It might not enter the annuls of history as a vintage season, but 2010/11 arguably had more intrigue, twists, turns and drama than any other for a long while. And while the players have discovered Twitter (a new way for them to disgrace themselves) and superinjunctions (a new way for them to hide the old ways), there was plenty to enjoy on the pitch - for neutrals, mainly.
Manchester United did what Manchester United do and won the Premier League title, and, while they did so without the finest of squads or a convincing away record, it speaks volumes of the club that it keeps its head when all around it stumble. In fact, it was one of United’s rivals that created some of the headlines last season, both good and bad.
Roy Hodgson’s appointment was always going to represent a difficult step up from Fulham for both the manager and his methods, and life at Liverpool was not kind to him. He never seemed to have the players onside and he certainly didn’t ever have the trust and respect of the supporters, and when his unpopular tactical approach and training regime failed to yield results his departure was made inevitable by the fact that he was almost completely without support inside or outside the club. He went in early January and was replaced by Kenny Dalglish, who made a surprise return to management and did a good job of guiding the Reds up the table. They finished a creditable sixth but the fans will demand better next term. Dalglish will have proved many of us wrong if he achieves that.
Dalglish’s appointment was just the start of a busy January for Liverpool, who produced an absolute masterstroke in the transfer market. By squeezing £50m out of Chelsea for Fernando Torres, Liverpool effectively swapped him for Luis Suarez and Andy Carroll, a pair who will surely go on to be a superb partnership for the Merseyside club.
Torres’ profligacy became the story of the second half of the season for Chelsea, where their record signing scored just once after his move. The chances he missed, balls he mis-controlled and moves he squandered are undoubtedly temporary, and a rested Torres should be a real asset for the Blues next season. The story of the first half of the season was the end of Ray Wilkins’ time at the club. Chelsea had made a blistering start to the campaign and then stumbled badly, embarking upon a run that would ultimately cost them the title. Without Wilkins at his side, Carlo Ancelotti’s departure grew more and more predictable as May approached.
Behind United and Chelsea, third and fourth place were occupied by Manchester City and Arsenal. Roberto Mancini’s City are gradually putting together the type of form one would expect from a club of their means, popping the FA Cup into their swag bag in between a three-match winning run that took them past Arsenal into third. There will of course be both incoming and outgoing changes at Eastlands this summer, but with a good manager who knows his job is on the line if they don’t start strongly it would be a surprise for them not to do so.
For their part, the Gunners benefited from a strong first half from Samir Nasri and a stupendous run of goalscoring form for Robin Van Persie, but never really looked like title material even before their season collapsed in February and March with a Carling Cup final defeat, exits from the FA Cup and Champions League, and the beginning of a sequence of 11 games of which they won just two.
Tottenham Hotspur initially seemed to deal well with their Champions League adventures, but continental competition soon took precedence. A very respectable showing overseas will have gone some way towards making up for their failure to qualify once again, and it will be no surprise to see them largely disregard the Europa League as they hunt for a return to the top competition. Poor form in March and April cost Spurs dear, with only one game won between victories on 12th February and 15th May.
Everton finished four points behind city rivals Liverpool in 7th, suffering once again from the effects of a poor start to the season. David Moyes’ men didn’t win a single game until October or during the whole of November, but they did lose four fewer matches than Liverpool; it was the draws that became too frequent. One place behind, Fulham had a strong season under Mark Hughes after Hodgson’s departure, but the Welshman has moved on despite the Cottagers’ qualification for the Europa League through the fair play table. Martin Jol will be in the dugout next season.
At the bottom end of the table, West Ham United‘s horrifying lack of desire and commitment was made all the more dramatic by the fact that being a little more competitive might well have kept them up. On the last day they were joined in the relegation zone by Blackpool, who won just one game fewer than Fulham but lost half of their matches and conceded more goals than any other team in the division - eight more than Avram Grant’s Hammers. In getting relegated Birmingham City scored fewer goals than any other side (less than a goal a game) and won just eight, collapsing in the final fortnight and dropping a division amid suspicions about their financial position.
If Wolverhampton Wanderers relied upon Birmingham and Blackpool losing on so-called “Survival Sunday”, Wigan Athletic hauled themselves to safety by beating West Ham and Stoke in their last two matches. Stoke City secured their survival ahead of time in a season which saw them reach the final of the FA Cup, and a four-game unbeaten run-in helped Blackburn Rovers to safety.
Incredibly after their great start, Bolton Wanderers finished between Stoke and Blackburn in 14th. The supporters can expect better things next term, but a horrible run around the turn of the year and five consecutive defeats to end the season exemplified their drop in form.
In mid-table, Aston Villa topped the indifferent mini-league despite being firmly in a relegation battle two weeks before the end of the season. Newcastle United finished a solid 12th upon their return to the top flight, with Cheikh Tiote and Joey Barton winning plaudits throughout the campaign. Sunderland and West Bromwich Albion both have cause to be disappointed with their finishes, but reason to be pleased with how their teams dealt with change. Darren Bent left Sunderland for Villa in January, while Albion were revived by Hodgson after Roberto Di Matteo’s tenure at the Hawthorns went stale.
Tags: Season Reviews