THE LIST: The top 50 best things about the Premier League season 2008/09

20 May 2009 17:53
What are your best bits of this Premier League season? This campaign has been a rollercoaster ride at both ends of the table, but which incidents stand out for you? Sportsmail's team of experts have had their say - do you agree with them? ManchesterUnited have been crowned champions once again (yawn, yawn). The topfour remain just that. And the famous footballing region that is theNorth-East has descended into crisis. It's not all doom and gloom, though. Great goals, terrific tackles and mad managers all make this seasonal review. But have the team here at Sportsmail HQ got it right? Have we missed a trick? Has your most memorable moment been overlooked? Be sure to join the debate and have your say... 30 Guus Hiddink taking over at ChelseaThe man who took South Korea to the World Cup semi-finals, PSV to the European Cup, Russia to the semi-finals of Euro 2008 and even Australia to the second round of the World Cup was clearly capable of clearing up the mess left by Gene Hackman's angry twin 'Big Phil' Scolari. Despite having just four months to work with the players and insisting all along that he would not stay beyond the end of the season, the Dutch master led Chelsea to within seconds of the Champions League final, lost just one Premier League game (at Tottenham) and has the FA Cup final to look forward to next weekend. How Chelsea fans must wish Hiddink wasn't committed to Russia for next year's World Cup. 29 Heurelho Gomes calamitous early season formThere is just one golden rule when buying a new goalkeeper - check his passport to ensure he's not from Brazil (or Scotland). Juande Ramos, Damien Comolli, Daniel Levy - or whoever was responsible for transfer policy on the particular day Tottenham agreed to pay PSV £7.8m for gangly Gomes - failed to do so and ended up with Krusty the Clown. Gaffes against Aston Villa, Udinese (right), Arsenal and Fulham suggested Spurs had made yet another costly mistake in the transfer market, but the Brazilian's form in the second half of the season has been so impressive that Harry Redknapp might, just might, maybe, possibly resist the temptation to 'wheel and deal' for a new 'keeper this summer. 28 Fernando Torres goal against BlackburnThe best striker in England scored arguably the best goal of the season against Blackburn at Anfield last month. Shades of Marco Van Basten in the Euro '88 final about Torres' volley. Although, that's being a little generous to the Liverpool man. Watch both below... 27 Newcastle thinking 'job done' after beating Middlesbrough at home, only to lose five days later to Fulham at St James 'Those poor old geordies. Newcastle have lurched from one crisis to another this season, but due to the ineptitude of those around them appeared to have done enough by claiming three vital points against Boro to lift them out of the bottom three last week. Fast forward five days and doom and gloom has returned to the Toon with Newcastle back in the relegation zone. Newcastle's fate is now out of their hands with one game to go. Get set for tearful geordies filling our screens on Sunday. 25 Keano's beardAs Sunderland's fortunes dipped, so Roy Keane's beard grew. After weeks of careful grooming, Keane's beard eventually bore a striking resemblance to Cruella De Ville's hairdo. In fact, De Ville's hair and Keane's beard have never actually been seen in the same room together. Stay away from the puppies Roy. 25 Gianfranco Zola returns to England to take over West HamForget his brilliance in a Chelsea shirt, Zola deserves respect above all else for usurping Frankie Dettori as the nation's favourite vertically-challenged Italian. And for that, we should all be grateful. Chelsea fans weren't too happy about Zola taking over at West Ham, but the rest of us were delighted to see him return to English football. Shaky start suggested he wasn't up to the job, but form since Christmas has been superb and the Hammers have played some lovely stuff along the way. 24 Steven Gerrard's match-winning performance at NewcastleThe Football Writers' Player of the Year delivered one of the individual performances of the season as Liverpool crushed Newcastle 5-1 at St James' Park. Gerrard scored twice and gave a performance so impressive, so dominant and so ruthless that you simply had to sit back and admire his brilliance. Captain fantastic: Gerrard dismantled the miserable Magpies just after Christmas 23 Manchester United's controversial fightback against SpursThe day the title was won? Probably, possibly, maybe. Regardless, United's second-half demolition of Spurs certainly sent out a message to their title rivals. But it all could have been so different if Howard Webb hadn't succumbed to that common affliction that so many referees have suffered at Old Trafford over the years, namely 'award-United-a-penalty-when-losing-even-if-it-clearly-wasn't-a-foul-itis'. Webb's (incorrect) decision gave United a way back into the game andTottenham, as they so often do, crumbled. Game over. Title over. 22 Kaka rejects Manchester City's millionsWho knows why Kaka rejected the chance to join Manchester City and link up with Darius Vassell and Benjani, but it certainly wasn't money that kept him at the San Siro. The football world rubbed their collective eyes in collective disbelief as City weighed in with a record-breaking £100million bid for AC Milan's brilliant Brazilian. Unfortunately for City, it wasn't to be. In a 'fumata bianca' moment, Kaka emerged at his window holding his Milan shirt and City lowered their sights and turned their attention to Craig Bellamy instead. 21 Joey Barton's red card challenge on AlonsoBarton seems to have been drinking at the last-chance saloon for what seems like his entire career, but his foul on Liverpool's Xabi Alonso really was the height of brainlessness from brain-free Barton. In surely the last act of his Newcastle career, Barton lunged at Alonso near the corner flag, wagged his finger at referee Phil Dowd before trudging off the Anfield pitch. Newcastle are better off without him. And he's off: Barton's foul brought the curtain down on his Newcastle career

Source: Daily_Mail