So how was it for you? The Barclays Premier League season reviewed

26 May 2009 07:16
ARSENAL Final Premier League position - 4th (Champions League) Top PL scorer - Robin van Persie 11 Player of the Season - Robin van Persie Villain of the Season - Emmanuel Adebayor Biggest PL win - 4-0 Blackburn (home and away) Biggest PL defeat - 0-3 Man City (a) PL Game of the Season - Liverpool 4 Arsenal 4 Signing of the Season - Andriy Arshavin (Zenit St Petersburg, £15m) Cup record FA Cup - semi-finals; League Cup - quarter-finals; Champions League - semi-finals Manager - Arsene Wenger 7/10 Dependingon your point of view. Another fine season that has seen Arsenalchallenge the top teams in the country on a fraction of the budget.OR another trophyless campaign that highlights thegrowing gulf between Wenger's team and the top three. ASTON VILLA Final Premier League position - 6th (Europa League) Top PL scorer - Gabriel Agbonlahor 12 Player of the Season - Ashley Young Villain of the Season - John Carew Biggest PL win - 4-0 Wigan (a) Biggest PL defeat - 0-5 Liverpool (a) PL Game of the Season - Everton 2 Aston Villa 3 Signing of the Season - Brad Friedel (Blackburn, free) Cup record FA Cup - 5th round; League Cup - 3rd round; UEFA Cup - Last 32 Manager - Martin O'Neill 7/10 Threatened to gatecrash the cosy Champions League cartel before spectacular collapse in the second half of the season. O'Neill deserves credit for immeasurable improvement at Villa Park even though they finished in the same position of sixth, but recent form underlines justhow far they have to go to consistently challenge the big boys. BLACKBURN Final Premier League position - 15th Top PL scorer - Benni McCarthy 10 Player of the Season - Ryan Nelsen Villain of the Season - Roque Santa Cruz Biggest PL win - 3-0 Stoke (h); 3-0 Newcastle (h) Biggest PL defeat - 0-4 Arsenal (h & a); 0-4 Liverpool PL Game of the Season - Blackburn 3 Newcastle 0 Signing of the Season - Paul Robinson (Tottenham, £3.5m) Cup record FA Cup - 5th round; League Cup - quarter-finals Manager - Sam Allardyce 9/10 Allardyce rates Blackburn's survival as the greatest achievement of his managerial career. The 1995 Premier League champions were five points adrift of safety and looked doomed when Big Sam replaced Paul Ince in December. But the turnaround at Ewood Parkhas been remarkable. Big Sam gets results. BOLTON Final Premier League position - 13th Top PL scorer - Kevin Davies 12 Player of the Season - Kevin Davies Villain of the Season - Johan Elmander Biggest win - 4-1 Middlesbrough (h) Biggest defeat - 0-3 Liverpool (a); 0-3 Everton (a) PL Game of the Season - Bolton 3 Tottenham 2 Signing of the Season - Fabrice Muamba (Birmingham, £4m) Cup record FA Cup - 3rd round; League Cup - 2nd round Manager - Gary Megson 7/10 He will always divide opinion - he certainly has at the Reebok - but Megson deserves credit for the job he's done in this relatively unfashionable corner of Lancashire. Bolton have never really been contenders to go down andthat, whatever their fans may think, is an achievement in itself insuch a fiercely competitive league. CHELSEA Final Premier League position - 3rd (Champions League) Top PL scorer - Nicolas Anelka 19 Player of the Season - Frank Lampard Villain of the Season - Didier Drogba Biggest PL win - 5-0 Middlesbrough (a); 5-0 Sunderland (h) Biggest PL defeat - 0-3 Man United (a) PL Game of the Season - Chelsea 2 Aston Villa 0 Signing of the Season - Jose Bosingwa (£16.2m, FC Porto) Cup record FA Cup - finalists; League Cup - 4th round; Champions League - semi-finals Manager - Guus Hiddink 8/10 The Dutch master proved, once again, why he is considered to be one of the world's best manager's after succeeding Luiz Felipe Scolari at Stamford Bridge. His impressive, yet brief, spell at Stamford Bridge has only added to his reputation. EVERTON Final Premier League position - 5th (Europa League) Top PL scorer - Tim Cahill 8 Player of the Season - Phil Jagielka Villain of the Season - Victor Anichebe Biggest PL win - 4-0 Wigan (h) Biggest PL defeat - 0-3 Portsmouth (h) PL Game of the Season - Everton 1 Arsenal 1 Signing of the Season - Marouane Fellaini (Standard Liege, £15m) Cup record FA Cup - finalists; League Cup - 3rd round; UEFA Cup - 1st round Manager - David Moyes 9/10 Credit must go to Moyes for another fine season at Goodison Park. Despite apoor start, Everton have again confirmed their status as the 'bestof the rest' with their fourth top six finish in five seasons - and a second successive fifth - not tomention an FA Cup final. FULHAM Final Premier League position - 7th (Europa League) Top PL scorer - Clint Dempsey and Andy Johnson 7 Player of the Season - Brede Hangeland Villain of the Season - Bobby Zamora Biggest PL win - 3-0 Middlesbrough (h) Biggest PL defeat - 0-3 Man United (a) PL Game of the Season - Fulham 2 Man United 0 Signing of the Season - Mark Schwarzer (Middlesbrough, free) Cup record FA Cup - quarter-finals; League Cup - 3rd round Manager - Roy Hodgson 10/10 Fulham looked doomed when Hodgson took charge towards the end of last season, but the subsequent upturn in fortunes has been sensational. Hodgson has led Fulham to their highest ever League finish, their highest ever points total and into Europe on merit (not via the not-even-remotely-missed Inter Toto Cup). Brilliant. HULL CITY Final Premier League position - 17th Top PL scorer – Geovanni 8 Player of the Season - Michael Turner Villain of the Season - Marlon King Biggest PL win - 3-0 West Brom (h) Biggest PL defeat - 0-5 Wigan (h) PL Game of the Season - Arsenal 1 Hull 2 Signing of the Season - Geovanni (Man City, free) Cup record FA Cup - quarter-finals; League Cup - 2nd round Manager - Phil Brown - 7/10 Started to believe his own hype after Hull's remarkable start to the season, even committing one of the ultimate sins - referring to himself in the third person. His now infamous half-time teamtalk on the pitch at ManCity had a catastrophic effect and Hull tumbled down the table, only surviving because of Newcastle's inability to hit any semblence of form. But he did his job, and few would have tipped Hull to stay up. LIVERPOOL Final Premier League position - 2nd (Champions League) Top PL scorer - Steven Gerrard 16 Player of the Season - Steven Gerrard Villain of the Season - Robbie Keane Biggest PL win - 5-0 Aston Villa (a) Biggest PL defeat - 0-2 Middlesbrough (a) PL Game of the Season - Man United 1 Liverpool 4 Signing of the Season - Albert Riera (Espanyol, £8m) Cup record FA Cup - 4th round; League Cup - 4th round; Champions League - quarter-finals Manager - Rafa Benitez - 9/10 Benitez has received plenty of criticism since taking over at Anfield in 2004,but deserves credit for Liverpool's best Premier League season in years and sustaining their title challenge into May. The best goal difference, the most goals scored, the fewest defeats and an unbeaten record against their top four rivals - but too many home draws. Fact. MANCHESTER CITY Final Premier League position - 10th Top PL scorer - Robinho 14 Player of the Season - Stephen Ireland Villain of the Season - Elano Biggest PL win - 6-0 Portsmouth (h) Biggest PL defeat - 2-4 Aston Villa (a) PL Game of the Season - City 3 Arsenal 1 Signing of the Season - Vincent Kompany (Hamburg, £6.7m) Cup record FA Cup - 3rd round; League Cup - 2nd round; UEFA Cup - quarter-finals Manager - Mark Hughes 6/10 The challenge Hughes faced once City were bought by Abu Dhabi United was vastly different from the job he inherited. Overnight, expectations soared and City were being talked about as genuine Champions League contenders without anything other than billions in the bank and an overrated Brazilian on the pitch to back it up. Despite coping well with increased pressure and unrealistic expectations, City should really have been closer to the top six. MANCHESTER UNITED Final Premier League position - 1st (Champions League) Top PL scorer - Cristiano Ronaldo 18 Player of the Season - Nemanja Vidic Villain of the Season - Dimitar Berbatov Biggest win - 5-0 Stoke (h); 5-0 West Brom (a) Biggest defeat - 1-4 Liverpool (h) PL Game of the Season - Man United 3 Chelsea 0 Signing of the Season - Dimitar Berbatov (Tottenham, £30.75m) Cup record FA Cup - semi-finals; League Cup - winners; Champions League - finalists; Club World Cup - winners Manager - Sir Alex Ferguson 10/10 The greatest manager British football ever. Once again, Fergie has set the standard. United might have the best players, the strongest squad and the deepest pockets, but someone has to bring it all together and mould them into a winning unit . Deserved champions and the best team in the country. Love him or hate him, you have to respect him. MIDDLESBROUGH Final Premier League position - 19th (relegated) Top PL scorer - Tuncay Sanli 7 Player of the Season - Stewart Downing Villain of the Season - Afonso Alves Biggest PL win - 3-1 Hull (h) Biggest PL defeat - 0-5 Chelsea (h) PL Game of the Season - Middlesbrough 2 Liverpool 0 Signing of the Season - Didier Digard (Paris St-Germain, £4m) Cup record FA Cup - quarter-finals; League Cup - 3rd round Manager - Gareth Southgate 2/10 Boro's demise has been coming. A failure to replace experienced talent and an over-reliance on youth ultimately proved costly. Some bad moves in the transfer market didn't help either. Southgate must take his share of the blame for failing to address the problems that were plain for all to see. Any team that manages just 28 goals in a 38-game season deserves to go down. NEWCASTLE Final Premier League position - 18th (relegated) Top PL scorer - Michael Owen and Obafemi Martins 8 Player of the Season - Sebastien Bassong Villain of the Season - Joey Barton Biggest PL win - 3-0 Portsmouth (a) Biggest PL defeat - 1-5 Liverpool (h) PL Game of the Season - Newcastle 2 Aston Villa 0 Signing of the Season - Sebastien Bassong (Metz, £500,000) Cup record FA Cup - 3rd round; League Cup - 3rd round Manager - Alan Shearer 3/10 Stick to the Match of the Day sofa Alan. To be fair to Shearer, Newcastle were in deep trouble when he took charge, but subsequent performances have arguably been worse..... PORTSMOUTH Final Premier League position - 14th Top PL scorer - Peter Crouch 11 Player of the Season - Glen Johnson Villain of the Season - Sacha Gaydamak Biggest PL win - 3-0 Everton (a) Biggest PL defeat - 0-6 Man City (a) PL Game of the Season - Portsmouth 2 Man City 0 Signing of the Season - Peter Crouch (£9m, Liverpool) Cup record FA Cup - 4th round; League Cup - 3rd round; UEFA Cup - group stage Manager - Paul Hart 6/10 Cleaned up the mess left by Tony Adams, steadied the ship and ensured another season of Premier League football at Fratton Park. The only problem is, we're not sure whether Portsmouth's survival is down to Hart or the ineptitude of the clubs' around them. STOKE CITY Final Premier League position - 12th Top PL scorer - Ricardo Fuller 10 Player of the Season - Liam Lawrence Villain of the Season - Dave Kitson Biggest PL win - 2-0 Bolton (h); 2-0 West Brom (a) Biggest PL defeat - 0-5 Man United (a) PL Game of the Season - Stoke 2 Arsenal 1 Signing of the Season - James Beattie (Sheffield United, £3m) Cup record FA Cup - 3rd round; League Cup - quarter-finals Manager - Tony Pulis 10/10 Sportsmail's Premier League manager of the season, Pulis deserves huge credit for Stoke's debut Premier League campaign. Written off and tipped to'do a Derby' before a ball was even kicked, Stoke were a breath of fresh air and deserve their place at the top table. Pulis proved you can't put a price on experience. SUNDERLAND Final Premier League position - 16th Top PL scorer - Djibril Cisse 10 Player of the Season - Danny Collins Villain of the Season - El-Hadji Diouf Biggest PL win - 4-0 West Brom (h) Biggest PL defeat - 0-5 Chelsea (a) PL Game of the Season - Sunderland 2 Newcastle 1 Signing of the Season - Anton Ferdinand (West Ham, £8m) Cup record FA Cup - 4th round; League Cup - 4th round Manager - Ricky Sbragia 4/10 Enjoyed a great start at the Stadium of Light after taking over from Roy Keane and ultimately did enough to preserve Sunderland's Premier League status for another year, but alarming dip in form plunged them into a relegation battle. But the Black Cats will need a new manager next season because he decided to quit after the last-game 3-2 home defeat to Chelsea. TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR Final Premier League position - 8th Top PL scorer - Darren Bent 12 Player of the Season - Jonathan Woodgate Villain of the Season - David Bentley Biggest PL win - 4-0 Middlesbrough (h) Biggest PL defeat - 2-5 Man United (a) PL Game of the Season - Arsenal 4 Tottenham 4 Signing of the Season - Luka Modric (Dinamo Zagreb, £16.5m) Cup record FA Cup - 4th round; League Cup - runners-up; UEFA Cup - Last 32 Manager - Harry Redknapp 8/10 Apparently Tottenham only had two points from eight games when 'Arry took chargeback in October. Since then, Tottenham's form has been impressive -admittedly helped by the arrival of £45million-worth of new talent in January - and they even managed a late charge for Europe which they (thankfully) missed out on. WEST BROM Final Premier League position - 20th (relegated) Top PL scorer - Chris Brunt 8 Player of the Season - Jonas Olsson Villain of the Season - Luke Moore Biggest PL win - 3-0 Middlesbrough (h); 3-0 Sunderland (h) Biggest PL defeat - 0-5 Man United (h) PL Game of the Season - West Brom 2 Man City 1 Signing of the Season - Jonas Olsson (NEC Nijmegen, £800,000) Cup record FA Cup - 4th round; League Cup - 2nd round Manager rating - Tony Mowbray 3/10 There's a touch of the Arsene Wenger about Mowbray's stubborn refusal to compromise his footballing principles. Mowbray's determination to play attractive football has ultimately cost West Brom their Premier League status and for that, Mowbray gets marked down. Easy on the eye, but too easy for their opponents. WEST HAM Final Premier League position - 9th Top PL scorer - Carlton Cole 10 Player of the Season - Carlton Cole Villain of the Season - Luis Boa Morte Biggest PL win - 4-1 Blackburn (h); 4-1 Portsmouth (a) Biggest defeat - 0-3 Man City (a); 0-3 Liverpool (h) PL Game of the Season - Portsmouth 1 West Ham 4 Signing of the Season - Valon Behrami (Lazio, £5m) Cup record FA Cup - 5th round; League Cup - third round Manager: Gianfranco Zola - 8/10 Superb debut season in club management for the popular little Italian. West Ham looked in serious trouble in December but Zola turned it around while continuing the club's admirable policy of promoting young, English talent. Genuine cause for optimism at Upton Park. WIGAN ATHLETIC Final Premier League position - 11th Top PL scorer - Amr Zaki 10 Player of the Season - Luis Antonio Valencia Villain of the Season - Amr Zaki Biggest PL win - 5-0 Hull (a) Biggest PL defeat - 0-4 Aston Villa (h); 0-4 Everton (a) PL Game of the Season - Hull 0 Wigan 5 Signing of the Season - Lee Cattermole (Middlesbrough, £3m) Cup record FA Cup - 3rd round; League Cup - 4th round Manager: Steve Bruce - 7/10 Continued last season's fine form in the early part of the campaign and threatened to challenge for a Europa League place before falling away in the last couple of months. Deserves enormous credit for the job he's done. The difficulty now is where to take them from here.

Source: Daily_Mail