Post Season Appraisal

djPSB

So another season comes to a close.

City deserved winners in the end, Liverpool running them close with a much inferior squad.

How happy/unhappy are you with your teams performance???

My thoughts...

Manchester City: Deserved winners, best squad in the league, have spent a fortune. No surprise that they are Champions again.

Liverpool: Excellent season, top 4 achieved at a canter. Disappointing how the season ended after being in pole position with 3 games to go. Brendan Rodgers has done an exceptional job at Anfield so far.

Chelsea: 3rd place and semis of the CL. A meh season for a team of its resources and the players available. A team that has invested so much has to be winning silverware. Jose will say he doesn't have the strikers, I say 'You've had 2 windows to solve that problem Jose'.

Arsenal: A good season for Arsenal if they land the FA Cup, important that the club end the trophy drought. Injuries didn't hep throughout.

Everton: A good season for Martinez in his first year. Will be disappointed that they couldn't sustain their 4th place challenge.

Spurs: Joke of a season considering the money that was spent. Replacing AVB with Sherwood didn't really make much sense.

Man Utd: Title winners to 7th. Not great. No Champions League next season.

Southampton: Decent season without troubling the top 7 too much. Bound to lose a few players this summer.

Stoke: Good first season for Hughes. Has the team playing a style that is a bit easier on the eye.

Newcastle: Good start to the season, but it all fell apart once Pardew headbutted Meyler. One would imagine his days are numbered. Disastrous end to the season.

Crystal Palace: Pulis has delivered what looked like the impossible after taking over from Holloway. An excellent season for Palace with PL football guaranteed for next season. Pulis rightly a contender for Manager of the Season.

Swansea: Found it hard to juggle Domestic and European football. An okay season in the end. Will be interesting to how Monk does next year.

West Ham: Expected West Ham to do better and be closer to Europa League spots. Big Sam under pressure.

Sunderland: Poyet has done a good job here. An excellent run at the end of the season to avoid relegation. Had a good run at the Cups too.

Aston Villa: Poor season. Do not seem to be improving from one season to the next. Stuck in a rut.

Hull City: A good start to the season but seem to lost focus lately with attentions shifting to the FA Cup. Good season overall though with an FA Cup final appearance at least and Premier League survival.

West Brom: Poor season. Survived relegation due to the inadequacies of others rather than their own performances.

Norwich: Disappointing season after spending quite a bit last summer. Should have done better.

Fulham: Club is poorly run, managers chopped and changed too often. Defence was a joke. Deserved to go down.

Cardiff: Should never have sacked Mackay. Solskjaer didn't deliver. Deserved to go down.

klose

Think mark hughes deserves a fair heap of praise, i read its been stokes best season points and position wise since the 70s all while spending feck all, 5 mill apparently? Only 6 points off southampton who everyone fauns over after spending 30 mill in the summer (granted alot was on kahl drogo who was an awful flop)

daithi1970

I'm a happy Blue tonight:pac::pac:

re: Hughes..he's someone who doesn't get a lot of praise for his management skills, he bought a few City players for feck-all who have come good..

djPSB

daithi1970 wrote: »

I'm a happy Blue tonight:pac::pac:

re: Hughes..he's someone who doesn't get a lot of praise for his management skills, he bought a few City players for feck-all who have come good..

Hughes is a good man manager but a disaster in the transfer market.

Barr

I have to agree; Hughes stock has gone up big time for me – well impressed with Stoke since he took over

Dozen Wicked Words

djPSB wrote: »

Hughes is a good man manager but a disaster in the transfer market.

Maybe with the more sensible budget and chairman at Stoke his choices will be better.

Augmerson

Manchester City: Thought they should have gone further in Europe but overall has to be a great season for them.

Liverpool: Brilliant season, ran out of steam towards the end. Squad should have been added to in January. Defensive left alot to be desired but attack was dynamite.

Chelsea: Jose said this season he didn't expect silverware this and needed to build it up I think. Needs to adopt new attacking mantra. Not a terrible season at all. Jose won't accept a repeat of no trophies next season.

Arsenal: Injuries really took their toll but still in a FA Cup final and a chance of silverware.

Everton: Great season for Martinez. Think he suits them. Disappointing they didn't make the CL. Need to make the loanees permanent.

Spurs: Very disappointing, so much was spent.

Man Utd: Worst title defence since Blackburn? Ferguson's neglect of certain positions became malignant. Feel bad for Moyes but there were problems in the side before he came in. Mata purchase was probably the best moment. Much rebuilding to do without the attraction of European football but United's pulling power can't be in dispute despite that.

Southampton: Good season, some terrific players in the squad. Either keep them or sell for big bucks.

Stoke: Happy for Hughes and the redemption of some players under him. Stoke actually playing football

Newcastle: looked good in the beginning but bad end to season. So many fans pissed off and with good reason.

Crystal Palace: Pulis really turned things around, fair play. Palace looked doomed before he came in.

Swansea: Fighting on two fronts isn't easy, but still in the EPL. Ok season. Shelvey looks like a great investment.

West Ham: Not a great season despite pre-season reinforcements. Still in the EPL though.

Sunderland: The great escape! Good cup run too but at the expense of league form?

Aston Villa: Very disappointing, no improvement really on last year. Hopefully a new owner comes in.

Hull City: Staying up was probably mission objective. Some good additions to the squad. FA cup final appearance to boot, not bad.

West Brom: Poor, lucky to be still in it. Will struggle next year unless things change.

Norwich: Disaster considering the transfers in. Really thought they might challenge in the top 8.

Fulham: Shocking management at the top, sacking 2 managers. Ageing squad, this was coming.

Cardiff: Again management at the top was muppetry. Feel bad for Mackay.

Looper007

I thought Arsenal did well, a bit disappointed With the injuries shouldn't be an excuse but it did effect us and Wenger's lack of spending on a top quality striker and defensive midfield in the mould of a Toure or Matic really hurt us. The away form agaisn't top teams was a disgrace. But Ramsey was amazing, our centre backs and defence were very good, Flamini was a good free signing, Ozil showed our intent in the transfer market hopefully this summer he buy more top quality. Our home form was excellent and we could end our cup drought next weekend, win that and I would consider it a slight step up.

ctrl-alt-delete

djPSB wrote: »

Hughes is a good man manager but a disaster in the transfer market.

He certainly wasn't a disaster on that front at Blackburn.

djPSB

ctrl-alt-delete wrote: »

He certainly wasn't a disaster on that front at Blackburn.

No but at City and QPR he was.

mike65

Its been a funny season in so many ways, Spurs sack AVB with the team joint 6th and three points of 4th, replace him with a newbie who more than matches AVBs points PPG average and then make it clear that he will be replaced in the summer.

Newcastle ended 2013 in 8th place and ended the season in 10th place which is amazing
when you look at how many games they didn't win! And yet they are still 7 points better off year on year

Man Utd proved the power of management - they don't just do tactics they do motivation and Moyes failed disastrously in that regard. Once the rot set in that was it. That they didn't move to replace him much sooner speaks volumes with regard to the boards competence.

Chelseas season is a failure. So much talent and yet couldn't find a away to beat Stoke, Sunderland and Villa. Mourinho is just the ordinary one now.

Goals - some teams are just goal crazy - City, Liverpool and Fulham over 3.00, only four sides games had an average less than 2.5 GPP - Stoke, Hull, West Ham and Norwich. However what's the big thing is the number of very big scores or big margins between teams that really should be much tighter!

Man City 6 Arsenal 3
Liverpool 5 Arsenal 1
Chelsea 6 Arsenal 0
Man City 6 - Spurs 0
Spurs 1 Man City 5
Spurs 0 Liverpool 5
Liverpool 4 Spurs 0
Man Utd 0 Man City 3
Man Utd 0 Liverpool 3
Newcastle United 0 Spurs 4

Genuinely don't think we'll see these next season.

The manager churn has proved a mixed bag and the jury has to be out on most of them - only Poyet and Pulis can be considered a real success. Others were possibly turfed out needlessly and certainly some far too late in the season, oh and if you are going to do it - do it once (Fulham)

bad2dabone

Manchester City: Best overall team. Classy Manager. No players that I hate. Fair play, deserving champs.

Liverpool: 7th to 2nd is brilliant, totally unexpected. Glad for them that they've a season in the CL to look forward to.

Chelsea: Delighted Jose didn't win it. That's all i want to say on them.

Arsenal: Frustrating final league position, but a win next weekend means at least we've got something to smile about. But if anyone can f*ck it up it's us.

Everton: Nice to watch, some really decent players and i'm a fan of martinez. Also fair play to them for falling apart as soon as they got up to 4th.

Spurs: Jokeshop

Man Utd: never expected them in 7th, but I could get used to this. Next season will be right back in it I fear.

Southampton: Shows what a quality academy can produce - with a couple of shrewd signings too.

Stoke: Hate the fans, hate the club, but no denying hughes has done a good job there.

Newcastle: Feel sorry for the supporters, played well until Cabaye was sold. They've been dire since. Owner seems to lack interest.

Crystal Palace: Amazing turnaround, really happy for them. Loudest fans in the league.

Swansea: Happy they didnt get sucked into a relegation battle. Will be interesting to see if Bony's still around next season

West Ham: Big sam sees it as mission accomplished, but the fans want more. Interesting summer ahead.

Sunderland: Delighted for them - what an escape!

Aston Villa: new manager and owner needed.

Hull City: Good work from Bruce - hopefully a small bit of heartbreak for them next weekend. Glad they're staying up.

West Brom: Shocked at their final position based on last years performance.

Norwich: dire.

Fulham: sad to see them down, always had a soft spot for fulham. Still you can't have 3 managers in a season. I feel they won't be back soon.

Cardiff: Crazy owner, crazy sacking, some good players in the squad, should have done better.

Chucky the tree

djPSB wrote: »

No but at City and QPR he was.

Did he have much say in transfers at those clubs though?

eagle eye

Manchester City: I am a huge fan of Manuel Pellegrini and I'm delighted for him that City won the title. He has done a great job wherever he has been and they were the best team this season. I think they will go on to win it again next year.

Liverpool: Great season for Rogers and Liverpool but I'm not sure they can maintain it. They went out of both cups early this season and had no European football. I'm not sure they have the squad depth to maintain a challenge while playing in Europe. I think they overachieved this season in the league and it will be interesting to see how well they do next season.

Chelsea: Did well in the league, did well in Europe but they were missing a top striker. When they get that man they could be dangerous but John Terry is a year older and so is Lampard. Matic looks the business but I think that unless Terry can maintain the level he has been at that they might take a step backwards next season.

Arsenal: A season that promised so much more halfway through but they can win the FA Cup and finally end their silverware drought. They need a top striker to make themselves contenders and they need to have a look at why they get so many injuries.

Everton: A great season for Martinez as he beat Everton's previous best points total in the Premier League era by some distance. Interesting to see if they progress next season.

Spurs: Seem to be back to their old ways of looking promising one season and then going backwards the next.

Man Utd: A rough year but really it was to be expected with the loss of Ferguson and a ridiculous replacement. If they didn't want a big name or couldn't get one they should have gone and got somebody who had been at the club. Giving the job to a man who had won nothing and had no ties to the club the job was never going to go well. Especially with him being handed an aging squad and very little time to sort it out.

Southampton: A breath of fresh air in the Premier league and delighted for them to go so well. Hope they can get even better next season. They seem to be a very well run club from top to bottom.

Stoke: Sparky is one of my favourite managers as he did a great job at Blackburn while he was there. I think he will do something similar at Stoke and I can see them becoming more competitive and challenging for Europa league football whether that be through the league or cups.

Newcastle: They just seem to shoot themselves in the foot just when its going well for them. Pardew I do not like but he seems to be doing an ok job there. Was delighted to see Stoke pass them on the last day.

Crystal Palace: Pulis was manager of the season for me after pulling off a miracle and beyond that getting them up close to the top ten. It will be interesting to see how things go there next season.

Swansea: I think their squad was not big enough to handle playing in Europe and they suffered because of it in the league. A well run club and I think they will bounce back next season.

West Ham: Big Sam is a good Premier league manager and I'm well aware of that due to his time at Blackburn(wish he was still there). He won't win the league title but he won't get relegated either.

Sunderland: Poyet is a very good manager imo. Sunderland, though, always seem to go backwards when things are looking up. Interesting to see how things go next season.

Aston Villa: What can one say? Benteke was out of form for a while and then they lost him for the season and fell apart altogether. Paul Lambert is a manager I thought would do really well there but he has been given his opportunity and its not looking good. I'm not so sure he will be there next season. I'd have to add though that I'm not a huge fan of their owner and he may be the reason they are struggling at the moment.

Hull City: Bruce always does well in his first season up and then things go wrong for him. Would love to see them win the FA Cup but I expect them to be relegated next season.

West Brom: Hard to know what to make of them. Pepe Mel seemed to get them playing right at the end of the season. Could be anything next year.

Norwich: I think sacking Hughton was a mistake and cost them their Premier League status. Hard to know what will happen with them next season.

Fulham: This is a case of a bad owner taking over a club and them falling apart. I've seen how bad Khan is as he owns an American football team and they are awful Other examples, Wolves, Blackburn Rovers and Cardiff City.

Cardiff: Jokeshop of a club because of their owner.



The biggest thing for me is that I'm realising that the owner is the most crucial person at a club. The right owner hires the right people, runs the club right, examples of that are Swansea and Southampton of the newer clubs in the Premier League and Everton are the prime example of a club punching above their weight for quite some time now.

Francie Barrett

Manchester City: can't argue with their season, they had a few hiccups but overall were the best team this year.

Liverpool: So close, but yet so far away. Think we were let down by the lack of squad depth in the end. Still delighted withe the season. Next season is going to be a challenge as European competition will almost certainly harm league form.

Chelsea: reckon Jose has just about met the minimum expectations for Roman and the fans. There will need to be improvement next year though, fans will not be happy to be playing defensive football against teams they should be the match of.

Arsenal: started well but disintegrated badly in the second half of the season. The thrashings dealt to them by teams above them will be a major source of concern. In fairness, injuries haven't helped, but the mental frailty remains a big issue.

Everton: considering the resources at hand, Martinez has worked a miracle to even get them in the hunt for top 4. Big question now will be how Everton cope with key figures returning to their parent clubs.

Spurs: AVB and the board are both equally culpable for the disappointing season. Sherwood has done a decent job stabilising the ship and getting decent performances from some of the key players. The new manager who comes in has some decent talent to work with in my eyes.

Man Utd: a disaster, no more, no less. Other than a few kids coming through, there's been nothing to be optimistic about. New manager has a big job on his hands.

Southampton: as good as season as can be expected given the boardroom turmoil. Unfortunately, other clubs have turned their eyes on the crown jewels.

Stoke: its been a strange season for Stoke fans. I don't think anyone would have had serious confidence in a decent finish for them, but fair play, not only has Hughes turned things around, but he has them playing quality football at times.

Newcastle: feel a bit sorry for Pardew. When I look at the squad they've got and where they finished, I'd have to say that looks like he's done a decent job. Seems pretty clear to me that until the club sees investment then they'll struggle to go higher.

Crystal Palace: the second surprise package of the season. Who would have thought Pylis would have kept then up but also had them playing decent football. Palace fans deserve it, probably up there with Liverpool fans for their passion, great to see.

Swansea: European football was a major distraction, but I also can't help but feel that the pressure and intensity have started to show on the squad. Was disappointing Michu can't seem to be accommodated with Bony.

West Ham: hateful manager and hateful style of football. They haven't made any progress for the money they spent. Hopefully Big Sam sends them down next season.

Sunderland: happy to say I never doubted Poyet and am delighted that himself and Borini could fire them to safety. With a fairly poor squad, a few shrewd purchases might see Sunderland do well next year.

Aston Villa: no money, gone backwards and if not for Benteke they'd be relegated. Can't really blame the manager though. There isn't any source of hope from what I can see.

Hull City: safety, a decent cup run and some nice performances. Bruce will be happy enough. Next season will be different though and we may just see them struggle with second season syndrome.

West Brom: for me it all went downhill when they sacked Clarke. Yea, he had went through some bad results, but it was much too early to sack him. Performances hanlvent improved but yet they're talking about sacking another manager. For me, they should be looking at the players.

Norwich: I have to hold my hands up on this, I thought Norwich would have a good season, but it's clear that Their Summer signings were rubbish. Houghton can't have any arguments for his sacking.

Fulham: appalling season, poor signings, no motivation and poor board decision making. I can really see them struggling in the championship next year.

Cardiff: delighted to see them and that bitter lemon who manages them go down. Replacing a decent proven manager was the most brain dead decision of the season.

COYVB

Francie Barrett wrote: »

if not for Benteke they'd be relegated

Hard to agree with that IMO. Benteke had a poor season. Last season that was definitely true, but not so much this year.

HalloweenJack

As a Chelsea fan, I can accept that we're going through a transitional period but when you have the record we have against the teams around us, we really should've won it.

There were some games during the season where it seemed like the team wanted to lose and I suspect part of it was down to Mourinho wanting them to lose those games. I'm thinking of the Palace game in particular where we were absolutely muck. There were also the games against Basel in the CL. Every now and then you're going to have a bad result, fair enough. But I was actually less confident of getting a result when we played the weaker teams than when we came up against the big ones. This needs to change.

He can moan on and on about strikers but he needs to sort that out. And it's not like there was no money in January: Matic, Salah and Zouma were all bought.

As for the other teams, Palace were amazing. City deserve the title. Liverpool were good challengers but I think next year might stretch an already thin squad a bit more. Can't say I'm surprised by Arsenal, seems to happen every year at this stage. United were shocking, I didn't think the transition would be that bad and it could well take a bit longer for them to get over Fergie than first thought and he also needs to take some blame. Not a fan of Sherwood but don't think he's done a bad job.

The other clubs are all much of a muchness to me, not really surprised by how badly or well any of them did.

Amirani

Fulham used 39 players in the Premier League in 2013-14, an all-time PL record. Sort of sums up the lack of any strategy the club had this season.

P_1

Disappointing is probably an understatement but finishing 6th and a reasonable showing in Europe are things that fans of other clubs would probably kill for. Personally I thought the sacking of AVB was a bit of a kneejerk. When you're trying to instill a new system you're not guaranteed to get instant results.

mike65

HalloweenJack wrote: »

As a Chelsea fan, I can accept that we're going through a transitional period but when you have the record we have against the teams around us, we really should've won it.

There were some games during the season where it seemed like the team wanted to lose and I suspect part of it was down to Mourinho wanting them to lose those games. I'm thinking of the Palace game in particular where we were absolutely muck. There were also the games against Basel in the CL. Every now and then you're going to have a bad result, fair enough. But I was actually less confident of getting a result when we played the weaker teams than when we came up against the big ones. This needs to change.

He can moan on and on about strikers but he needs to sort that out. And it's not like there was no money in January: Matic, Salah and Zouma were all bought.

As for the other teams, Palace were amazing. City deserve the title. Liverpool were good challengers but I think next year might stretch an already thin squad a bit more. Can't say I'm surprised by Arsenal, seems to happen every year at this stage. United were shocking, I didn't think the transition would be that bad and it could well take a bit longer for them to get over Fergie than first thought and he also needs to take some blame. Not a fan of Sherwood but don't think he's done a bad job.

The other clubs are all much of a muchness to me, not really surprised by how badly or well any of them did.

Yep the transfer ban is really going to kill us.

Looper007

HalloweenJack wrote: »

As a Chelsea fan, I can accept that we're going through a transitional period but when you have the record we have against the teams around us, we really should've won it

Sorry don't buy the transitional period thing from Chelsea or City fan's, you guy's buy world class talent and you have a team full of winners, what massive changes have you guys had?. Paul Merson had a good rant yesterday on how Jose has been given it easy this season, I agree Arsene Wenger was been given a bolloxing by the press and pundits even though he's not spend half the money Chelsea has, yet he could win something by next weekend. Chelsea were beaten by mid table and bottom teams but Jose is praised for beaten Liverpool but anyone who criticises his poor tactics agaisn't Villa and Sunderland are shot down, out played in the CL by A. Mardid, and knocked out in League Cup by a Struggling Sunderland team. The Special one has been given too easy, his behaviour on and off the field has been a disgrace too.

Anonymou

I'll just comment on my own teams season West Brom, very poor compared to last year but realistically that would have been difficult to emulate, however comfortable mid-table should have been a realistic target and really should have been achieved. If liverpool fans are kicking themselves over that palace result last week, spare a thought for us poor baggies, 2/3 goal leads thrown away on multiple occasions, against villa twice,spurs,cardiff, nearly 10 points thrown away there alone in the most unreal circumstances which would have painted a much different picture in terms of position and we could have been safe weeks ago! Went from one disaster to the next, Anelka's antics and the management fiasco not helping one bit. Clarke should never have been sacked, and Mel has been treated poorly too never ever been backed publicly by the powers that be, personally would like to see him keep his position,seems to have good plans/ideas for the future and was most certainly a popular figure with the fans in his short time at the Hawthorns.
Overall feeling is relief that its finished without major consequences, major investment needed, a lot of players need to go and come in, feel next season will decide whether we become a properly established premier league club or not.

Moneymaker

Have to say i'm pleased to see non Newcastle fans not buy the fallacy that we've had a good season.

It's been an utter train wreck.

Lapin

Manchester City. A likable team and manager and enjoyable to watch. Today isn't the day to bring up the billion pound investment in recent years. Deserving champions, and looking good for the future.

Liverpool. If you offered me second place last August I would have bitten your hand off. But after watching the way the season panned out, it's hard not to think they left it behind them. Season in a nutshell - Brilliant up front, terrible at the back. Hard to see them going one better next year with the added pressures European football brings but proud of them regardless. There's potential there but I still don't think 2015 will be our year. Need to add to the squad during the Summer and make an impression in Europe. Mind you, Liverpool are good at that.

Chelsea. Negative football and awful to watch. Worst fans in the game. Asshole of a manager whose mindgames and bullshít lost it's novelty value the last time he was at the Bridge. Preoccupied with Champions League and disrespectful to the Premier League. Shame.

Gunners. Same old story. Off to a great start and then Christmas comes and Arsenal head downhill. Wenger is highly respected and rightly so but patience is wearing thin in north London. However, fourth place and an FA cup on the mantlepiece next Saturday evening isn't a bad season's work at all and the Frenchman's P45 should stay in the bottom drawer at the Emirates for another while.

Toffees. Best season in years and good to see it too. Hard to believe they finished 7 points behind Arsenal in the end considering they were knocking on the door of the Champions League a couple of weeks ago. Roberto Martinez has injected new life into the club and restored some self belief. Ones to watch next season.

Spurs. They'll probably regard 2013/14 as a season of underachivement. And they'd be dead right too. Neutrals can be forgiven for thinking that Spurs' ambitions revolve around beating Arsenal but yet they never took full advantage of their local rivals annual post Christmas collapse. Could do better and should have put Gareth Bale's fee to better use. Manager issues didn't help in fairness. Can't see them improving next season.

Disaster United. Trouble in the camp. The handling of Moyes dismissal was a disgrace and the fans behaviour towards him during the year left a lot to be desired. Hiring a plane to express hatred towards the man was shameful. Anyone would think he deliberately set out to ruin the club. I hope he bounces back. One bad season doesn't make him a bad manager. No harm to see United being taken down a peg or two. Their fans acting like spoilt kids showed them up for what they are this year. Big changes ahead but I reckon it will take two or three years before normal service resumes at Old Trafford.

Saints. Never regarded as one of the glamour sides but huge respect must go to the club for securing eighth place considering they were in League One only four years ago. I know they spent a ball of money but Liverpool fans like myself might look to their win against us this season and point to that as the place where we dropped a handy three points, but in fairness, eighth in the league proves that Southampton are no pushovers.

Potters. Happy for Sparky. He took on a lot here and turned them around. I think the lads on MOTD said this is their highest finish since 1947. Hard to believe for a club with such a history and the players they've had over the years.

Toon. Fans deserve better. Despicable manager and the sooner he gets sacked the better. A club like Newcastle really should be doing better. Can't see them improving next season. Wouldn't surprise me if they struggled to stay up.

Palace. The surprise of the season. I had them written off before it even began. Fair play to them for turning things around after Holloway's departure. Pulis deserves his manager of the year nominations. Best fans in the league too. Looking forward to seeing them next season. Take a bow lads!

Swansea City. To be honest I know fúckall about this lot.

Bubble Blowers. Not a season to remember for the cockneys but then, you could say that about every season they've had since their glory days back in the 60's. Maybe that's part of the problem with this club. They still dine out on their history while the rest of the world moves on. No longer one of the big boys. Great tradition and fan base but no contenders for anything other than relegation. And that day is coming. I'll be surprised if Limerick Sam is still at the Boleyn Ground come August. I reckon he'll be surprised if he's still there too. Also rans.

Sunderland. Fair play to the Black Cats! Delighted for Gus Poyet. Hard to believe they finished 14th considering they were in the bin only a few of weeks ago. First time a team at bottom of the league at Christmas stayed up. And I'm glad they did. Have to admire their never say die attitude. Kudos there.

Villa. A bit like West Ham. Full of history but little to show for it in recent years. Serious contenders a few years back but not worth a glance anymore. Big fan base in Ireland but like the club, they're all dying off - slowly. Apart from a few deluded Brummies, would anyone really miss them in a couple of years time when they are struggling in the second divison? Nope. Has beens. The next Leeds United.

Hull City Tigers Ltd. Did well to stay up while having their eye on a big day out next Saturday and all the messing going on behind the scenes. Pulled off a nice couple of upsets during the year too so can't begrudge them. But I can't see them being out of the bottom three this time next year. Can't see them beating Arsenal either but they've given their fans a day out in Wembley for cup final day and there are many clubs above them who'd settle for that much this year.

WBA. See comments for Villa above. Five years from now, if you mention this club people will respond with West Bromwich Who? There will be a plaque in Sainsburys car park informing shoppers that this is where The Hawthorns once stood. Pepe will be down the dole office by Friday.

Canaries. In one sense I'm sorry to see Norwich go down. They pulled off some nice wins and Snodgrass is some player. Mind you, he'll be snapped up in jig time. I wouldn't be surprised to see him flat hunting around the Trafford area of Manchester during the Summer. But another part of me has no sympathy for them whatsoever in the wake of Chris Hughton's dismissal. I think we've seen the last of them in the top tier.

Cottagers. Good riddance. I could never warm to this club despite living within a penalty kick of Craven Cottege for a few years. Weird fans with an eternal chip on their shoulders. Terrible shenanigans going on at the club and relegation was no surprise. It's all Michael Jackson's fault of course. I hope QPR take their place in the top flight next season. The only reason I'll miss them is their reputation as a handy 3 points for Liverpool.

Taffy. I feel sorry for the fans. What a knob they have as an owner. Mackey is better off out of the place. Cardiff deserve better. Ain't gonna happen now though.




Predictions for next year.

1, Manchester City
2, Chelsea
3, Liverpool
4, Everton
5, Arsenal
6, Southampton
7, Spurs
8, Manchester United
9, Stoke
10, Leicester
11, Crystal Palace
12, Newcastle
13, Swansea
14, QPR*
15, West Ham
16, Sunderland
17, Aston Villa
18, WBA
19, Hull City
20, Burnley

*Hoping QPR get there but if not, Wigan for 14th place.




Right - Open fire.

EuropeanSon

mike65 wrote: »

Yep the transfer ban is really going to kill us.

Ye're so sensitive about it (people saying you might struggle next year), relax!

HalloweenJack

Looper007 wrote: »

Sorry don't buy the transitional period thing from Chelsea or City fan's, you guy's buy world class talent and you have a team full of winners, what massive changes have you guys had?

Knowing when to move on Terry, Cole and Lampard and to a lesser extent Cech is going to be a big deal for any manager. There's also the striker situation (i.e. replacing Drogba) and what to do with Torres. Then you have to blend in the new players that are coming in. Chelsea are in transition from the first team that Mourinho built into a new one.

It's good because we have lots of young players and I think the overall quality is stronger than when Mourinho first took over but it's going to take time to get it right. You can be a Man U fan about it, say "11 points last year" then stick your head in the sand and get pissed when the team struggles or you can accept that it's going to be tough and not always going to go the way you want it to.

Money doesn't buy success. Since the big-spending clubs started in the PL, that's been clear to see. You need a good manager to manage the players and build a side. It's not as simple as throwing money at a problem.

EuropeanSon

HalloweenJack wrote: »

Knowing when to move on Terry, Cole and Lampard and to a lesser extent Cech is going to be a big deal for any manager. There's also the striker situation (i.e. replacing Drogba) and what to do with Torres. Then you have to blend in the new players that are coming in. Chelsea are in transition from the first team that Mourinho built into a new one.

It's good because we have lots of young players and I think the overall quality is stronger than when Mourinho first took over but it's going to take time to get it right. You can be a Man U fan about it, say "11 points last year" then stick your head in the sand and get pissed when the team struggles or you can accept that it's going to be tough and not always going to go the way you want it to.

Money doesn't buy success. Since the big-spending clubs started in the PL, that's been clear to see. You need a good manager to manage the players and build a side. It's not as simple as throwing money at a problem.

Of course money buys success. If anything, that's the one lesson that's been blatantly obvious since the sugar daddies came in.

Chelsea have gotten a trophy nearly every year since then (and in one of the years they didn't, they got a CL final, with Avram Grant as manager!), and City have two leagues in 3 years.

Throwing money at the problem has been hugely effective for almost everyone who has done it, almost every time.

Hulk Hands

Lapin wrote: »

Manchester City. A likable team and manager and enjoyable to watch. Today isn't the day to bring up the billion pound investment in recent years. Deserving champions, and looking good for the future.

Still thinking about your laughable post earlier and the hilarious subsequent backtrack? You get your arse handed to you, so instead move on to....

Lapin wrote: »

Chelsea[/B]. Negative football and awful to watch. Worst fans in the game. Asshole of a manager whose mindgames and bullshít lost it's novelty value the last time he was at the Bridge. Preoccupied with Champions League and disrespectful to the Premier League. Shame.

This rubbish. Add in some shyte about united, like something a 12 year old would write. Well done

mike65

EuropeanSon wrote: »

Ye're so sensitive about it (people saying you might struggle next year), relax!

I was merely pointing out a terminological inexactitude.

Green Giant

Manchester City: A joy to watch, a manager of genuine class and strong in all areas of the pitch. Worthy winners and also had a much improved go at the Champions League.

Liverpool: Never in my wildest dreams did I think we'd get to the final week of the season with a shot of winning the title. Despite the faltering finish, a wonderful season, but investment needed in defence if we are to compete again next year.

Chelsea: Tipped them at the start of the season and thought they might grind their way to the title. Thankfully they didn't. Mourinho needs to stop moaning and get strikers in.

Arsenal: Same old story - excellent until February and finished strongly, but crippling Feb/March leaves a sense of anti-climax. Should win the FA Cup but wouldn't be surprised if they blew it either.

Everton: Fantastic team to watch under Martinez, although Lukaku and Deulofeu will be missed next year. Then again, they have a habit of picking up absolute gems in the transfer market.

Spurs: Thought AVB got a very raw deal, although of the multiple arrivals from the Bale money, only Eriksen was an unqualified success. Still look a few players short of pushing for CL.

Man Utd: Expected them to fall back but never envisaged this. So many passengers at the club, but surely they will strengthen in the summer. Worryingly good away from home, too.

Southampton: After LFC, hands down my favourite team in the league. Delighted to see them doing so well, but I fear that they may have reached their peak, especially once the inevitable fire sale weakens their squad.

Stoke: Thought they would struggle, reckoned without Hughes. Can be very happy with their year.

Newcastle: Unbelievably good until January, unbelievably bad afterwards. Sale of Cabaye destroyed them. Pardew a dead man walking.

Crystal Palace: Tony Pulis, take a bow. Didn't just survive, they stayed up with plenty to spare. If I was a bookie I would have been tempted to pay out in October on them being relegated.

Swansea: Squad stretched by Europa League participation and shame to see Michu injured for so long. Thought Laudrup was hard done by but Monk hasn't set a foot wrong so far. Also have egg on my face for dismissing Bony as a potential flop last autumn

West Ham: Didn't think they were particularly bad overall but awful to watch and were woeful around Dec/Jan. Wouldn't blame their fans for not taking to Allardyce.

Sunderland: Getting Gus Poyet in was a masterstroke. Think they would have sunk without trace under di Canio. Can we have Borini back next season, please?

Aston Villa: Caught in a vicious circle of mediocrity. Going nowhere with their current squad.

Hull City: Had them down to be relegated back in August so I'd consider their season to be a good one. Make that a great one if they win the FA Cup final.

West Brom: The occasional excellent result but generally a bit of a non-entity this season. Missed Lukaku terribly.

Norwich: Sorry to see them go down but just didn't score enough. Really thought van Wolfswinkel would do so much better, expected more from Elmander and Hooper too.

Fulham: Treated their managers shabbily and burdened by an average squad. No great surprise to see them gone.

Cardiff: Feel for Mackay, their fans and to a lesser extent Solskjaer. Will be a comedy club as long as that Malaysian clown is over them.

grumpymunster

As a Chelsea fan not too disappointed with the season in what is a team in transition, at the start was hoping to finish top 2 but giving it a good rattle. So OK finished 3rd but the best run we have had at the PL for some years so not too bad.

Best performance by an English club in Europe for the 3rd straight year is pleasing enough, losing out to the probable Spanish Champions is no disgrace. Juggling PL and CL most likely cost us both in the end the squad is not strong enough.

Man City were the best team and was fully deserved to win it.

Liverpool with no distractions flattered to deceive, will need a lot of investment to do it again next year.

Arsenal savaged with injuries at times by and large did OK.

Spurs and Man Utd had very poor seasons lot of pressure there next season.

Manager of the season was most likely Pulis but kudos to Pellegrini winning a league in your first season is hard.

gandalf

Manchester City: Great attacking and the lesser of two evils from the nouveau riche clubs to win the league.

Liverpool: Before the start of the season I would say every Liverpool fan would have ripped your arm off if you offered them second and Champions League football next year. It’s a shame that they fell at the final hurdle would have preferred them to win the league.

Chelsea: Lack of decent strikers cost Chelsea. Mourinho is now the ordinary one. Lukaku has to be given a chance this coming season.

Arsenal: If after the Villa game someone had offered a top four finish and a place in the FA Cup final I would have snapped their hand off. I feel a bit deflated because the title could have been won if it wasn’t for injuries and the reluctance to sign players in Jan when it was obvious that we had deficiencies.

Everton: Great season from Everton, didn’t miss Moyes one little bit with the upgrade they got with Martinez. They will need to bring in players to replace the loanees and who they bring in will be key to how they do next season.

Spurs: Trainwreak of a season for Spurs. 100 million wasted and too trigger happy with their manager. It’s going to be interesting to see who they get in as the new manager.

Man Utd: Disaster of a season for United. Moyes was onto a loser from day one with a squad that was well past it’s sell by date. RvP returned to his sick note form. No European football is a big kick in the teeth as well however it could help with the league challenge next year if LvG gets the formula right and they spend big on replacing the deadwood in the squad.

Southampton: Played great football and were very easy on the eye. Unfortunately the squad is already being picked apart by the big clubs if you believe the reports in the press today.

Stoke: Jaysus Stoke were playing football, I think I saw a pig fly. Hughes has done a good job with them.

Newcastle: The lack of fight with Newcastle after Christmas was criminal in some cases. A lot of deadwood needs to be addressed there with AP being the first branch to be lopped! I can see Moyes being the top of the new potential managers here.

Crystal Palace: As an Arsenal fan I have a special level of hatred for Tony Pulis. However I think he should win manager of the season for keeping Palace up. Before Pulis most teams probably viewed Palace as a guaranteed three points after Pulis this definitely wasn’t the case. Will be interested to see how they develop next season.

Swansea: Painful season for them this year compared to last season.

West Ham: Not much to say except I don’t see Allardyce staying on as manager. One of the worst teams to watch on the evidence I saw over the season.

Sunderland: I think Sunderlands theme tune is now the great escape! What a turnaround by Poyet.

Aston Villa: Lerner has just put them up for sale today and I don’t blame him, they were dreadful this season. Lambert is another manager who will probably not see the next season in charge of his team.

Hull City: Not a great season for them in the premiership but could redeem it with a win on Saturday. As an Arsenal fan I obviously hope that doesn’t happen 

West Brom: Blunted up front and were lucky to survive. Need to spend money in the summer or they will be going down next season.

Norwich: Bought players that didn’t work out for them. They were unlucky in some games over the season as well. Sorry to see them go down.

Fulham & Cardiff: Both suffered from comedy owner syndrome. If they don’t get that treated the slide could continue out of the championship next season!

Demosthenese

Manchester City: Won it playing the way the game should be played. Of course this is made easier when you have Silva/Toure/Kompany/Aguero in your team and basically the best there is to offer. Its actually mildly amusing that other than Nasri everyone actually likes City, including the manager. With a squad that size need to improve in Europe where they had a strange inferiority complex v Barca.

Liverpool: Hindsight and all that. With the squad size and previous league position they have over achieved and again done it with some style. It is a testimony to what can be achieved when a team can achieve when they all play for eachother. Still have a bitter taste in their mouths for how it ended as it was so close you could almost touch it - but when you weigh it all up it is still an incredible season that places them back with Europes elite. Much needed.

Chelsea: A team that has enough talent to play any way really, an excellent defence that is a massive foundation for success. But a team also playing without a No.9? Sell one of them and then do not play the other. Yes they are negative and yes they are not pleasing on the eye but very effective none the less. I think they took their eye off the prize when going for the Premier League, considering when they beat Liverpool they were very much in the mix. Instead Jose thinking that Europe was his best chance moved focus and got taken to the cleaners by a proper side that showed them what a small squad can do on all fronts. Trophyless - and deservedly so which is a real dissapointing season - depsite the drivel that Jose spins.

Arsenal: spent 80% of the season trying to convince everyone else that they were title contenders and the other 20% picking the ball out of their own net. A victim of his own merits - Wenger seems to be stuck between a rock and a hard place. It is a team that you feel a new manager might come in and with a player or two really change them for the better. It is as much a gamble as keeping him. If they manager to bottle the FA Cup then its doubtful they will ever win a big Trophy again under Wenger.

Everton: A good season full of hope and praise. IF they can keep what they have then you'd expect them to keep up the pressure for 4th. Still think they lack someone to put up front with Lukaku and if they lose him too then its back to square 1 for them. Big summer coming up.

Spurs: Don't understand why a club promotes a man from within if they are not going to truly back him. It usually ends up badly. Wasted a chunk of the Bale money and really need a man to bring out the best in their new players whomever that may be. Reality really bit for them.

Man Utd: Rather shameful how it all ended for the former Champions. Appointed a man that most people knew would do well to emulate what Fergie had achieved and was in for a rough ride - but to see the fans turn on a manager like that, followed closely by the players who basically mutinied as well was very dissapointing all round. The scapegoat is gone but the wreckage of the season might well take some time to turn around. Every new player that is high profile will demand Rooney wages and only the ones that are there for money will go to a club that finished 7th and are out of Europe - so this can backfire badly. It is still a shock when you see a team to to OT and turn them over. You know when you have had a bad season when your Keeper was the standout player.


Southampton: Going to be ravaged in the transfer windows so not much point speculating where they'll be next season, but for this year they've played some great football but been unable to hold out when in some really good positions. A great season by their expectations though.

Stoke: Giving a manager credit for not hoofing the ball forward is a little too much for me. Give him credit for making a good team and giving them the belief to finish on one of their best points tallies in history.


Newcastle: Circus that never ends. Clown college of a place that belongs in the Simpsons. It will never change as long as they are owned by Ashley and must be so frustrating to the fans. Should be delighted with the league position though cos it could have been worse.


Crystal Palace: Job done well for Pulis and company, his ability to make a really fast impression on the players looks all the better when compated to West Brom/Fulham/Norwich. Why people ask for him to be Manager of the Year ahead of Poyet is a puzzler. Both done equally brilliant jobs. But neither are manager of the year to be fair.

Swansea: Can't help but feel Monk will fail and be sacked next season, but for this year they recovered well after a real poor run of form. Bony was sensational and made all the difference.


West Ham: Sam should just walk out at this stage cos he will never win over the fans. Unreal that he kept his job cos he looked like a dead man walking at one stage. I don't really like Sam but got to respect the way he has his players fighting for him, no matter how ugly it is at times.

Sunderland: The foreign Tony Pulis, great run in the cups, unbelievable escape from the bottom position where they were something crazy like 200+ days in Relegation zone. An achievement so good they'll be referring to it for years when talking about escaping.

Aston Villa: Jekyll and Hyde. One moment brilliant the next sunday league standard. Manager seems to be struggling to get any consistancy. Poor season.

Hull City: Delighted to survive and to be in a Cup final. The cups tend to have a big bearing and form goes out of the window ala Swansea last season. Win the cup brilliant season - lose it and still OK.

West Brom: Change of manager, blessed to get away with it. Should count their lucky stars they escaped.

Norwich: Always stuttered under Houghton. We all wanted him to succeed. In the end they went down due to their lack of a goalscorer. Van Wolfswinkle and Hooper with 1 and 6 goals in PL simply not good enough. Would easily have stayed up with a half decent striker. Live and die by the sword ... hindsight, terrible decision to sack their manager and payed the price.

Fulham: Terrible season. Terriblly ran and the most deserving of the relegation spot.

Cardiff: Another version of a Circus - not that Mackay would have kept them up who knows but was little or no sign of improvement in Ole coming in. when your owner is like a pantomime villain it is never going to end well.

Been a very entertaining Premier League. For Liverpool to win 11 straight games and not to win it towards the end shows 2 things - how well you need to play over a long stretch and just how bloody good City were to snatch it.

gimmick

While it was an exciting season, there was an awful lot of dross. Obviously the likes of Liverpool and Man City are not included in that as they have played some of the best football of the last long time.

The bottom half was a disgrace. So many really bad teams. The fact that a truly awful side like Villa didn't get relegated is testament to how bad the teams below them were. Sunderlands late surge doesn't hide how abject they were either. Add in West Ham, Hull and WBA and can anyone really say that any of those teams will add anything quality wise to next years PL? It did make the relegation issue fun for a while though.

Cheerio to the 3 relegated sides. Signs were bad for Cardiff the minute Tan was on the pitch celebrating their win over Man City early doors. Just always seemed like it would go very wrong for them.

But it was a great season. Some great matches and great goals. Personally my goal of the season was Kasami against Palace.

Anonymou

Anonymou wrote: »

I'll just comment on my own teams season West Brom, very poor compared to last year but realistically that would have been difficult to emulate, however comfortable mid-table should have been a realistic target and really should have been achieved. If liverpool fans are kicking themselves over that palace result last week, spare a thought for us poor baggies, 2/3 goal leads thrown away on multiple occasions, against villa twice,spurs,cardiff, nearly 10 points thrown away there alone in the most unreal circumstances which would have painted a much different picture in terms of position and we could have been safe weeks ago! Went from one disaster to the next, Anelka's antics and the management fiasco not helping one bit. Clarke should never have been sacked, and Mel has been treated poorly too never ever been backed publicly by the powers that be, personally would like to see him keep his position,seems to have good plans/ideas for the future and was most certainly a popular figure with the fans in his short time at the Hawthorns.
Overall feeling is relief that its finished without major consequences, major investment needed, a lot of players need to go and come in, feel next season will decide whether we become a properly established premier league club or not.

Just confirmed he's gone, who knows what will happen next.

Super-Rush

EuropeanSon wrote: »

Ye're so sensitive about it (people saying you might struggle next year), relax!

If you read the post that mike was referring to, you would see that the op said that squad depth would be Liverpool's downfall next season. So we must have a transfer ban.

HalloweenJack

Super-Rush wrote: »

If you read the post that mike was referring to, you would see that the op said that squad depth would be Liverpool's downfall next season. So we must have a transfer ban.

Oh FFS, we all know you don't have a transfer ban. No need to be so ****ing precious about it.

I'm merely pointing out that Liverpool had the advantage of not playing European football this year and even then it was just out of your reach. Having European football again next season will stretch the squad so it will need to be strengthened if yez are to have as good a go at the title as yez did this season.

ArielAtom

So going on some posters logic UTD are favourites because the have no European football next year. I'd wait and see what everyone does with their squads first.

EuropeanSon

Super-Rush wrote: »

If you read the post that mike was referring to, you would see that the op said that squad depth would be Liverpool's downfall next season. So we must have a transfer ban.

Well you seem to be incapable of logical reasoning, based on that argument.

Squad depth is hard to fix quickly, when there's no guarantee that any signing will settle in well, expecting 4-5 to just slot in is optimistic. Assuming you can afford 4-5 good/excellent players, with people taking about 30m fees for teenagers with one very good season under their belt.

Thus it will be difficult to fix the squad depth problem. Thus Liverpool will very possibly struggle with squad depth next year. It's really quite simple, and so getting precious when someone makes a valid point is quite sensitive.

SlickRic

Manchester City: Best team. Deserved to win.

Liverpool: Could have been our year.

Chelsea: Is José actually that good?

Arsenal: It's the same old story.

Everton: Who the fúck needs Moyes?

Spurs: Levy will never get it.

Man Utd: A spectacular fall from grace.

Southampton: improvement. will lose best players.

Stoke: Hughes is so underrated. Impressive.

Newcastle: Never fail to confuse me.

Crystal Palace: Pulisball, it really does work.

Swansea: A whole lot of meh.

West Ham: Sam is on thin ice.

Sunderland: Miraculous. Can they kick on?

Aston Villa: Sometimes I forget they exist.

Hull City: Done well. Will now struggle.

West Brom: Lucky after baffling manager policies.

Norwich: Good riddance. Painful to watch.

Fulham: Awful managerial policies cost them.

Cardiff: Tan: Crazy is gona crazy.

Mr Alan

HalloweenJack wrote:

I'm merely pointing out that Liverpool had the advantage of not playing European football this year and even then it was just out of your reach.

You realise actually having CL football means a team is much more likely to win the league, right?

mike65

FFP threatened and home grown quota effected teams pay attention!

SlickRic

the assumption that CL football is automatically going to screw Liverpool up is hilarious.

you'd swear teams who aren't in the Champions League were competing every year for the title.

It's 6 extra games, you'd swear it was 700.

ricero

rarnes1 wrote: »

It's 6 extra games, you'd swear it was 700.

6 ? you mean 13, sure we will win it no bother next season :P

EuropeanSon

You're all being so sensitive about it, it's hilarious.

I'm certainly not saying they can't manage to retain CL next year, just that needing extra squad depth is an obstacle to overcome. Suggesting it isn't is absurd.

And surely you'll be hoping it's more than 6 games, rarnes?

ricero

ricero wrote: »

6 ? you mean 13, sure we will win it no bother next season :P

If Liverpool get to the last 16 it'll be a great achievement imo.

Probably in the 3rd seeds pot

Pepe LeFrits

EuropeanSon wrote: »

You're all being so sensitive about it, it's hilarious.

I'm certainly not saying they can't manage to retain CL next year, just that needing extra squad depth is an obstacle to overcome. Suggesting it isn't is absurd.

Indeed. Liverpool played 13 games less than Arsenal, 14 less than City and 17 less than Chelsea this season.

Not writing Liverpool off but it's an entirely reasonable to question whether they can maintain their current position (or improve on it) next season, particularly when competing against wealthier opponents.

Super-Rush

Precious must be the new buzzword for the week.

SlickRic

Pepe LeFrits wrote: »

Indeed. Liverpool played 13 games less than Arsenal, 14 less than City and 17 less than Chelsea this season.

Not writing Liverpool off but it's an entirely reasonable to question whether they can maintain their current position (or improve on it) next season, particularly when competing against wealthier opponents.

I've no issue with the question being asked. it's valid.

I've an issue with the amount of people who think we got top 4 because of the fewer games.

Pepe LeFrits

SlickRic wrote: »

I've an issue with the amount of people who think we got top 4 because of the fewer games.

... how many people is that?