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Hi guys,
We on Reading’s RR sort of ‘commissioned’ (but to an honorary cause!) our resident and excellent preview match man ‘Wolfy’, who’s actually a Liverpool supporter himself (but a fair-minded person!) to come up with end-of-season ratings for each premier league club, balancing between what might be expected and what happened. For an imaginary example, if Wigan had finished 8th that might well have been seen better than Everton finishing 5th ... so in other words, ratings will be based on the expectations of the club compared to their actual finish.
This is what he has come up with. I’d be very interested to get your own opinions, to relay back onto the initial thread topics he did for us. What mark/s would YOU have changed?
Here goes then:
“Arsenal: 8/10. I think the title might have been the goal of the supporters this season but I think the club know 4th place is a priority every season. Earlier on, they looked to have tightened that defence and they stayed unbeaten until the 29th of September, but including that game they lost 3 of the next 5. Just one win out of 5 in November, with a 2-0 home defeat to Swansea after looked to condemn them to a very poor season but Arsenal responded with 4 four straight wins. They only lost 3 games after this, against Chelsea, City and Tottenham. I think we seen the real Arsenal in the second half of the season, but they need a good start next year, with the second half of the season staying the same to get a 9 or 10.
Aston Villa: 5/10. Up until March, Villa were terrible. They'd only won 5 games and the manner in which they lost some games was worrying to say the least. They are lucky they hit some sort of form mixed with terrible seasons from QPR and Reading because they are lucky to still be in the league. The 3-0 loss at home to Wigan in December was a very low point for the club, they had just lost 4-0 to Spurs and 8-0 to Chelsea. Apart from the manner of the win against Sunderland (6-1) I haven't been impressed with Villa and if they lose Benteke, I think they will go down. They can take positives from the fact they won 5 of the last 10 games, but they need a far better season next year . They need some 3 or 4 additions this summer.
Chelsea: 8.5/10. A very busy and long season for Chelsea. They came flying out of the blocks with 7 wins and a draw then 4 league games without a win and a poor Champions League defence saw the end of Di Matteo. Benitez came in and started slowly but apart from the odd terrible game (QPR at home, Newcastle, Southampton) they were consistent and very much looked like a team capable of competing for honours. They won 11 out of 19 league games in 2013, which secured 3rd place. I can see Chelsea growing even more next season under the 'Special one'. Not a bad season for Chelsea and I think the decision to bring in Benitez was fruitful for Chelsea.
Everton: 7.5/10. Everton had some very good spells during the season and not too many bad but there was way too many draws, which ruined what might have been a season that ended with Champions League football. People say 6th was an achievement but I say it is in the back of the players' minds that they should have been in the Top 4. They had a spell October-November where they drew 7 out of 9 games, there was a shock defeat to Reading in there too. Away from home let them down badly, they only won 4 games. There are positives, like being difficult to beat and finishing in the top 6, but it was a season of what could have been for Everton and they might not get a chance like that next season.
Fulham: 6.5/10. Only 3 defeats up until the middle of November, Fulham looked strong for a mid-table season and were difficult to beat. Berbatov was looking a very good buy, he was scoring goals and the team was pulling together. A 3-1 home defeat to Sunderland started a run of just 3 wins in 19 games. All of a sudden, relegation looked a more likely outcome then a top half finish, but a 5 game unbeaten run, including a 1-0 win at White Hart Lane all but secured survival for Fulham and again they pushed up the table. But then 6 defeats and a draw against Villa showed how much Fulham need reinforcements this summer, even though a 3-0 away win at Swansea papered over a few cracks, with Fulham finishing 12th. Again, a lack of a relegation escape from Wigan made Fulham fans breath easier.
Liverpool: 7/10. It was a difficult season to watch as an LFC fan. A terrible start, albeit against top teams set the tone for the first half of the season. Suarez was saving us from dropping into the bottom half of the table or worse with Gerrard hitting bits of form too. A 3-1 home defeat against Villa ended any hopes of a top 4 finish in December and it seemed Rodgers learnt his lesson. He tied up deals for Coutinho and Sturridge from Inter and Chelsea respectively. In 2013, we lost just 3 times, two bad defeats at home to West Brom and away to Southampton plus a 2-1 defeat at the Champions. Sturridge, Coutinho and Suarez until he got banned hit form and we seen a different LFC which gives me hope for the new season. We need to keep hold of our stars and improve on a 7th place finish next season.
Man City: 8/10. Needless to say Man City were expected to defend their title this season. And people may forget, but they started well. They went 15 games unbeaten, winning 9. The loss in the Derby gave United a 6 point lead and United were on crushing form until the end of the season which made them deserved Champions, but City didn't give up. A 1-0 defeat to Sunderland was a low point in a run of 6 wins in 7 games. The title was all but over when just 2 of the next 6 games. A derby win against United wasn't enough as they won just 3 of the last 6. On the whole, City done well, they got some good results but just couldn't keep with United and probably needed an extra 10% from the players. There was no consistent goalscorer either, which was a major factor. I think they'll need season or two to be contenders again.
Man Utd: 9.5/10. Man Utd won 25 out of their first 30 games this season. That is incredible, considering they lost at Everton on the opening day. Draws didn't hold them back, they picked up wins 'The Ugly Way' and have to thank Van Persie for getting them out of some tricky situations at Southampton and Reading in Particular early on. They went on a two 4 game, two 5 game and a 7 game winning run this season. They done the double over Liverpool, won at Chelsea, won at the Etihad and scored an incredible 41 times away from home. The only reason they don't get a 10? They only won 3 of the last 8 games. And the 5-5 draw at West Brom on the final day will always be remembered as United picked up their most impressive league title yet in Fergie's final year.
Newcastle: 6/10. Newcastle only won 4 games until the turn of the year. They just couldn't find the fire-power required, then Demba Ba left for Chelsea leaving Newcastle with lots of problems. A run of 4 wins and a draw from 8 games papered over cracks at the Toon army. It all but secured survival but again, a bit like Fulham, they lost their way and were even beaten 6-0 at home by Liverpool in the most one sided games I've ever seen. A 1-0 win over Fulham, followed 5 games later by a win over relegated QPR secured Premier League status for Newcastle, who have lots of talent in the squad but really need to re-consider bringing in some local talent to help settle all the new French players.
Norwich: 6/10: Norwich are another team who started very slowly. They were smacked 5-2 by Liverpool and 4-1 to Chelsea which gave them a big kick to help them kick-on. From mid-October to mid-December Norwich won 5 home games in a row and went 10 games unbeaten home and away. But a tricky spell, which brought 5 defeats and 4 draws, dragged Norwich back into the relegation fight. A 2-1 win over Everton at the end of February gave the fans hope of a good run, but another 5 game win less streak made Norwich one of the main contenders to go down. Another home win, over Reading, clawed back even more hope, although the 2-1 home defeat to Villa was probably in the top 3 worst defeats for Norwich this season. But a hugely impressive 4-0 win over West Brom secured Premier League status, while they won 3-2 at the Etihad on the final day of the season to end a roller-coaster season. If they don't buy a striker or two, they could be in trouble next season.
QPR: 2/10. It must be said that this was one of QPR's worst seasons in history. To the shambles that was Mark Hughes to the small but brief revival under Harry, QPR never had it easy. Top players like Adel Taarabt under-performed to a point where they played better without him. Chris Samba, Jose Bosingwa, Ji-Sung Park, Granero, Wright-Phillips and Hoillet all under-performed where as there was lots of clubs after them before their moves to QPR. They had just 10 points up to the new year, then Harry won at Stamford Bridge before notching up 4 straight draws, giving fans hope. 2 defeats were followed by 2 wins and the belief was there until the 1st of April where Chris Samba unleashed his own April Fools by giving Fulham 2 sloppy goals in a 3-2 defeat. After that, I think the players gave up and so it showed. They lost 7 of the last 9 games, now Harry has a huge drop trying to get them back up.
Reading: 4/10. I don't know about the fans but I think most people could see by Christmas that Reading's squad was too weak and destined for the drop. Brian McDermott was so disappointing in the fact he kept using Pavel Pogrebynak up top on his own, doesn't matter if you like him or not, his 5 goals in 29 games is what he got in 5 games for Fulham. He's not all too blame, apart from a couple of early seasons assists, McAnuff didn't play well enough and the centre of midfield was over-ran too easily. The backs just weren't up to scratch. Alex McCarthy put in some fine displays in the last few games of the season and Robson-Kanu hit form towards the end too. They started the season able to get draws but not wins until a shock win over Everton, which was followed by 7 straight losses. Then all hopes were raised, Pogrebynak scored in 3 straight games, along with super-sub Le Fondre brought 7 points from 4 games before a couple of games of super-sub class from Le Fondre secured 4 more points, then a Jimmy Kebe inspired win over Sunderland brought all hope back. But then lost 12 of the last 15 games of the season, with the team looking slightly better under Nigel Adkins.
Southampton: 7.5/10. Staying up was the aim at the start of the season, Nigel Adkins' side starting poorly, they scored goals but were beat 4 times in 4 games. A 4-1 win over Villa finally got them off the board but another poor run brought Nigel Adkins' job into question. He responded, losing just 2 of the next 11, picking up 17 points but it wasn't enough as he was controversially axed. Pochettino was brought in with a mixed start, he picked up 5 points in his first 6 games and they headed towards the drop. Pochettino then got the very best out of Lambert, Lallana and particularly Jay Rodriguez to seal 3 straight wins over Liverpool, Chelsea and Reading. 4 draws in the last 6 games followed, but Southampton only managed 3 goals so there will be fresh doubt over them going into the new season, but they have some strong attacking players in Rodgriguez, 14 goal Rickie Lambert, Puncheon, Ramirez and Lallana. Overall, a 14th place finish is more than good enough for the newly-promoted side.
Stoke City: 6/10. Stoke's problem was a lack of a goalscorer, Crouch and Walters got 15 between them but Stoke's game was always based on physical play, resulting in low-scoring games. It's not pretty, but it's effective. They started the season tough to beat again, 1 win, 6 draws and 3 defeats. Fans called for more wins and Stoke delivered, picking up 4 wins in the next 5. They won 5 games in a 10 game unbeaten streak during that spell, soaring them into the top half. Just 5 points from the next 39 available so them fall rapidly and they became real relegation candidates. 2 wins against already relegated teams saw them stay up for another season and they collected 2 points from the last 3 games. Tony Pulis was fired and Mark Hughes brought in. I think that decision will back fire on 13th place Stoke who ensured safety yet again. But I'll say no more.
Sunderland: 4.5/10. Surely Sunderland were expecting a far better season than this, a top half finish at least. They started with 6 draws, a win and a a defeat. Only one win in 7 followed, with 5 defeats as the pressure grew on Martin O' Neill. Only Steven Fletcher up front and 'keeper Simon Mingolet were performing My biggest criticism is that he can motivate players anymore. Reports came out he was 'weird' and 'out of touch'. Sunderland responded with 5 wins from the next 9, but they did lose the other 4. A run of 2 draws in 8 games, with 6 defeats eventually brought an end to his reign and Paolo Di Canio was brought in. I instantly said he would keep them up and after a narrow defeat at Chelsea, he won the derby 3-0 away to Newcastle, before an impressive win at Wigan and a draw with Swansea. Old habits sneaked in after a 6-1 away loss to Villa, before survival was secured with two home draws. Tottenham beat them 1-0 on the final day. Eventful season for Sunderland, they'll be hoping for a quiet safe one next term, but with Di Canio in charge and overhauling the whole squad, when is it quiet?
Swansea : 8/10. The first thing I have to mention is a terrific cup run. Swansea won the League Cup, smashing Bradford 5-0 in the final. The form of 2 million, 19 goal Michu said it all for Swansea. Loanee De Guzman was terrific, so was Routledge on the wing. Williams was solid in the backs as Swansea started with 10 goals and 7 points from the first 3 games. A small run of just one win in 6 or 7 games followed but and stayed hard to beat while picking up wins up until their League Cup win. Just 2 wins followed that cup win and just 8 points but Swansea had their place in the top half all but secure, they'll just hope the slide doesn't continue next season. But 9th and a cup win is a successful season for the Swans.
Tottenham: 7.5/10. Tottenham or 'Bale FC' as they were named by the end of the season actually only got 4 Bale goals in the opening 12 matches but there goal of Champions League football was failing as meant a record of 5 wins, 2 draws and 5 defeats, including a 5-2 defeat to Arsenal. But Bale and Tottenham kicked on, between 25th of November 2012 up until the 10th of March 2013, Tottenham lost just one Premier League game and became almost certs for a Champions League place. But a 3-2 defeat at Anfield after being 2-1 up and then a 1-0 home defeat left Tottenham needing to win all their games to stop an in-form Arsenal securing 4th. A week before the Liverpool game, AVB had declared Arsenal's season 'over' after opening a big lead over them but Arsenal were back. A run of 3 draws and 3 wins coupled with Arsenal's winning run saw Spurs fall to 5th and even though 2 wins in the last 2 set Spurs with 72 points, a club record in the Premier League era and enough to qualify for the Champions League in 10 of the last 11 season, Spurs missed out yet again. I gave them a high mark because they did set a club record points and were so unlucky in not getting 4th. It's going to be even harder next year so they need to keep hold of Bale.
West Brom: 8/10. With two new entries, Manager Steve Clarke and loanee Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea, many predicted Clarke and Lukaku not experienced enough to keep West Brom up. But West Brom destroyed Liverpool 3-0 on the opening day and never looked back. They only lost one of their first 7 games, winning 4 as they became surprise contenders for a European place. 2 defeats followed but West Brom were in the top 4 following 4 straight wins. Albion slowed down with 3 defeats but once again surprised us with another 7 points from 3 games. The season literally couldn't get any better so it got far far worse. West Brom only managed 4 wins and 4 draws after the new year a they began to feel the effects of an explosive start. One win was a 2-0 win at Anfield however and they deserve huge plaudits for that. Romelu Lukaku meanwhile, shocked everyone with 17 league goals and became one of only a few players to score a hat trick against Man Utd on the final day in a thrilling 5-5 draw. He managed his hat-trick as a substitute and only needed 36 minutes between his first and last goal. He may be wanted at Chelsea but he's now a wanted man, can West Brom cope without him? I think so yes. They finished 8th in this season, a terrific season for a club tipped to go down.
West Ham: 9/10. West Ham started the season well enough for a side who came up via the play offs and were widely tipped to go back down. They won 5, drew 4 and lost 3. A run of just two wins followed until February but West Ham had already picked up enough points to secure safety. Then loanee Andy Carroll and midfielder Kevin Nolan really turned on the style, they lost just 3 of the last 11 games, laughing of their tag as relegation favourites at the beginning of the season. Nolan hit 4 goals in that run, Carroll hit 5 as West Ham ended the season with a top half finish. 10th place after coming up from the play-offs was hugely impressive for West Ham who were tipped for rock-bottom. I see they've made offers for Carroll and Negredo to join them so they are making all the right noises ahead of the new season.
Wigan: 6.5/10. This is a difficult one because Wigan were eventually relegated after 8 seasons of miraculous survivals but also won the first major trophy in the clubs history, shocking Man City 1-0 in the FA Cup final. They did have 5 wins going into the new year and 18 points. A 6 game win less run seemed to all but condemn them but with other sides around them performing badly and this being 'Wigan's time of year' they won 3 of the next 4 games, with a 4-0 defeat to in-from Liverpool the only setback. 5 points from the next 5 games left it all in the balance, but Wigan were beaten 3-2 by Swansea in a game they really should have won. Then they won the FA Cup but 3 days later, they had an impossible task of winning at the Emirates like they did last year to keep themselves afloat. Wigan failed to do so and then drew 2-2 n the final day of the season to end a season of mixed emotion. It looks like they have lost manager Roberto Martinez and will probably lose 3-4 key players but I really hope to see this fantastic club back in the big time sooner rather than later.”
Follow Wolfy on Twitter: @LFCWolfy
We on Reading’s RR sort of ‘commissioned’ (but to an honorary cause!) our resident and excellent preview match man ‘Wolfy’, who’s actually a Liverpool supporter himself (but a fair-minded person!) to come up with end-of-season ratings for each premier league club, balancing between what might be expected and what happened. For an imaginary example, if Wigan had finished 8th that might well have been seen better than Everton finishing 5th ... so in other words, ratings will be based on the expectations of the club compared to their actual finish.
This is what he has come up with. I’d be very interested to get your own opinions, to relay back onto the initial thread topics he did for us. What mark/s would YOU have changed?
Here goes then:
“Arsenal: 8/10. I think the title might have been the goal of the supporters this season but I think the club know 4th place is a priority every season. Earlier on, they looked to have tightened that defence and they stayed unbeaten until the 29th of September, but including that game they lost 3 of the next 5. Just one win out of 5 in November, with a 2-0 home defeat to Swansea after looked to condemn them to a very poor season but Arsenal responded with 4 four straight wins. They only lost 3 games after this, against Chelsea, City and Tottenham. I think we seen the real Arsenal in the second half of the season, but they need a good start next year, with the second half of the season staying the same to get a 9 or 10.
Aston Villa: 5/10. Up until March, Villa were terrible. They'd only won 5 games and the manner in which they lost some games was worrying to say the least. They are lucky they hit some sort of form mixed with terrible seasons from QPR and Reading because they are lucky to still be in the league. The 3-0 loss at home to Wigan in December was a very low point for the club, they had just lost 4-0 to Spurs and 8-0 to Chelsea. Apart from the manner of the win against Sunderland (6-1) I haven't been impressed with Villa and if they lose Benteke, I think they will go down. They can take positives from the fact they won 5 of the last 10 games, but they need a far better season next year . They need some 3 or 4 additions this summer.
Chelsea: 8.5/10. A very busy and long season for Chelsea. They came flying out of the blocks with 7 wins and a draw then 4 league games without a win and a poor Champions League defence saw the end of Di Matteo. Benitez came in and started slowly but apart from the odd terrible game (QPR at home, Newcastle, Southampton) they were consistent and very much looked like a team capable of competing for honours. They won 11 out of 19 league games in 2013, which secured 3rd place. I can see Chelsea growing even more next season under the 'Special one'. Not a bad season for Chelsea and I think the decision to bring in Benitez was fruitful for Chelsea.
Everton: 7.5/10. Everton had some very good spells during the season and not too many bad but there was way too many draws, which ruined what might have been a season that ended with Champions League football. People say 6th was an achievement but I say it is in the back of the players' minds that they should have been in the Top 4. They had a spell October-November where they drew 7 out of 9 games, there was a shock defeat to Reading in there too. Away from home let them down badly, they only won 4 games. There are positives, like being difficult to beat and finishing in the top 6, but it was a season of what could have been for Everton and they might not get a chance like that next season.
Fulham: 6.5/10. Only 3 defeats up until the middle of November, Fulham looked strong for a mid-table season and were difficult to beat. Berbatov was looking a very good buy, he was scoring goals and the team was pulling together. A 3-1 home defeat to Sunderland started a run of just 3 wins in 19 games. All of a sudden, relegation looked a more likely outcome then a top half finish, but a 5 game unbeaten run, including a 1-0 win at White Hart Lane all but secured survival for Fulham and again they pushed up the table. But then 6 defeats and a draw against Villa showed how much Fulham need reinforcements this summer, even though a 3-0 away win at Swansea papered over a few cracks, with Fulham finishing 12th. Again, a lack of a relegation escape from Wigan made Fulham fans breath easier.
Liverpool: 7/10. It was a difficult season to watch as an LFC fan. A terrible start, albeit against top teams set the tone for the first half of the season. Suarez was saving us from dropping into the bottom half of the table or worse with Gerrard hitting bits of form too. A 3-1 home defeat against Villa ended any hopes of a top 4 finish in December and it seemed Rodgers learnt his lesson. He tied up deals for Coutinho and Sturridge from Inter and Chelsea respectively. In 2013, we lost just 3 times, two bad defeats at home to West Brom and away to Southampton plus a 2-1 defeat at the Champions. Sturridge, Coutinho and Suarez until he got banned hit form and we seen a different LFC which gives me hope for the new season. We need to keep hold of our stars and improve on a 7th place finish next season.
Man City: 8/10. Needless to say Man City were expected to defend their title this season. And people may forget, but they started well. They went 15 games unbeaten, winning 9. The loss in the Derby gave United a 6 point lead and United were on crushing form until the end of the season which made them deserved Champions, but City didn't give up. A 1-0 defeat to Sunderland was a low point in a run of 6 wins in 7 games. The title was all but over when just 2 of the next 6 games. A derby win against United wasn't enough as they won just 3 of the last 6. On the whole, City done well, they got some good results but just couldn't keep with United and probably needed an extra 10% from the players. There was no consistent goalscorer either, which was a major factor. I think they'll need season or two to be contenders again.
Man Utd: 9.5/10. Man Utd won 25 out of their first 30 games this season. That is incredible, considering they lost at Everton on the opening day. Draws didn't hold them back, they picked up wins 'The Ugly Way' and have to thank Van Persie for getting them out of some tricky situations at Southampton and Reading in Particular early on. They went on a two 4 game, two 5 game and a 7 game winning run this season. They done the double over Liverpool, won at Chelsea, won at the Etihad and scored an incredible 41 times away from home. The only reason they don't get a 10? They only won 3 of the last 8 games. And the 5-5 draw at West Brom on the final day will always be remembered as United picked up their most impressive league title yet in Fergie's final year.
Newcastle: 6/10. Newcastle only won 4 games until the turn of the year. They just couldn't find the fire-power required, then Demba Ba left for Chelsea leaving Newcastle with lots of problems. A run of 4 wins and a draw from 8 games papered over cracks at the Toon army. It all but secured survival but again, a bit like Fulham, they lost their way and were even beaten 6-0 at home by Liverpool in the most one sided games I've ever seen. A 1-0 win over Fulham, followed 5 games later by a win over relegated QPR secured Premier League status for Newcastle, who have lots of talent in the squad but really need to re-consider bringing in some local talent to help settle all the new French players.
Norwich: 6/10: Norwich are another team who started very slowly. They were smacked 5-2 by Liverpool and 4-1 to Chelsea which gave them a big kick to help them kick-on. From mid-October to mid-December Norwich won 5 home games in a row and went 10 games unbeaten home and away. But a tricky spell, which brought 5 defeats and 4 draws, dragged Norwich back into the relegation fight. A 2-1 win over Everton at the end of February gave the fans hope of a good run, but another 5 game win less streak made Norwich one of the main contenders to go down. Another home win, over Reading, clawed back even more hope, although the 2-1 home defeat to Villa was probably in the top 3 worst defeats for Norwich this season. But a hugely impressive 4-0 win over West Brom secured Premier League status, while they won 3-2 at the Etihad on the final day of the season to end a roller-coaster season. If they don't buy a striker or two, they could be in trouble next season.
QPR: 2/10. It must be said that this was one of QPR's worst seasons in history. To the shambles that was Mark Hughes to the small but brief revival under Harry, QPR never had it easy. Top players like Adel Taarabt under-performed to a point where they played better without him. Chris Samba, Jose Bosingwa, Ji-Sung Park, Granero, Wright-Phillips and Hoillet all under-performed where as there was lots of clubs after them before their moves to QPR. They had just 10 points up to the new year, then Harry won at Stamford Bridge before notching up 4 straight draws, giving fans hope. 2 defeats were followed by 2 wins and the belief was there until the 1st of April where Chris Samba unleashed his own April Fools by giving Fulham 2 sloppy goals in a 3-2 defeat. After that, I think the players gave up and so it showed. They lost 7 of the last 9 games, now Harry has a huge drop trying to get them back up.
Reading: 4/10. I don't know about the fans but I think most people could see by Christmas that Reading's squad was too weak and destined for the drop. Brian McDermott was so disappointing in the fact he kept using Pavel Pogrebynak up top on his own, doesn't matter if you like him or not, his 5 goals in 29 games is what he got in 5 games for Fulham. He's not all too blame, apart from a couple of early seasons assists, McAnuff didn't play well enough and the centre of midfield was over-ran too easily. The backs just weren't up to scratch. Alex McCarthy put in some fine displays in the last few games of the season and Robson-Kanu hit form towards the end too. They started the season able to get draws but not wins until a shock win over Everton, which was followed by 7 straight losses. Then all hopes were raised, Pogrebynak scored in 3 straight games, along with super-sub Le Fondre brought 7 points from 4 games before a couple of games of super-sub class from Le Fondre secured 4 more points, then a Jimmy Kebe inspired win over Sunderland brought all hope back. But then lost 12 of the last 15 games of the season, with the team looking slightly better under Nigel Adkins.
Southampton: 7.5/10. Staying up was the aim at the start of the season, Nigel Adkins' side starting poorly, they scored goals but were beat 4 times in 4 games. A 4-1 win over Villa finally got them off the board but another poor run brought Nigel Adkins' job into question. He responded, losing just 2 of the next 11, picking up 17 points but it wasn't enough as he was controversially axed. Pochettino was brought in with a mixed start, he picked up 5 points in his first 6 games and they headed towards the drop. Pochettino then got the very best out of Lambert, Lallana and particularly Jay Rodriguez to seal 3 straight wins over Liverpool, Chelsea and Reading. 4 draws in the last 6 games followed, but Southampton only managed 3 goals so there will be fresh doubt over them going into the new season, but they have some strong attacking players in Rodgriguez, 14 goal Rickie Lambert, Puncheon, Ramirez and Lallana. Overall, a 14th place finish is more than good enough for the newly-promoted side.
Stoke City: 6/10. Stoke's problem was a lack of a goalscorer, Crouch and Walters got 15 between them but Stoke's game was always based on physical play, resulting in low-scoring games. It's not pretty, but it's effective. They started the season tough to beat again, 1 win, 6 draws and 3 defeats. Fans called for more wins and Stoke delivered, picking up 4 wins in the next 5. They won 5 games in a 10 game unbeaten streak during that spell, soaring them into the top half. Just 5 points from the next 39 available so them fall rapidly and they became real relegation candidates. 2 wins against already relegated teams saw them stay up for another season and they collected 2 points from the last 3 games. Tony Pulis was fired and Mark Hughes brought in. I think that decision will back fire on 13th place Stoke who ensured safety yet again. But I'll say no more.
Sunderland: 4.5/10. Surely Sunderland were expecting a far better season than this, a top half finish at least. They started with 6 draws, a win and a a defeat. Only one win in 7 followed, with 5 defeats as the pressure grew on Martin O' Neill. Only Steven Fletcher up front and 'keeper Simon Mingolet were performing My biggest criticism is that he can motivate players anymore. Reports came out he was 'weird' and 'out of touch'. Sunderland responded with 5 wins from the next 9, but they did lose the other 4. A run of 2 draws in 8 games, with 6 defeats eventually brought an end to his reign and Paolo Di Canio was brought in. I instantly said he would keep them up and after a narrow defeat at Chelsea, he won the derby 3-0 away to Newcastle, before an impressive win at Wigan and a draw with Swansea. Old habits sneaked in after a 6-1 away loss to Villa, before survival was secured with two home draws. Tottenham beat them 1-0 on the final day. Eventful season for Sunderland, they'll be hoping for a quiet safe one next term, but with Di Canio in charge and overhauling the whole squad, when is it quiet?
Swansea : 8/10. The first thing I have to mention is a terrific cup run. Swansea won the League Cup, smashing Bradford 5-0 in the final. The form of 2 million, 19 goal Michu said it all for Swansea. Loanee De Guzman was terrific, so was Routledge on the wing. Williams was solid in the backs as Swansea started with 10 goals and 7 points from the first 3 games. A small run of just one win in 6 or 7 games followed but and stayed hard to beat while picking up wins up until their League Cup win. Just 2 wins followed that cup win and just 8 points but Swansea had their place in the top half all but secure, they'll just hope the slide doesn't continue next season. But 9th and a cup win is a successful season for the Swans.
Tottenham: 7.5/10. Tottenham or 'Bale FC' as they were named by the end of the season actually only got 4 Bale goals in the opening 12 matches but there goal of Champions League football was failing as meant a record of 5 wins, 2 draws and 5 defeats, including a 5-2 defeat to Arsenal. But Bale and Tottenham kicked on, between 25th of November 2012 up until the 10th of March 2013, Tottenham lost just one Premier League game and became almost certs for a Champions League place. But a 3-2 defeat at Anfield after being 2-1 up and then a 1-0 home defeat left Tottenham needing to win all their games to stop an in-form Arsenal securing 4th. A week before the Liverpool game, AVB had declared Arsenal's season 'over' after opening a big lead over them but Arsenal were back. A run of 3 draws and 3 wins coupled with Arsenal's winning run saw Spurs fall to 5th and even though 2 wins in the last 2 set Spurs with 72 points, a club record in the Premier League era and enough to qualify for the Champions League in 10 of the last 11 season, Spurs missed out yet again. I gave them a high mark because they did set a club record points and were so unlucky in not getting 4th. It's going to be even harder next year so they need to keep hold of Bale.
West Brom: 8/10. With two new entries, Manager Steve Clarke and loanee Romelu Lukaku from Chelsea, many predicted Clarke and Lukaku not experienced enough to keep West Brom up. But West Brom destroyed Liverpool 3-0 on the opening day and never looked back. They only lost one of their first 7 games, winning 4 as they became surprise contenders for a European place. 2 defeats followed but West Brom were in the top 4 following 4 straight wins. Albion slowed down with 3 defeats but once again surprised us with another 7 points from 3 games. The season literally couldn't get any better so it got far far worse. West Brom only managed 4 wins and 4 draws after the new year a they began to feel the effects of an explosive start. One win was a 2-0 win at Anfield however and they deserve huge plaudits for that. Romelu Lukaku meanwhile, shocked everyone with 17 league goals and became one of only a few players to score a hat trick against Man Utd on the final day in a thrilling 5-5 draw. He managed his hat-trick as a substitute and only needed 36 minutes between his first and last goal. He may be wanted at Chelsea but he's now a wanted man, can West Brom cope without him? I think so yes. They finished 8th in this season, a terrific season for a club tipped to go down.
West Ham: 9/10. West Ham started the season well enough for a side who came up via the play offs and were widely tipped to go back down. They won 5, drew 4 and lost 3. A run of just two wins followed until February but West Ham had already picked up enough points to secure safety. Then loanee Andy Carroll and midfielder Kevin Nolan really turned on the style, they lost just 3 of the last 11 games, laughing of their tag as relegation favourites at the beginning of the season. Nolan hit 4 goals in that run, Carroll hit 5 as West Ham ended the season with a top half finish. 10th place after coming up from the play-offs was hugely impressive for West Ham who were tipped for rock-bottom. I see they've made offers for Carroll and Negredo to join them so they are making all the right noises ahead of the new season.
Wigan: 6.5/10. This is a difficult one because Wigan were eventually relegated after 8 seasons of miraculous survivals but also won the first major trophy in the clubs history, shocking Man City 1-0 in the FA Cup final. They did have 5 wins going into the new year and 18 points. A 6 game win less run seemed to all but condemn them but with other sides around them performing badly and this being 'Wigan's time of year' they won 3 of the next 4 games, with a 4-0 defeat to in-from Liverpool the only setback. 5 points from the next 5 games left it all in the balance, but Wigan were beaten 3-2 by Swansea in a game they really should have won. Then they won the FA Cup but 3 days later, they had an impossible task of winning at the Emirates like they did last year to keep themselves afloat. Wigan failed to do so and then drew 2-2 n the final day of the season to end a season of mixed emotion. It looks like they have lost manager Roberto Martinez and will probably lose 3-4 key players but I really hope to see this fantastic club back in the big time sooner rather than later.”
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