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Premier League Review, Part 4
Snapshots of the best and worst of the season.
Sunderland
Best Player: Danny Collins
Worst Player: Kenwyne Jones
High Point: 2-1 victory over Newcastle United in the Derby.
Low Point: Getting beaten 4-1 by Bolton Wanderers at home.
Key Moment: They never had much consistency, but Roy Keane leaving led to a steep decline in performances.
One to Watch: Roy O’Donovan
Most Improved Player: Danny Collins
Manager Watch: Roy Keane was doing okay before he left. Ricky Sbragia always looked like a reluctant choice, and, in the end, the quality of one or two of his players kept them up.
League Rating: 4/10.
Hull City
Best Player: Michael Turner
Worst Player: Peter Halmosi
High Point: Beating Arsenal 2-1 at the Emirates Stadium in September.
Low Point: Getting beaten 5-0 by Wigan in August.
Key Moment: Phil Brown berating his team on-field at half-time against Manchester City coincided with the beginning of his team’s awful run-in to the season.
One to Watch: Jimmy Bullard
Most Improved Player: Bernard Mendy
Manager Watch: Brown won many hearts in the first half of the season, but his arrogance (referring to himself in the third person to the press) and his headset angered many people. He did well, though, and is a chip off his mentor Big Sam’s block.
League Rating: 7/10
Newcastle United
Best Player: Sébastien Bassong
Worst Player: Joey Barton
High Point: Alan Shearer joining as manager. The Toon Army had little else to shout about in the season from hell.
Low Point: In a word: relegation.
Key Moment: Had Kevin Keegan not been sacked, and we weren’t subject to a “Who’s Who” of incapable managers, Newcastle would still be in the league.
One to Watch: Andy Carroll
Most Improved Player: Steve Harper
Manager Watch: Deep breath. Keegan was doing well, and even won a point at Old Trafford. He was replaced, to much hilarity, by Joe Kinnear, whose first, expletive-filled press conference was a great moment. His health problems led to Chris Hughton taking the job for a few weeks, during which he was rather bad. Alan Shearer, and a load of unfulfilled expectation followed. |The team might have stayed up if Kinnear was able to finish the job.
League Rating: 0/10
Middlesbrough
Best Player: Stewart Downing
Worst Player: Afonso Alves
High Point: Beating Liverpool 2-0 at the Riverside, which almost gave them hope.
Low Point: Finally succumbing to relegation.
Key Moment: Losing 3-1 to Newcastle in the Tyne-Tees Derby effectively finished Boro.
One to Watch: David Wheater
Most Improved Player: Tuncay Sanli
Manager Watch: Gareth Southgate led Boro to relegation without a whimper, and no drastic statement or idea about how to change things. He is totally bereft of charisma and personality.
League Rating: 1/10
West Bromwich Albion
Best Player: Chris Brunt
Worst Player: Luke Moore
High Point: Doing the double over Middlesbrough, especially as they are manager Tony Mowbray’s ex-team.
Low Point: The 2-0 home defeat to Liverpool that sealed their relegation. The game typified their season, which was lost by a defensive error, despite an accomplished performance.
Key Moment: The 2-0 loss against the Reds.
One to Watch: Chris Brunt
Most Improved Player: Robert Koren
Manager Watch: Mowbray won friends with his pleasing football and straight talking, yet he didn’t win many points with his porous defence and total lack of strikeforce. His job isn’t in danger, but promotion next year is a must.
League Rating: 2/10
Predictions:
Me: 0/5
FourFourTwo: 0/5
Steve McManaman: 0/5
Miguel Delaney: 0/5
Predictions Final Table:
1. Ciarán Leinster (2)
2. Steve McManaman (2)
3. Miguel Delaney (1)
4. FourFourTwo (0)
