 2–1 5–0 1–1 1–1 2–0 5–1 0–1 Dundee 0–2 1–1 2–2 1–0 1–0 1–1 1–0 0–4 0–1 Dundee United 1–0 1–1 0–1 1–1 0–0 0–2 2–2 0–0 1–1 Dunfermline Athletic 1–1 2–2 2–0 2–1 1–1 0–3 1–1 0–2 1–1 Heart of Midlothian 2–0 2–1 0–2 0–1 2–1 2–1 3–0 2–1 1–1 Kilmarnock 4–0 2–0 2–1 2–0 0–0 3–0 0–0 1–3 2–2 Motherwell 2–2 1–2 2–1 1–0 0–0 3–2 0–0 1–0 1–0 Rangers 2–1 0–0 1–0 2–1 1–1 3–0 1–0 2–1 4–0 St Johnstone 2–0 2–1 1–1 1–3 1–1 1–1 0–0 5–0 0–7 complete Soccerbase Matches 19–36 During matches 19–36 each team plays every other team a further two times (home and away). main FBR grey ABE CEL DND DUN DNF HOM KIL MOT RAN STJ Aberdeen 1–5 1–2 0–4 3–1 2–5 2–1 1–1 2–4 1–0 Celtic 3–2 5–0 2–1 5–0 3–0 1–0 1–0 0–3 5–0 Dundee 1–2 0–3 1–3 3–1 2–0 2–1 1–0 1–1 0–1 Dundee United 3–0 1–2 0–2 1–1 1–3 0–0 0–3 1–2 0–1 Dunfermline Athletic 1–2 1–2 2–0 2–2 0–0 0–6 1–2 0–3 1–0 Heart of Midlothian 0–2 2–4 1–2 4–1 2–0 2–2 0–2 2–3 0–2 Kilmarnock 4–2 0–0 0–0 2–0 0–0 1–0 0–1 0–5 1–1 Motherwell 1–1 1–7 1–2 2–0 1–1 0–4 1–2 1–5 1–2 Rangers 3–1 2–2 6–1 0–1 1–0 0–0 1–1 2–1 1–0 St Johnstone 4–1 1–0 1–0 1–0 1–1 0–0 0–1 0–0 3–1 complete Soccerbase Top scorers thumb|right|200px|Celtic's Henrik Larsson was the SPL's top scorer in the 1998–99 season. Player Goals Team SWE Henrik Larsson 29 Celtic ENG Rod Wallace 19 Rangers SCO Billy Dodds 16 Dundee United SCO Eoin Jess 14 Aberdeen SCO Robbie Winters 13 Aberdeen SCO Gary McSwegan 11 Hearts GER Jörg Albertz Rangers SCO Craig Burley 9 Celtic SCO Eddie Annand Dundee FRA Stéphane Adam Hearts SCO Neil McCann 8 Hearts SCO Mark Burchill Celtic SCO Andy Smith Dunfermline Athletic Source: SPL official website Awards Player awards AwardWinnerClubPFA Players' Player of the YearSWE Henrik LarssonCelticPFA Young Player of the YearSCO Barry FergusonRangersSFWA Footballer of the YearSWE Henrik LarssonCeltic Manager awards AwardWinnerClubSFWA Manager of the YearNED Dick AdvocaatRangers Attendances The average attendances for SPL clubs during the 1998–99 season are shown below: TeamAverageCeltic 59,233Rangers 49,094Hearts 14,232Aberdeen 12,713Kilmarnock 11,184Dundee United 9,187Motherwell 8,533Dunfermline Athletic 7,375Dundee 7,178St Johnstone 7,038 Source: SPL official website References Category:Scottish Premier League seasons 1 Scot