The 2008-09 season has come to an end and it is time to look at who has been hot and who hasn’t in this season’s EPL.
The trophy winners were Manchester United in the Premier League and Carling Cup and Chelsea in the FA Cup. Other notable performances came from Everton, reaching the FA Cup final and finishing fifth in the league again, Liverpool, making a real challenge for the Premier League title for the first time in a long while, Aston Villa making good progress and Hull and Stoke staying in the Premier League.
Also worthy of a mention are Fulham for qualifying for the Europa league after only escaping relegation on the last day on goal difference just one season before. That was a remarkable performance.
The winner of the SoccerNews award for season 2009-10 has to be Manchester United. To win the Premier League for the third time in a row and the eleventh time in sixteen seasons is a truly unbelievable record. To qualify for the Champions League final for the second year in a row was also a great effort although their performance in the final was a disappointment.
Hot club – Manchester United
Although there could be a few contenders for this award there is one club that stands way out from all the others in a class on their own. I want to make it quite clear that I am not talking about the players here, or the various managers and certainly not the fans. I am talking about ‘the club’. The owner and the board. Newcastle United have no peers in this category for this season.
Kevin Keegan was treated disgracefully and Chris Hughton was given a chance. After failing to get just about every other out of work manager in the game, they settled on the unbelievable choice of Joe Kinnear. When Kinnear’s health gave out Hughton was given another go before the desperate move of employing Toon hero Alan Shearer for the last eight games.
All the while in the background owner Mike Ashley was trying to sell the club without success.
It is absolutely no surprise that Newcastle were relegated. It was no more or less than the owner and his board deserved.
Not Hot club – Newcastle United
There were some great teams to watch this season with Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal probably being the best three. It was also a pleasure to watch Aston Villa play in the first half of the season with Gabby Agbonlahor and Ashley Young in full flight playing the game at a breakneck speed.
Fulham and Everton achieved great success without ever being too pleasing on the eye and Chelsea, whilst being a fine side, are never as good to watch as the other three in the top four, for a neutral.
For me, the very best performances of this season have come from Liverpool when they have had Steve Gerrard and Fernando Torres fit and playing. They have proved that they will be a real threat next season.
Hot team – Liverpool
You have to look down the bottom end of the table to see which teams might be in with a shout for this award. Bottom club West Brom played some really good stuff at times during the season and gave their first season after promotion a really good go without changing their principles. Newcastle have been poor but we have already discussed the fact that this had much to do with the goings-on off the pitch.
The other relegated team have no such excuses. They have a good chairman, a long serving manager and a half decent team. They have a twelve million pound striker, a nice ground, decent support and just about everything going for them. Unfortunately for them, Middlesbrough were absolute rubbish. They played a brand of football that was not great to watch, conceded goals for fun and couldn’t score in a brothel!
Not Hot team – Middlesbrough
Sir Alex Ferguson did another fine job but there is always the nagging suspicion that with those players and Manchester United’s resources, I can’t help feeling I would do a pretty good job too!
For me, the three Premier League managers who have achieved the most are David Moyes at Everton, Roy Hodgson at Fulham and Tony Pulis at Stoke.
To get Stoke to a mid-table position was a remarkable performance by Pulis. To finish fifth and get to the Cup final on a low budget at Everton was a great achievement by Moyes. However, to take Fulham into Europe after the season they had before stands out as the best performance of the season.
Hot manager – Roy Hodgson
I really like Gareth Southgate, he seems like a really nice bloke. Maybe that is his problem. There is no way that the Middlesbrough squad should have been relegated. The fact that they were has to suggest that the fault lies with the manager.
Not Hot manager – Gareth Southgate
It has been difficult to pick out any outstanding goalkeepers this season. England’s number one David James was fine for most of the season but rekindled his ‘calamity’ nickname in the last few weeks.
Edwin van der Sar kept a record number of consecutive clean sheets but to me, he looked as though he may just be past his best. Pepe Reine was decent but not great and Petr Cech had a poor season by his own high standards.
The best keeper in the Premier League this season was Bolton’s Jussi Jaaskelainen. He goes about his business in a quiet, professional and unassuming way. Without him, Bolton would have been relegated.
Hot keeper – Jussi Jaaskelainen
The Middlesbrough pair of Turnbull and Jones deserve a mention in this category as they have never been Premier League keepers. However, on the basis that he won this award in the weekly competition far more often than anyone else West Brom’s Scott Carson is a worthy winner.
Not Hot keeper – Scott Carson
Nemanja Vidic has been absolutely world class for Manchester United this season apart from in the home game against Liverpool and the Champions League final. He was also sent off three times and missed a few games through suspension.
Everton’s Phil Jagielka had a fantastic season and was mightily unlucky to miss out on the FA Cup final through injury.
The best defender this season in the Premier League is a surprise name. Fulham owe their European qualification in no small part to their centre half Brede Hangeland. He has been a colossus for them.
Hot defender – Brede Hangeland
There have been a few to choose from. Surprisingly, Titus Bramble has looked good for Wigan and he doesn’t feature this season.
It is difficult to think of anyone who was consistently bad but you have to look at the teams down the bottom to see where the most mistakes were made.
One player who was bought for a lot of money and came with a big reputation was Sunderland’s Anton Ferdinand. He had an absolute stinker for Sunderland and has put to bed once and for all the argument that he is anywhere near as good as his brother.
Not Hot defender – Anton Ferdinand
It’s the usual suspects here. Steve Gerrard, Frank Lampard, Cristiano Ronaldo, Ryan Giggs and Xabi Alonso. Others worth a mention are Ashley Young, Tim Cahill, Danny Murphy and Gareth Barry.
Whilst all of those players and probably several others would be worthy winners of this award, I am going to give this one to Liverpool’s Xabi Alonso. For him to perform at the level he has all season after his club were very clear that he was surplus to requirements last Summer is a truly wonderful achievement.
Hot midfielder – Xabi Alonso
The worst midfielder in the Premier League is a man who is actually blessed with a great deal of footballing ability. The reason he is the ‘not hot’ midfielder is for everything else about Newcastle’s Joey Barton, not his ability.
Not Hot midfielder – Joey Barton
I have to eat a little humble pie here. I have never been a fan of Nicolas Anelka. I have always felt he was a waste of money for Chelsea and is a vastly overrated striker.
This season Anelka has shown just how much I know! The top scorer in the Premier League despite spending much of the season in a disliked wide position, he has shown that he is a top class front man.
Hot striker – Nicolas Anelka
Twelve million pounds should buy you a centre forward who at least knows roughly where the goal is. Unfortunately for all at Middlesbrough Alfonso Alves has absolutely no idea where it is. He looked for it all season but rarely came anywhere near it.
Not Hot striker – Alfonso Alves
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