2006–07 Melbourne Victory FC season

The Melbourne Victory A-League 2006–07 season was their most successful A-League season. They defeated Adelaide United 6–0 in their first Grand Final, winning the Championship, Premiership and qualifying for the AFC Champions League 2008.

Melbourne Victory
2006–07 season
ManagerErnie Merrick
A-League1st
Pre-Season Challenge Cup5th
Top goalscorerArchie Thompson (15)
Highest home attendance56,636 vs Adelaide United (18 February 2007)
Lowest home attendance15,563 vs New Zealand Knights (17 December 2006)
Average home league attendance27,928

Season summary
Melbourne Victory celebrating their A-League Grand Final victory.

Melbourne began the 2006–07 Hyundai A-League season hoping to vastly improve on their 7th place in the inaugural season. Coach Ernie Merrick had made a number of off-season signings to bolster the squad with skill and experience including 3 Brazilians Alessandro, Claudinho, Fred along with Scottish Premier League player Grant Brebner. After a hugely successful Round 2 fixture against Sydney FC at the Telstra Dome (now the Etihad Stadium) in front of a crowd of 39,730,[1] Melbourne Victory announced that they would move all but one match from Olympic Park to Telstra Dome.[2] Melbourne became the first team to complete the A-League double in the history of the competition; clinching the premiership against the New Zealand Knights 4–0 at Olympic Park with 4 rounds of the A-League season remaining,[3] then beating Adelaide United 6–0 in the Grand Final at a sold out Telstra Dome to take the championship.[4] Melbourne also qualified for the 2008 AFC Champions League as A-League Champions.

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
4 DF  AUS Mark Byrnes
5 DF  BEL Geoffrey Claeys
6 DF  AUS Steve Pantelidis
7 FW  AUS Michael Ferrante
8 MF  BRA Fred
9 FW  AUS Daniel Allsopp
10 FW  AUS Archie Thompson
11 MF  AUS Vince Lia
12 DF  AUS Rodrigo Vargas
No. Pos. Nation Player
13 MF  AUS Kristian Sarkies
14 MF  AUS Adrian Caceres
15 DF  AUS Adrian Leijer
16 DF  AUS Simon Storey
17 MF  SCO Grant Brebner
18 MF  BRA Alessandro
19 FW  BRA Claudinho
20 GK  AUS Eugene Galeković
21 FW  ENG James Robinson
22 MF  AUS Leigh Broxham
23 MF  AUS Antun Kovacic
30 GK  AUS Peter Gavalas

Transfers

In

Player From Country/State & League From Date
Adrian CaceresPerth Glory A-League13 February 2006
AlessandroSport Club Internacional Brazil Serie AJuly 2006
ClaudinhoAtlético Paranaense Brazil Serie A24 May 2006
FredGuarani Brazil Serie B24 May 2006
Rodrigo VargasGreen Gully Cavaliers VPLJuly 2006
Grant BrebnerDundee United Scottish Premier LeagueJuly 2006
James RobinsonRichmond SC VPL23 November 2006

Out

Player To Country/State & League From Date
Chris TadrosseReleased (KFC Uerdingen) Oberliga Nordrhein24 January 2006
Richard KitzbichlerReleased (Red Bull Salzburg) Austrian Bundesliga31 January 2006
Ricky DiacoReleased (Bulleen Zebras) VPL15 February 2006
Carl RecchiaReleased (Fawkner-Whittlesea Blues) (Club Disabanded) VPL15 February 2006
Andy VlahosReleased (Heidelberg United) VPL-
Geoffrey ClaeysMelbourne Victory retired A-League21 November 2006
ClaudinhoReleased17 December 2006

Matches

Pre-season friendlies

Melbourne started their 2006-07 pre-season with a number of practise matches against Victorian Premier League clubs. These included a laboured 1–0 win over Richmond SC, a 2–2 draw against Bulleen Zebras, a 4–0 victory against Green Gully, a 7–0 victory of Kingston City FC and 3-0 victories over Altona Magic and Oakleigh Cannons.

Victory also won the QNI North Queensland Trophy by beating leading Chinese Super League team Changchun Yatai 6–1 in the final. Michael Ferrante scored twice early on and then-trialist Grant Brebner added a spectacular thirty-yard free-kick to make it 3–0 at half-time, while Danny Allsopp scored three times in the second half to seal the win. The competition featured fellow A-League side Central Coast Mariners (Victory won 4-2 on penalties), the Young Socceroos (Victory lost 5-6 on penalties), and Changchun Yatai (Victory won 3–1 in the first meeting).

Melbourne kicked off their A-League Pre-Season Cup campaign with a disappointing 1–0 loss to Adelaide United at Launceston's Aurora Stadium in front of 6,834 spectators. The second match saw them play out a 1–1 draw away to Perth Glory, with Daniel Allsopp scoring Melbourne's only goal. Back at Olympic Park for the final group match, they were soundly beaten 3-1 by the Central Coast Mariners, ending the club's hopes of progressing to the next round of the competition. A "bonus round" match finished off the group stage, with the Melbourne defeating Newcastle Jets 3–2.

In the first match of a rather meaningless playoff section involving the lower placed teams of the group stage, Victory defeated the Queensland Roar 4-2 on penalties, having been locked at 0-0 after 120 minutes of play. The match was held at Epping Stadium in the outer north of Melbourne. The final match of the pre-season cup saw the Victory defeat Perth Glory 1–0 at Olympic Park in front of 2,215 loyal fans, and finish the competition in 5th place.

2006-07 Hyundai A-League fixtures
25 August 2006 Round 1Melbourne Victory 2 : 0 Adelaide UnitedOlympic Park Stadium, Melbourne, Melbourne
20:00 UTC+10 Muscat  29' (pen)
Claudinho  78'		 Attendance: 15,781
Referee: Matthew Breeze
2 September 2006 Round 2Melbourne Victory 3 : 2 Sydney FCTelstra Dome, Melbourne
19:00 UTC+10 Allsopp  8'
Muscat  11' (pen)
Allsopp  51'		 Fyfe  18'
Vargas  83' (OG)
Rudan  13'		 Attendance: 39,730
Referee: Mark Shield
9 September 2006 Round 3New Zealand Knights 0 : 3 Melbourne VictoryNorth Harbour Stadium, Auckland
19:30 UTC+9:30 Allsopp  9'
Thompson  22'
Muscat  35'		 Attendance: 2,107
Referee: Matthew Breeze
17 September 2006 Round 4Melbourne Victory 1 : 0 Central Coast MarinersOlympic Park Stadium, Melbourne
15:00 UTC+10 Thompson  51' Attendance: 17,617
Referee: Angelo Nardi
24 September 2006 Round 5Perth Glory 1 : 2 Melbourne VictoryMembers Equity Stadium, Perth
17:00 UTC+10 Tarka  90' Caceres  55'
Muscat  72' (pen)		 Attendance: 7,983
Referee: Peter Green
1 October 2006 Round 6Melbourne Victory 4 : 1 Queensland RoarTelstra Dome, Melbourne
20:00 UTC+10 Fred  11'
Muscat  22' (pen)
Muscat  57' (pen)
Allsopp  82'		 Milicic  16' Attendance: 25,921
Referee: Simon Przydacz
8 October 2006 Round 7Newcastle Jets 0 : 2 Melbourne VictoryEnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
19:00 UTC+10 Allsopp  69'
Allsopp  89'		 Attendance: 4,635
Referee: Peter Green
14 October 2006 Round 8Melbourne Victory 0 : 1 Adelaide UnitedTelstra Dome, Melbourne
13:00 UTC+10 Owens  83' Attendance: 32,368
Referee: Matthew Breeze
21 October 2006 Round 9Sydney FC 1 : 2 Melbourne VictoryAussie Stadium, Sydney
20:00UTC+10 Corica  8' Thompson  50'
Thompson  73'		 Attendance: 20,881
Referee: Mark Shield
27 October 2006 Round 10New Zealand Knights 0 : 4 Melbourne VictoryNorth Harbour Stadium, Auckland
20:00 UTC+10 Fred  5'
Thompson  57'
Caceres  59'
Allsopp  72'
Caceres  87'		 Attendance: 2,357
Referee: Simon Przydacz
3 November 2006 Round 11Melbourne Victory 3 : 3 Central Coast MarinersTelstra Dome, Melbourne
19:00 UTC+11 Allsopp  5'
Thompson  11'
Allsopp  86'
Vargas  23'
Muscat  45'		 McMaster  7'
Petrie  12'
Kwasnik  23' (pen)		 Attendance: 28,118
Referee: Peter Green
9 November 2006 Round 12Melbourne Victory 1 : 0 Perth GloryTelstra Dome, Melbourne
20:00 UTC+11 Brebner  89' Attendance: 22,890
Referee: Craig Zetter
17 November 2006 Round 13Queensland Roar 0 : 2 Melbourne VictorySuncorp Stadium, Brisbane
19:00 UTC+11 Parker  18' (OG)
Thompson  47'		 Attendance: 14,797
Referee: Simon Przydacz
25 November 2006 Round 14Melbourne Victory 0 : 1 Newcastle JetsTelstra Dome, Melbourne
17:00 UTC+11 Rodriguez  61' Attendance: 27,753
Referee: Matthew Breeze
1 December 2006 Round 15Adelaide United 1 : 3 Melbourne VictoryHindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
19:00 UTC+11 Fernando  43'
Bajic  13'		 Muscat  16' (pen)
Allsopp  62'
Fred  86'
Brebner  21'		 Attendance: 16,378
Referee: Mark Shield
8 December 2006 Round 16Melbourne Victory 0 : 0 Sydney FCTelstra Dome, Melbourne
20:00 UTC+11 Attendance: 50,333
Referee: Mark Shield
17 December 2006 Round 17Melbourne Victory 4 : 0 New Zealand KnightsOlympic Park Stadium, Melbourne
20:00 UTC+11 Allsopp  34'
Caceres  39'
Allsopp  44'
Thompson  45'		 Attendance: 15,563
Referee: Angelo Nardi
30 December 2006 Round 18Central Coast Mariners 1 : 2 Melbourne VictorySuncorp Stadium, Brisbane
17:00 UTC+11 Kwasnik  53' Fred  23'
Thompson  27'		 Attendance: 15,404
Referee: Simon Przydacz
7 January 2007 Round 19Perth Glory 2 : 2 Melbourne VictoryMembers Equity Stadium, Perth
17:00 UTC+11 Harnwell  29'
Byrnes  43' (OG)		 Sarkies  59'
Sarkies  76'
Ferrante  75'		 Attendance: 6,462
Referee: Peter Green
12 January 2007 Round 20Melbourne Victory 1 : 2 Queensland RoarTelstra Dome, Melbourne
20:00 UTC+11 Thompson  80' Mori  18'
Vidosic  90'		 Attendance: 28,937
Referee: Mark Shield
19 January 2007 Round 21Newcastle Jets 4 : 0 Melbourne VictoryEnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle
17:00 UTC+11 Bridge  36'
Bridge  48'
Coveny  51'
Griffiths  73'		 Attendance: 19,601
Referee: Matthew Breeze

2006–07 Finals series
27 January 2007 Major Semi Final Leg 1Adelaide United 0 : 0 Melbourne VictoryHindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide
16:30 UTC+11 Attendance: 15,575
Referee: Simon Przydacz
4 February 2007 Major Semi Final Leg 2Melbourne Victory 2 : 1 Adelaide UnitedTelstra Dome, Melbourne
17:00 UTC+11 Allsopp  48'
Robinson  90'		 Dodd  4' Attendance: 47,413
Referee: Mark Shield
18 February 2007 Grand FinalMelbourne Victory 6 : 0 Adelaide UnitedTelstra Dome, Melbourne
16:00 UTC+11 Thompson  21', 29', 40', 56', 73'
Sarkies  90'		 Aloisi  34' Attendance: 55,436
Referee: Mark Shield

Ladder
Pos Team Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Melbourne Victory (C) 21 14 3 4 41 20 +21 45 Finals Series and 2008 AFC Champions League Group stage
2 Adelaide United 21 10 3 8 32 27 +5 33
3 Newcastle Jets 21 8 6 7 32 30 +2 30 Finals Series
4 Sydney FC 21 8 8 5 29 19 +10 29[lower-alpha 1]
5 Queensland Roar 21 8 5 8 25 27 −2 29
6 Central Coast Mariners 21 6 6 9 22 26 −4 24
7 Perth Glory 21 5 5 11 24 30 −6 20
8 New Zealand Knights[lower-alpha 2] 21 5 4 12 13 39 −26 19 Disbanded at end of season
Source: ultimatealeague.com
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champion.
Notes:
  1. Sydney FC were penalised three competition points following round 18 due to salary cap breaches which occurred during the 2005–06 season
  2. New Zealand Knights cannot qualify for the AFC Champions League as they are not recognised as an AFC club.

2006–07 awards
gollark: It could have been controlled, once. But now it's impossible to replace the decades upon decades of legacy design decisions.
gollark: Also networking.
gollark: All of civilization relies on the incomprehensible nested abstractions of software.
gollark: It's already too late.
gollark: Obviously LEDs are self-emissive, but they'll look wrong in different lighting.

References
  1. Watt, Stuart (2 September 2006). "Record crowd sees Victory down 10-man Sydney". Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC News). Retrieved 30 June 2011.
  2. Desira, Peter (21 September 2006). "Victory makes move to Docklands". Fox Sports. Premier Media Group. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
  3. "Victory hammer Knights to take minor premiership". ABC News. 17 December 2006. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
  4. Paine, Chris (18 February 2007). "Thompson haul guides Victory to A-League crown". ABC News. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
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