As the summer approaches, I like thousands of others, begin to think about the amount of hours spent over the last 10 months watching football on the television. As we begin to regain some calmness following the joy, the pain and the anger, let’s take a look at some of the big issues that we’ve faced over the 09/10 season.
“Disappointment of the Season:”
Runner-up: Liverpool FC. Picked by many to take the Premiership title but an early Champions League exit and a 7th place finish has left the futures of Benitez, Torres and Gerrard in the balance. At times it has been amusing, but it’s hard not to feel some sympathy for the Anfield faithful.
Winner: Thierry Henry. Remembered on these shores for a combination of technical mastery and his love of playing good football. Not only has he become overlooked by Barcelona’s younger generation at club level, but THAT deliberate control with his hand to tee up William Gallas and deny the Republic of Ireland a World Cup place is one of the defining images of the season, and has left an ugly mark against one of the Premier League’s most favourite players.
Opportunist? Cheat?
“TV moment of the Season”
Runner-up: John Terry/Wayne Bridge. Rarely is the pre-match handshake given so much attention. Close-ups and slow motion replays were shown for days after and Manchester City’s 4-2 win was almost as exciting.
Winner: Arsene Wenger vs the officials. Another defining image of the season. Wenger’s frustration at a late disallowed equalizer for his team against Manchester United was taken out on an unfortunate water bottle. The officials embarrassingly tried to send Wenger to the stands. The Arsenal manager stood amongst the Manchester United fans with his arms outstretched, striking an almost biblical pose. It was the perfect response to the the ridiculousness of the referee’s decision and made everyone watching love the Arsenal boss, if only for a second.
The “that makes a nice change” award
Runner-up: “The Big 4?” Liverpool’s implosion from last season left the door to the Champions League wide open. Aston Villa and Man City made valiant attempts, but it was Tottenham who managed to reach 4th place. With the young squads at these 3 teams and the money Spurs will enjoy if they make it to the group stage, there is no reason why they won’t challenge for the top 4 places again.
Winner: Champions League Exits. At the start of the season, the English contingent was well backed again to contest the latter stages of the Champions League. 3 out of the 4 semi finalists of the last 2 years were from the Premier league. Liverpool’s group stage exit however, was quickly followed by Chelsea in the 1st Knockout Round, and by both Arsenal and Manchester United in the ¼ finals. It has contributed to the greater focus on the title race, but there is no doubt that it was a welcome sight to have 4 teams for 4 different countries in this year’s semi-finals. Plus, getting to watch the match winning performances of Messi, Milito and Robben against the English sides was a joy.
Two of Europe’s finest eliminate the English sides from this season’s Champions League at the quarter final stage.
The “wish you were still here” award
Runner-up: Xabi Alonso. The Liverpool team is not very different from the one that pushed Manchester United to the final few weeks of last season. However, the sale of Alonso to Madrid has shown how good a player the Spaniard is and how significant he was to Liverpool. Not only a key ally of Benitez, but a huge presence in Liverpool’s midfield. Aquilani has shown glimpses that he can be a more than adequate replacement, but at times, Gerrard has looked lost without Alonso.
Winner: Owen Coyle. Burnley looked set to stay in the division. Coyle represented the tenacity of his Burnley side that had won promotion and posted a victory against champions Man Utd in the early stages of the season. Coyle’s departure to local rivals Bolton Wanderers was felt very bitterly by the fans who once idolised him. Resurgence at Bolton staved of any threat of relegation for themselves, whereas Coyle’s replacement at Burnley, Brian Laws, never looked like being the man to keep Burnley up. Under Coyle, a much brighter future was on the cards.
“Cup Run of the Season”:
Joint Winners: Portsmouth, Fulham. It’s been a disastrous year for Porstmouth and nobody knows when they’ll compete in the top tier again. A Premier League team going into administration simply should not be happening. However, the players, united under Avram Grant have used the cup run to give something for their fans to cheer. A final against Grant’s former club Chelsea awaits them at Wembley, and it could be the one great twist left in the season if they beat the new champions.
Fulham’s Europa League journey began in July and has carried them to the final. With famous wins over Shakhtar, Juventus, Wolfsburg and Hamburg along the way, Roy Hodgson has guided his team to a final against Atletico Madrid. It would be perhaps the greatest achievement by a Premier League team this season if Fulham lift the trophy on Wednesday night.
The “He’s still got it” award:
Runner-up: Roy Hodgson. One of the great British managers brought his wealth of experience and knowledge back to England when he arrived at an under-performing Fulham side. Now, he’s in the Europa League final and a safe position in the Premiership. Individually his best work can be seen, with players such as Damien Duff, Danny Murphy and Bobby Zamora rejuvenated.
Winner: Sol Campbell. A quite unbelievable return to the top level. Lost in the wilderness after a pretty humiliating time Notts County, Campbell not only shocked everyone with a return to Arsenal, but after a shaky start, played like the defender he once was. While talk of a World Cup place may be slightly over the top, Campbell has done enough to warrant a contract extension at Arsenal.
The “Made for TV” Game of the Season
Runner-up: Wigan 3 – 2 Arsenal (April 18th 2010)
Paul Merson was the guest in the Sky Sports studio and he spent the entire pre-match chat explaining how Wigan cannot play football well enough to compete in the Premier League. When Arsenal went 2-0 up it seemed he was right. But 3 goals in the final 10 minutes, including a top-drawer winner from Charles N’Zogbia made for a great finish to the game. With Wigan’s survival in the League pretty much confirmed, and another error from goalkeeper Lukas Fabianski, there was also plenty to talk about afterwards.
Winner: Manchester United 4 – 3 Manchester City (September 21st 2009)
The game of the season. This was the sort of game that shows the magic of live football and why broadcasters will pay so much to get it. We were heading for a dramatic and pulsating 3-3 draw. Bellamy’s late goal for City seemed to have salvaged a draw. Carlos Tevez’ return to Old Trafford and a Ben Foster mistake all made for a great story. But it was far from over. 6 controversial minutes of injury time were added and would you believe it, Michael Owen did what he does best and scores the winner. A real rollercoaster of a game. Many games are given plenty of hype and never quite reach expectations, but when they do it is very special, and this was one of them.
The Manchester Derby September 2009
(If you missed it first time round, or simply want to remind yourself of the drama, here’s a video re-cap of the goals)
It’s been an exiciting, surprising and memorable season for England’s Premier League. Fans of every team have experienced highs and lows this year and we hope it’s the same next time. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Now, onto the summer and the unbearable hype and expectation for England’s latest attempt on the World Cup.
Your personal favourite moments of the season?
David Harrison
written by
David Harrison.
Have to agree with the Wenger one – that was absolute comedy whether your a Man Utd fan, Arsenal fan or a neutral. Made me laugh!
Posted by Steven Jones | 12 May, 2010, 09:05Some great memories here as well as things that leave you scratching your head and saying, "What were we thinking?"
Some nitpicking: I disagree about Owen Coyle. Despite a roaring start, I think he knew that Burnley didn't have the resources to stay up and so he jumped ship to Bolton. Also, the Manchester derby, while a classic, was too early in the season to merit rank as the game of the year. Too much happened afterward to both clubs. My vote goes to the second leg of the Aston Villa/Blackburn Carling Cup semi-final. A frenetic pace throughout and despite desperate defending, goals up the wazoo. What more could you ask for with a trip to Wembley at stake?
Wholehearted agreement: Liverpool, Xabi Alonso, Roy Hodgson and both Fulham and Pompey.
Great stuff, keep it coming!
Posted by mpalazzotto | 12 May, 2010, 21:32My personal highlight was the scrap between Moyes and Mancini over returning the ball. this was even funnier in slowmo at all different angles afforded to the armchair fan. Moyes is as hard as nails and you could see his amusement being 'faced up' by a guy in a suit with a ridiculous over-sized scarf. moyes of course in a tracksuit. 1-nil to the British game I think. 2-nil to Everton as well !!
Posted by Peter | 27 May, 2010, 08:15