| Season | 2000–01 |
|---|---|
| Dates | 29 July 2000 – 20 May 2001 |
| Champions | Celtic 1st Premier League title 37thScottish title |
| Relegated | St Mirren |
| Champions League | Celtic Rangers |
| UEFA Cup | Hibernian Kilmarnock |
| Intertoto Cup | Dundee |
| Matches | 228 |
| Goals | 605 (2.65 per match) |
| Top goalscorer | Henrik Larsson (35) |
| Biggest home win | Rangers 7–1St Mirren (4 November) Celtic 6–0Aberdeen (16 December) Celtic 6–0Kilmarnock (2 January) Hearts 7–1Dunfermline Athletic (24 February) |
| Biggest away win | Dundee United 0–4Celtic (26 December) Dundee United 0–4Hearts (14 October) |
| Highest scoring | Celtic 6–2Rangers (27 August) Dundee United 3–5Aberdeen (23 September) Hibernian 6–2Hearts (22 October) Rangers 7–1St Mirren (4 November) Hearts 7–1Dunfermline Athletic (24 February) |
| Highest attendance | 60,440,Celtic 1–0St Mirren (7 April) |
| Lowest attendance | 2,610,Dunfermline Athletic 1–2Motherwell (12 May) |
| Average attendance | 15,905 ( 2,089) |
2001–02 → | |
The2000–01 Scottish Premier League (known as the2000–01Bank of Scotland Premier League for sponsorship reasons) was the third season of theScottish Premier League, the top level offootball in Scotland. It began on 29 July 2000 and concluded on 20 May 2001.
Rangers were the defending champions.
Celtic finished the season as league champions by a 15-point margin over Rangers, also winning both of the domestic cups to complete adomestic treble, in their first season under the management ofMartin O'Neill.
2000–01 saw the Scottish Premier League (SPL) expanded from 10 to 12 clubs, which was part of the agreement reached between the clubs in the SPL and theScottish Football League when the top-tier clubs broke away in 1998.[1]
With the expansion of the league, the league 'split' was introduced to avoid the need for clubs to play 44 fixtures in a season,[2] which would be the case if the quadruple round-robin format of the previous season was followed. Instead, after 33 rounds of matches, by which time all clubs had played each other three times, the league split into a 'top six' and 'bottom six' with clubs only competing against teams within their own section for the final five fixtures. Points achieved during the first phase of 33 matches were carried forward to the second phase but after the first phase was completed, clubs cannot move out of their own section in the league, even if they achieved more or fewer points than a higher or lower ranked team, respectively.[3] The new format received widespread criticism from SPL managers.[4]
Results in European competition over the previous five years saw the league move up from 21st to 15th in theUEFA country coefficient ranking. This meant that the league was granted an additional berth in theUEFA Champions League qualifying rounds for the following season.[5]
Twelve clubs competed in the league, all of the participants in the1999–2000 Scottish Premier League and the top two clubs in the1999–2000 Scottish First Division. A play-off was due to take place between the bottom club of the Premier League (Aberdeen) and the second- and third-placed club of the First Division (Dunfermline Athletic andFalkirk, respectively), but as Falkirk's stadium did not meet the minimum SPL seating requirements, this play-off did not take place, and Aberdeen and Dunfermline were automatically placed in the Premier League.[6]
St Mirren were promoted to the league as champions of the 1999–2000 First Division, securing the championship on 29 April 2000 with a 3–0 victory overRaith Rovers atLove Street. This was to be their first season at the top level ofScottish football since1991–92.
| Aberdeen | Celtic | Dundee | Dundee United |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pittodrie Stadium | Celtic Park | Dens Park | Tannadice Park |
| Capacity:20,866[7] | Capacity:60,411[8] | Capacity:11,506[9] | Capacity:14,223[10] |
 |  |  |  |
| Dunfermline Athletic |  Location of teams in 2000–01 Scottish Premier League | Heart of Midlothian | |
| East End Park | Tynecastle Park | ||
| Capacity:12,509[11] | Capacity:17,420[12] | ||
 |  | ||
| Hibernian | Kilmarnock | ||
| Easter Road | Rugby Park | ||
| Capacity:16,531[13] | Capacity:17,889[14] | ||
 |  | ||
| Motherwell | Rangers | St Johnstone | St Mirren |
| Fir Park | Ibrox Stadium | McDiarmid Park | Love Street |
| Capacity:13,677[15] | Capacity:50,817[16] | Capacity:10,696[17] | Capacity:10,800[18] |
 |  |  |  |
| Team | Manager | Kit manufacturer | Kit sponsor |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen |  Ebbe Skovdahl | Puma[19] | Atlantic Telecom |
| Celtic |  Martin O'Neill | Umbro[20] | ntl: |
| Dundee |  Ivano Bonetti | Xara[21] | Ceramic Tile Warehouse |
| Dundee United |  Alex Smith | TFG Sports[22] | Telewest |
| Dunfermline Athletic | Jimmy Calderwood | TFG Sports[23] | Auto Windscreens |
| Heart of Midlothian | Craig Levein | Erreà[24] | Strongbow |
| Hibernian | Alex McLeish | Le Coq Sportif[25] | Carlsberg |
| Kilmarnock | Bobby Williamson | Puma[26] | scotlandonline.com |
| Motherwell | Billy Davies | Xara[27] | Motorola |
| Rangers |  Dick Advocaat | Nike[28] | ntl: |
| St Johnstone | Sandy Clark | Xara[29] | Scottish Hydro Electric |
| St Mirren | Tom Hendrie | Xara[30] | LDV Group |
| Team | Outgoing manager | Date of vacancy | Manner of departure | Position in table | Incoming manager | Date of appointment |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Celtic | Kenny Dalglish | 1 June 2000[31] | Caretaker spell ended | Pre-season | Martin O'Neill | 1 June 2000[31] |
| Dundee | Jocky Scott | 10 July 2000[32] | Contract expired | Ivano Bonetti | 10 July 2000[32] | |
| Dundee United | Paul Sturrock | 7 August 2000[33] | Resigned | 12th | Alex Smith | 8 August 2000[34] |
| Heart of Midlothian | Jim Jefferies | 8 November 2000[35] | Mutual consent | 5th | Craig Levein | 1 December 2000[36] |
The 2000–01 title was won byCeltic – their first SPL title, and their first Scottish title since winning the1997–98 Premier Division – inMartin O'Neill's first season as manager of the club. Celtic also went on to win the2000–01 Scottish Cup and the2000–01 Scottish League Cup, completing adomestic treble.[1]Henrik Larsson won the 2000–01European Golden Shoe for his goalscoring, scoring 35 league goals and 53 goals in all competitions over the course of the season. The 35 goals Larsson scored in the league this season was a Scottish Premier League record.
Defending championsRangers finished second, 15 points behind theirOld Firm-rivals. Celtic secured their title on 7 April 2001, with a 1–0 victory overSt Mirren atCeltic Park.[37] The aforementioned match had the highest attendance of any match in SPL history. As champions, Celtic qualified for theChampions League, as did second-placed Rangers. Third-placedHibernian and fourth-placedKilmarnock qualified for theUEFA Cup, whileDundee became the first SPL club – and the first Scottish club sincePartick Thistle in1995 – to qualify for theUEFA Intertoto Cup.
The record for the highest transfer fee ever paid by a Scottish club was broken twice over the course of the season. Firstly, byChris Sutton's transfer fromChelsea to Celtic on 10 July 2000 for £6 million.[38] Then, on 23 November 2000, the £12 million fee paid by Rangers toChelsea forTore André Flo became the highest transfer fee ever paid by a Scottish club,[39] and is a record which still stands as of 2025.[1] The signing ofClaudio Caniggia forDundee in October 2000 was also seen by many as a major coup for the club,[40] and was just one of many signings of international players made under the management ofIvano Bonetti.
St Mirren were relegated in what was their debut season in the SPL and their first appearance in Scotland's top division since1991–92. Their relegation was mathematically confirmed on the final day of the season with a 3–3 draw againstMotherwell, leaving them five points below 11th-placedDundee United.[1]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation[a] |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Celtic(C) | 38 | 31 | 4 | 3 | 90 | 29 | +61 | 97 | Qualification for theChampions League third qualifying round |
| 2 | Rangers | 38 | 26 | 4 | 8 | 76 | 36 | +40 | 82 | Qualification for theChampions League second qualifying round |
| 3 | Hibernian | 38 | 18 | 12 | 8 | 57 | 35 | +22 | 66 | Qualification for theUEFA Cup first round |
| 4 | Kilmarnock | 38 | 15 | 9 | 14 | 44 | 53 | −9 | 54 | Qualification for theUEFA Cup qualifying round[b] |
| 5 | Heart of Midlothian | 38 | 14 | 10 | 14 | 56 | 50 | +6 | 52 | |
| 6 | Dundee | 38 | 13 | 8 | 17 | 51 | 49 | +2 | 47 | Qualification for theUEFA Intertoto Cup first round[c] |
| 7 | Aberdeen | 38 | 11 | 12 | 15 | 45 | 52 | −7 | 45 | |
| 8 | Motherwell | 38 | 12 | 7 | 19 | 42 | 56 | −14 | 43 | |
| 9 | Dunfermline Athletic | 38 | 11 | 9 | 18 | 34 | 54 | −20 | 42 | |
| 10 | St Johnstone | 38 | 9 | 13 | 16 | 40 | 56 | −16 | 40 | |
| 11 | Dundee United | 38 | 9 | 8 | 21 | 38 | 63 | −25 | 35 | |
| 12 | St Mirren(R) | 38 | 8 | 6 | 24 | 32 | 72 | −40 | 30 | Relegation to theFirst Division |
During matches 1–22 each team played every other team twice (home and away).
| Home \ Away | ABE | CEL | DND | DUN | DNF | HOM | HIB | KIL | MOT | RAN | STJ | STM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen | 1–1 | 0–2 | 4–1 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 0–2 | 1–2 | 3–3 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 2–1 | |
| Celtic | 6–0 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 3–1 | 6–1 | 3–0 | 2–1 | 1–0 | 6–2 | 4–1 | 2–0 | |
| Dundee | 2–2 | 1–2 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 5–0 | |
| Dundee United | 3–5 | 1–2 | 0–2 | 3–2 | 0–4 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 0–0 | |
| Dunfermline Athletic | 0–0 | 1–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 1–0 | 1–2 | 0–0 | 1–1 | 2–0 | |
| Heart of Midlothian | 3–0 | 2–4 | 3–1 | 3–1 | 2–0 | 0–0 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 0–1 | 0–3 | 2–0 | |
| Hibernian | 0–2 | 0–0 | 5–1 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 6–2 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–0 | 2–0 | 2–0 | |
| Kilmarnock | 1–0 | 0–1 | 2–3 | 1–0 | 2–1 | 0–3 | 0–1 | 3–2 | 2–4 | 0–2 | 2–1 | |
| Motherwell | 1–1 | 3–3 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 0–1 | 2–0 | 1–3 | 1–2 | 0–1 | 4–0 | 2–0 | |
| Rangers | 3–1 | 5–1 | 0–2 | 3–0 | 4–1 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 0–3 | 2–0 | 2–1 | 7–1 | |
| St Johnstone | 0–0 | 0–2 | 0–0 | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–2 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 2–3 | 2–1 | 2–0 | |
| St Mirren | 2–0 | 0–2 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 2–1 | 1–2 | 1–1 | 0–1 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 0–1 |
During matches 23–33 each team played every other team once (either at home or away). This means that during matches 1-33 each team played every other team 3 times (either 1 home, 2 away or 2 home, 1 away).
| Home \ Away | ABE | CEL | DND | DUN | DNF | HOM | HIB | KIL | MOT | RAN | STJ | STM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Aberdeen | 0–1 | 0–2 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 3–3 | 3–0 | ||||||
| Celtic | 2–1 | 1–1 | 6–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | 1–0 | ||||||
| Dundee | 2–3 | 0–1 | 0–0 | 2–2 | 0–1 | |||||||
| Dundee United | 1–1 | 0–4 | 1–1 | 2–0 | 1–1 | 4–0 | ||||||
| Dunfermline Athletic | 3–2 | 0–3 | 3–1 | 2–1 | 0–0 | |||||||
| Heart of Midlothian | 0–3 | 7–1 | 1–1 | 3–0 | 3–0 | 1–0 | ||||||
| Hibernian | 3–0 | 1–0 | 1–1 | 0–0 | 4–2 | |||||||
| Kilmarnock | 0–0 | 0–0 | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–2 | ||||||
| Motherwell | 0–1 | 0–3 | 1–1 | 1–2 | 1–0 | |||||||
| Rangers | 1–0 | 0–2 | 2–0 | 2–0 | 3–0 | |||||||
| St Johnstone | 1–2 | 2–3 | 2–2 | 2–0 | 1–2 | |||||||
| St Mirren | 2–1 | 1–1 | 1–3 | 0–1 | 1–3 | 1–0 |
During matches 34–38 each team played every other team in their half of the table once (either at home or away).
Top six[edit]
Source:Soccerbase Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win. | Bottom Six[edit]
Source:Soccerbase Legend: Blue = home team win; Yellow = draw; Red = away team win.
|
Source:SPL official website
The average attendances for SPL clubs during the 2000/01 season are shown below:
| Team | Average |
|---|---|
| Celtic | 59,369 |
| Rangers | 47,532 |
| Hearts | 12,771 |
| Aberdeen | 12,403 |
| Hibernian | 10,792 |
| Kilmarnock | 8,223 |
| Dundee | 8,041 |
| Dundee United | 7,829 |
| Dunfermline Athletic | 6,413 |
| Motherwell | 6,208 |
| St Mirren | 5,838 |
| St Johnstone | 5,438 |
Source:SPL official website
| Month | Manager | Player |
|---|---|---|
| August | Martin O'Neill (Celtic) | Andy McLaren (Kilmarnock) |
| September | Bobby Williamson (Kilmarnock) |  Henrik Larsson (Celtic) |
| October | Alex McLeish (Hibernian) |  Mixu Paatelainen (Hibernian) |
| November | Billy Davies (Motherwell) | Barry Ferguson (Rangers) |
| December | Martin O'Neill (Celtic) | Henrik Larsson (Celtic) |
| January | None awarded due to winter break. | |
| February | Martin O'Neill (Celtic) |  Claudio Caniggia (Dundee) |
| March | Alex Smith (Dundee United) | Neil Lennon (Celtic) |
| April | Tom Hendrie (St Mirren) | Antti Niemi (Hearts) |
| May | Alex Smith (Dundee United) |  Jörg Albertz (Rangers) |
