Arsenal – Bernard Azulay – goonersdiary.co.uk
8/10 There’s no hiding the disappointment of our title ambitions evaporating before the leaves had even turned brown and, after so many seasons when we’ve been expected fallers at the first Champions League knockout hurdle, our capitulation on home turf against Monaco was devastating. Nevertheless, while the AKB v WOB (Arsène Knows Best v Wenger Out Brigade) debate rages ad infinitum, most footie fans would be over the moon with a top three finish, never mind a Wembley encore.
The stars Alexis Sánchez. Aside from his obvious quality, in these mercenary times a new arrival who puts everything on the line, in every single minute of every single match will inevitably be an instant hit. Also worth a mention: Franny Coquelin, who couldn’t get a game on loan at Charlton in December, has turned into our Makelele-like midfield linchpin, while Laurent Koscielny deserves far more credit. The flops Yaya Sa-no-goal, Szczesny for failing to grasp the mantle instead of a pack of Marlboro, and the entire team’s failure to step up at crucial times.
Summer targets The rise of Le Coq has resulted in a change in priorities. After clamouring for so long for an invisible midfield behemoth à la Pogba, suddenly we’re coveting all our competitors’ top-shelf keepers, while there is a dearth of centre-forward options.
Best and worst away fans Sunderland’s midweek travellers were the best. Newcastle didn’t impress.
Ideal montage music for Arsenal’s season highlights BB King – Same Old Story (Same Old Song)
Aston Villa – Jonathan Pritchard
9/10 That’s a post-February rating, of course. Thankfully those pre-Sherwood days have quickly become a distant memory. Paul Lambert seemed to lose his confidence and with it the dressing room: we bear him few grudges, the biggest niggle being it took the owner so long to take action. Sherwood came with plenty to prove: he’d been rejected by others and had a London swagger that rarely sits well with the average Brummie. How wrong we were. He’s instilled the $64,000 ingredient into the team – confidence – and, pleasingly, he’s been self-critical when he’s got it wrong. We’ve enjoyed one truly sensational day at Wembley, and whatever happens next Saturday, I’ll be looking forward to August. I’ve also bought a gilet and some pointy shoes.
The stars Alan Hutton was easily man of the Lambert season. Since then, Delph, Cleverley and Benteke, among others, have been giants. Bacuna has also excelled of late. Grealish could go either way. The flops Aly Cissokho started well but faded.
Summer targets Cleverley, a new deal for Benteke and a game-bossing centre-half.
Best and worst away fans Blackpool were best; West Brom worst.
Highlights montage music Conchita Wurst – Rise like a Phoenix.
Burnley – Tony Scholes – @Clarets_Mad
6/10 Expectations were realistic – we were hoping to stay out of the bottom three but didn’t quite manage it. There were times when it looked possible but we were never able to string together a run of good results. I think the manager and players performed well, though, and we weren’t too far short in the end. Perhaps the worst aspect was not getting our player recruitment right in either window.
The stars We’re not a team of stars, but Danny Ings scored ten goals and Ashley Barnes had an outstanding spell up front. Defensively we were more than OK, with goalkeeper Tom Heaton and central defenders Michael Duff and Jason Shackell playing consistently well. The flops Some of the new signings didn’t have an impact. Matty Taylor missed much of the season with injuries, Steven Reid was often out, and neither of the two new strikers – Lukas Jutkiewicz and Marvin Sordell – scored a league goal.
Summer targets With Ings set to leave, we’ll need a clever forward – but I’d also like to see a creative midfielder and an injection of pace.
Best and worst away fans Swansea, QPR and Newcastle were worst – the best were those who filled our away end, and several managed that.
Highlights montage music Calvin Harris – We’ll be Coming Back.
Chelsea – Trizia Fiorellino – ChelseaSupportersGroup.net
9.5/10 The season was nigh-on perfect. We were expected to win the title – correction, José was expected to win the title – and he did it with bells on. Also he did it his way, with no concessions to public opinion. Some may argue we were expected to go further in the Champions League but I don’t think we had the firepower for that. The Carling Cup was a bonus.
The stars The brightest star of all was Eden Hazard, quite rightly named Footballer of the Year. His artistry ensured that we were never boring, despite what the media would have you believe. What makes Hazard even more invaluable is the way he dealt with being individually targeted for special physical attention by many opponents. But just as important was John Terry – still defying time, still putting his head where most defenders fear putting their boot. And a special mention to Fàbregas – as well as having a pretty good season, he delivered a red card to remember. The flops None, really – maybe Cuadrado, but let’s see where we are after pre-season.
Summer targets With Cech seemingly on his way we need a back-up. We also need another quality striker and, with a heavy heart, we must start the search for a long-term replacement for Terry.
Best and worst away fans Bradford were best – amazing scenes when they knocked us out of the cup. The worst – surprisingly – were Palace.
Highlights montage music One for José here: Britney Spears – Oops I Did It Again.
Crystal Palace – Chris Waters – @Clapham_Grand
9/10 To be close to equalling or bettering last year’s points tally and position is verging on the miraculous given the poor start we had under Neil Warnock. The club has been transformed under Alan Pardew, and there’s now real optimism that he can take Palace on to the next level. The performance at Anfield last weekend was typical of our best moments: resolute, solid and full of flair on the break.
The stars Mile Jedinak continued where he left off last season until a prolonged absence due to the Asia Cup and a flailing elbow saw him fall out of favour. James McArthur and Scott Dann have impressed, but the transformation of Jason Puncheon into a midfield libero this year has been a revelation. Yannick Bolasie has drawn plenty of headlines, too, and was applauded off by the home fans when he was subbed at Anfield. If he can find a bit more consistency, he’ll be formidable. The flops I still have no idea why we loaned in Yaya Sanogo from Arsenal. He’s contributed little, verging on nothing.
Summer targets To push into the top ten – who’d have thought that’d be the aim a few years ago? – we need a top quality centre back and a striker who can notch 15 goals a season. And a new goalkeeper may also be on the cards.
Best and worst away fans QPR were worst, Southampton best.
Highlights montage music Depeche Mode – I Just Can’t Get Enough
Everton – Steve Jones – BlueKipper.com
5/10 After finishing in a European spot last season, it’s disappointing to be stuck in tenth this time round. I really expected us to be battling for qualification again. It wasn’t all underwhelming: to finish top of the group in Europa League and go to Wolfsburg and Young Boys and win was outstanding – but to flop out of the FA Cup to West Ham and the Capital One Cup to Swansea, both at the third-round stage, was particularly poor.
The stars I honestly don’t think we had any outstanding individuals this season. Jagielka and McCarthy played well for most of the campaign, though, and Lukaku deserves praise for scoring 20 goals. The flops Atsu, Koné and McGeady didn’t live up to expectations, but they were out injured for long periods. Distin and Alcaraz were both poor.
Summer targets I hope we sign a top-class midfield playmaker, as Pienaar and Osman are getting old and injured. We need someone classy to put that final pass through – and another striker to get on the end of those through-balls would be very welcome, too
Best and worst away fans Palace were the loudest visitors we had at Goodison. The worst were Manchester United, for breaking the minute’s silence for Sir Philip Carter.
Highlights montage music The Seekers – We Shall Not be Moved.
Hull –Rick Skelton – @HullCityLive
4/10 It’s been a major let-down on the pitch given the investment in the squad last summer, while the ongoing “Hull Tigers” nonsense continued to cause division off it. The disappointment started early with the needless exit from the Europa League and, though there have been moments of quality, consistent inconsistency has ruled. Steve Bruce bought players who didn’t meet the standards of professionalism he’d established in the squad and has failed to get the best out of players who are capable of much, much more. We’ve also been riddled with injuries – too many to just be pure luck.
The stars Nikica Jelavic makes a big difference. Whenever he’s injured, which is too often, we’re unrecognisable. Michael Dawson improved after a tough start and, in a season where big names have let us down, Paul McShane, Stephen Quinn and David Meyler never have. The flops £10m Abel Hernández and Tom Huddlestone, who has been garbage for 18 months.
Summer targets We need quality in midfield and we’re crying out for pace on the break.
Best and worst away fans Lokeren fans were incredible in the Europa League, while Man City were the very definition of “You only sing when you’re winning”.
Highlights montage music The Smiths – Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now.
Leicester – Chris Whiting – @ChrisRWhiting
7/10 Well, it’s just about worked itself out in a roundabout way. I was dreading writing this review and having to apologise for my cocky pre-season predictions, but as it is I’m pretty satisfied. We’ve gone from world beaters to whipping boys to world beaters again. And most fans in Leicester took Nigel Pearson’s antics in good humour.
The stars It’s hard to look past “the magic man” Esteban Cambiasso: it’s been a privilege to see such a talented, composed and cultured footballer gracing Filbert Way’s famous turf. Jamie Vardy had a great second half to the season and Robert Huth transformed our defence. The flops It’s been sad to see Danny Drinkwater fail to flourish in the Premier League. Cult hero Anthony Knockaert has seemingly dropped off the face of the earth this season, Andrej Kramaric has failed to make a real impact, and Paul Konchesky’s best days are far behind him.
Summer targets Huth is a must, as is securing Cambiasso and signing a new left-back.
Best and worst away fans Stoke’s were very noisy; Newcastle’s struggled.
Highlights montage music Rudimental – Not Giving In.
Liverpool - Steph Jones
5/10 It was pretty grim. We had a good afternoon back in September, a brief flurry of optimism somewhere around the start of the year and a fair few lows. But mainly we had mediocrity. Expectations that were running rampant this time last year all but disappeared by Bonfire Night. We ground out a few results to make two semi-finals but couldn’t make the final step in either. The manager spent plenty of time talking up the team and his part in the winning streak and players’ development. There was a lot of hot air blowing around a lot of the time.
The stars Philippe Coutinho showed flashes of brilliance and guile. Emre Can looks like he could be good for us long term. But mainly the Spirit of Shankly and fans groups – from our club and others – were the stars with their ongoing campaign to reclaim the game and reduce ticket prices. The flops Those behind the scenes and the owners who continue to show no leadership, no knowledge of how to run a club and zero regard for the supporters, but have plenty of time to hook up with Dunkin’ Donuts.
Summer targets Some ready-made players and leaders. James Milner’s been rumoured – I’d welcome him for starters. And a goalscorer, too.
Best and worst away fans Crystal Palace fans were pretty good: they stayed behind to acknowledge Gerrrard in his last game, and they’ve been at the forefront of the cheaper tickets campaign. The worst? The regulars with their asinine chants.
Highlights montage music The Beatles – Yesterday.
Manchester City – Lloyd Scragg – @lloyd_scragg
6/10 It’s been a frustrating season, characterised by underperformance and, ultimately, underachievement. Early exits from both domestic cups set the tone, but most disappointing of all was our total failure to put Chelsea under any pressure, which was criminal having worked so hard to overturn an eight-point deficit in the winter. Pellegrini’s tactical naivety was brutally exposed against Barcelona, and whether he’ll still be at club at the end of the summer remains to be seen. It’s not all doom and gloom, though: our form since the derby shows that, with a few new signings, we can be a force again next season.
The stars Sergio Agüero has been brilliant, and again under-appreciated by many. We can’t continue to merely accept his consistent excellence as commonplace: he’s a player to be celebrated, and one of the finest ever to grace the Premier League. Another deserving of greater acclaim is Joe Hart, who has emerged from a difficult period as a much better keeper. He’s been superb for 18 months now. The flops Fernando’s been a huge disappointment, Vincent Kompany’s poor form has continued and the jury remains out on Mangala.
Summer targets An overhaul. Kevin De Bruyne, Raheem Sterling and Paul Pogba wouldn’t be bad.
Best and worst away fans Sheffield Wednesday were best; QPR worst. They brought barely 500. A bit of a contrast to three years ag(üer)o…
Highlights montage music Noah and the Whale – Life Goes On.