Spurs had finished fifth in the previous season's Premier League, thereby qualifying for the UEFA Cup. They then progressed to the last 16 of the competition to face PSV. After the two rounds and one away goal each, Spurs were finally eliminated 6–5 on penalties.[3]
Departing the club was Egyptian footballer Mido. He initially arrived on an 18-month loan deal from Roma in January 2005 and in 2006 signed a permanent deal; on 16 August 2007, he was sold to Middlesbrough for £6 million.[11] Also departing was Reto Ziegler, who was loaned out to Sampdoria in Italy for the second half of the 2006–07 season. Sampdoria subsequently signed him permanently from Spurs for an undisclosed fee.[12]
Tottenham started off their Premier League campaign away at promoted Sunderland with a 1–0 loss.[13] Three days later they travelled to Everton, losing 3–1, then back at White Hart Lane recorded their first win, 4–0 against Derby County. After that Tottenham recorded four draws and three defeats in the Premier League, which included a 3–3 draw away to Fulham and a 4–4 draw against Aston Villa. In the UEFA Cup first round Spurs won 6–1 against Cypriot club Anorthosis, then followed up with a 1–1 draw away in Cyprus.[14] Manager Martin Jol's final Premier League game was on 22 October, a 3–1 away loss at Newcastle United. On 25 October, in the UEFA Cup, Spurs hosted Getafe, losing 2–1. Following the match, it was announced that Jol had been sacked.[1]
After one match with Clive Allen and Alex Inglethorpe in charge, Juande Ramos was hired as Jol's replacement, having previously managed Sevilla. Alongside Ramos, Gus Poyet was handed the assistant head coaching role. Marcos Álvarez, who worked alongside Ramos at Sevilla, also joined the backroom staff, as fitness coach.[2] Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy was widely criticised for his treatment of Jol following revelations that Ramos was approached to replace Jol during the summer, which many thought undermined his leadership and ruined his credibility as an authoritative figure.[15]
Ramos' reign began with a 2–0 win over Blackpool in the League Cup.[16] Immediately following Ramos' appointment, it was made clear in the public forum that he was very unhappy with the fitness of the team and instigated a new diet and fitness regime.[17] Tottenham's league form began to improve and their progress in the League Cup began with a 2–0 win over Manchester City, which ended City's unbeaten home record.[18]
Tottenham's run in the League Cup continued with a semi-final first leg 1–1 draw against Arsenal at Emirates Stadium;[19] a 5–1 win over Arsenal at White Hart Lane followed, resulting in a 6–2 Spurs aggregate victory.[20] This booked a place in the final against Chelsea. Tottenham went on to win the match 2–1 thanks to a Jonathan Woodgate header in extra time, securing Tottenham's first trophy since 1999.[5] It also guaranteed them UEFA Cup qualification for the third season running.
On 13 March 2008, Tottenham were eliminated from the UEFA Cup in the last 16 round by PSV. The first leg played at White Hart Lane was a 1–0 defeat for Spurs following a mistake from Gilberto.[21]Dimitar Berbatov scored in the second leg away at the Philips Stadion to take the game to extra time and subsequently penalties. Here, Tottenham lost 6–5 when Pascal Chimbonda missed his kick.[3]
On 22 March 2008, Spurs played Portsmouth, winning 2–0. Darren Bent struck the 100th goal of the 2007–08 Premier League campaign. Jamie O'Hara followed two minutes later with the club's 101st. BBC sport writer Ian Hughes noted that Tottenham have "an average of 3.63 goals in every Spurs game this season".[22]
After earning a point on 19 April in a 1–1 draw against Wigan Athletic, Tottenham secured their safety in the Premier League after reaching 42 points.[23] Berbatov's sixth-minute strike was Tottenham's 100th in all competitions that season, 64 in the Premier League and 36 in cup competitions.[24] The season ended on 11 May 2008 with a 2–0 home defeat to Liverpool.[25]
Source: Premier League Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored. For further information on European qualification see Premier League – Competition Notes:
^Manchester City qualified as the highest-ranked team not already qualified for European competitions of Premier League Fair Play Ranking by The Football Association, the top association among UEFA Fair Play ranking winners.
The team kit for the 2007–08 season was produced by Puma. The main shirt sponsor was Mansion, an Internet gambling establishment. A special 125th anniversary commemorative kit was produced for a match against Aston Villa.
^Malbranque was born in Mouscron, Belgium, but has represented France at U-21 level and has been called up for the senior squad, although he has not been capped.
^Boateng was born in Wedding, Berlin, Germany (then West Germany), and has represented Germany at youth and U-21 level, but also qualified to represent Ghana internationally and would make his full international debut for Ghana in June 2010.
^Taarabt was born in Fez, Morocco, but grew up in France and has represented France at youth level. He would later opt to represent the country of his birth and go on to make his full international debut for Morocco in February 2009.
^Assou-Ekotto was born in Arras, France, but also qualified to represent Cameroon at international level and would make his full international debut for Cameroon in February 2009.