| 2006–07 season | |
|---|---|
| Manager | Ernie Merrick |
| A-League | 1st |
| Pre-Season Challenge Cup | 5th |
| Top goalscorer | Archie Thompson (15) |
| Highest home attendance | 56,636 vs Adelaide United (18 February 2007) |
| Lowest home attendance | 15,563 vs New Zealand Knights (17 December 2006) |
| Average home league attendance | 27,928 |
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.
Season summary
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.
|
|
Transfers
In
| Player | From | Country/State & League From | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Adrian Caceres | Perth Glory | A-League | 13 February 2006 |
 Alessandro | Sport Club Internacional | Brazil Serie A | July 2006 |
| Claudinho | Atlético Paranaense | Brazil Serie A | 24 May 2006 |
| Fred | Guarani | Brazil Serie B | 24 May 2006 |
| Rodrigo Vargas | Green Gully Cavaliers | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} VPL | July 2006 |
 Grant Brebner | Dundee United | Scottish Premier League | July 2006 |
 James Robinson | Richmond SC | VPL | 23 November 2006 |
Out
| Player | To | Country/State & League From | Date |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chris Tadrosse | Released (KFC Uerdingen) |  Oberliga Nordrhein | 24 January 2006 |
 Richard Kitzbichler | Released (Red Bull Salzburg) | Austrian Bundesliga | 31 January 2006 |
| Ricky Diaco | Released (Bulleen Zebras) | VPL | 15 February 2006 |
| Carl Recchia | Released (Fawkner-Whittlesea Blues) (Club Disabanded) | VPL | 15 February 2006 |
| Andy Vlahos | Released (Heidelberg United) | VPL | - |
.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Geoffrey Claeys | Melbourne Victory retired | A-League | 21 November 2006 |
| Claudinho | Released | 17 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 1 | Melbourne Victory  | 2 : 0 |  Adelaide United | Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne, Melbourne |
| 20:00 UTC+10 | Muscat  29' (pen) Claudinho 78' |
Attendance: 15,781 Referee: Matthew Breeze |
| 2 September 2006 Round 2 | Melbourne Victory | 3 : 2 |  Sydney FC | Telstra 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 3 | New Zealand Knights  | 0 : 3 | Melbourne Victory | North Harbour Stadium, Auckland |
| 19:30 UTC+9:30 | Allsopp 9' Thompson 22' Muscat 35' |
Attendance: 2,107 Referee: Matthew Breeze |
| 17 September 2006 Round 4 | Melbourne Victory | 1 : 0 |  Central Coast Mariners | Olympic Park Stadium, Melbourne |
| 15:00 UTC+10 | Thompson 51' |
Attendance: 17,617 Referee: Angelo Nardi |
| 24 September 2006 Round 5 | Perth Glory  | 1 : 2 | Melbourne Victory | Members Equity Stadium, Perth |
| 17:00 UTC+10 | Tarka 90' |
Caceres 55' Muscat 72' (pen) |
Attendance: 7,983 Referee: Peter Green |
| 1 October 2006 Round 6 | Melbourne Victory | 4 : 1 |  Queensland Roar | Telstra 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 7 | Newcastle Jets  | 0 : 2 | Melbourne Victory | EnergyAustralia Stadium, Newcastle |
| 19:00 UTC+10 | Allsopp 69' Allsopp 89' |
Attendance: 4,635 Referee: Peter Green |
| 14 October 2006 Round 8 | Melbourne Victory | 0 : 1 | Adelaide United | Telstra Dome, Melbourne |
| 13:00 UTC+10 | Owens 83' |
Attendance: 32,368 Referee: Matthew Breeze |
| 21 October 2006 Round 9 | Sydney FC | 1 : 2 | Melbourne Victory | Sydney Football Stadium, Sydney |
| 20:00UTC+10 | Corica 8' |
Thompson 50' Thompson 73' |
Attendance: 20,881 Referee: Mark Shield |
| 27 October 2006 Round 10 | New Zealand Knights | 0 : 4 | Melbourne Victory | North 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 11 | Melbourne Victory | 3 : 3 | Central Coast Mariners | Telstra 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 12 | Melbourne Victory | 1 : 0 | Perth Glory | Telstra Dome, Melbourne |
| 20:00 UTC+11 | Brebner 89' |
Attendance: 22,890 Referee: Craig Zetter |
| 17 November 2006 Round 13 | Queensland Roar | 0 : 2 | Melbourne Victory | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane |
| 19:00 UTC+11 | Parker 18' (OG) Thompson 47' |
Attendance: 14,797 Referee: Simon Przydacz |
| 25 November 2006 Round 14 | Melbourne Victory | 0 : 1 | Newcastle Jets | Telstra Dome, Melbourne |
| 17:00 UTC+11 | Rodriguez 61' |
Attendance: 27,753 Referee: Matthew Breeze |
| 1 December 2006 Round 15 | Adelaide United | 1 : 3 | Melbourne Victory | Hindmarsh 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 16 | Melbourne Victory | 0 : 0 | Sydney FC | Telstra Dome, Melbourne |
| 20:00 UTC+11 | Attendance: 50,333 Referee: Mark Shield |
| 17 December 2006 Round 17 | Melbourne Victory | 4 : 0 | New Zealand Knights | Olympic 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 18 | Central Coast Mariners | 1 : 2 | Melbourne Victory | Suncorp Stadium, Brisbane |
| 17:00 UTC+11 | Kwasnik 53' |
Fred 23' Thompson 27' |
Attendance: 15,404 Referee: Simon Przydacz |
| 7 January 2007 Round 19 | Perth Glory | 2 : 2 | Melbourne Victory | Members 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 20 | Melbourne Victory | 1 : 2 | Queensland Roar | Telstra Dome, Melbourne |
| 20:00 UTC+11 | Thompson 80' |
Mori 18' Vidosic 90' |
Attendance: 28,937 Referee: Mark Shield |
| 19 January 2007 Round 21 | Newcastle Jets | 4 : 0 | Melbourne Victory | EnergyAustralia 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 1 | Adelaide United | 0 : 0 | Melbourne Victory | Hindmarsh Stadium, Adelaide |
| 16:30 UTC+11 | Attendance: 15,575 Referee: Simon Przydacz |
| 4 February 2007 Major Semi Final Leg 2 | Melbourne Victory | 2 : 1 | Adelaide United | Telstra Dome, Melbourne |
| 17:00 UTC+11 | Allsopp 48' Robinson 90' |
Dodd 4' |
Attendance: 47,413 Referee: Mark Shield |
| 18 February 2007 Grand Final | Melbourne Victory | 6 : 0 | Adelaide United | Telstra 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Melbourne Victory (C) | 21 | 14 | 3 | 4 | 41 | 20 | +21 | 45 | Qualification for 2008 AFC Champions League group stage and Finals series |
| 2 | Adelaide United | 21 | 10 | 3 | 8 | 32 | 27 | +5 | 33 | |
| 3 | Newcastle Jets | 21 | 8 | 6 | 7 | 32 | 30 | +2 | 30 | Qualification for 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 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions
Notes:
- ↑ Sydney FC were penalised three competition points following round 18 due to salary cap breaches which occurred during the 2005–06 season
- ↑ New Zealand Knights cannot qualify for the AFC Champions League as they are not recognised as an AFC club.
2006–07 awards
- Victory Medal
- Players' Player of the Year
- Clubman of the Year
- Golden Boot
References
- ↑ Watt, Stuart (2 September 2006). "Record crowd sees Victory down 10-man Sydney". Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC News). Retrieved 30 June 2011.
- ↑ Desira, Peter (21 September 2006). "Victory makes move to Docklands". Fox Sports. Premier Media Group. Retrieved 2 July 2011.
- ↑ "Victory hammer Knights to take minor premiership". ABC News. 17 December 2006. Retrieved 28 June 2011.
- ↑ Paine, Chris (18 February 2007). "Thompson haul guides Victory to A-League crown". ABC News. Retrieved 28 June 2011.