Event
“Alex Ferguson came to me in Portugal after the World Cup and advised me not to worry, because United is the family that will take care of me,” beaming Cristiano Ronaldo at the ceremony of awarding the best player of the season according to journalists as always accurate. The United Championship is not built on fanciful tactical schemes, but on the unity of thoughts and aspirations. On what is called psychology and team spirit and underlies any global football victory - outside of time and space. Sir Alex, as a caring father, has been maintaining order and well-being in the Mankunian family for the twenty-first year. Sometimes he overdoes it with rigor, sometimes with love, but his methods are still modern, although people around him periodically try to retire him. In full accordance with the name, United in recent years together survived the invasion of the Glazers, the departure of Roy Keane and Ore van Nistelrooy, the aggressive dominance of Chelsea. This season, having adopted the family of Michael Carrick, the team found a worthy use of stored energy, set a goal and never lost its course. Since mid-autumn, Manchester United has not allowed anyone to show off at the top of the table. Passing the intra-team leadership banner from one generation of stars to another and vice versa, the Mankunians kept pace to the finish, not subject to the rest. The team has never lost in two meetings in a row, it has never been beaten with a difference of more than one goal, but won three times, losing the first half. Stability and character with the exclusive support of Old Trafford, a record-breaking attendance attendance, and the title returns to the family three years later.
Hero
Cristiano Ronaldo stopped confusing the “Theater of Dreams” with the circus
The team triumph of Manchester United spawned many individual heroic stories, touching and enchanting. The catchiest of them is the almost Hollywood story of Cristiano Ronaldo . A story of growing up and changing priorities. He finally stopped confusing the “Theater of Dreams” with the circus, replaced the role of harlequin with the valiant dramatic role of the commander. The Portuguese only made Middlesbrough happy with nostalgic “dives” - in other matches, Cristiano was almost flawless. Ronaldo’s exploits were reflected in his personal statistics, which covered all previous seasons in Manchester cumulatively, the stolen whistle of the stands and eight individual awards, among which there is “Player of the Year” according to fans. At the beginning of the season it was impossible to imagine. The British public knows how to value talent and be objective.
Return
Even more, the British public knows how to value professionalism and devotion to the game. In this regard, hardly anyone can compare with Paul Scholes . Half of last season, the red-haired midfielder was forced to miss because of vision problems that were ready to put an end to his brilliant career. Not set - Scholes returned and gave United champion acceleration. In October, Paul celebrated the 500th match in the MJ shirt (he didn’t wear another club one) and corrected a rare injustice - he was named the player of the month for the first time in his career. At Christmas, the Red Prince gave fans a signature miracle goal.
According to many (Thierry Henry, for example), it was Scholes who most earned the title of player of the year this season, but lost to Ronaldo and Drogba in the final poll. The unofficial title of the most respected English football player of our time will not be taken away from him.
The loss
The undisputed Premier League champion of the two previous seasons of Chelsea was not at all about to let go of the gaining speed Mankunian steam engine, however, in the excitement of the Christmas chase, he stumbled in an unexpected place. The injury to John Terry did something that rarely anyone succeeds in - confused Jose Mourinho. Suddenly, it turned out that there are irreplaceable ones at Chelsea - without solving the problem with the captain’s back, the Blues missed ten goals in eight matches (only 14 in the remaining 30), lost nine points and solemnly handed over the champion’s initiative to Manchester United. Based on staffing hunger, Mourinho quarreled with the leadership and instead of the halo of the winner, hung a large question mark above his head. For Terry, the season turned out to be unusually unsuccessful: back in November, in a match with Tottenham he earned his first removal in his career and quarreled with Graham Poll, in the winter, having sorted his back, he immediately got a knee injury, and when he healed her , missed a knockout blow to the head from Abu Diabi in the League Cup final and almost lost his memory.
Nightmare
Terry was not the only Chelsea sufferer this season. October 14 in Reading, a terrible head injury in a collision with Stephen Hunt was received by goalkeeper Petr Cech, giving occasion to worry for his life.
Four months later, Czech returned with new equipment, but with the former patented reliability of one of the best goalkeepers in the world.
Goalador
In the conditions when the defense, which had suffered irreparable personnel losses, ceased to be an aid to Chelsea’s victories, forward Didier Drogba dragged the team on his strong shoulders. Changing the game number from the 15th to the 11th before the start of the season and solemnly transferring the status of the most expensive and promising striker to Andrey Shevchenko, the Ivorian spent the best season of his career. His final 33 goals in all tournaments brought two cups to the Blues, while Drogba himself won the Golden Boot of the Premier League top scorer (the first for the Africans), the official title of the best football player on the black continent and the unofficial title of Mourinho - the best forward in the world. An interesting fact: in order to score 20 goals in the Premier League, Didier needed only 46 shots on target of the enemy goal - almost basketball efficiency.
Stock
Manchester United and Chelsea in the final table separated from the pursuers as much as 15 points. A curious experiment conducted by economists Norina Hertz and Helen Burley showed that the mental gap between the leaders of the Premier League and everyone else is even greater. The essence of the action, which lasted several months, was that each player had the opportunity to donate his daily salary to help nurses - the lowest paid professionals in the UK. The result caused a slight shock. 252 football players agreed to participate in a charitable affair. Watford, Sheffield United, Reading, Fulham, West Ham, Tottenham and Blackburn all joined the action. The only one who ignored the event was Chelsea - the club escaped with a general contribution and did not even allow the ladies to speak to the players, none of which as a result made donations. Only Harry Neville and Ryan Giggs, whose mother herself worked as a nurse for a long time, participated in MJ. There were surprises. The most sentimental player of “Portsmouth” was David James, “Wigan” - Aryan de Zeuv, Joey Barton, Michael Ball and Ben Thatcher also made their contribution. Not surprisingly, the last trinity had something to supplicate.
Rowdy
Joey Barton’s track record has the goal of sacrificing nurses to an annual salary rather than a daily salary. The Manchester City midfielder has never been mild-tempered - a couple of years ago he celebrated Christmas by poking a cigar in the eyes of his teammates. This season, the entertainment industry has expanded significantly. As part of the fall aggravation, Barton celebrated the salvation of his team in the last minute of the match with Everton by demonstrating to the Merseyside fans a non-core body part for football. Got off with a fine - "Goodison" saw not so.
And in the spring, the police got to the restless midfielder. In March, Joey had a heated argument with a taxi driver, and in May with a teammate, Usman Dabo, who suffered numerous facial injuries. The trial of this nice case is in full swing - until July Barton was released on bail. The tricks of the leader of the “townspeople” were annoying his leadership - he spent the end of the season outside the team, and then was put up for transfer. At the same time, there are a lot of people who want to buy a midfielder for the 5.5 million pounds indicated in the contract - in his spare time from debauchery, Barton made his debut in the national team and generally had a great season (6 goals, 4 assists, 10 yellow cards and one red).
Rudeness
By the number of warnings and deletions, Manchester City is far from the leader of the Premier League, but the players of this club will be remembered for the most rude and boorish antics of the season. For some reason, Barton’s ideology was infused with left-wing defenders of the “townspeople”. In August, Ben Thatcher, in an innocuous episode of the match with Portsmouth, knocked out Portuguese Portuguese Pedra Mendes.
In winter, Thatcher hid from the crime scene at Charlton, and his business was continued by colleague Michael Ball - another Portuguese, Cristiano Ronaldo, went to Manchester Derby. The meanness of the reception does not diminish even the post-match apology.
Paradox
Manchester City was not limited to disciplinary atrocities this season. “Citizens”, apparently, for something strongly took offense at their fans and for the entire championship showed them only ten home goals - the worst result of all time for the English elite divisions. The team finished in eight consecutive matches at the Stadium of Manchester without goals scored . It is interesting that on the outskirts, City could easily pass for a decent club - in parallel with home failures, a guest series of seven meetings developed , in each of which the “townspeople” regularly hit the opponents' goal . The club management did not think about such a paradox for a long time and immediately after the end of the season dismissed Stuart Pearce and his headquarters. However, the owners of the team themselves, apparently, are living out their last days in their posts - the club’s sale process is entering a decisive phase.
People's Choice Award
While the gloomy Manchester City tormented fans for the whole season with unsuccessful attacking attempts, the London Tottenham fans delighted, not only their own, but also those of others. As a result, in 38 matches involving Spurs 111 goals were scored - the best result in the Premier League. Martin Yola’s team especially celebrated the arrival of spring - at the turn of February and March, Tottenham with the help of rivals in all tournaments gave an impressive series of matches - 4: 1, 4: 3, 3: 2, 3: 3, 3: 2, 3: one. To the stormy and prolonged applause of the “spurs” in the second half of the season, the tournament position was not very successful and they finished fifth in the end. Next year, the team’s ambitions extend even further - such a football is worthy of the Champions League.
Find
The main role in the creative accomplishments of Tottenham was played by forwards. It is symbolic that the award for the best football player of April in the Premier League, Robbie Keane and Dimitar Berbatov, was divided in half (this has not happened since February 2004, when the “gunners” went to Bergkamp and Ed). But if the exploits of the Irishman in London have long been accustomed to, the game of the Bulgarian was a real surprise. Berbatov moved to Tottenham from Bayer Leverkusen last summer for a very substantial sum of almost 11 million pounds. Then it seemed a risky investment, but an autopsy showed that the Germans even significantly cheaper. Dimitar, unlike Shevchenko, Crespo, Drogba or Ballaku, spent a minimum of time adapting in English football and already by the New Year became the leader of a completely non-starless team. The game of the 26-year-old Bulgarian was increasingly admired - he successfully fought at the top, clung to balls, went to the stroke, hit from afar, assisted partners and constructed attacks. The final 12 goals and 11 assists do not yet fully reflect the contribution of a powerful and flexible forward to the Spurs team game. By the end of the season, several top clubs became interested in Berbatov at once, but Dimitar promised to remain faithful to Tottenham.
Curiosity
By mid-March, Tottenham liked it so much to score that even the goalkeeper could not avoid the temptation. Paul Robinson 's goal against Watford went down in history as being scored from the farthest distance - 88 meters. The ball after hitting the goalkeeper of the “spurs” from the penalty area almost from his own goal drew an intricate trajectory over the White Hart Lane, which Ben Foster, Robinson’s colleague in the national team, failed to grasp. Paul became the third goalkeeper-goalkeeper in the history of the Premier League, however, unlike Peter Schmeichel and Brad Friedel, he managed to score in a victory for his team match.
Best match
There is nothing surprising in the fact that Tottenham became one of the participants in the most spectacular and action-packed match of the season. The victory of Spurs over West Ham with a score of 4: 3 , which happened on March 4, was sustained in the best traditions of dramatic art. “Hammers” at that time with one foot already stood in the championship and grabbed at each straw. The first half was successful for Alan Kerbishley's team - the goals of almost debutant Mark Noble and just awakened Carlos Tevez provided West Ham with a completely comfortable advantage. Through the efforts of Jermain Defoe and Teemu Tainio, there was no trace of him in just 20 minutes of the second half. Five minutes before the end, Curbisley releases Bobby Zamora, and the forward with the first touch of the head gets the owners, as it seemed, a decisive advantage. However, right there Dimitar Berbatov, with a murderous cold-blooded kick from the free kick, again compares the score. In stoppage time, West Ham is making desperate attempts to catch a victory that is constantly slipping out of its hands, but instead catches a fatal counterattack.
Epic
The defeat from Tottenham was ready to put a minor point in the sadly developing West Ham season , but in fact it turned out to be the end of the setbacks. With the “hammers” in this championship so many diverse and incredible stories happened that another club will last ten years. The shocked appearance of Tevez and Mascherano on the last day of the summer transfer window, a saga selling the club to Icelanders, diving to the bottom of the standings, Alan Pardew’s clash with Arsene Wenger at the edge, Alan Kerbishli’s arrival, scandal and an unprecedented fine for incorrectly executed Argentinean contracts and, finally, enchanting finish and epic salvation - the plot for a quality Hollywood thriller. It is curious that in the last nine matches the “hammers” scored more points than in the entire previous championship, and Carlos Tevez, who led the operation to save the team, scored all seven final goals at that time. It is even more interesting that West Ham has a 100% indicator in meetings with Arsenal and Manchester United - four wins of 1-0. No, such a team could not fly out.
Reincarnation
Instead of West Ham, Sheffield United flew into the championship. But the “blades” left a bright smear on the fundamental canvas of the Premier League. On New Year's Eve, the team of Neil Warnock, who was not distinguished by sentimentality, presented the fans with a beautiful victory over Arsenal. In honor of the holiday , the Sheffield midfielder Phil Jagielka turned into a goalkeeper for half an hour heroic - without this, joy would not have been complete. During the championship, the Jagielka station wagon also tried himself in the place of the central and extreme defenders, but the last experience was unsuccessful. However, Phil, who spent more time on the field in the championship that ended than any other Premier League footballer (3662 minutes in 38 matches, an average of more than 96 minutes per game), has a chance to stay in the elite. Unlike his team.
Opening
If Sheffield United and Watford, having barely been in the Premier League, immediately left it safely, then the third champion envoy, Reading , decided to stay in the elite for a long time. While inexperienced in English peripheral football were digesting the non-trivial sound of a seemingly familiar word serving as the club’s name, and figuring out what Madeiisky really was (a person or a stadium - it turned out both), the team of Steve Coppell was already in full surprise directly at football field. For the newcomer, “Reading” spent the season in accordance with the pathos “royal” nickname. Starting with a beautiful strong-willed victory over Middlesbrough, the team moved around the tournament with an almost perfect sine wave - the positive sections in phase and amplitude were in no way inferior to the negative ones. On the account of Reading (and not Manchester United or Arsenal), the biggest victory of the season was New Year 6-0 over the long-suffering West Ham. Steve Koppell twice received the title of coach of the month, and as a result, the second time in a row he received the prize of the manager of the year according to colleagues. It was he who discovered for the high society the highly reliable American goalkeeper Marcus Hannemann, the ultra-modern supporting midfielder Steve Sidwell (now heading for promotion) and a couple of interesting forward strikers Lita - Doyle, who, however, most clearly showed themselves singly, and not in a duet with each other. “Reading” had every chance to win a ticket to the UEFA Cup, but almost consciously kept himself in the end. Steve Koppell already then began to think about the difficult second season. Perhaps, “Reading” has every chance not to repeat the path of the prototype “Wigan”, and his prudent coach - to reaffirm the received awards.
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Discovery Team
Goalkeeper : Marcus Hannemann (Reading)
Defenders : Lassana Diarra (Chelsea), Christopher Samba (Blackburn), Jolean Lescott (Everton), George McCartney (West Ham)
Midfielders : Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa), Steve Sidwell (Reading), Obi Mikel (Chelsea), Abu Diabi (Arsenal)
Forwards : Ashley Young (Watford, Aston Villa), James Vaughan (Everton)
Head Coach : Steve Coppell (Reading)
Marcus Hannemann followed the path of many American goalkeepers who found happiness on English soil. After spending seven years on Foggy Albion, the goalkeeper of Reading only this year got a chance to show himself at the level of the Premier League and took full advantage of it, becoming the goalkeeper of the season at the age of 34. Helping Hannemann defend the gates from rivals' attacks (if any) along the flanks will be another promising Chelsea station wagon Lassan Diarr and McCartney's “hammer”, which fit seamlessly into the Westham finish miracle. Jolean Lescott, the main young defensive hope of England (he is quite comfortable on the left), and Congolese Christopher Samba, another ambassador of the Bundesliga without adaptation complexes, comfortably settled in the center. Midfield is occupied by the rising stars of Chelsea and Arsenal, as well as brought up by the gunners Steve Sidwell, quite ready to go to the camp of the “blue”, and not accustomed to being shy in good company with Agbonlahor. His teammate, Ashley Young, is an attacking duet with Merseyside James Vaughan, the youngest goalscorer in the history of the Premier League, whose huge talent this season began to be supported by the stability and trust of David Moyes. Only one person is worthy to train such a team - Steve Koppell.