2002–03 Scottish Premier League
| Season | 2002–03 |
|---|---|
| Champions | Rangers |
| Relegated | No relegation |
| Champions League | Rangers Celtic |
| UEFA Cup | Heart of Midlothian Dundee |
| Top goalscorer | Henrik Larsson (28) |
| Biggest home win | Celtic 7–0 Aberdeen (3 November) |
| Biggest away win | Dunfermline 0–6 Rangers (1 September) |
| Highest attendance | 59,027 – Celtic v Rangers (6 October) |
| Lowest attendance | 3,541 – Partick Thistle v Livingston (28 January) |
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← 2001–02
2003–04 →
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The 2002–03 Scottish Premier League was won by Rangers by a goal difference of 1.
On the final day of the season, Rangers defeated Dunfermline 6–1, while Celtic could only win 4–0 away at Kilmarnock.
As league champions, Rangers qualified for the UEFA Champions League, with runners-up Celtic also qualifying. Third-placed Hearts qualified for the UEFA Cup, as did Dundee, who took the Scottish Cup place despite losing the final against Rangers, who were also League Cup winners.
Motherwell were spared relegation, as Scottish First Division winners Falkirk's presentation of a groundshare proposal at Airdrie United's Excelsior Stadium was voted down at a meeting of all the SPL's member clubs.
Henrik Larsson was the top scorer with 28 goals for Celtic.
Contents
Promotion and relegation from 2001–02
Promoted from First Division to Premier League
Relegated from Premier League to First Division
League table
| P | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Rangers | 38 | 31 | 4 | 3 | 101 | 28 | +73 | 97 | 2003–04 UEFA Champions League Third qualifying round |
| 2 | Celtic | 38 | 31 | 4 | 3 | 98 | 26 | +72 | 97 | 2003–04 UEFA Champions League Second qualifying round |
| 3 | Hearts | 38 | 18 | 9 | 11 | 57 | 51 | +6 | 63 | 2003–04 UEFA Cup First round |
| 4 | Kilmarnock | 38 | 16 | 9 | 13 | 47 | 56 | –9 | 57 | |
| 5 | Dunfermline Athletic | 38 | 13 | 7 | 18 | 54 | 71 | –17 | 46 | |
| 6 | Dundee | 38 | 10 | 14 | 14 | 50 | 60 | –10 | 44 | 2003–04 UEFA Cup First round |
| 7 | Hibernian | 38 | 15 | 6 | 17 | 56 | 64 | –8 | 51 | |
| 8 | Aberdeen | 38 | 13 | 10 | 15 | 41 | 54 | –13 | 49 | |
| 9 | Livingston | 38 | 9 | 8 | 21 | 48 | 62 | –14 | 35 | |
| 10 | Partick Thistle | 38 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 37 | 58 | –21 | 35 | |
| 11 | Dundee United | 38 | 7 | 11 | 20 | 35 | 68 | –33 | 32 | |
| 12 | Motherwell | 38 | 7 | 7 | 24 | 45 | 71 | –26 | 28 |
Source: SPL official website
Top scorers
| Player | Club | Goals |
|---|---|---|
 Henrik Larsson |
Celtic | 28 |
 Stevie Crawford |
Dunfermline Athletic | 19 |
 John Hartson |
Celtic | 18 |
 Ronald de Boer |
Rangers | 16 |
| Alex Burns |
Partick Thistle | 16 |
| Barry Ferguson |
Rangers | 16 |
 Chris Sutton |
Celtic | 15 |
 Shota Arveladze |
Rangers | 15 |
 Mark de Vries |
Hearts | 15 |
| Michael Mols |
Rangers | 13 |
| James McFadden |
Motherwell | 13 |
Source: SPL official website
Attendances
The average attendances for SPL clubs during the 2002/03 season are shown below:
| Team | Average |
|---|---|
| Celtic | 57,471 |
| Rangers | 48,814 |
| Hearts | 12,057 |
| Aberdeen | 11,774 |
| Hibernian | 10,157 |
| Dundee United | 7,665 |
| Kilmarnock | 7,407 |
| Dundee | 7,399 |
| Livingston | 6,663 |
| Dunfermline Athletic | 6,124 |
| Motherwell | 6,085 |
| Partick Thistle | 5,657 |
Source: SPL official website
Monthly awards
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| Month | Manager | Player | Young Player |
|---|---|---|---|
| August | John Lambie (Partick Thistle) |
Mark de Vries (Hearts) |
Kris Boyd (Kilmarnock) |
| September | Alex McLeish (Rangers) |
 Jean-Louis Valois (Hearts) |
 Mikel Arteta (Rangers) |
| October | Bobby Williamson (Hibernian) |
Fernando Ricksen (Rangers) |
Ian Murray (Hibernian) |
| November |  Martin O'Neill (Celtic) |
Henrik Larsson (Celtic) |
Mark Wilson (Dundee United) |
| December | Jim Jefferies (Kilmarnock) |
John Hartson (Celtic) |
Shaun Dillon (Kilmarnock) |
| January | Jim Duffy (Dundee) |
Barry Ferguson (Rangers) |
Kris Boyd (Kilmarnock) |
| February | Alex McLeish (Rangers) |
Lee Wilkie (Dundee) |
Shaun Maloney (Celtic) |
| March | Jim Duffy (Dundee) |
Thomas McManus (Hibernian) |
Zurab Khizanishvili (Dundee) |
| April | Craig Levein (Hearts) |
 Bobo Baldé (Celtic) |
Andy Webster (Hearts) |
