Welcome to a new article! Today you can read what some fans think of their clubs’ 19/20 season!
One guest fan shares their thoughts and points of view below. Enjoy!
ARSENAL – Sir Johnny
After a disappointing start to the season under Unai Emery, I truly believe Arsenal have at last found a manager that fits their style of football and ethics.
The clear player of the season for me is yet again, Aubameyang. I also see positive signs from both keepers Leno and Martinez, and a true talent in Tierney.
Arsenal's best performance for me was against Manchester City in the FA Cup Semi Final. Helped by a brilliant display by David Luiz and an improved Xhaka.
With the right signings made by Arteta, Arsenal could push for a top 4 place next season.
Twitter: @ToHull_andback
ASTON VILLA – Amy Dunne
This season we've been good and bad. It was good before 'Project Restart': we didn't have too many losses, we had a few draws, but in typical Villa style, not very many wins. If I were to choose my favourite players from pre-project restart, they'd be Ginny (McGinn), Wesley, Grealish, was decent enough then Hourihane for his whopper (in my opinion) scoring with his "wand of a left foot". Our goalkeeper Heaton was quite good too. Now post-project restart, with Heaton and Wesley out injured I can't pick them, so Trezeguet and Douglas Luiz have definitely been the best players since then. Trezeguet with his “crucial” goals at Crystal Palace and Arsenal, but not forgetting about Ezri Konsa who “finally” got his first premier league goal against Everton but most improved player is definitely Douglas Luiz because he's just been on fire lately. Honourable shout again to Grealish though for getting that goal on the final day against West Ham which basically kept us up for another season. 2 of our players who haven't played since March: Henri Lansbury and Frédéric Guilbert, who I have to say has been pretty decent in the last three/four games he played in. Favourite player of the season, as I say (homeboy Hourihane) also quite liked Big Wes (Wesley) before his injury. I also really like Elmo (Elmohamady). Most improved player(s) since restart. Absolutely DougCLASS Luiz and honourable shoutout to Ginny (McGinn) but Grealish has also improved too (which is good).
Now to our overall performance throughout the season: pretty bad to be honest. 56 goals conceded against other teams with 10 major errors leading to opposition goals. Post-restart: much, much better (almost like a different team) only 10 goals conceded and 0 errors leading to goals. Less than even Liverpool!
So yes, this season's been eventful!
Key player of the season: Jack Grealish
Best match of the season: Aston Villa 2-1 Watford
Predicted finish for next season: 13th – 16th place
Twitter: @amydunne_2001
Instagram: amysdunne01
BOURNEMOUTH - Lucas
Our best player undoubtedly this season has to be Aaron Ramsdale, Nathan Ake was up there, however Aaron tops it. First season of Premier League football for us and won us points by himself. As for the best match, personally it was the 3-1 home win against Brighton. That was the game that made me believe we could still stay up but unfortunately we've just fallen short. As for next season I think we'll come around mid-table, 11th I'd say depending on who comes and goes in a busy summer window.
Twitter: @AFCBLucas
Instagram: lucasba16
BRIGHTON – Alan Wares of Albion Roar
This was a season of major transition on the pitch, where the stultifying, and not always effective approach taken by Chris Hughton was replaced with an often more free-flowing though, at times, frustrating style, introduced by Graham Potter. Albion’s third consecutive season in the top flight saw us finish in a respectable 15th place; safety was ultimately guaranteed with six games left.
Potter also brought in many more youngsters, with Aaron Connolly with the best individual performance of the season, bagging two goals against Spurs. Most consistent performer was skipper and Albion fans’ Player of the Season, Lewis Dunk.
Given Brighton’s recent acquisition of Adam Lallana and Dutch international Joel Veltman, and with ambitions for strengthening throughout the squad, an improvement on 15th (and 41 points) is going to be expected and demanded - even if by Potter himself.
Key player of the season: Lewis Dunk
Best match of the season: Brighton 3-0 Tottenham
Predicted finish for next season: > 15th place
Twitter: @albionroar
Instagram: thealbionroar
BURNLEY – Burnley FC Latest
I think we have had a great season this year. One of our best. I don’t think we can choose just one key player, because there is a few. Nick Pope has been outstanding. He finished the season with 15 clean sheets and was challenging for the golden glove. Without him we would not have been able to grind out these results. Then we have James Tarkowski: one of the league’s best defenders and should be called up for the Euros. He always has a good season working next to Ben Mee. But Ben is injured so this season he’s had to work extra hard, and it’s payed off. Then we have Dwight McNeil: don’t have to say much about him. Absolute class youngster. He has the most assists for us, he has had the most dribbles in the team, and he puts in the most crosses. He is truly amazing and will be going places in the future. And finally Jay Rodriguez. He signed back for the clarets last summer, and is now our leading goal scorer. Not just any goals either important goals like the one at Anfield. That’s probably my favourite game of the season. I think Burnley can end next season in 9th place in the league.
Twitter: @burnleyfclatest
Instagram: burnleyfclatest
CHELSEA – Chelsea Control
Chelsea this season has done decently I would say. There are a lot of things we could’ve improved on like our defence and possessions, etc. The lower part of the pitch sometimes failed to defend which dictated wherever the opposition scored or not. This season, our upper part of the pitch has done beautifully, using tactics that made opportunities for us. My player of the season would probably be Giroud as he played amazingly and showed what he could do with the ball, there are amazing people that underrated him. I would say our best match was against Watford as we dominated and scored 3 goals.
Predicted finish for next season: 3rd/ 4th place
Instagram: cfc_cntrl
CRYSTAL PALACE – Jade Brooks
We’ve had a good start this season, then it suddenly died. Highlights from this season have to be winning 2-1 at Old Trafford and of course beating Brighton. Going forward into next season, I feel like we need a younger squad, a younger manager, we desperately need the board to do big things this transfer window.
Key player of the season: Jordan Ayew
Predicted finish for next season: 16th/17th place (depends on signings)
Twitter: @Jadey_oxo
Instagram: ox_jadey_ox
EVERTON – Owen Parkes of Breathe Everton
So, Everton have had a tough season. Going back to the start we thought we could potentially get into Europe under Marco Silva but it never worked out because he was tactically terrible. He went and Duncan Ferguson came in and gave us a lift, but that was going to get worse eventually due to the nature of how we were playing. Carlo Ancelotti came in and has done a good job. We still don’t look great but we have been able to get points and stay up. Richarlison has been the standout and next season we should be looking to get into Europe.
Best match of the season: Everton 3-1 Chelsea
Twitter: @owenparkes123
Instagram: breathe.everton
FULHAM – Fulham Fanpage 11
I think we had a good season but we really should've been in an automatic position 100%.
Our key player was Mitrovic of course but Michael Hector, Rodak, Reed and Kebano were also very vital towards the end, and of course Joe Bryan is an honourable mention too.
Our best match was definitely 2-1 Brentford because everyone doubted us.
My predicted spot for next season? I think we will stay up but come 15th.
Instagram: fulhamfanpage11
LEEDS UTD – Tommy Davies
How was the season for Leeds Utd Fans?
Pretty much as good as you can hope for, though at the time it was often nerve-racking. For whatever reason, there is always massive expectation at Leeds Utd and it’s often to the detriment of the club and the fans themselves. Given that we were out of the Premiership for some sixteen years, every disappointing season made it feel that much further away. Two years ago, after a speculative enquiry regarding the availability of the storied Argentinian manager Marcelo Bielsa, suddenly it felt not only doable but likely. He has revitalised the club in just about every way. Every match home and away is sold-out and we’ve been playing absolutely fantastic football after years of false starts and drudgery. Basically the same squad of players looked like relegation candidates under Bielsa’s predecessor Paul Heckingbottom but since then the Argentine has introduced an absurdly demanding health and fitness regime that quickly made us unquestionably the fittest team in the league. It was something of an aberration that we weren’t promoted last season but happily he stayed on to finish the job and we were promoted as Champions – ten points clear of West Brom in second.
Who was your key player?
To be honest you could say virtually any player in our typical starting line-up but for me it’s unquestionably our Spanish winger turned playmaker Pablo Hernandez. There’s a chance fans would remember him from his days at Swansea, with whom he won the League Cup in 2013. Since he arrived at Leeds four years ago he seems to be getting better. At 35 years old we didn’t know if we could still rely on him but he’s been absolutely scintillating again. Virtually everything comes through him when he plays and although his hamstrings are starting to creak a bit, his footballing brain is intact and he seems to have found another gear under Bielsa. It’s hard to say if he can continue to have an impact in the Premiership but I hesitate to write him off if only because people who did so in the past couple of years have been made to look silly. He’s also a legitimately lovely bloke despite his haunting thousand-yard stare.
What was the best match of the season?
Rather strangely it was in the FA Cup against eventual winners Arsenal and we lost. It was at the start of the calendar year and we had some difficult league fixtures against near rivals coming up so somewhat perversely, the best result for us was to be knocked out with our pride intact – which is exactly what happened. Given Bielsa’s fondness for a small squad we were obligated to select a starting XI mainly consisting of fringe players, including two teenagers who made their competitive debut on that night at the Emirates. As it happens, we absolutely played Arsenal off the park in the first half and it was something of a miracle that it was goalless at the break. Eventually their quality shone through and we conceded a single goal that proved to be the decider but I think everyone in the stadium realised that they’d escaped with one. Although losing was the best result for us, you couldn’t help but wonder what would have happened if we’d named our strongest side. Ultimately we won the Championship and Arsenal the FA Cup so it was a good result for all concerned.
What was the best goal of the season?
This has been fiercely contested for several reasons – first among them because under Bielsa we’ve scored the sort of goals you wish you could bottle and place on your mantlepiece. Goals that would have been talked about with reverence for years in most seasons became commonplace. Given the idiosyncrasies of Bielsaball, it’s not uncommon for defenders to pop up with key goals and this season our back four seemed to be having their own goal of the season contest. Stuart Dallas (nominally a winger) scored a beauty away at Stoke from right-back and talented young loanee Ben White smashed in a volley from the edge of the box against Charlton on the last day of the season but the prize ultimately has to go to usual right-back Luke Ayling, who smashed one in off the bar against West Yorkshire rivals Huddersfield Town just before the lockdown. There were many things to love about this goal but the fact that a video emerged of him scoring virtually the same goal in training earlier in the week made it that much sweeter.
What was the biggest disappointment?
In terms of football, it was frustrating that we never really found a reliable deputy for hardworking but underscoring centre-forward Patrick Bamford. Early on we were fortunate to have talented young striker Eddie Nketiah on loan from Arsenal but regrettably injuries blighted his all too brief stay. During the transfer window we were linked with the excellent Che Adams from Saints but ultimately we couldn’t get a deal over the line and fell back on signing Jean-Kevin Augustin from RB Leipzig. Unfortunately he also suffered a reoccurring injury and was unable to play a part in the campaign. As an additional unwelcome footnote, we’re now reportedly obligated to buy him for some £18m, despite it looking increasingly unlikely that he’ll ever prove to be fit enough to play under Bielsa, who demands absolute commitment from his players. It seems increasingly likely that the situation will be resolved one way or the other in the courts.
The saddest part of the season was our former Real Madrid and Spain goalkeeper Kiko Casilla being found guilty of racially abusing Charlton loanee Jonathan Leko during a match at The Valley. There was no recording of the alleged offense and Casilla strenuously denied the charge but the report was very hard reading and many of our fans understandably want him out of the club. He was banned for eight matches and his absence didn’t impede our progress but the whole affair left a bitter aftertaste for all involved. Given the gestures of support to Black Lives Matter that became commonplace after the lockdown it became increasingly awkward that Casilla was still on our books – particularly given the multicultural makeup of our players, backroom staff and fans. The club seemed to feel obligated to back their player and this proved to be the only real blip on an otherwise wonderful season. Hopefully for all concerned Casilla is quietly moved on this summer.
Where will you finish next season?
It’s a difficult question to answer, not least of all because Leeds Utd fans are usually cynical. Given that the goal for any newly promoted club has to be survival, I think we’d be contented with anywhere in the lower midtable. Whilst Leeds is a club with a large number of supporters around the world, our long exile meant that we missed out on a crucial period where top-flight football was particularly lucrative and our current owners, whilst refreshingly stable, are not wealthy by the ridiculous standards of modern football. Thus, we’ll be relying on largely the same squad that got us promoted, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing but also suggests that we’re unlikely to be competing for a place in Europe. There remains a question as to how Bielsaball will translate to the Premiership but given the close fought match against Arsenal last season, I think most of our fans are quietly optimistic that we will survive. A common problem for us over the past two seasons was that many sides realised that the best thing to do was to sit back against us but I’d imagine this will not be the case in the Premiership. I can imagine we’ll have to take a few beatings over the course of the season but I suspect a 12th place finish would not be a completely absurd proposition.
Twitter: @tommy_lufc
LEICESTER CITY – Simon Cardoza
The goal before the season started for most Leicester fans, was simply to target a top 6 finish. Early on, Leicester was in good form and we looked like a proper champions league side. This made us all dream of having our second run in the Champions League. Unfortunately, since mid december, we had a terrible form that appeared to have lasted towards the rest of the season. I believe that the 2 biggest reasons for this was a lack of squad depth and a lack of strong mentality. Wilfred Ndidi is arguably the most important player in the squad which was evident when he got a knock keeping him out for almost 2 months. During this time, Leicester lost many matches such as to Man City, Liverpool, Southampton, Burnley, and Norwich. Another key player, Jamie Vardy was also injured for a few matches, and he was pivotal for our success as he was our source of goals. Without him, we struggled to score goals. As for mentality, throughout the season, the players lacked the will to fight on numerous occasions. This was clearly seen in the 4-1 loss to Bourenmouth. The players seemingly accepted defeats as if they had secured a top 4 finish. We didn’t end the season in the top 4, but that doesn’t mean this season was bad. Sure, we started off wanting Europa league and in the end we got it, but we were so close to champions league that this felt like such a waste. This is, however, our 2nd best ever finish in the league, the other being the famous 2016 Premier League win. We had plenty of good moments, such as my favorite match of the season, Southampton 0 Leicester City 9, victory over both Arsenal and Tottenham at the King Power, Jamie Vardy winning the golden boot, etc. Overall, this was a great season, and I hope there are better things in the future of this beautiful club. I predict another top half finish in the table for Leicester for the upcoming 20/21 season. I would say 7th due to the Europa league matches.
Twitter: @SimonCardoza13
Instagram: thefox358
LIVERPOOL - Maciej Konofol of LFC History
What a journey it’s been! I remember how angry I was on 12 May 2019. 97 points… and still nothing. Seriously, what else can you do to win the title? I hated that thought. And now, just over a year later, Liverpool are champions of England, Europe and the world.
When we beat Man City 3-1, it was an early call that something was really happening. 4-0 against Leicester on Boxing Day was like ‘this time it REALLY doesn’t slip’. These were two massive victories and milestones in our 2019-20 campaign.
Players like Mane, Salah, van Dijk etc. are always going to be valuable assets in the team, but dear God, has anyone expected Jordan Henderson to be THAT influential on the pitch? I’ve never seen a player responding to the criticism in such great manner. I wouldn’t swap him for any other midfielder in the world right now. Top three players in this campaign have been Henderson, Mane and Alexander-Arnold. In any order.
Next season we’re going to challenge for the title again, but it’s going to be more difficult. Man City want a revenge, while Man Utd and Chelsea are strenghtening their teams and they are going to be more dangerous. It’s going to be an exciting year. The opposition will surely be very tough, but I have already learned to put some faith in this Liverpool side and trust the Boss!
Twitter: @LFChistory
Instagram: lfchistorynet
MAN CITY – Man City Now
Manchester City’s season in my opinion was full of ups and downs as we played poorly in some games this season. Our key player could only be Kevin de Bruyne who I think was the best player in the premier league. For me, our best performance was probably Manchester City 4-0 Liverpool beating the champions by such an amount of goals was amazing. I personally think that if we make some smart transfers we have the talent to win the Premier League again in 2020/21.
Twitter: @NowMancity
Instagram: mancity.now
MAN UTD – Hassan
The start of the season for Manchester United was a bit inconsistent in terms of results, although our record against the top 6 was amazing. We only started playing the way we should’ve been when Bruno Fernandes joined in January. We started playing good football. We managed to end the season going 14 matches unbeaten, and finished 3rd. Our key player of the season is probably Bruno because of how well we played with him and his goal contributions for the team. The best match of our season was probably our 2-0 win against Manchester City. For next season I predict we’ll finish in the top 3, most likely 3rd again. We need some signings to strengthen our squad to help us get top 3 again.
Twitter: @MartialMagic_
NEWCASTLE UTD – Michael C. Lucas
From a Newcastle Fan, I’d say our season probably went better than expected, with regards to where we finished. To be honest I was expecting another relegation fight, as we are not strengthening our team! Our £40 signing of Joelinton has to be our worst signing since MARCELINO, who played very few games for us and spent 2 months out with a dislocated pinky! Our best player has to be our keeper Martin Dubravka or Almirón, who has not scored many goals but his work rate is tireless and he always give 100%. For next season we were looking at the prospect of a new chairman with a big influx in cash and optimism but that deal looks like it has fell through; under the current stewardship of Mike Ashley I can’t see him investing in anyone who will be able to strengthen our team to the point where we will finish about our current position, so I’d say next season we will be in another relegation fight. Or Joelinton puts his football boots on and turns into Ronaldo (The REAL Ronaldo) and starts scoring goals for fun! Our best game of the season I’d have to say was 1 of 3, the 4-1 demolition of Bournemouth was a rare example of how we can play, when we beat Sheffield United 3-0 (I thought it was a shock result because of how well Sheff Utd have been playing). But probably our best game and result came from a 2-2 draw with Man City! I had the tissues ready for that game!
Twitter: @HeathensStar79
Instagram: the_heathens
NORWICH – Ben Ambrose of Norwich Talk
When we came up from the Championship, we’d suddenly gone from a club with no expectations to a club full of hope and promise, matched be equal ambition within the fan base. The 18/19 season saw us crowned champions with nearly 100 points scoring 93 goals in the process.
That takes us to the summer of 2019. A transfer window, that in retrospect, probably cost us this season.
We saw house hold names in football such as Patrick Roberts, Sam Byram & Ralf Fahrmann join, mixed with more obscure players such as Ibrahim Amadou and Josip Drmic. None of these players would turn out to be good enough, with three of them having their loan spells slashed short.
At the beginning of the season we started quite well. I’m sure you’ll all remember the 2018/19 Championship golden boot winner Teemu Pukki bagging 6 goals in a month and scooping the player of the month award.
Our best moment of the early period, and the entire season, was a massive upset against Man City which saw us beat the reigning champions 3-2 with 13 senior players out due to injury. In hindsight, that match was a footballing miracle. From there we struggled to cope with the injury crisis, of which dominated our season. The lack of options meant Daniel Farke struggled to implement a Plan B when the going got tough.
From about September to December things began to fall apart on the pitch, and fast.
There was a few decent results along the way, such as a win against Everton away from home, but we went into December in pretty poor shape.
December was a month that most City fans will want to forget. I remember seeing a version of the PL table that stated if games of football finished after 90 minutes, we’d be 4th. That pretty much sums that period up. We’d constantly take the lead and be well in games by half-time, and as quickly as a few minutes after the restart we’d be back out of them.
From January we were rock bottom with a few injuries, showing no real signs of any pending improvement.
Between January and lockdown there was an ember of momentum as we beat Leicester and Bournemouth, as well as Tottenham in the cup, although due to the COVID madness we were unable to attempt to spark any further momentum. I genuinely don’t wish to write about our form post-lockdown. We were diabolical on the pitch, as simple as that.
All performances lacking iron and grit, sending us towards our worst ever finish in the division.
All in all it was a pretty abysmal season on the pitch, although off it it’s been pretty decent. Our club is in the best financial state it’s been in since the re-shuffle at the top and I, as well as many others, have faith in the head coach & recruitment team to learn from their mistakes.
Twitter: @NorwichTalk1902
Instagram: norwichtalk1902
SHEFFIELD UTD – Jonny of The Shoreham View
What a season!
Tipped to be relegated by Christmas, reported as the divisions whipping boys and expected to be a joke. But none of these people had obviously watched us, watched the sheer genius that is Chris Wilder mould misfits, rejects and hungry young men into a team, and as it shows a well organised team with exciting tactics will always outperform a group of exciting individuals who play for themselves instead of the badge!
To finish 9th in our first season back, it is beyond an over achievement, the memories created have been phenomenal! The defence was a key role in this and to see that system with starring roles from Egan, O’Connel and Basham have been a joy to watch!
Are we world beaters, no! Are we deluded, no, but we are proud! And we continue to enjoy the wild ride in front of us!
We suffered slightly after lockdown, proof that we need to strengthen especially in squad depth and we have missed our twelfth man in the stands, but whilst most will think we fell short let’s not forget what everyone expected of us.
How do I review this season? Amazing!
Player of The Season - Chris Basham
The best match of the season in my view was the 2-2 draw vs Chelsea, being two down at half time to multiple time Champions she our first match against one of the traditional big six! The supporters never stopped singing and the team rewarded us with a memorable fight back that really set the tone of the season!
Twitter: @TheShorehamView
Instagram: theshorehamview
SOUTHAMPTON – Bene Holley of The Saints FC Blog
This season went quite well for us, always dreaming of Ronald Koeman’s masterclass, but still achieving a mid-table finish after a terrible start.
That 9-0 was every Saints fans’ nightmare. Relegation was awaiting… or at least we thought so!
Danny Ings’ goal masterclass, Nathan Redmond’s skills and James Ward-Prowse’s vision with the ball was enough to keep us out of the bottom-three by January.
“Confidence is key”: the fact that after our miserable performance on that dark night didn’t prevent every player’s ‘scepticism’ on the pitch, really surprised me. They were able to trust themselves with the ball, getting their courage to shoot or create clever passes. That big defeat really taught us a lesson.
Just before the pandemic break, I noticed the fear of relegation could still seek on us, having lost four of our previous five matches.
Oh well, I might be wrong again! Five wins, three draws and one loss. The excitement to watch Saints play every weekend is now back!
What’s next now? Maybe Europa League?!
Key player of the season: Danny Ings
Best match of the season: Chelsea 0-2 Southampton
Predicted finish for next season: 7th place
Twitter: @ItalianSaint - @TheSaintsFCBlog
Instagram: beneholley - thesaintsfcblog
TOTTENHAM – N17 Tottenham
The 19/20 season has been a season of ups and downs for Tottenham Hotspur. With Pochettino sacked and Mourinho brought in, only a few months after Tottenham’s first Champions League final.
Tottenham’s key player this season overall has been Hueng-Min Son. Lo Celso was also up there, but only really shown under Mourinho. Son stood out as a key player amidst the absence of Harry Kane, grabbing over 10 goals and 10 assists: the only player in the league to do that apart from De Bruyne. The best match of the season has to be the 5-0 win over Burnley with world class goals going in left right and centre! I think despite having poor form, this season has been good, with Europe in sight. With the right signings, I reckon we could get back to the Champions League next season, finishing fourth.
Instagram: n17tottenham
WATFORD – Aaron Bennis of Breathe Watford
Following such a successful 2018/19 campaign, Watford fans could be forgiven for being optimistic going into the next one. The signing of Ismaïla Sarr brought excitement and people were expecting another push for top half. What unfolded however, was a completely different story. Javi Gracia was sacked after just 4 games in which they picked up just 1 point. The club’s hierarchy noted just how poor the defending had been, both at the start of the current season and the end of last season. In order to fix this issue, they brought in a man who had previously succeeded at Vicarage Road, playing a pragmatic system that brought the best defensive record since promotion in 2015 - Quique Sánchez Flores. This decision proved to be a very baffling one though. They parted ways in 2016 on mutual terms but there had clearly been a disconnect between the coach and the board, and while he guided Watford to their second highest Premier League finish ever as well as reaching an FA Cup Semi-Final, the decision to part ways was the correct one, making the decision to bring him back very odd. We knew what to expect from Flores though, which makes what happened next not entirely his fault. What did happen though was a complete disaster. The defence was definitely in need of organising following the first 4 games, but there was no balance between defence and attack. Flores certainly improved the defence but it came at the cost of any impetus going forward whatsoever. In his 10 league games in charge he picked up just 6 points, including just 1 win, and he was sacked following the away defeat to then-relegation rivals Southampton, in a game which saw them throw away an early lead.
Hayden Mullins and Graham Stack took temporary charge and there was an upturn in the performances, with the more attack-minded system improving things going forward. While they failed to win their two games in charge (a defeat to Leicester and a draw with Crystal Palace), Watford were set up well for their third permanent head coach of the campaign; Nigel Pearson. His first game in charge was an away defeat to Liverpool, however the performance was arguably the best from a visiting team to Anfield all season. Better finishing would have probably seen them come away with a shock win. Pearson did pick up his first win a week later though, with an excellent 2-0 win over Man United. The emergence of Sarr was particularly noticeable, and this was a theme that continued for the rest of the season. He was under the shackles of a very negative coach previously, now there was a balance between defence and attack that saw the best from the young winger. A further 5 game unbeaten run followed, including wins over relegation rivals Bournemouth and Aston Villa as well as solid draws against European hopefuls Sheffield United and Spurs. This run lifted Watford off the foot of the table and out the bottom three. Unfortunately though, the following away trip to Aston Villa changed things for the rest of the season. In a pretty lacklustre display, they conceded a last minute winner despite taking the lead during the first half, a big blow to their survival hopes. This was followed up by throwing a 2-goal lead away at home to Everton, again conceding a last minute winner. Pearson’s substitutes were particularly to blame, and it was here that his tactics and decisions really started to become questionable. They won just 1 of their next 4 games, and while this was a historic night with a 3-0 win to end Liverpool’s unbeaten run, it papered over the cracks of the poor form previously. This was shown in the next game by losing to Crystal Palace in a really poor game of football. After this lockdown happened, and you’d have hoped this was an opportunity to take a break and go again once the Premier League resumed.
A good performance against Leicester saw them draw in dramatic circumstances, with a Craig Dawson’s bicycle kick levelling the score after Ben Chilwell’s opener just a couple minutes prior. Unfortunately, they failed to build on this. 3 terrible performances and defeats came against Burnley, Southampton and Chelsea, and while they won their next two against Norwich and Newcastle, the overall performances and lack of goalscoring threat was very worrying. The final blow came in what was probably the biggest game of the season - an away trip to relegation rivals West Ham, in which they conceded 3 in the opening 39 minutes. This proved to be the beginning of the end for Nigel Pearson, who was sacked two days later, reportedly due to an argument with the board. This received heavy backlash, and while the timing was odd the decision itself was understandable. Mullins and Stack took over once again, and while the defence looked more organised in the first half against Man City, the attack was limited throughout. Villa’s win over Arsenal later in the day put Watford back in the bottom three going into the final game of the season, and they looked really up against it. It was a much improved performance against the Gunners, but individual errors at the back as well as poor finishing cost them, and with Villa drawing with West Ham, Watford’s 5 year stay in the Premier League came to an end.
Key player: I’d probably say has been Gerard Deulofeu, as without him we’ve looked a shadow of what we were. Ben Foster is an honourable mention though as he’s kept us in games so many times.
Next season depends heavily on how we plan so it’s tough to say right now. If we get the right coach, recruit well and keep as many of the returning loans as we can I’ll stick my neck on the line and say 1st. Otherwise maybe 4th.
Best match of the season: Watford 3-0 Liverpool
Twitter: @aaron_bennis10
Instagram: breathewatford
WEST BROM – Wayne Gordon of All Things Albion
We had a great season at West Brom. Promotion was made to look close in the end because we never really hit form following the restart. But, in truth, us and Leeds were a step above everyone else this season. Albion have been inside the automatic spots since October, had the fewest defeats in the division and hold the longest unbeaten run.
Our key player was easily Matheus Pereira, he netted eight times and assisted 16 in his first season in England. He can be unplayable, as he was against Swansea at home in my favourite match of the season, it was without doubt the best individual performance I have ever witnessed. In a 5-1 win he scored one and set-up the other four.
It’s difficult to say where we will finish next season, there is a lot of work that needs to be done on the squad, especially up front. Wes did exceptionally well in the transfer window last summer so I have faith that the right deals will get done. With Slaven Bilić at the helm and a strong base to build on, I think we will be around 12th.
Twitter: @AllAlbion
WEST HAM UTD – West Ham Online
West Ham’s season has been horrific to say the least. From the depths of Manuel Pellegrini’s disastrous tenure, to the slight improvement under the guidance of David Moyes. The Hammers’ inconsistency has been highlighted via horrific defeats at the hands of Burnley and Leicester, and inspiring victories vs Chelsea and United.
Key player of the season: Declan Rice
Predicted finish for next season: 12th
Twitter: @westhamonline1
Instagram: westhamonline
WOLVES – Russ Cockburn
It feels a bit premature writing this end of season review, a bit like Leicester’s Champion League celebrations and Troy Deeney’s Jimenez mask jibe.
All focus will now be on the return leg with Olympiacos and whether our excellent foray into Europe will ultimately end up with some silverware and an unexpected Champions League spot…I still can’t believe I’m writing this. We also have the safety net of Frank Lampard’s Chelsea dispatching Arsenal in the FA Cup to ensure European football fans have the luxury of visiting the Blue Brick again.
At the start of the season, I said top ten and some progress in the Europa would be a good return so from that perspective we’ve overachieved. So why does it feel a little bit disappointing?
I think that boils down to the opportunity. The top six has stuttered this season and a combination of last-minute goals, VAR and no shows against Sheff United and Arsenal cost us the chance of upsetting the hierarchy.
Looking deeper into it, there are a few issues we’ll need to address before the next campaign. An additional central striker is a must as the wonderful Jimenez can’t continue to carry the burden on his own. An alternative to when Plan A isn’t working would be a good option.
A central midfield player who can play between the lines would be another must, as would a centre back who could fit seamlessly into our system.
Now for the positive bits. For a team that only six years ago was losing to Crawley in League One, the last twelve months have been an absolute pleasure to follow our team.
The European trips have been something else…Belfast, Turin, Istanbul, Bratislava and Braga, where we enjoyed a tsunami of rain and last tango in Porto with the Belgians. We’ve also comfortably brushed aside Pep’s boys 5-2 on aggregate and seen Traore emerge as arguably the league’s most unstoppable force.
So all in all, it’s been another good season for Nuno, or ‘god ay he’ as we know him in the Black Country. Like all football fans, our expectations have been raised and it will be interesting to see how Fosun react to the real possibility of becoming part of the ‘top six’.
Key player of the season: Raúl Jimenéz
Best match of the season: Man City 0-2 Wolves
Predicted finish for next season: Top six (with right additions)
Twitter: @Dwarfio
Instagram: russcockburn
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