Football mourns the tragic death of Gary Speed

TRIBUTES have been pouring in from across the sporting world for the Welsh team manager Gary Speed, who has died aged 42.  The ex-Leeds United and Newcastle United player was found dead at his home in Cheshire.  He is believed to have taken his own life.  The news was confirmed in a statement by the Welsh Football Association on Sunday morning; “We extend our sympathies and condolences to the family.  We ask that everyone respects the family’s privacy at this very sad time.”

       Born on September 8, 1969, Gary Speed became one of the most honest professionals in the game and the tributes over the past 24 hours since the news broke indicate that no bad word could be said about his personality.  At club level, he came through the ranks at Leeds United, under the stewardship of Howard Wilkinson.  The former FA technical director told Sky Sports; “He had so much to offer as a person and as a sportsman.  I just find it unbelievable.  I cannot start to try to understand what his family are going through.  Gary had a lot of talent and that talent became his job.  Footballers are subject to all the stress and strains of things that happen in life.”

BREAKTHROUGH: Gary Speed's best club success came at Leeds

       Making his first team debut at just 19 years of age, Speed was part of the squad alongside the likes of Gary McAllister and Eric Cantona to win the final football league title in 1992 before the inception of the FA Premier League.  Another member of the squad and a managerial counterpart when Speed was at Sheffield United, Gordon Strachan shared his memories on BBC Radio 5 Live.  “I was proud of Gary Speed, like a kind of father figure would be because he wasn’t the most talented of kids when I first met him but he wanted to make himself better.  I am going to miss his laugh, he had a childlike laugh.  I was speaking to Gary McAllister and I said I would forget the games and the goals but I would never forget his laugh and I am never going to hear that again.”

LEADER: Speed celebrates scoring for Everton against Chelsea in January 1998

         An occasional goalscorer, Gary spearheaded Leeds to two top five finishes in the Premiership between 1992 and 1995, but after 312 appearances for the Yorkshire side, felt he needed a new challenge and made a £3.5million move to Everton in the summer of 1996.  An Everton fan, Speed became Toffees captain and made his mark in a mediocre period for the Goodison Park side.  He scored his only Premiership hat-trick in a 7-1 battering of Southampton in November 1996 and it was Joe Royle who was Toffees manager when Speed spent 18 months on Merseyside; “He always had a smile on his face, he played with a smile on his face and he was one of the best players I was fortunate enough to manage and handle and I still can’t believe it.  He was part of the North Wales Everton supporter’s band and from the minute he came, he was perfect for the club.”

          Gary’s next destination was Newcastle United, where he spent the bulk of his career and probably, his best period playing football.  He spent six years on Tyneside, experienced UEFA Champions League football and was on the losing side in two successive FA Cup finals.  It was Kenny Dalglish who signed him in February 1998 for £5.5million.  He paid tribute on the eve of Liverpool’s 1-1 Premiership draw with Manchester City yesterday.  “I knew Gary Speed as a fantastic footballer, but more important than that, he was a decent man and there will be a lot of people very saddened by what has happened.  The most important people at the moment are his wife and two boys and your heart goes out to them.”  Dalglish also confirmed that he withdrew Craig Bellamy from the playing squad yesterday, as he was very close to Speed as a friend and a mentor.  At the Liberty Stadium, news broke of the tragic circumstances only an hour before Swansea City’s sombre 0-0 draw with Aston Villa.  A minute’s silence turned into a minute’s applause from both sets of supporters.  Villa goalkeeper Shay Given was bravely seen to be wiping tears away moments before kick-off.  The Republic of Ireland goalkeeper had played together with Speed throughout his time at Newcastle United.  Another former Newcastle player paid tribute on Match of the Day 2 last night, Michael Owen.  “He was a gentleman and his footballing ability is without question but I would focus on him as a person.  Gary probably lived ten miles away from me and the other day I saw him on the way to school on the kids run and we shared a wave as we drove past each other.  It’s a terrible loss and the mood of Cheshire was just utter shock and disbelief.”    

         In 2004, Speed was deemed surplus to requirements by Sir Bobby Robson and he moved onto Bolton Wanderers.  During his four years at the Reebok Stadium, Gary became the first player to make 500 Premier League appearances, which is an incredible feat as only David James and Ryan Giggs have played more games in the 20 season history.  In January 2008, Speed moved down from the Premiership in a bid to improve the fortunes of Sheffield United.  They narrowly missed out on promotion the following season and it was injury that forced Gary to retire from football, aged 40 in 2009.  He wasn’t finished at Bramwall Lane though, as he worked on his coaching badges and became Kevin Blackwell’s assistant.  In the summer of 2010, the Blades refused him permission to speak to Swansea City about the vacancy at the Liberty Stadium, when Paulo Sousa took the Leicester City job.  The current Swans manager is Brendan Rodgers; “We’re all shell-shocked.  It was a real bombshell.  Gary was a great Welshman and it’s hard to take in.  My players loved working with him with Wales and really enjoyed it.  It’s difficult to comprehend.”   

       When Blackwell was sacked at the beginning of the 2010-11 campaign, Gary took over the managerial reigns at Bramwall Lane, but he only won six of his 18 matches in charge as Sheffield United slipped towards eventual relegation from the Championship.  Another young manager finding his feet in the Championship is Speed’s former team-mate, Dean Saunders at Doncaster Rovers.  He told BBC Sport; “I just can’t believe it.  I spoke to him last week.  We roomed together all of our careers with Wales, I just can’t get my head around it.  He’s so level-headed and was just a really nice fella.”

SMILE: Gary was turning around the fortunes of the Wales team

         At international level, his association with Wales began in an international friendly against Costa Rica in May 1990.  Aged just 20 when he won his first cap, Speed was made captain of the national team by Bobby Gould and only narrowly missed out on qualifying for both the 1994 World Cup in the USA and the 2004 European Championships in Portugal.  He retired from playing international duty in October 2004, having captained his country 44 times and recording 85 caps, which is still the most ever for a Welsh outfield player.  Despite his limited experience in management, Gary signed a three year contract to replace John Toshack as coach of Wales in December 2010.  Under his stewardship, Wales became a revitalised side.  Youngsters such as Gareth Bale, Norwich’s Steve Morison and captain Aaron Ramsay became senior figures in the national team as the Welsh made a 50 place gain in the FIFA world rankings.  Although Wales didn’t qualify for Euro 2012, he led the side to impressive victories over Bulgaria, Montenegro and Switzerland to finish third in England’s qualifying group.  His last game in charge was a fine 4-1 win over Norway in an international friendly last month, which meant he had recorded five wins in his ten games as manager.  There were high hopes for a successful World Cup qualifying campaign which was due to begin next September for Brazil 2014.  

        Gary’s last public appearance was only on Saturday, when he appeared alongside McAllister on the BBC magazine show, Football Focus.  Presenter Dan Walker has been left lost for words, as he posted on Twitter yesterday; “Gary was full of life yesterday talking about his kids, the bright future with Wales, twitter and golf.  I can’t get my head around it.”  Twitter was full of tributes from many personalities yesterday.  Cricketer Dominic Cork met him on A Question of Sport.  He tweeted; “Met him on Q.O.S and what a gentleman.  Kept in touch and devastated about the news.  Just doesn’t seem real.”  BBC Five Live Formula One pitlane reporter Natalie Pinkham shared the general feeling on Twitter; “Very sad news about Gary Speed.  Thinking of his family at what must be an incredibly tough time.”  Real Madrid footballer Xabi Alonso remembered his Premiership debut for Liverpool against Speed’s Bolton in August 2004; “RIP Gary Speed.  My first PL game was against him, he showed me in that game what is British football about.”

Gary Speed - 8 September 1969 - 27 November 2011

       Gary Speed made a positive impact on so many lives, both personally and impersonally.  He was a great sporting man, with a respectful personality and will go down as a Premier League icon.  Potentially, he had a great career as a manager on the way.  For me, words can’t describe how I feel about his sudden loss and it is a huge and horrible shock for football to deal with.  Gary leaves behind a beautiful wife and two boys who he devoted and spent so much time with.  They have revealed how overwhelmed they have been by the support they have received and whilst football mourns a great character, his family are the people we should be feeling for the most.

RIP Gary Speed – The game of football will never forget you!      

Premiership greatest goals (Part 3)

THIS third part of a special selection and another ten goals that show just how many quality we have seen in the last 20 years of FA Premier League football;

Didier Drogba - Everton V CHELSEA (December 2006)

WAS this the goal of the season in 2006/07, well it's a contender.  For me, this was Didier Drogba's best season in England and the mercurial Ivorian struck in such stunning fashion against Everton to seal a brilliant comeback win for Mourinho's men.  A magnificent finish and the celebration across the Goodison turf wasn't half bad either.

Thierry Henry - ARSENAL v Tottenham (November 2002)

NORTH London derbies have seen their fair share of spectacular goals.  This was a remarkable solo effort from Thierry Henry, as he ran away from Tottenham's startled defence, finishing supremely, then went off on a long-distance celebration.  Happy days at Highbury for Henry and co, who was never empty on magic and class.  This goal was voted the Goal of the Season by viewers of ITV and it's hard to not to disagree.  Sit back and watch Henry literally go Va Va Voom!

Luc Nillis - ASTON VILLA v Chelsea (August 2000)

ASTON Villa paid big money for tall, Belgian Luc Nillis in the summer of 2000.  On his home debut against Chelsea, he hit a thunderbolt of a goal.  Sadly, an unfortunate collision with Ipswich goalkeeper Richard Wright in Villa's next match would tragically end Nillis's promising career.  Both incidents are on the video, enjoy the brief moment we saw of Luc in the FA Premier League.

Matt Taylor - Sunderland v PORTSMOUTH (October 2005)

POMPEY's 4-1 win at Sunderland highlighted the gulfing class between the two sides in the top division on this particular season.  The pick of the goals was this sensational strike from long-range specialist, Matt Taylor, from around 45 yards out. 

Juliano Belletti - Middlesbrough v CHELSEA (October 2008)

JULIANO Belletti broke Arsenal hearts in the Champions League final when playing for Barcelona.  He had a tricky spell at Chelsea, but did have a habit of coming up with a special strike from absolutely nowhere.  Here is the best of the bunch; a cracking drive in a 5-0 rout of Middlesbrough, one of the West London's stronger performance in the unhappy reign of Luis Felipe Scolari.

Erik Edman - Liverpool v TOTTENHAM (April 2005)
DOES this goal haunt me?  No, it doesn't, but the scorer really surprises me.  Erik Edman didn't do much in the Premiership for either Tottenham or Wigan.  However, this was a goal in a million, becuase he probably wouldn't be able to do it again if he tried it a hundred times.  From distance, he took aim, fired and left Jerzy Dudek staring into the net wondering; 'How did he do that?'  I think everyone at Anfield that afternoon thought exactly that too.  Stunning from the under-rated Swedish international.


Fernando Torres - LIVERPOOL v Sunderland (March 2010)
MANY Kopites don't appreciate Fernando Torres's decision to leave Liverpool in January for Chelsea but he did provide our fans with some moments of sheer quality and breathtaking genius.  This is my favourite goal he scored for the club; against Sunderland.  It is moments like these that made Roman Abramovich pay £50million for his services.


Wayne Rooney - EVERTON v Arsenal (October 2002)
HE WAS 16 years of age, earning £90 a week and not even a full-time professional when he did this.  Not only did it end Arsenal's ten month unbeaten run in the Premiership, it introduced England and the world to the 'The Next Big Thing.'  As commentator Rob Palmer says; 'Ladies and gentleman, introducing 16-year old Wayne Rooney!'


Gary Cahill - ASTON VILLA v Birmingham City (April 2006)
BOTH sides were in desperate relegation trouble, but this goal would have massive implications for the Second City.  Gary Cahill, an unknown central defender at the time, produced something quite amazing out of nothing.  His bicycle kick won Villa the derby and kept them afloat in the top flight.  Two weeks later, Birmingham were relegated.  Their defence was to blame for some suicidal moments during the season, but no backline stood a chance with this finish.


Daniel Agger - LIVERPOOL v West Ham United (August 2006)
ON THE Kop's 100th birthday, what a way to mark a memorable anniversary.  Daniel Agger's thunderbolt was a special goal on a special day.  The Dane revealing to the Premiership what power he has in his shots.  It certainly wasn't his last goal for Liverpool, but he will do very well to score another just as specatcular for the rest of his career.

Transfer deadline day - Intriguing, but many stars stay put

THE transfer deadline has passed and many clubs were forced into the market on deadline day on Wednesday in a desperate attempt to strengthen their squads until January.

    Having received stiff criticism for the lack of new signings this summer, combined with the departures of Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri to Barcelona and Manchester City respectively, a lot of attention was placed on Arsenal’s activities.  Arsene Wenger didn’t disappoint, with five new signings, though the fans might be disappointed to see no world class star come to the Emirates before closure at 11pm.  The top signing he made was the £10million capture of playmaker Mikel Arteta from Everton.  Arteta, who had revealed to BBC Football Focus presenter Dan Walker about his desire to stay at Goodison Park only ten days earlier has made the move to North London and faces big shoes to fill in the void left by Fabregas.  Wenger also strengthened his backline with the captures of big German defender Per Mertesacker from Werder Bremen and talented Brazilian left-back Andre Santos, who leaves behind Fenerbache in the wake of a match-fixing scandal that has engulfed Turkish football.  Also completing moves to Arsenal were Korean attacker Park Chu-Young from AS Monaco and out-of-favour Chelsea midfielder Yossi Benayoun.  Benayoun’s deal is a loan move, with a view to a permanent switch and it is a surprise to see Chelsea be happy to loan players out to a London rival.

    Chelsea did some late business themselves, but it wasn’t the player everyone thought might leave their club.  Despite offering £30million, plus Brazilian set-piece bullet Alex, Tottenham Hotspur rejected Chelsea’s final attempt to land Luka Modric.  For now, Modric stays at Tottenham, but whether he will have the same impact on the North London side remains to be seen, as it seemed like he was keen to make the exit for Chelsea.  So, Chelsea turned their attentions to Liverpool’s Raul Meireles.  Just half an hour before the window shut, Meireles handed in a shock transfer request to Liverpool.  Less than an hour later, he was a Chelsea player.  The midfielder, who scored Liverpool’s winner at Stamford Bridge in the Premiership back in February signed for £12million and gets to work again with new Blues boss Andre-Vilas Boas, which was the main reason for his departure from Anfield.  His conduct is sure to have angered Liverpool fans though, maybe even more so than Fernando Torres after the Spanish striker’s acrimonious departure back in January to Chelsea.

BACK: Craig Bellamy will be hoping for a fruitful second spell at Anfield

      As Meireles was saying his rushed goodbyes, Craig Bellamy was returning to Stanley Park.  Bellamy, who spent one unhappy season in the Rafa Benitez regime (2007-08) signs for Liverpool on a free transfer from Manchester City.  He spent last season on loan at Cardiff City and will provide stiff competition for Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll in the Liverpool attack.  With Bellamy arriving, David N’Gog was deemed surplus to requirements and sold to Bolton Wanderers for £4million.  Also leaving Liverpool were Christian Poulsen, who joined newly promoted French side Evian and Joe Cole, who will be desperate to kick-start his career again with a season-long loan move to Lille.  Will the anticipation of Champions League football push Cole back into the England fold?

     Another winger desperate to get the attention again from Fabio Capello is Shaun Wright-Phillips.  His second spell at Manchester City has ended and it was QPR who beat off stiff competition from Bolton and Stoke City to his signature.  It was a busy few hours for Neil Warnock, who also added Jason Puncheon from Blackpool and Anton Ferdinand from Sunderland to his squad.  Sebastian Bassong was another target, but having waited in West London all day, he was told to return to Tottenham as a potential move for Bolton’s Gary Cahill collapsed over personal terms.  Bassong might be frustrated by these events, but Harry Redknapp was in a charitable move, allowing no less than five players to leave the White Hart Lane roster.

AMBITION: Crouch's move signals Stoke have serious plans

     Alan Hutton and Jermaine Jenas have moved to Aston Villa.  Hutton’s is a permanent deal, worth around £2million, whilst Jenas goes to Villa Park on a loan deal.  David Bentley’s stalled career will be hoping to regain some momentum with recently relegated West Ham United.  Talented youngster Henri Lansbury’s loan move to Upton Park from Arsenal paved the way for PFA Player of the Year, Scott Parker to make a £5million move to Tottenham.  Spurs also sold Wilson Palacios and Peter Crouch, with the pair going to Stoke City for a joint fee of £20million.  These signatures, plus that of Cameron Jerome from Birmingham City have shown how far Stoke are coming as a force in the Premiership.

     Having lost their first three Premiership matches, Steve Kean pulled out one of the deals of the day, by bringing Scott Dann to Blackburn from Birmingham for an undisclosed fee.  Dann’s injury which ended his season at Christmas last year was one of the main factors towards Birmingham’s relegation from the Premiership.  However, Kean’s purchase of Yakubu from Everton has to be seen as questionable.  Yakubu might score a few goals, but his attitude has never endeared himself to anyone.  It was a tough day for Everton, who also sold Jermaine Beckford to rich-spending Leicester City for £3million.  Despite Royston Drenthe’s loan move from Real Madrid, David Moyes knows he needs investment from foreign owners soon and so too do the fans, otherwise it could be a similar story in January.  Other notable transfers included Gael Kakuta joined Bolton on a season’s long loan deal from Chelsea, Shaun Maloney ending a frustrating stint at Celtic to go to Wigan for a cool £1million and Bryan Ruiz’s club-record £10.5million swap from FC Twente to Fulham.

     Although key names such as Modric and Tevez ended up staying at their current owners and it didn’t quite have the impact of the January deadline day, it was an intriguing day, right up to the last minute.  Let’s see what impact these new signings will have for those who’ve spent the cash!

20 years of the FA Premier League - Part 2

1997/98

ARSENE Wenger’s first full season in English football ended with a fantastic league and cup double.  His acquisitions of pacy winger Marc Overmars and the dynamic Emmanuel Petit, combined with the brilliance of Dennis Bergkamp were the main reasons why Arsenal managed to break Manchester United’s stranglehold on the Premiership.  In fact, it looked like Manchester United could only throw the title away when Phil Neville struck his first senior goal to beat Chelsea 1-0 on February 28 at Stamford Bridge.  Some bookmakers began paying out after that result, but Arsenal had other ideas.  They overhauled the 11-point deficit, with the big breaker being Overmars sole goal to see off United at Old Trafford on March 14.  As Liverpool and Newcastle nicked draws at Old Trafford over the Easter period, Arsenal continued to fly, steamrolling both Blackburn Rovers and Wimbledon with consummate ease.  On May 3, another awesome display was enough.  The Gunners thrashed Everton at Highbury 4-0 to seal the title, with the icing on the cake coming from a magnificent Tony Adams volley in stoppage time.  The formidable backline and football flair meant that the ‘1-0 to the Arsenal’ chant was consigned to the history books.  Wenger leading them to their first championship in eight years and becoming the first foreign manager to achieve his dream of managing a Premiership side to title glory.  At times, Blackburn showed some of their old spark, beating Sheffield Wednesday 7-2 and Aston Villa 4-0 early in the season.  Chris Sutton ended the season as joint top scorer with 18 goals, but Roy Hodgson’s side faded badly in the finishing straight to sixth place.  Chelsea sensationally sacked Ruud Gullit in February whilst in second position, claiming they couldn’t meet the Dutchman’s demands over a new contract.  Gianluca Vialli was thrown into the job and although he guided the Blues to success in the League Cup and Cup Winners Cup, their league season capitulated, only losing one less game than relegated Bolton Wanderers.  Michael Owen joined Sutton and Coventry’s Dion Dublin at the top of the scorer’s charts and was a shining figure in another inconsistent season for Liverpool.  They finished 12 points behind the champions and it led to some major changes in the Anfield management for the following season.  Merseyside neighbours Everton had a nightmare campaign and going into the final games, were in the bottom three.  A nervy 1-1 draw at home to Coventry City was good enough for a last ditch survival, as Bolton lost 2-0 at Chelsea.  For the first and only time in Premiership history, all three promoted clubs (Bolton, Barnsley and Crystal Palace) went straight back down to Division One. 

CHAMPIONS: Arsenal, 2^nd: Manchester United, 3^rd: Liverpool, 4^th: Chelsea, 5^th: Leeds United, 6^th: Blackburn Rovers, 7^th: Aston Villa, 8^th; West Ham United, 9^th: Derby County, 10^th: Leicester City

RELEGATED: Bolton Wanderers, Barnsley, Crystal Palace

BIGGEST WIN: Manchester United 7-0 Barnsley (25 October 1997)

HIGHEST SCORING GAMES: Blackburn Rovers 7-2 Sheffield Wednesday (25 August 1997), Wimbledon 2-6 Tottenham Hotspur (2 May 1998), Blackburn Rovers 5-3 Leicester City (28 February 1998)

TOP SCORERS: Owen (Liverpool) 18, Sutton (Blackburn) 18, Dublin (Coventry City) 18, Bergkamp (Arsenal) 16, Hasselbaink (Leeds) 16, Gallacher (Blackburn) 16, Cole (Manchester United) 15, Hartson (West Ham) 15, Huckerby (Coventry City) 14, Wanchope (Derby) 13, Overmars (Arsenal) 12

1998/99

THIS will be the season that will always be remembered for Manchester United’s historic treble.  In the Premiership, they were taken to the wire by Arsenal and were also pushed most of the way by the multi-millionaires from Chelsea.  It was gripping stuff on the last day, as Arsenal relied on a positive result from Old Trafford, which involved their deadly North London rivals, Tottenham.  For a while, it seemed positive for the defending champions, especially after Les Ferdinand put Tottenham in the lead midway through the first half.  However, his goal was cancelled out by David Beckham, before Andy Cole lobbed Ian Walker and finally silenced those critics who had portrayed him as the enemy for all those missed chances at West Ham on the final day of the 94/95 season.  Kanu’s winner at home to Aston Villa was not enough for Arsenal, with Arsene Wenger’s side falling one point short and ending gallant runners-up.  The deciding result was Arsenal conceding a late winner five days earlier to Leeds United and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink at Elland Road.  If they’d held on for a draw in that game, it would have been back-to-back titles for the North Londoners.  After last season’s disappointment, Alex Ferguson had spent big in the summer, acquiring Jaap Stam and Dwight Yorke.  With Yorke and Cole in perfect harmony upfront and scoring goals almost at freewill, the Red Devils remained unbeaten in the league after a 2-3 reverse at home to Middlesbrough before Christmas.  Chelsea came close, but fell away in the final hurdle.  The death knell for Gianluca Vialli’s team was a match against Leicester City in mid-April, where his side threw away a 2-0 lead and were eventually pegged back by a brilliant curling effort from Steve Guppy in stoppage time.  For a while, it looked like Aston Villa could maintain a sustained challenge under John Gregory.  Top at Christmas, things looked good, despite Stan Collymore being sidelined by stress!  However, they collapsed in the second half of the year, ending sixth and failing to even qualify for Europe.  They were pipped in the table by an ever improving Leeds United and West Ham United.  During the season, Leeds managed to win seven matches in a row in the top flight, equalling a record set by Don Revie’s great side of the 1970s.  It was a great effort from David O’Leary in his first season in charge, after George Graham moved to Tottenham in October, where he guided them to Worthington Cup glory, but little else.  There was a changing of the guard at Liverpool, as Gerard Houillier was appointed joint manager with Roy Evans in the summer.  It had ‘disaster’ written all over it and Evans quit in November.  Seventh place was their worst finish in five years, but Michael Owen was joint top scorer again.  It was worse for Blackburn Rovers, who slipped out of the FA Premier League.  Jack Walker could only watch on, as his beloved club were relegated along with Charlton Athletic and Nottingham Forest, just four years after being champions. 

CHAMPIONS: Manchester United, 2^nd: Arsenal, 3^rd: Chelsea, 4^th: Leeds United, 5^th: West Ham United, 6^th: Aston Villa, 7^th: Liverpool, 8^th; Derby County, 9^th: Middlesbrough, 10^th: Leicester City

RELEGATED: Charlton Athletic, Blackburn Rovers, Nottingham Forest

BIGGEST WIN: Nottingham Forest 1-8 Manchester United (6 February 1999)

HIGHEST SCORING GAMES: Nottingham Forest 1-8 Manchester United (6 February 1999), Liverpool 7-1 Southampton (16 January 1999), Leicester City 2-6 Manchester United (16 January 1999)

SCORERS: Yorke (Manchester United) 18, Hasselbaink (Leeds) 18, Owen (Liverpool) 18, Cole (Manchester United) 17, Anelka (Arsenal) 17, Ricard (Middlesbrough) 15, Joachim (Aston Villa) 14, Fowler (Liverpool) 14, Shearer (Newcastle) 14, Dublin (Coventry & Aston Villa) 14, Zola (Chelsea) 13

1999/00

MANCHESTER United’s grip on the Premiership title continued in season 1999/2000 – coasting to the title, a mammoth 18 points clear of their nearest challengers.  Although Real Madrid were too strong in their Champions League defence and there was an embarrassing early exit from the FIFA World Club Championship in Brazil, Sir Alex Ferguson’s side swept all amongst them in this campaign, as their strength in depth showed throughout.  The champions only lost three games all season; one of those was a 5-0 battering at Stamford Bridge by Chelsea.  Chelsea, who had ran the established challengers close the previous campaign never recovered from a 2-3 defeat at the hands of Arsenal in October, when Kanu scored an incredible 17 minute hat-trick.  Fifth place was a poor finish and put Gianluca Vialli under pressure, although an FA Cup final victory at Wembley (a trophy Manchester United forfeited to play, due to their Brazil commitments) softened the blow.  If there was one team that pushed Manchester United the hardest, it was David O’Leary’s young guns, Leeds United.  Leeds topped the table at Christmas and gave Ferguson’s team some early season headaches, before a crucial defeat to United at home in February.  Tragedy would later befall the club in April, when two Leeds supporters were stabbed to death in Istanbul before their UEFA Cup semi-final with Galatasaray.  After the grief and shock, Leeds got over the finishing line and claimed the final Champions League place, ahead of Liverpool, who made a right old mess of their final matches and ended fourth, when second was theirs for the taking.  Once again, Arsenal finished runners-up, but lacked the consistency to mount any serious threat to their great rivals.  Daft away defeats to the likes of West Ham, Tottenham and Bradford exposed the Gunners frailties.  12 wins at home made Highfield Road a very formidable ground for Coventry City.  This meant that despite not winning a single match away from home all season, relegation never looked a significant problem for the Sky Blues.  It did for Newcastle early on, as Ruud Gullit was dismissed after losing out in a battle for supremacy with skipper Alan Shearer.  Bobby Robson returned home, reignited Shearer’s goalscoring form and guided them to comfortable mid-table security.  Among their highlights was an 8-0 win over Sheffield Wednesday on Robson’s home debut, with Shearer scoring five times.  At the bottom of the table, Watford went straight back down, although they did record memorable wins over Liverpool and Chelsea in the early weeks of the season.  Sheffield Wednesday sacked Danny Wilson in March and caretaker boss Peter Shreeves couldn’t keep them afloat.  The final relegation spot went down to the final day of the season.  David Wetherall’s fantastic header was enough for Bradford City to beat Liverpool 1-0 and keep them up.  Wimbledon lost 2-0 to Southampton.  They went down, ending their 14-year stay in the top flight, promoting unbridled joy at Valley Parade.

CHAMPIONS: Manchester United, 2^nd: Arsenal, 3^rd: Leeds United, 4^th: Liverpool 5^th: Chelsea, 6^th: Aston Villa, 7^th: Sunderland, 8^th; Leicester City, 9^th: West Ham United, 10^th: Tottenham

RELEGATED: Wimbledon, Sheffield Wednesday, Watford

BIGGEST WIN: Newcastle United 8-0 Sheffield Wednesday (19 September 1999)

HIGHEST SCORING GAMES: West Ham United 5-4 Bradford City (12 February 2000), Tottenham Hotspur 7-2 Southampton (11 March 2000), Bradford City 4-4 Derby County (19 April 2000)

SCORERS: Phillips (Sunderland) 30, Shearer (Newcastle) 23, Yorke (Manchester United) 20, Cole (Manchester United) 19, Bridges (Leeds) 19, Henry (Arsenal) 17, Di Canio (West Ham) 16, Armstrong (Tottenham) 14, Quinn (Sunderland) 14, Iversen (Tottenham) 14, Pahars (Southampton) 13

2000/01

ONCE again, Manchester United’s supreme class shone through, as they took their third successive Premiership title.  Their final margin of victory by ten points over Arsenal flattered the Gunners, as Sir Alex Ferguson side were miles ahead of the competition again.  This was no more evident when they played Arsenal on 25 February.  They were 5-1 up inside half an hour, eventually winning 6-1.  The crushing result took them 16 points clear of Arsene Wenger’s side.  They secured the title on Easter Saturday, with a 4-2 victory over Coventry City in a lunchtime kick-off.  Hours later, any mathematical hope Arsenal had of launching a sensational comeback were ended in a shock 3-0 loss at home to Middlesbrough, not helped by two own goals in the match.  It was a great season for Liverpool, who began to blossom under Gerard Houiller’s stewardship.  They won an incredible treble of cup competitions (UEFA Cup, Worthington Cup and FA Cup).  Not only that, but an impressive 4-0 demolition of Charlton Athletic on the final day of the season ensured Champions League qualification for the first time since the Heysel stadium disaster of 1985; a fitting reward for the club.  The season will also be remembered for a fantastic league double over the league champions Manchester United for the first time in 11 years.  Chelsea won the Charity Shield, but made a depressingly slow start to the season and dispensed with the services of Gianluca Vialli at the beginning of September.  The relatively unheard Claudio Ranieri came into the hotseat.  Ranieri got the tag of ‘The Tinkerman,’ but he managed to bring the team upto sixth position in the final standings, with Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink returning to the Premiership after an unhappy season in Spain, and ending as the league’s top scorer.  Manager of the season however was George Burley.  The Scotsman, on a limited budget took his Ipswich Town side to a hugely impressive fifth position in their first season back in the top flight.  Marcus Stewart scored 19 league goals as the Tractor Boys came within a whisker of Champions League qualification.  Another side that impressed were Sunderland, with Peter Reid’s side holding down a genuine second position in January, before coming seventh for the second successive season.  Southampton bid an emotional farewell to The Dell at the end of the season after 103 years.  Despite manager Glenn Hoddle walking out on them for the Tottenham job in March, the Saints finished life at the old ground on a high, with Matt Le Tissier scoring an 89^th minute winner on the final day against Arsenal.  Another Premiership stalwart lost their status, as Coventry City finally got consigned to relegation after 34 years in the top flight.  They went down after a 3-2 defeat at Aston Villa in May with Manchester City and Bradford City also going down.

CHAMPIONS: Manchester United, 2^nd: Arsenal, 3^rd: Liverpool, 4^th: Leeds United 5^th: Ipswich Town, 6^th: Chelsea, 7^th: Sunderland, 8^th; Aston Villa, 9^th: Charlton Athletic, 10^th: Southampton

RELEGATED: Manchester City, Coventry City, Bradford City

BIGGEST WIN: Manchester United 6-0 Bradford City (5 September 2000)

HIGHEST SCORING GAMES: Arsenal 5-3 Charlton Athletic (26 August 2000), Chelsea 6-1 Coventry City (22 October 2000), Leeds United 4-3 Liverpool (4 November 2000)

SCORERS: Hasselbaink (Chelsea) 23, Stewart (Ipswich) 19, Henry (Arsenal) 17, Viduka (Leeds) 17, Owen (Liverpool) 16, Sheringham (Manchester United) 15, Heskey (Liverpool) 14, Phillips (Sunderland) 14, Boksic (Middlesbrough) 12, Smith (Leeds) 11, Poyet (Chelsea) 11

2001/02

AFTER eight loyal seasons, brewery giant Carling was replaced as title sponsors by Barclaycard.  With the change came a gripping scrap for the title between Manchester United, Newcastle United, Leeds United, Liverpool and Arsenal.  Leeds and Newcastle set the pace in the early weeks, with Manchester United struggling to integrate Juan Sebastian Veron and Ruud van Nistlerooy into their squad.  They did produce an epic comeback, from 3-0 down at half-time in September to Tottenham, storming back to win 5-3 but after a 0-1 reverse at home to West Ham in December, Sir Alex Ferguson’s team were 9^th in the table, 11 points off the pace.  Cue a historic scoring run from Van Nistlerooy, with the Dutchman becoming the first player to score in eight successive Premiership matches, as the champions charged to the top of the table.  However, Arsenal looked in even better form, staying unbeaten away from home all season and scoring in every single FA Barclaycard Premiership game.  The crunch match came on May 8, where Sylvain Wiltord’s second half winner sealed Arsenal’s second Premiership title at Old Trafford.  To take the championship away in the backyard of their main rivals just made the success all the sweeter for Arsene Wenger.  On top of that, they achieved the league and cup double and Thierry Henry edged out Van Nistlerooy and Alan Shearer to win the Golden Boot for the first time.  Worse was to come for Manchester United, as they finished out of the top two for the first time in Premiership history.  Liverpool’s 5-0 final day victory over Ipswich Town sealed runners-up spot for the Reds, despite losing manager Gerard Houillier to a serious heart scare at half-time of a match with Leeds United on October 13.  Phil Thompson did a brilliant job in caretaker charge, including inspiring the men from Merseyside to another league double over Manchester United.  Liverpool’s final day victory also meant Ipswich had to deal with relegation, just a season after finishing fifth and earning UEFA Cup qualification.  It was a terrible year for the East Midlands, with both Derby County and Leicester City changing managers as many times as hot dinners and both ended up being relegated.  This meant that for the first time in Premiership history, the three promoted clubs all managed to stay up.  Fulham were welcomed into the Barclaycard Premiership family and comfortably stayed up, as did Bolton Wanderers.  Bolton even topped the table after three matches, which included a shock win against Liverpool.  After two seasons away, Blackburn returned too and finished a creditable tenth.  Graeme Souness bought Andy Cole from Manchester United at Christmas, inspired his team to a 7-1 demolition of West Ham along the way and also earnt European football, via their triumph in the Worthington Cup final. 

CHAMPIONS: Arsenal, 2^nd: Liverpool 3^rd: Manchester United, 4^th: Newcastle United 5^th: Leeds United, 6^th: Chelsea, 7^th: West Ham United, 8^th; Aston Villa, 9^th: Tottenham, 10^th: Blackburn Rovers

RELEGATED: Ipswich Town, Derby County, Leicester City

BIGGEST WIN: Blackburn Rovers 7-1 West Ham United (14 October 2001)

HIGHEST SCORING GAMES: Tottenham Hotspur 3-5 Manchester United (29 September 2001), Charlton Athletic 4-4 West Ham United (19 November 2001), West Ham United 3-5 Manchester United (17 March 2002)

SCORERS: Henry (Arsenal) 24, Van Nistlerooy (Manchester United) 23, Shearer (Newcastle) 23, Hasselbaink (Chelsea) 23, Owen (Liverpool) 19, Solskjaer (Manchester United) 17, Fowler (Liverpool & Leeds) 15, Gudjohnsen (Chelsea) 14, Pahars (Southampton) 14, Cole (Manchester United & Blackburn) 13, Ljungberg (Arsenal) 12, Ricketts (Bolton) 12, Angel (Aston Villa) 12 

Barclays Premiership season review (Part 1) Club-by-club

NEARLY a month now since the Premiership season finished.  Here is my club-by club review in order of their finishing positions.

Manchester United                                                                                                                                                                                            

MANCHESTER United may have won another Premiership title and it is their 19^th league championship, overtaking Liverpool at last.  However, they came up short in the Champions League final by some distance and Sir Alex Ferguson will know that the squad must improve over the summer to become a European force again.  At home, Old Trafford was a fortress, with only West Brom (2-2) in October stealing a point.  Away from home was a different matter, with just five wins, the lowest of any side on their way to winning the title.  Luckily, there were enough turning points which showed the class of champions.  Fightbacks against Aston Villa in November, Blackpool in January and West Ham in April were the foreground for the title success, with a New Years Day away win at West Brom when they were comprehensively outplayed being another deciding factor.  Edwin van der Sar and Paul Scholes have ended their glittering careers, whilst who knows where Ryan Giggs head will be at next season, after all the recent tabloid allegations.  Javier Hernandez was definitely the signing of the season and Wayne Rooney was beginning to look like his old self by the season’s end, after an indifferent beginning, which nearly led to his departure.  Marked improvements are needed, but no-one wins the title by accident and at the end of day, Manchester United looked head and shoulders above everyone else this season.

HIGHS: Comeback victories from seemingly definite losing positions against Blackpool in January and West Ham in April.

LOWS: Wayne Rooney's transfer saga, dodgy away form and having to cope with the retirements of Scholes and Van der Sar.

Chelsea                                                                                                                                                                                                              

CARLO Ancelotti lost his job after a trophy less season at Stamford Bridge.  How have things changed after the Double Winning season last time around.  Unfortunately, Chelsea have an ageing squad, which needs significant rebuilding if they want to stay in the position of Manchester United’s closest pursuers.  They were frighteningly good early in the season, but the loss of Frank Lampard to injury hit them hard, and it turned into a very bleak winter, which saw them tumble from dominant pacesetters to distant challengers.  A mighty run-in gave them an unlikely sniff, but a shambolic first half display in the title decider at Old Trafford summed up their season and had Ancelotti heading for his P45.  Didier Drogba didn’t look himself this season, Florent Malouda seems to have lost a yard of his pace and the signing of Fernando Torres in January for 50million will go down as the most expensive flop in transfer history so far.  One goal only for ‘El Nino;’ Liverpool will feel like they’d won the lottery.  Lampard was a thorn when he returned from injury, and Branislav Ivanovic had a very consistent campaign too.  Despite a bumbling game at Old Trafford, David Luiz did look fairly solid and is a good acquisition.  However, the new boss (probably Guus Hiddink) has a lot of work to do in West London and a clearout is necessary, without a doubt.

HIGHS: Beating Manchester United 2-1 in March and deadly early season form with 6-0 onslaughts of Wigan and West Brom.

LOWS: Being beaten twice by Liverpool, failing to turn up in the first half at Old Trafford and the signing of Fernando Torres.

Manchester City                                                                                                                                                                                         

AN FA Cup final victory and guaranteed Champions League football meant it was an excellent season and one to remember for Manchester City.  They are only going to get stronger, so the rest of the opposition better beware.  Highlights this season in results include home victories over Chelsea and Liverpool and impressive demolitions of Aston Villa and West Brom.  The scoring form and consistency of Yaya Toure also has to go down as a major positive.  However, Carlos Tevez seems really unsettled at Eastlands and if he departs, it will be a body blow for City.  Roberto Mancini made some tactical errors this season, notably leaving David Silva and Nigel de Jong out, then crumbling 3-0 at Anfield in April, and he must also have some nightmares about Everton.  He has come up against David Moyes four times, and lost on every single occasion.  Ultimately, the 2-1 loss before Christmas at home was probably the night the fans realised it wasn’t going to be a championship winning season.  Some signings haven’t gelled either.  James Milner has struggled to live up to his price tag, whilst Mario Balotelli has a major attitude problem which needs urgent attention in the summer.  However, it was a campaign of positives more than negatives and I’d expect a major assault at the Premiership title from Mancini’s men next season.

HIGHS: Champions League football guaranteed, Yaya Toure's unlikely scoring form and Emmanuel Adebayor's departure.

LOWS: Carlos Tevez unsettled, negative tactics against the top teams and Roberto Mancini's inability to beat Everton!

Arsenal                                                                                                                                                                                                                    

WELL, it’s the same old story for Arsenal; quality football, the best in the league by a country mile, but no silverware to show for their efforts.  It is now six long years since Gunners fans saw a trophy head back to North London and time is starting to run out for Arsene Wenger.  He has given the young guns enough time, and it is now time to bring in some experienced heads.  Robin Van Persie had an incredible run of goalscoring form in the second half of the season, which might mean now an ultimate replacement for Thierry Henry has finally been found.  Marouane Chamakh had to make do with a place on the bench and must improve next season if he is to fulfil his tag of goal-getter, which he was in France.  The exciting emergence of Jack Wiltshire leaves hope and encouragement for the future, whilst Samir Nasri finally showed his full potential.  However, Arsenal still have big weaknesses.  The signings of Laurent Koscieny and Sebastian Squillaci were disastrous and the goalkeeping area is still a problem.  Manuel Almunia is hopeless; Lukasz Fabianski is far too injury-prone and Szcenzy needs more time to develop before being thrown into the limelight.  Arsenal also has a tendency to throw away advantages.  Silly home losses against Newcastle and West Brom, combined with a 2-0 home lead chucked away in the North London derby and the 4-goal lead squandered at St. James Park in February still show up something that has plagued the Gunners for a while now.  Wenger must deliver a trophy under new ownership next season, or face the consequences of the unthinkable, the sack!

HIGHS: More quality football, the goalscoring form of Robin van Persie and Jack Wilshire's emergence.

LOWS: Failing to win a trophy, AGAIN!

Tottenham Hotspur                                                                                                                                                                                          

TOTTENHAM had a season full of highs, but ultimately, 5^th place will be seen as a disappointment to their fans.  However, this does highlight the sensational progress they have made under Harry Redknapp.  They had a fantastic run to the quarter-finals of the Champions League, but it will only be UEFA Europa League football next campaign.  The Premiership highlight of the season was undoubtedly coming from 2-0 down to beat Arsenal 3-2 at the Emirates in November.  They looked dead and buried at half-time, but came back with one of the greatest Premiership comebacks of all time.  There was an impressive double over Liverpool too for the first time in Premiership history.  However, their form at the end of the season nearly cost them another European adventure.  Dropped points at Wigan and home draws with West Brom and Sunderland ultimately cost them a shot at the top four.  Redknapp has already strengthened for next season, with the capture of dependable Brad Friedel on a free transfer from Aston Villa.  Does this mean the end for the bumbling Hereulho Gomes?  Once again, Gomes produced some stunning performances, together with shots that a three-year old could save in his back garden!  If Gomes was seriously error-prone, Gareth Bale was sensational and deserved to win PFA Player of the Year.  If the Welshman can continue his development next season, we could be looking at Wales’s next biggest talent – now Ryan Giggs has shown his true colours! 

HIGHS: A fantastic Champions League adventure, beating Arsenal at the Emirates and Gareth Bale's sensational form.

LOWS: Hereulho Gomes and failing to reach the top four, due to a lacklustre finish to the campaign.

Liverpool                                                                                                                                                                                                           

AS SOON as the Liverpool fans found out Kenny Dalglish had been turned down for the Liverpool job last summer, Roy Hodgson was a dead man walking.  His transfer business last summer was terrible and ultimately, poor results cost him his job in January.  There is no doubting Hodgson is a quality manager; he was just the wrong man at the wrong time for Liverpool.  There were very painful home defeats in the league to Wolves and Blackpool and pitiful away displays at Manchester City, Stoke and Blackburn.  In fact, Liverpool looked to be in a relegation battle at the turn of the year, so sixth place is some achievement at the end of a tricky campaign.  Kenny Dalglish eventually returned to manage his beloved club, and he guided Liverpool to stunning victories away at Chelsea and at home to both Manchester United and Manchester City.  Dalglish also sold Fernando Torres to Chelsea and not even El Nino’s departure could dampen the spirits.  Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll came in and both look world class already.  If Carroll can stay injury-free, it could be a very fruitful partnership.  Liverpool’s academy looks like blossoming too, with Jay Spearing, Martin Kelly and Jack Robinson all showing signs of a promising future.  Dirk Kuyt had his best season yet and Raul Meireles looks like somewhere near his 2010 World Cup pedigree, which makes up for the dire signings of Christian Poulsen, Joe Cole and Paul Konchesky.  Ultimately, Liverpool missed out on European football and won’t be playing in a continental competition for the first time since 1999.  However, it might be a plus for Dalglish, as he aims to build a new dynasty of young and emerging talent.  A dark campaign in general for Liverpool, which ended with lots of light at the end of the tunnel.

HIGHS: The return of King Kenny, stunning victories over Chelsea and Manchester United and the signing of Luis Suarez.

LOWS: Roy Hodgson's reign in charge at Anfield and being beaten at homes by Blackpool and Wolves.

Everton                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                     

SEVENTH place was an improvement on last season for Everton, but they will feel it was a season of missed opportunities.  Like Liverpool, the Toffees were embroiled in the relegation scrap for the majority of the season, with the nadir being a 2-0 loss at Bolton on February 13.  That left David Moyes side only two points above the danger zone.  After that, Manchester United and West Brom were the only clubs to beat Everton, with a run of form that would have seen the Blue half of Merseyside challenge for a top four position.  Yet again, there was an impressive double over Manchester City, with their 2-1 win before Christmas at Eastlands one of the performances of the whole season.  Goodison Park was as tough as ever, with Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea all being beaten.  In fact, four points off Liverpool means local pride belongs to Everton this season.  However, Moyes will know that the lack of goals is hurting his side.  Once Tim Cahill disappeared to the Asian Cup in January, there was no regular source for goals.  Jermaine Beckford scored ten in his debut season in the top flight, which was a solid tally, but there needs to be more back-up.  Louis Saha misfired all campaign, and Yakubu became so bad, he was loaned out to Leicester City for the second half of the season.  With no major finance to strengthen the squad again, it could be the same story next season and Moyes will do well to hold onto the likes of Jack Rodwell, Leighton Baines and Mikel Arteta.  However, Maroualine Fellani’s loss of confidence and form will be a worry.  The Belgian has immense talent, but seems stagnated at Goodison Park and maybe a move would be best for both parties.  If Everton make a better start next term, I’d expect them to be right in the European shake-up at the end of the campaign.

HIGHS: Another league double over Manchester City and impressive wins at home to Liverpool, Tottenham and Chelsea.

LOWS: The lack of goals, no finances to strengthen and Maroualine Fellani's loss of confidence.

Fulham                                                                                                                                                                                                               

THE sudden departure of Mark Hughes after just one season at Craven Cottage spoilt Fulham’s end of season form, which bought their second ever highest league finish, and qualification for the UEFA Europa League via the Fair Play route.  Hughes insists he wants a bigger challenge, but he was developing something good in West London, so his resignation was a real surprise.  However, Mohammed Al-Fayed has moved quickly and by appointing ex-Tottenham and Ajax boss Martin Jol, he has definitely found a very shrewd replacement.  Fulham’s season looked to be in dire straits once Bobby Zamora broke his ankle in their 2-1 win over Wolves in September.  Goals and confidence became a real problems, and after a shock 3-1 loss at home to West Ham on Boxing Day, the Cottagers were in the bottom three.  Zamora’s return to fitness, combined with the consistency of Brede Hangeland, Danny Murphy and Clint Dempsey allowed for a very strong second half of the season.  It was also nice to see Andy Johnson return to fitness and find the net again occasionally, even though Moussa Dembele was a real disappointment.  Jol will have finances to spend and as long as they can hold onto their key players, Fulham certainly have the capability to break into the top seven on a regular basis. 

HIGHS: A strong second half of the season and Brede Hangeland's consistency.

LOWS: Mark Hughes's sudden departure and Bobby Zamora's broken ankle, which ruined the Cottagers season.

Aston Villa                                                                                                                                                                                                         

THERE can be no doubt that this was a messy season for Aston Villa and the summer doesn’t seem to have improved things.  Once Martin O’Neill walked out on Randy Lerner days before the start of the season, Villa were destined for a scrappy campaign and that’s what happened.  In fact, they flirted with relegation more often than not, and only a strong end to the season under Gary McAllister got them into the top half.  Kevin McDonald stepped into the breach after O’Neill left, but a 6-0 slaughtering at Newcastle finished his hopes of getting the job on a permanent basis.  To the fans surprise and dismay, Gerard Houillier returned to Premiership management and despite an opening win under the new regime at Wolves in September, things never improved afterwards.  Gabby Agbonlahor scored one goal all season, Emile Heskey looked as worse as ever and John Carew couldn’t hit a barndoor if his life depended on it, so he was farmed out to Stoke on loan.  The only plus of Houiller’s appointment was the signing of Darren Bent from Sunderland in January.  Yet again, Bent found the net on his debut in the win over Manchester City at Villa Park and couldn’t stop scoring in a Villa jersey.  Eventually, a heart scare forced Houillier out of the role and ultimately, out of the job.  Lerner’s pursuit of a new boss has been poor too.  Rafa Benitez was refused money, Roberto Martinez opted to stay at Wigan and now, a messy situation with Alex McLeish and Birmingham City faces up with the possibility of an autumn court case with the lawyers.  With Ashley Young and Stewart Downing destined to leave, plus a lack of team harmony around the dressing room, a bleak future looks like being the way throughout the Midlands.  This was a totally wasted and shambolic campaign for Aston Villa. 

HIGHS: Darren Bent's signing.

LOWS: The appointment of Gerard Houillier and basically no goals upfront from their strikers (excluding Bent)

Sunderland                                                                                                                                                                                                        

A TOP half finish for Sunderland was a solid result, but it could have been so much better.  For two-thirds of the campaign, Steve Bruce and his players looked capable for a shot at European qualification via the league.  However, a run of one point in 11 games almost cost them their Premier League status and it must have been a relief to Bruce to see the Black Cats recover and win three of their last four games that kept them comfortably afloat.  Beating Newcastle in the league will also satisfy the fans.  They won’t want to be reminded of a terrible day on Tyneside in October, when bitter rivals Newcastle dismantled them 5-1, which was the only black spot on a brilliant first half of the season.  That included a 3-0 demolition of champions Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in November, which for me, is the performance and shock result of the entire campaign.  Asamoah Gyan came in on deadline day in the summer, and bought his World Cup flair to Wearside, whilst the loan signings of Danny Wellbeck and Nedum Onuoha were shrewd pieces of businesses.  Unfortunately, the club were afflicted with players ending up more likely to be on the treatment table, rather than the training ground.  Darren Bent’s departure to Aston Villa in January seriously hurt them, as did Lee Cattermole’s lack of discipline and the unsettled goalkeeping position, with both Craig Gordon and Simon Mignolet lacking a consistent run of games.  Jordan Henderson may have departed for Liverpool, but now Sunderland have money to spend on improving the squad and they could be a dark horse to watch next season.  The potential is there for the Black Cats to deliver something special, so there can be no excuses from Bruce and the board next campaign. 

HIGHS: A 3-0 demolition of champions Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in November.

LOWS: Horrific form from February/April which nearly cost them Premier League status and a 5-1 spanking at Newcastle.

FA Barclays Premiership Report (7th - 9th May)

THE most decisive weekend of the Premiership season saw history being made at the top of the table and the battle to stay afloat in the top flight tighten up even more.

RECORD: The title looms large for Manchester United

    The title showdown at Old Trafford between Manchester United and Chelsea went United’s way.  They outfought, outpassed and outclassed Chelsea and deserved to win more than the 2-1 final scoreline suggests.  The win means the Red Devils only need one point at Blackburn on Saturday lunchtime to secure a 19^th league title, surpassing Liverpool’s long-standing record as the most successful club in English football history.  Sir Alex Ferguson’s side started in clinical fashion, as Javier Hernandez pounced on David Luiz’s slip inside 36 seconds to give United an unbelievable start.  Chelsea looked unrecognisable in the first half and didn’t turn up.  They went 2-0 down inside 23 minutes.  Nemanja Vidic powered in an easy header from Ryan Giggs brilliant cross.  Chelsea did get a glimmer hope with 22 minutes to go, when Frank Lampard touched in Branislav Ivanovic’s flick-on.  Ultimately, the men from West London end the season with nothing to show for their efforts, except question marks over Carlo Ancelotti’s future.  Speculation is rife linking Ancelotti with a return to Serie A with AS Roma.

    At the wrong end of the table, Mick McCarthy’s Wolves celebrated a huge 3-1 win over West Brom in the Black Country derby.  It is Wolves first win in six games against their great rivals and takes Wolves out of the bottom three, with their Premiership destiny now in their own hands.  Steven Fletcher took full advantage of West Brom’s horrendous defending display to score two goals and Adeline Guedioura celebrated his first goal in English football through some ditzy defending from their rivals in the Midlands.  Peter Odemwingie did pull a goal back from the penalty spot, but this was Wolves day.

     Blackpool dropped back into the bottom three, despite a battling draw at White Hart Lane against Tottenham on Saturday evening.  Charlie Adam, almost signed by Tottenham on deadline day in January had a dramatic match.  His crude challenge on Gareth Bale finished Bale’s season early with ankle ligament damage.  He then had a penalty saved by Hereulho Gomes when Michael Dawson handled in the box.  Seconds later, Gomes’s inconsistent form continued when he needlessly bundled over Gary Taylor-Fletcher for a second spot kick.  This time, Adam made no mistake.  In the 88^th minute, Jermain Defoe broke Blackpool’s hearts by earning the home side a point, but it made Champions League qualification pretty much impossible.  All those dreams died with a 1-0 loss at Manchester City last night, which secured City’s place in Europe’s premier club competition next season. 

GLOAT: Everton won the battle, but City recovered to claim 4th

     Before last night’s joy, City had a frustrating day at Goodison Park at the weekend.  In the ultimate game of two halves, they lost 2-1 at Everton.  The visitors had bossed the first half and deserved their first half lead, courtesy of Yaya Toure.  However, Everton turned the game around with two headers in the second half, through City old boy Sylvain Distin and a brilliant header by Leon Osman.  You could tell that it was a bad day for the blue half of Manchester, as manager Roberto Mancini attempted to pick a fight with Phil Neville at the final whistle.  Tottenham might miss out on Europe altogether next season, thanks to a revitalised Liverpool outfit.  In the final Monday Night Football of the season, Kenny Dalglish’s side ripped Fulham apart – winning 5-2 at Craven Cottage.  Maxi Rodriguez scored inside 30 seconds and went on to complete his second treble in three matches.  Dirk Kuyt and Luis Suarez scored too and now, if Liverpool beat Tottenham on Sunday at Anfield, they secure England’s final UEFA Europa League qualification place.

     Back in the scrap to stay up and time is rapidly running out for Avram Grant and West Ham United.  They needed to beat Blackburn on Saturday and they didn’t.  The 1-1 draw kept the Hammers rooted to the foot of the table.  Jason Roberts had the visitors infront on 12 minutes, which meant West Ham got that familiar feeling.  Although Thomas Hitzlsperger drilled in one of his specials, crucial blocks from Christopher Samba and another missed sitter from the misfiring Robbie Keane, it was a result West Ham needed to improve on.  At Villa Park, Wigan’s promising start did little to ease their relegation worries.  Although they remain unbeaten at Aston Villa since entering the Premiership in 2005, the 1-1 stalemate means Roberto Martinez continues to feel the strain.  For the second successive weekend, Charles N’Zogbia had Wigan infront inside of ten minutes, but Ashley Young’s free-kick seven minutes restored parity.  A tepid game was spiced up by a tantrum from Emile Heskey, who looked like he might punch somebody if he didn’t calm down.  Stand-in boss Gary McAllister wisely subbed Heskey at half-time.  This means the Wigan v West Ham clash on Sunday is quite possibly the game that will end up deciding one of their short-term futures.

     The other weekend matches saw Stoke City’s historic week began with a great 3-1 victory over an off-colour Arsenal.  Poor defending from the Gunners allowed Kenwyne Jones, Jermaine Pennant and Jonathan Walters to send Stoke to Wembley for the FA Cup final on a high.  It was Arsenal biggest defeat of the season and they haven’t frankly recovered from that late heartbreak in February’s Carling Cup final.  Elsewhere, Newcastle United beat Birmingham City 2-1 and Sunderland secured Premiership football for another season, as Sulley Muntari’s last-minute goal overcame Bolton 2-1 at the Reebok.  Two weekends to go and whilst the relegation scrap looks set to go to the wire, we can congratulate Manchester United on another Premiership title.  They deserve it!