Another year, another trophy-less campaign for Arsenal. But should we be surprised? The club allowed its two prized assets to depart the club last summer, seemingly in the name of financial prudence. I have taken to this blog before to applaud the work of the Arsenal board in their attempts to keep the club financially solvent, despite the apparent need to provide radical investment in the first team, the quality of which is well below par when compared to past Gunners sides. It would seem, at least according to recent financial figures, that this summer may be the time for such an investment, with the club's house seemingly in order. They have shown signs this year that they could potentially challenge the Manchester clubs, though these have admittedly being all but too fleeting. If they can persuade the indispensable Robin Van Persie to renew his contract, as well as add one or two new recruitments (preferably in defence and midfield), then I really do think Arsene Wenger may be able to deliver a trophy to the club after seven years of waiting. If they fail to do this, however, then I really do fear for their future as Champions League regulars.
What a wretched ordeal this campaign has been for Aston Villa fans. The club has just embarked on its worst season for some time, and manager Alex McLeish has subsequently paid the price, the Scotsman being dismissed yesterday after just 11 months at the helm. Supporters of the club greeted the news with rapturous appraisal, and you can see why...McLeish oversaw just 7 league wins all season, 4 of which were at Villa Park, as well as a mammoth 16 draws. However, to blame the former Birmingham City manager solely for Villa's shortcomings this season would be naive to say the least. Villa have been on a downward spiral ever since Martin O'Neill was allowed to leave the club on the eve of the 2010/2011 campaign. Investment has halted (Darren Bent's £18 million transfer aside) and stability has receded, with two managers falling on their sword in the space of just two years. So to say that the next appointment is crucial is an understatement...it will possibly determine the long-term future of the club as a whole. Deliver a capable coach with long-term ambitions for the club and Randy Lerner is back on course, fail to do so and Villa could find themselves spiralling down to the Championship next season.
If this season was painful for Villa fans, then one can only imagine the agony Blackburn Rovers supporters find themselves in at the moment. Their club has seemingly descended into disarray over the past 18 months, namely the time elapsing since the purchase of the club by Venky's. The arrival of these poultry experts has resulted in the undoing of everything that was once good at Blackburn, most significantly their Premier League status. The appointment of Steve Kean now appears more absurd than ever, though credit should be given to him for contending with such vitriolic opposition to his appointment in the manner in which he has. However, Kean's dignity in the face of adversity does not mask the fact that he has been exposed as a woefully inept manager, a truth which was exposed by Rover's late season capitulation after they had seemingly hauled themselves away from trouble. With the finances of the club supposedly bleak, and with a likely player exodus on the horizon, an immediate return to the top flight looks increasingly unlikely. Especially if Venky's and Kean are allowed to stick around.
Bolton Wanderer's relegation is one of the more perplexing ones in recent times. Last season, they looked a technically efficient and vibrant side and, despite a late dip in form, they finished the season in a safe position. Whether the psychological effects of their 5-0 FA Cup mauling at the hands of Stoke were ever shaken off is debatable, but it would seem to me that they have been hampered this season more so by the loss of key players to horrific injuries. They have not managed to get influential midfielder Stuart Holden on the pitch all year, and winger Chung-Yong Lee only managed to return in the final throes of the campaign. Take into account also the shocking loss of Fabrice Muamba, whose services they were deprived of in the most unfathomable of circumstances, and you can see why Bolton found themselves entrenched in a dogfight all year. However, such misfortune cannot be allowed to mask the reality that they finished the season with the second worst goal difference in the league, shipping an almighty 77 goals. Owen Coyle is a capable enough manager to orchestrate a fightback next season, but their is a real need for Bolton to return to the top flight at the first time of asking, such is the gravity of their current financial situation.
Surely, this is the most bizarre Chelsea season in recent years, if not ever? They began the season full of optimism following the ambitious appointment of 33 year old Andre Villas Boas, and yet they end the season relying on an unlikely Champions League triumph to ensure themselves of a place in next season's premier European competition. Failure to achieve this will leave Chelsea and their owner Roman Abramovich in an unfamiliar position, one in which their endless supplies of cash won't be as decisive as they have been so often in the past. Villas Boas must be saddled with much of the blame for Chelsea's disastrous league campaign; the former Porto manager was too quick to ostracise key men in an attempt to stamp his authority, and perhaps his image, on the club. Roberto Di Matteo has performed admirably in his role as interim manager, returning balance to a Chelsea dressing room that is notorious for the amount of egos it contains. Having overseen an FA Cup triumph and on the cusp of delivering the one trophy that Abramovich has sought since his purchase of the club, it's fair to say that the former West Bromwich Albion chief deserves an opportunity to continue in the job full-time. Defeat to Bayern Munich, however, will ensure that he has the toughest possible start to next season.
David Moyes continues to ensure Everton roll with the punches in the Premier League, guiding them to a thoroughly impressive 7th placed finish, and a first finish above Liverpool since the 2004/2005 campaign. The January acquisitions of Steven Piennar and Nikica Jelavic proved to be invaluable, the latter finishing remarkably as the club's top goalscorer and the former adding creativity to a midfield that up until the turn of the year looked more than a little rusty. The contributions of key men such as Phil Jagielka, Johnny Heitinga, Marouane Fellaini etc once again were decisive in the Toffee's strong end to the campaign, and much optimism can be carried into the 2012/2013 campaign. Harry Redknapp's failure to land the England job will also dispel rumours of Moyes's departure for at least another year, and the Blues supporters can only hope that chairman Bill Kenwright, subject of unwarranted abuse this year, can find a suitable buyer for the club in that time. Inability to do so will mean continued short-termism for the club and ongoing speculation about its key players, both on and off the field.
A highly impressive debut season for new manager Martin Jol saw Fulham ensure a second consecutive top half finish, though supporters will perhaps be more satisfied with the football on display this term than they were with Mark Hughes's offering in the previous campaign. Clint Dempsey, in particular, has enjoyed a highly impressive campaign, finishing the season with a remarkable 23 goals, a statistic which is sure to make him the subject of much transfer speculation this summer. However, Jol will feel confident that unless an offer from a significant European force is forthcoming that he can keep hold of his key assets and build for next season, when qualification for the Europa League is likely to be the ambition. Having unearthed a number of young prospects this term as well as raising the game of some of the senior players at the club, Jol can feel very satisfied with his work this season and indeed the prospects for next.
One can only scratch their head at the nature of Liverpool's season. They began the term as potential Champions League candidates, only to be brutally exposed as being some way off being suitable to line up alongside the best Europe has to offer. Subsequently, they have ended the season in the most disorderly of fashions; an FA Cup final defeat, a poor league finish (not least below their neighbours Everton) and with several key executive figures being relinquished of their duties. The shuffle in the boardroom seems to suggest that FSG are far from content with what they have seen on the field this year, and some would say after an investment of well over £100 million last summer that they have every right to be. But this is ignoring the fact that Liverpool are becoming an increasingly difficult club to judge. There seems to be no clear strategy in place, something which is evidenced by their bizarre acquisitions in the transfer market since Kenny Dalglish was restored to the position of manager. Alongside the now departed Damian Comolli, Dalglish put together a squad that can only be described as being thoroughly average, with only Luis Suarez really justifying his lavish price-tag (and let's not forget the controversy Suarez brought upon the club earlier in the season). The season concluded with question marks hanging over the head of Liverpool's manager, but relieving him of his duties is unlikely to solve all the club's problems. They are no longer a consistent European competitor, and so their appeal to prospective managers has been significantly diminished. It would seem more prudent to allow Dalglish to attempt to restore the club to a top four finish and then identify a long-term successor, though there is no guarantee that King Kenny is up to that task. Whatever happens, I anticipate another season of uncertainty at Anfield next term.
Much of the aforementioned unpredictability of this season was down to the topsy-turvy nature of Manchester City's title triumph. Having started the season in startling fashion, they appeared to self-implode and hand the initiative to their old rivals across the road, allowing United to amass a seemingly insurmountable 8 point lead. Yet they still managed to claw back the deficit, capturing the title on the final day in the most memorable of circumstances. Only a staunch United loyalist would dispute that City were deserving of their first title victory in 44 years, especially considering that they thoroughly outplayed the Red Devils on three occasions this season, two of which resulted in a first league double in some time. It would seem now that the sky is the limit for City, with many anticipating a period of domination for the blue half of Manchester, though I see this as being slightly wide of the mark. City still remain under pressure to organise their finances, considering the impending implementation of UEFA's Financial Fair Play regulations, something which could jeopardise the club's ambitions in the Champions League. However, the current City board seem fully aware of this and you would presume that measures will be taken over the next two seasons to trim the wage bill, with some of the excess of Mark Hughes tenure at the club being allowed to move to pastures new. Indeed, City are probably only two or three players short of being major contenders in Europe, and unless significant measures are taken by their ousted rivals then it would seem that next season's league title is their for the taking. Nonetheless, I sincerely hope that City's recent success does not usher in an era of reckless excess.
After their first season without a trophy in 7 years, Manchester United's immediate prospects do not look entirely appealing. Though they remain one of the most recognisable brands in the world, it has been well documented that the Glazer's tenure at the club has saddled them with a debt that is going to prove hard to shake, and has subsequently hindered development on the field. Though Sir Alex Ferguson has been able to strengthen his squad consistently, this season has shown that such improvements have been marginal. United remain dependent on their senior pro's, particularly in the most decisive points of a league campaign. Youngsters like Phil Jones, Chris Smalling, Javier Hernandez and so forth have shown flashes of real potential, but have not produced consistently enough to deliver the title to Old Trafford. This summer may well be the most decisive for United in a long time, such is the need to reinvigorate the squad, particularly in midfield. This is not to say that the Red Devils are not capable of challenging next season, because any Sir Alex Ferguson team is capable of a title challenge, even against foes as formidable as City. Let's not forge that United took this year's title chase down to the last day, something which many would not have thought possible at the beginning of the campaign. However, if United wish to restore themselves to the zenith of the Premier League and also if they wish to re-establish themselves in the upper echelons of the Champions League, they are going to have to rely on their controversial owners to back their man when the transfer market opens once again.
Newcastle United continue to be the most unpredictable club in the Premier League, having rubbished pre-season predictions of a year-long struggle by finishing four points shy of a (potential) Champions League place. This has been largely down to the colossal effort of their players, the finest to wear the club's colours for some time, and the work of their initially unfavoured manager Alan Pardew. Indeed, Pardew's triumph has been one of the more rewarding stories of the season, such was the opposition to his appointment in December 2010. Since then he has gone about his job quietly and diligently and, with the help of chief scout Graham Carr, has assembled a very efficient squad that has this year punched above its weight in a manner befitting of the most unfancied of underdogs. Credit must also go to Mike Ashley, who after years of mismanagement seems to have found the knack of what it takes to be a successful Premier League chairman, applying a smart business strategy to ensure that the recklessness of previous seasons has been undone. When the likes of Kevin Nolan and Joey Barton were sold this summer, eyebrows were raised. But none would question the wisdom shown by Ashley, Pardew and co now that players of Yohan Cabaye and Cheick Tiote's ilk are pulling the strings in midfield. With a fine goalkeeper in Tim Krul as well as the menacing strike-force of Demba Ba and the magnificent Papiss Cisse, one can only envisage further success for the Magpies next term. That is, if they manage to keep the squad together...
It would be disparaging to Norwich City's efforts this season to fill this review with speculation about the future of their manager Paul Lambert, but the subject is undeniably crucial to the club's future prospects as a Premier League club. Lambert has continued the sterling work which saw the Canaries enjoy two consecutive promotions this year by keeping them in the top flight comfortably, playing a brand of football that is easy on the eye and highly productive all the while. The squad is probably one of the fittest in the league (a crucial factor to their success) and was assembled on a tight budget, all of which means it is inevitable that Lambert will be linked with a move elsewhere this summer, particularly now the Aston Villa job is vacant. If the former Celtic captain rejects any overtures from elsewhere, then Norwich can head into next season feeling relatively confident of another comfortable campaign. If the opposite occurs, and Norwich head into the summer in search of a new manager, then you have to fear for their future as a Premier League club.
QPR ensured Premier League survival in a manner that was perhaps befitting of the club's recent history: thoroughly dramatic. Anybody who managed to see the fly-on-the-wall documentary 'The Four Year Plan' will know that the club has travelled the most bizarre route to to the top flight possible, and this season proved to be no time to break the habit. Tony Fernandes's late arrival as owner saw a flurry of spending towards the end of the transfer window, and when results failed to match the investment Neil Warnock was ruthlessly dispensed with. Mark Hughes arrived, presumably with the mandate to comfortably guide the club away from the drop zone, with the aid of a considerable transfer war chest in the January window. What ensued was quite the opposite. A number of high profile players arrived, but they did not gel quickly enough to ensure a comfortable second half to the season. Rather, the R's had to rely on Stoke City to ensure another season of football at the highest level. What awaits Hughes now is a key summer in which he must, along with new chief executive Mike Brigg, address the state of the Rangers squad, which is almost 40 people strong. Vital decisions must be made on the future of Joey Barton, who has consistently dragged the club into disrepute this year, and the identity of back four when the new season gets underway, so ill-equipped have the current crop been this campaign. Thankfully, Hughes has a well-earned reputation for being a tough task-master and for organising football sides, so the 2012/13 campaign should be a slightly less stressful one for fans of the club. But don't bet on it...
Stoke ended the season in worrying fashion, registering only one win in their last 10 fixtures. However, it is easy to forget that they have navigated more fixtures this term than many other Premier League clubs, due to their involvement in the Europa League and their decent run in the FA Cup. Whilst Tony Pulis's squad would be expected to deal with such an effort, considering its size, it is still difficult to judge the physical implications such a run of games can have on a player, and it is perhaps understandable that the Potters faded in the final throes of their league campaign. Having said this, it is still commendable that Pulis has engineered another campaign that has seen his side finish 9 points clear of the drop zone. Once again, the Welshman showed a shrewd nature in the transfer market, the acquisition of Peter Crouch in particular proving an excellent bit of business. But I do feel as if this season could be a significant side for Stoke; their goal difference was uncharacteristically poor this term (-17), and they scored the lowest amount of goals in the division. This would suggest that the club's fringe players either need to be moved on or raise their game, and with the team now out of Europe it may prove difficult to attract adequate replacements. Perhaps next year could be the year that Pulis finds himself in a relegation battle...only a brave man would bank on it though.
Sunderland fans must be counting their blessings, because were it not for the decision to replace the hapless Steve Bruce with Martin O'Neill in December, their club would probably be contemplating life in the Championship now. Whilst their is undoubted talent in the current squad, it was consistently undermined prior to O'Neill's arrival by a series of poor performances, usually at the hands of average players and poor tactics. However, after navigating them away from trouble, O'Neill will now feel he can look forward to next season with a degree of optimism, though the size of the task at hand should not be taken for granted. The current Black Cats team is in need of a revamp, and this can only be achieved via further financial investment from chairman Ellis Short, who has already dug deep since his arrival at the club. If such a financial injection is forthcoming, then Sunderland have every chance of establishing themselves in the top half next season. If the chairman keeps his hands out of his pocket, however, then the club will have to rely on O'Neill to continue to work his magic and keep their heads above water.
Lauded by many a pundit for their expansive style this season, Swansea, like Norwich, deserve much credit for the way they approached their debut Premier League campaign. Brendan Rodgers is an admirable coach who has looked to Europe, namely Spain, so as to devise a fresh means of tackling the 'big boys', a plan that has paid off handsomely, with the Swans finishing 11 points clear of the drop zone. Such was the ease with which they avoided relegation, many of the club's supporters attended the final home game against Liverpool in Elvis outfits after one 'expert' had suggested at the beginning of the season that there was more chance of Elvis being alive than Rodger's sides beating the drop. Michel Vorm, Ashley Williams, Danny Graham, Scott Sinclair and pretty much the entire midfield have looked at home amongst the glitz and glamour of the Premier League, and most will expect them to continue to cope with the demands of top flight football next season. However, much depends on their ability to keep their key players, as well as the answer to the question regarding where loan star Gylfi Sigurrdson's future lies. Let's not forget also the importance of keeping Rodgers, who is sure to have his suitors amongst many a Premier League chairman. Swansea are, however, a progressive football club and have coped with change in the past, so should be able to continue their good work next season.
Tottenham Hotspur initially evaded my attention when first putting this post together, which is perhaps fitting given the way their season petered out after such a promising start. There is no denying that Harry Redknapp has assembled a highly talented team at White Hart Lane, and this was clear for all to see as they threatened to break the duopoly of the Manchester clubs in race to become Premier League champions. However, off-the-field issues and the loss of form of one or two key players (not to mention a spate of unfortunate injuries) coincided with a slide down the table for 'Arry's men, meaning the climax of their season involved a race to merely obtain fourth place. This would suggest that Spurs are in need of investement this summer, especially considering they are unlikely to acquire the full-time services of influential spearhead Emmanuel Adebayor. However, speculation is rife that chairman Daniel Levy is not all together enamoured with the current incumbent of the manager's job, which could possibly lead to a difficult 2012-2013. I for one, hope that I am wrong as Spurs are a fine club and their presence in the top five has been nothing more than refreshing over the past 3 seasons.
Jeremy Peace, West Bromwich Albion's chairman, deserves much credit for the Baggie's ascension to the Premier League. After years of being patronised by the 'yo-yo club' tag, they have stabilised themselves in the top division and the future looks rosy, despite the departure of Roy Hodgson to the England manager's job. Hodgson has done a remarkable, understated job in organising what was previously a very gung-ho Albion team, evidenced by their decent goal difference this term (-7). He has got the best out of players such as Jonas Olsson and Youssuf Mulumbu, who are not perhaps blessed with bags of natural ability yet have found a level of consistency that has seen them become key players for their club. It will be interesting to see who Albion move for in the wake of Hodgson's departure, but the decision is unlikely to risk any of , the sound, long-term planning that Peace and technical director Dan Ashworth had been putting in place long before the club's return to the Premier League. Indeed, the new incumbent to the Albion hot seat is likely to be a coach capable of continuing to build on the foundations lad down by not just Hodgson, but Roberto Di Matteo and Tony Mowbray before him. Considering the club's financial stability and comfortable final placing (10th), the job is likely to attract many suitors, and that in itself is evidence of the excellent work being done behind the scenes at this club.
Some of you will recall a previous blog post of mine written in response to Wigan's 'shock' win over Arsenal at the Emirates, achieved in the midst of an impressive revival that saw them claw away from relegation trouble. The general gist of my argument was that the media portray Wigan, and clubs of a similar stature, in a very patronising way i.e. as the constant underdog whose ability to survive in the Premier League is a mystery to us all. Hopefully, the exploits of Roberto Martinez's team this year will have exposed this view as a fallacy. Wigan survive as a result of astute management by the impressive Martinez and the commitment of their chairman Dave Whelan, the former of which has built a relatively young, vibrant team that is probably the best to grace the DW Stadium in some time. The attacking talent of Victor Moses has been a joy to watch throughout the season, and players such as Franco Di Santo have shown real potential, particularly in the final embers of the season. If Martinez continues to demonstrate the loyalty he did last summer, when he rejected Aston Villa's advances, then Wigan have a real chance of shedding their tag of relegation favourites. Poor match-day revenue may continue to cripple their ambition, though survival alone will continue to be regarded as an achievement of the highest order, though hopefully for the right reasons from now on.
Earlier I spoke of Aston Villa's struggles this season but perhaps the one saving grace for fans of the Villains is that they are not supporters of Wolverhampton Wanderers, who have endured one of the most miserable seasons in the club's history. Everything that could have went wrong for Wolves this season did exactly that and they have duly finished bottom of the Premier League, a miserable 12 points from safety. Their league position owes much to their astounding ability to ship 82 goals in the Premier League, which makes their defence arguably one of the most inefficient in the country, let alone the top flight. But whilst the team's rearguard has much to answer for on-the-field, mismanagement off the field also played a big part in the demise of the old gold and black this year. Mick McCarthy's decision to hand the captaincy to Roger Johnson at the expense of lifelong Wolves fan Karl Henry caused clear divisions in the dressing room and undermined McCarthy's position. The hesitation of the board to dispense with their manager was also fatal; rather than make a change earlier in the campaign when things could have been turned around by a fresh face, they opted to wait until after the humiliating 1-5 home defeat by West Brom, by which time players and supporters knew it was a matter of time before the former Republic of Ireland manager was dismissed. The decision to sack McCarthy was undoubtedly harsh, considering his stellar work in returning the club to the top flight, but it was clearly a necessary measure too; Wolves had become all to predictable and many players had been exposed as being woefully ill-equipped for top flight football. Terry Connor was given the miserable task of overseeing the inevitable, but was thankfully spared any riposte from the supporters, who instead turned their bile towards chairman Steve Morgan and Jez Moxey. Both men will hope that new boss Stale Solbakken is able to re-invigorate the club this summer and return them to the Premier League at the firs time of asking, a task that should not be beyond the Norwegian, given the club's strong financial position.
AND FINALLY...
A quick run through my awards for the season...
MANAGER OF THE SEASON: 1. Alan Pardew 2. Roberto Mancini 3. Roberto Martinez
PLAYER OF THE SEASON: 1. Robin Van Persie 2. Vincent Kompany 3. Wayne Rooney
SIGNING OF THE SEASON: 1. Sergio Aguero 2. Yohan Cabaye 3. Mikel Arteta
WORST SIGNING OF THE SEASON: 1. Joey Barton 2. Roger Johnson 3. Jordan Henderson
GAME OF THE SEASON: 1. Manchester United 1 Manchester City 6
GOAL OF THE SEASON. 1. Robin Van Persie v Everton 2. Papiss Cisse v Chelsea 3. Hatem Ben Arfa v Bolton
TEAM OF THE SEASON: Joe Hart; Kyle Walker, Fabricio Colloccini, Vincent Kompany, Leighton Baines; Antonio Valencia, Yohan Cabaye, Yaya Toure, Juan Mata; Wayne Rooney Sergio Aguero
(Feel free to disagree...; )
Can't argue much with your analysis, as a United fan I do think (in spite of my present concern about the squad) a trophyless season might not be all that big of a deal. A few signings, probably not all that expensive ones, and we would have a strong first team. I doubt they are the players Fergie will go for, given the apparent obsession with Dortmund, but Tiote, full-back cover (Baines?), and a creative midfielder (Modric too much to ask?) are my picks. I wouldn't turn my nose up at Cisse or Demba Ba as spearheads for Rooney to play around either! What I'm getting at though is that there was a lot of talk about 'periods of domination' for Arsenal early last decade and Chelsea a few years ago and what has been learnt as you rightly put it is that United under Ferguson don't just give it up like that.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your feedback mate, appreciated. I agree that a season without silverware is nothing for United to fret about, as the quality of the squad is still high. However, I am concerned that many of your key players are well into the twilight period of their careers. However, I'm pretty confident that Ferguson will once again this summer cast his eye at younger players with the potential to go straight into the starting XI this e.g. Martinez, Kagawa, maybe even Victor Moses. You're absolutely right though, City's title win certainly doesn't guarantee their future dominance. They have to prove that, like United have done so well in the past.
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