West Brom
ROY Hodgson was appointed manager of West Brom in February. Despite losing 13 out of 16 games between November 1 and February 6, Roberto di Matteo’s dismissal was a gamble by the Albion board. However, it turned into a shrewd move. Di Matteo’s inexperience at the top level cost him, whilst the experience Hodgson has at the top level steered West Brom clear of trouble. He had a point to prove after the Liverpool experience, but he should never have been doubted. Hodgson was able to provide a perfect balance between attack and defence. West Brom produced some sterling results during the campaign. They won at the Emirates, drew at Old Trafford, thrashed Everton 4-1 at Goodison in November and beat Liverpool at home. Lows included a 6-0 thumping by a rampant Chelsea on the opening weekend and a 3-1 loss at bitter rivals Wolves in May, which ultimately helped keep Wolves in the Premiership. For once, Albion provided the consistency required staying at the top level, and Roy Hodgson has given them a solid platform for which he can build on next season.
HIGHS: A flying start to the season under Roberto di Matteo and comfortable survival under the guidance of Roy Hodgson
LOWS: A 6-0 thumping at Chelsea on the opening day of the season and a 3-1 reverse at bitter rivals Wolves in May
Newcastle United
NEWCASTLE United have always had a tendency to provide drama in any previous Premiership campaign, but by their standards, it was a quiet and solid season. However, they did sack Chris Hughton controversially in December. Hughton was not being offered a new contract and was ditched, despite lying a comfortable 12th in the table at the time. He had steered the club to a 6-0 win over Aston Villa, a memorable 5-1 hammering of rivals Sunderland and a shock victory at the Emirates. Mike Ashley was criticised for bringing in Alan Pardew, who has struggled at the top level in the past, with both Charlton Athletic and West Ham United. However, Pardew defined the critics with a debut victory over Liverpool, and Newcastle never looked in any relegation trouble, finishing a comfortable midtable in the league. Their fans will be disappointed though by being pipped in the league by Sunderland. Under Pardew, they came from 4-0 down at home to Arsenal and produce the greatest comeback in Premiership history, to earn a 4-4 draw. Chiock Tiote’s 90th minute screamer saw the roof almost come off St. James Park.
Andy Carroll was sold to Liverpool for £35million, so there is money to spend next season and the Magpies supporters will demand that money to be spent wisely and progress to continue.
HIGHS: Coming from 4-0 down to rescue a 4-4 draw with Arsenal and the 5-1 home hammering of Sunderland
LOWS: Sacking Chris Hughton, selling Andy Carroll and being beaten in the final league table by Sunderland
Stoke City
IF STOKE fans had been offered a place in the FA Cup final and comfortably in midtable in the Premiership at the start of the season; they will have bitten your hands off! However, 13th place is a poor reflection on a side that deserved a top-half finish, certainly more than Aston Villa or Sunderland. Tony Pulis side never looked in relegation danger, although it took till the middle of April to totally banish those fears. They did lose their first three games of the season, but then a 2-1 late win against Villa in September was the platform for another amazing campaign. Robert Huth became a major goalscoring threat, Jonathan Walters was the best player to be signed outside of the top flight and Jermaine Pennant looks revitalised and finally at home, after a career that looked like it was stalling into reverse gear. Stoke don’t have any world class players, but are a brilliant team unit, who play to their strengths. That can be seen as an ugly way of playing football, but it is effective and Pulis often has a Plan B of the attractive route, should Plan A not work. Beating Liverpool and Arsenal at home were the result highs, whilst heavy losses against West Ham and Manchester City were the lows of the campaign. If Stoke want to break out of the midfield group in the table, they must improve their away form. Three wins this season on the road (Newcastle, West Brom and Blackburn) is not good enough, and spoils their season. At the Britannia, only Manchester United, Tottenham and Blackpool won and if anything, it is one of the hardest grounds around to get a positive result for visiting sides. Steady progress for a likeable club.
HIGHS: A glorious run to the FA Cup final, reviving Jermaine Pennant's career and impressive home wins over Arsenal and Liverpool
LOWS: General inconsistency, especially on the road, which cost them a better finish
Bolton Wanderers
OWEN Coyle has got Bolton playing his brand of football and now, the Reebok Stadium doesn’t always akin itself to a wrestling match. Gone are the physical abuse Bolton could give teams, and although still a strength, Coyle has got his style embedded into the squad and it worked for most of the season. Consequently, 14th place doesn’t merit their efforts this season, which saw Bolton closer to Europe than a predicted relegation dogfight for the majority of the campaign. In fact, before the FA Cup semi-final, Bolton looked comfortable in 8th, so this highlights their loss in confidence and form after the shameful 5-0 battering at the hands of Stoke City at Wembley. Finally, Johan Elmander looked like a potential goal threat, after a load of underachievement under the previous regime. However, he has moved onto Galatasaray in the close season. Coyle’s best signing was the loan acquisition of Daniel Sturridge on deadline day from Chelsea. Frozen out at Stamford Bridge, Sturridge loved first-team football in Lancashire and scored goals on a regular basis. I would imagine Bolton will try to do another loan deal for next season, after his impressive form in the second half of the season. This was an encouraging season for Bolton and despite the final league position, its upwards and onwards for Owen Coyle and the Trotters.
HIGHS: The loan signing of Daniel Sturridge, beating Tottenham 4-2 in November and a more attractive style of football
LOWS: The FA Cup semi-final humiliation at the hands of Stoke, which saw their season never recover afterwards
Blackburn Rovers
NEW owners for Blackburn, but they already aren’t greatly popular with the fans and a fatal decision nearly ended their decade stay in the Premiership. The club were sitting a comfortable 11th when they travelled to Bolton on December 12. A last-minute Stuart Holden strike gave Bolton a 2-1 triumph and 24 hours later, the Indian new boys sacked Sam Allardyce. It was a baffling and strange decision, and it angered a lot of people within the game. The relatively unknown Steve Kean was given the chance to manage the club and initially, things started well. A league double over West Brom and a handsome 3-1 home success over Liverpool gave Rovers fans a glimmer of new hope. However, a diabolical run of form after beating West Brom 2-0 on January 23 saw the Lancashire side drop from 7th to 16th. Luckily, a 1-0 win over Bolton at home in late April steadied a very rocky boat. Nevertheless, it took until the last day for Blackburn’s safety to be confirmed. They did this with an impressive first half display at Molineux, which had them 3-0 up at half-time, eventually winning 3-2. This came on the back of a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Manchester United, on the day United clinched their record-breaking championship. The form of Paul Robinson and the emergence of Junior Hoillett were the positive points of a difficult campaign for Blackburn. Having sold Phil Jones to Manchester United for £17million, there is money in the bank, so the supporters will be expecting it to be spent wisely or the club will disintegrate in the near future.
As for Steve Kean, he has a point to prove at the start of next season; to show he really is the right man for the Ewood Park hotseat.
HIGHS: The emergence of Junior Hoillett, Paul Robinson's consistency and a stunning first half display at Molineux on the last day of the seasonLOWS: Sacking Sam Allardyce, the worst decision of the entire season!
WolvesA STUNNING 87th minute strike from Stephen Hunt was enough for Wolves to survive in the Premiership by the skin of their teeth. They still lost 3-2 at Blackburn on the last day, but scored more goals than Birmingham to keep themselves afloat. It was a character building season for Mick McCarthy, who steered the club to some of its most memorable results in its history, yet witness some shambolic performances elsewhere, particularly on the road (3-0 at Stoke, 4-1 at Newcastle, 3-0 at Blackburn). They won at Anfield against Liverpool in December and at Molineux, beat the top three fair and square; Manchester City (2-1 in October), Chelsea (1-0 in January) and Manchester United (2-1 in February), as well as a thrilling 3-3 draw with Tottenham in March. However, their form against the clubs around them was disastrous. They picked up 0 points against Bolton, Blackburn and Wigan, only 1 against West Ham and 3 collected in the meetings with Blackpool. Amongst the great were the ugly moments. Karl Henry’s x-rated challenge on Bobby Zamora, which broke Zamora’s ankle, received widespread criticism in a match with Fulham, as did a similar challenge which saw the quickest dismissal of the season; inside ten minutes in a 2-0 loss at Wigan in October. Henry can’t play football; it’s as simple as that. Steven Fletcher was a good buy and scored some crucial goals in the run-in, particularly his memorable double in the 3-1 result against West Brom. On the final day, Wolves were lucky, but for the results they collected this season against the big boys, they thoroughly deserved their place in the top flight next season.
HIGHS: Beating Liverpool at Anfield and deserved home successes against the top three (Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City
LOWS: Poor results against the teams around them and Karl Henry's inability to time a tackle correctly!
Wigan Athletic
TWO nil down against West Ham in the penultimate game of the season, and it looked like the game was up for Roberto Martinez and Wigan Athletic. However, they produced a stunning comeback, led by the inspirational Charles N’Zogbia. The last-minute winner from the Frenchman sent the DW Stadium into raptures and gave the club a fighting chance on the final day of the season. They followed those heroics with a professional display at Stoke and Hugo Rodallega’s priceless 77th minute header, which won the game and kept the smallest club in the Premiership for a fanbase, up for a seventh successive season. Martinez has to be praised for never losing his spirit, especially as they were written on (including me) on several occasions this season. He wants to play attractive football, which sometimes asks for trouble, especially against the top elite. However, Wigan had the ability to grind out some priceless results, win ugly or win by playing brilliant and ultimately, that’s why they stayed up and Blackpool didn’t. After a 0-4 demolition at home against Blackpool on the opening weekend, followed by Chelsea’s 6-0 annihilation the following week, the writing looked on the wall for Wigan. A week later, Rodallega stole a shock 1-0 win at Tottenham, which in a way, summed up their season – being able to produce some unexpected results. Two draws against Liverpool and an epic 5-3 triumph over Blackburn in February back this opinion up. Martinez will find it tough to hold on to his star assets this summer, notably Rodallega, N’Zogbia and Maynor Figueroa. However, he defied the odds this time around, and don’t be surprised to find Wigan doing it again same time next season.HIGHS: A sensational final day victory at Stoke which saw the club beat the drop against the odds
LOWS: Kamikaze defending which led to some batterings, particularly at the hands of Blackpool and Chelsea
Birmingham City
ALEX McLeish has resigned and looks set to be appointed as the new boss of Midlands rivals Aston Villa. To be honest, you can’t blame him. McLeish clearly has had several disagreements with the board at St. Andrews, so the way he has left the club can’t be seen as surprising, if definitely acrimonious. Birmingham got a case of Second Season Syndrome, and the club were relegated by a 2-1 loss at Tottenham on the last day of the season. All this came after their greatest day at Wembley at the end of February. Obafemi Martins 89th minute winner snatched the Carling Cup final against the overwhelming favourites, Arsenal. Afterwards, poor form and a shocking injury list took its toll on the Blues, who only won two of their last 11 Premiership games. Ultimately, it is the players who need to take the blame. Once Scott Dann got injured in January, Birmingham’s previously steady backline looked shaky for the reminder of the campaign. In midfield, Sebastian Larsson had a poor season, while Jean Beausejour failed to shine on his impressive World Cup form he showed with Chile. Nikola Zigic might have scored in the Carling Cup final, but was a real letdown and Birmingham simply didn’t score enough goals. My advice to teams for next season, DON’T WIN THE CARLING CUP! Birmingham certainly have the quality to bounce straight back up and can look forward to playing in the UEFA Europa League this season. However, I bet they’d swap it all for another season in the Premiership. It was a sorry tale of dismay in the Blue half of the Midlands.
HIGHS: Winning the Carling Cup final
LOWS: Winning the Carling Cup final
Blackpool
BLACKPOOL may have dropped straight back into the Championship, but they won many fans throughout their epic journey this season and the club will be missed in the Premiership next season. Ian Holloway offered colour, charisma and panache on the touchline, and his post and pre-match press conferences were always a joy to listen to. Holloway has a strong opinion on almost any topic in the game and is the perfect interviewee for any budding sports journalist out there. Whether he will stay at Blackpool remains to be seen; I hope he does. Like Roberto Martinez, Holloway opted to play the attractive football route and refused to back down after a negative display which saw them overwhelmed 4-0 at Chelsea in September. However, it ultimately was to be their downfall. Blackpool could only win matches playing attractively, not ugly and having the worst defensive record in the Premiership didn’t help. The fans will never forget a league double over Liverpool, an impressive 3-1 win over Tottenham and stunning away victories at Wigan, Newcastle and Sunderland. However, their inability to hold onto leading positions, throwing away 2-0 leads against Manchester United, Bolton and Blackburn during the campaign ultimately cost them. Charlie Adam was the Tangerines star player and I’d expect him to be in the Premiership next season, with Liverpool and Tottenham favourites for his signature. Although it ended with the crushing low of relegation, Blackpool fans shouldn’t be too downhearted. It was a journey their supporters will never forget.HIGHS: Ian Holloway, Charlie Adam, more Ian Holloway, their supporters, beating Liverpool (TWICE!) and Ian Holloway
LOWS: The worst defensive record in the Premiership, which turned out to be very costly.
West Ham United
UPTON Park looked more like a pantomime performance at the London Palladium this season. David Sullivan, David Gold and Karen Brady have come in to run the club, and have turned it into the new ‘Newcastle,’ i.e.; the laughing stock of English football. After crushing Gianfranco Zola’s morale, they’ve now ruined Avram Grant’s reputation and treated him very unprofessionally. Grant was sacked after relegation was confirmed, and although he kept his dignity throughout a nightmare experience, I bet he has been scarred forever by the haunting campaign at Upton Park. After a 3-0 loss at home to Arsenal in January, Grant threw his claret scarf into the crowd, which suggested he had been fired. However, Martin O’Neill turned his back on the job and Avram was given a stay of execution. Not even a run to the Carling Cup semi-finals, FA Cup quarter-finals, the return from injury for Thomas Hitzlsperger and the incredible form of Scott Parker could prevent the inevitable happening for the Hammers. They were bottom at Christmas and bottom at the end of the season. Brady got into a slanging match over the sexism Sky Sports row in January, which didn’t help matters within harmony in the board. The loan signings of Robbie Keane and Wayne Bridge turned into absolutely disastrous deals. Sam Allardyce has taken over the reins, and he will do well to keep his patience with an impatient board behind him. It is a poisoned chalice at Upton Park. Of course, I feel sorry for the fans, but ultimately, West Ham got what they deserved this season and they won’t be missed in the top flight next season.
HIGHS: None
LOWS: Everything
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