A Premier League Season in Review

Contrary to the final day of the Championship, where there was a lot of drama involving a certain Birmingham City, the ending to this bizarre Premier League season was a little bit mundane. With Man City needed only one point to seal the title and Norwich needing a miracle, there was little to be decided. Despite their entertaining rally that nearly saw them snatch the title, Liverpool fell just short of the title, but it could have been so, so different.

Man City looked like they would walk the title at various points, but stuttered slightly and nearly lost the title to a very entertaining Liverpool side. At their very best, Man City were frightening, scoring goals seemingly at will. Alvaro Negredo looked like a world class forward, linking neatly with Sergio Aguero and smashing in goals. David Silva was back to his best, taking teams apart with his intelligent playmaking ability and as a team they looked unstoppable. However, an injury to Aguero coincided with Man City's wobble. Negredo and Edin Dzeko's goals dried up, while Martin Demichelis didn't look like an actual footballer at the back.

City's season was saved by a certain Yaya Toure, who ended with 20 goals, an impressive haul from defensive midfield. His unbelievable combination of technique, intelligence and power make for a player who is unstoppable at his best. Toure was unlucky not to get Player of the Year, but there was only ever really one player who was going to win that. Luis Suarez moved on from the shenanigans of last season to become a record breaking forward, almost leading Liverpool to the title. 31 goals as well as double figures in assists from only 33 appearances meant he was nailed on for Player of the Year. He epitomised the fight and excitement of Liverpool's incredible run. Flanked by the terrifying pace of Raheem Sterling and Daniel Sturridge, Suarez led a young Liverpool side to a higher finish than they would have dreamed at the start of the season.

However, as many people suggested, Liverpool's defensive frailties were their downfall, embodied by Skrtel's record 4 own goals. It really came to fruition at the back end of the season. Throwing away a two goal lead against Man City didn't prove costly, but losing to Chelsea was a real kick in the teeth. It was most evident in a 3-3 draw with Crystal Palace. Liverpool were 3-0 up with 15 minutes to play, but just couldn't hold on against a reinvigorated Palace side.

Chelsea did the best out of all the English sides in the Champions League but couldn't quite make the cut in the Premier League. Third place is by no means a disaster and Mourinho will argue that this was a transition season, but it was a very expensive one. Despite being the third top scorers in the league, Chelsea were often derided for their negative style of football. Chelsea were the polar opposite of Liverpool; strong at the back but having issues with a consistent goal supply up top. Samuel Eto'o was a useful signing for Chelsea, pitching in with a few goals but also linking well with the midfield. Eden Hazard was the real star of the show despite Mourinho's seeming reluctance to embrace the winger. The 23-year-old winger showed flashes of real world-class ability, but as is the nature of a winger he wasn't quite as consistent as he would have liked, but he is still young and scarily, can improve.

Chelsea didn't have any issue scoring against 4th place Arsenal, smashing 6 past them in a typical Arsenal game... sort of. Arsenal's defence looked watertight at times, until they played one of the top teams. Arsenal were destroyed by Liverpool, demolished by Chelsea and decimated by Man City. Wenger has successfully led Arsenal to 4th again, but Arsenal fans want more, especially as around the new year Arsenal looked like a genuine contender for the title. However, it appears that their cup drought is likely to be over soon, as they reached the final of the FA Cup to play Hull City, who are without Jelavic and Long. Long would've been key for Hull but his absence has led many to believe that Arsenal will end their wait for a trophy.

Despite Olivier Giroud's decent haul, Arsenal fans were left wanting more and Wenger's decision not to purchase another forward may have been costly, but in reality a lack of solidity at the back has cost them more than anything else. Another team with striker problems was Tottenham Hotspur, as big money signing Roberto Soldado failed to live up to expectations, while Adebayor just didn't get a game whilst the enigmatic Andre Villas-Boas was in charge. After a desperately disappointing 5-0 loss to Liverpool, AVB faced the typical Levy punishment with Tim Sherwood taking over until the end of the season. Sherwood's tenure was an explosive, bizarre and entertaining one, with Spurs stuttering into 6th place.

Just above them in 5th were Roberto Martinez's Everton, a refreshing team who play attractive football whilst remaining tight defensively. One of the big successes for them was Ross Barkley, who's forced his way into Roy Hodgson's 23 man squad. Fast, strong with unbelievable ball control has meant Barkley has become one of the most sought after young talents in English football. James McCarthy has been a revelation in Everton's central midfield, keeping the ball exceptionally well and winning it back with the help of Gareth Barry, given a new lease of life with Everton. Seamus Coleman has had an incredible season from right back, contributing goals, assists and impressive defensive performances, even overshadowing Leighton Baines at left back.

Whilst I could talk about every Everton player in a good light, that might not be quite as easy with Manchester United. A new era was on the horizon for United fans, but little did they expect a 7th place finish. David Moyes didn't quite have the season he hoped for. His big signing didn't pay off - Marouane Fellaini had a desperately poor season, but United still had nobody better. Fortunately for United, Moyes left along with some of the old guard, which may allow them to truly rebuild and comeback strong. With the attacking quality of Mata, Rooney and co., it surely can't be long before United are back near the top of the league.

Man United seem to be looking towards 7th place Southampton's team for improvements. Luke Shaw has been the one player who has been touted as being a long term left back for United, after a string of impressive performances from the young left back in an exciting, fresh Southampton side. Adam Lallana has been linked with Premier League teams for a couple of years but has chosen to stay with Southampton, but he has shown that he is good enough in the Premier League. He's been given a chance on the international stage with England by Hodgson which he hopefully can grab with both hands. Pochettino has turned Southampton into an extremely solid outfit, with some exciting English players combined with talent from around the world, though they were struggling in the bottom half when he took over.

Stoke have also had a major turn around, though their's has been a change of style. Stoke were often maligned for their physical style of play based around set-pieces and percentage football into a side who play some fluent attacking football. Leading this change has been Mark Hughes, who has brought in players who are fast, direct but technical, such as Marko Arnautovic, Oussama Assaidi and Peter Odemwingie. Stephen Ireland played as a creative midfielder in a way reminiscent of his Man City days at times, but he struggled to maintain his form. Stoke reached the 50 point mark with their new style and they will try to kick on and continue improving.

Finally, in the first half of this review, comes Newcastle, who somehow finished 10th despite an abject finish to the season. Newcastle fans were and are unhappy with the ownership and management at the club, and who can blame them? Very little money is spent relative to their income, the signings are sparse and success is varied. With Yohan Cabaye leaving the club in January after an impressive goalscoring run, Newcastle really struggled for goals. They lost 11 games from February onwards, scoring just 8 goals in that time. However, in the first half of the season, they were a really dangerous side, with an on-form Remy and Gouffran fed by the playmaking capabilities of Yohan Cabaye, they were capable of beating any side in the league.

Crystal Palace were one of the shocks of the season - looking certain for relegation before Tony Pulis took over in late November. The impact was not instant, as Palace lost to struggling Norwich, but back-to-back victories followed. Pulis turned a leaky Palace defense into one of the best in the league, which was the bedrock of their success. After coming up via the playoffs, Palace couldn't have dreamed of an 11th place finish. They shot up the table with notable victories, such as those against Everton and Chelsea. Despite this, Palace struggled for goals. Cameron Jerome and Marouane Chamakh managed just 7 goals between them, but fortunately dynamic wing-play from Jason Puncheon and Dwight Gayle helped them greatly. Puncheon joined permanently in January and finished with 7 goals, even with his comical penalty. Palace will need to avoid 'second season syndrome' and in order to do this, they might need to add some more goals to their game, but the first season could be a major stepping stone into them becoming an established club in the Premier League.

One team who have made that transition in recent years is Swansea. Swansea had a very uneventful season. After making it into the Europa League, they were looking to really push on and become a top 8 team, but their season never really got going. However, there were times when they looked in danger of going down, and indeed without Wilfried Bony that may have been a very real ending to their season. Last season's hero Michu suffered an awful injury very early on, which allowed Bony to take centre-stage, and he grabbed it with both hands. His combination of deadly finishing, aerial ability, strength and link-up play have drawn comparisons to Didier Drogba, but Swansea will be hoping that Chelsea don't snap him up, as that could really put Swansea in trouble. Luckily for them, Bony's price will have skyrocketed after proving himself in the Premier League, so it may take an astronomical offer to prize him away from the Liberty Stadium.

West Ham are a side in desperate need of a goalscorer, with their top scorer Kevin Nolan bagging only 7 goals all season. They were of course hindered by the fitness problems of striker Andy Carroll, but this seems to be a constant issue and Carlton Cole may not be the answer they require. West Ham don't really have loads of money to spend, so may have to gamble on an unproven player, or try and find a bargain. Demba Ba, if he were to be allowed to leave Chelsea, would be a good fit for them, but Allardyce previously passed on his signing due to a long term fitness issue, that has not really shown in his time in England. West Ham fans are really tired of Sam Allardyce's managerial style due to his defensive, negative and unexciting football, so Hammers fans may wish for a different style of centre-forward and therefore a different style of football.

Another team who seemed to be having striker problems - Sunderland - somehow ended up 14th in the table despite being bottom for a long time. Di Canio's reign was a chaotic one that had left Sunderland in an awful position. Their problems looked unsolvable - a lack of goals from big money signing Jozy Altidore, a leaky defence and a lack of creation from midfield. However, Sunderland had some quality players all along, and new manager Gus Poyet helped them to show this quality. Adam Johnson's goals were key and he finished as top scorer, with Liverpool loanee Fabio Borini close behind. The real star of the show, however, was Connor Wickham. After a few loan spells, Wickham was recalled to the squad despite struggling previously, with Sunderland staring at relegation. Sunderland had 4 tough games in a row, where getting 4 points would be considered a success. Sunderland finished with 10 points, and were very close to taking 12, were it not for a late equaliser from Samir Nasri to stop them taking all 3 points from the Etihad. Wickham scored 5 goals in 3 games, before assisting Sebastian Larsson to slide home the winner against Manchester United.

Aston Villa had a very mixed season. Despite not reaching the fabled 40 point mark, they stayed up comfortably, in the end. It started so well, with a victory at the Emirates Stadium, but their season never really took off. They also were plagued with striker woes, with talisman Christian Benteke not reaching the heights of last season and missing parts of it with injury. Libor Kozak also struggled with injury and didn't really make quite the impact he would've wished. Villa were not helped by a shaky defence. They had to make changes to their defence as Jores Okore got injured and Antonio Luna was disappointing at left-back. They made a very good signing in Ryan Bertrand on loan in January which proved quite successful, at least more than Grant Holt. Villa's young forwards Gabby Agbonlahor and Andreas Weimann helped keep them safe, grabbing 9 goals and contributing to Villa's counter attack style with pace and power. Villa fans will hope for a quick resolution to their ownership troubles and maybe a new manager, as they grow tired of Paul Lambert's style, which could see them finish much higher up the table if they can keep Benteke motivated and fit.

A team who lacked a talismanic striker were Hull. In their first season back in the Premier League, Hull managed to just stay up under the guidance of Steve Bruce. However, they looked to be really struggling, with goals seeming to be difficult to come by (except against Fulham, where they scored 6). Bruce saw this problem and signed 2 strikers who seemed to form a good partnership immediately. Nikica Jelavic, who struggled after his initial goal glut at Everton, and Shane Long. A playstyle switch to a 5 at the back helped them stay up and reach an FA Cup final, but ultimately fall short. Hull still weren't free scoring however, with goals being spread around the team and nobody really scoring a lot on their own. Hull will need to improve to stay up next year, but they have a solid base. Curtis Davies and Tom Huddlestone both had terrific seasons and make up a solid spine to the team, with Ahmed El Mohamady out wide who has been a surprise package. They will need to improve and get cover however, or they will be in for a long season.

Hull had faith in their manager to keep them up, but West Brom didn't. After a disappointing start, Steve Clarke was sacked in January, being replaced by former Betis manager Pepe Mel. Mel was never really embraced by the Baggies faithful and was never allowed his own staff. Despite this, West Brom just scraped survival. They were led by young striker Saido Berahino, who had an impressive debut season. He finished as Baggies' top scorer, with 5 goals, joint with enigmatic forward Stephane Sessegnon. Sessegnon didn't have the best of seasons and didn't live up to his pricetag. Neither did Victor Anichebe, costing more than Shane Long was sold for but not showing it. West Brom have an aging side and have since released 5 players, but they need to add some youth and bring in some quality to avoid this happening next season. Baggies can count themselves lucky to have stayed up and will need a much, much better season next season. Mulumbu and Yacob make a solid pivot and if they can sign Amalfitano permanently they will have a solid midfield - but they need more quality in the other two thirds of the pitch.

Onto the teams who won't play in the Premier League next year is Norwich. Norwich had problems all over the pitch. They didn't score very many, lacked creation and haemorrhaged goals. Chris Hughton was sacked with very little time left of the season, with many Norwich fans berating the timing, saying he should have gone months before. Norwich spent a lot of money to try and improve on a team who had done ok last season, but none of the signings really worked. The most obvious failure was Ricky van Wolfswinkel. It cost Norwich around £10 million to print his name on the back of the shirt, and also to bring him to Norwich. He scored a terrific header on his debut, but then didn't score again. Another 24 appearances but 0 goals for the Dutch international. Gary Hooper scored 6 goals but didn't score the goals to keep Norwich up. Leroy Fer was another expensive signing, who looked a good player but never really had a massive impact. He has all the attributes to be a success but didn't have a good season. One area which Norwich do have some quality is out wide. Robert Snodgrass has been very good for Norwich for a while and had another decent season, helping his team's cause with 6 goals. Nathan Redmond will not be overjoyed with his season, but he showed some flashes of quality and should excel in the Championship.

With the worst goal difference in the league, Fulham went down with a whimper. They didn't have a goalscorer - despite spending £14 million on Kostas Mitroglou, who barely played - and conceded an insane amount of goals. They looked like they had a chance with back-to-back victories against Aston Villa and Norwich putting them in a great position. They couldn't capatilise however, but it was their early season failings that let them down, then twinned with the uncertainty with the managerial role. Fulham had a terrible defence and a slow attack, and no manager could've saved them. Luckily for them, they don't have an astronomical wage budget, so should be in decent shape to make a promotion push next season.

Finally, we come to Cardiff. Cardiff crashed to the bottom of the table with numerous bad performances. Nearly every team dominated them in midfield, their defence was shaky at best, despite Steven Caulker's efforts, and they were powderpuff up front. Jordon Mutch was the one bright spark, having an impressive season as he added goals to his game. Despite beating Man City early on in the season, Cardiff never looked convincing and with off-field problems leading to an unsuccessful managerial change, Cardiff were doomed.

That concludes the Premier League season. We shall see if those teams who struggled can improve and if teams like Crystal Palace can avoid second season syndrome.

Birmingham City - A Season in Review 2013/14

A bizarre season ended in a fittingly bizarre way for Birmingham City, with a 93rd minute header from 5'7 Paul Caddis to keep the club in the Championship. Though Blues will be disappointed to have been in that position, the relief at full time was almost worth it. That goal was more significant than it seemed on the surface; to those not clued in with goings on, it seemed like we just stopped up. However, that goal could save Birmingham City as we know it. With consortiums supposedly interested in buying, staying in the Championship might be absolutely vital to the sale, which may just preserve the long term future of the club.

The season started shakily but encouragingly, with a close-fought 1-0 loss to Watford, who were deemed to be a team who would be near the top of the league. This was encouraging as we expected to get hammered. Clark started the season playing a 3-5-2 system, which defensively was quite sound, conceding just 2 goals in the first 3 league games. We weren't scoring too many, but this may have been down to a number of new players trying to find their feet.

Shinnie hadn't hit the ground running and Novak was looking very unimpressive up front. Eardley started poorly, but after five league games his season was over. Luckily, Blues had Paul Caddis to fill in at right wing back. Dan Burn was one of the more successful recruitments, looking composed and strong at the heart of the Blues defence. Adeyemi was improving with every game and looked to be a key part of Blues' team.

Jesse Lingard joined on loan, with an instant impact. Days after joining, Lingard smashed home a four-goal haul, grabbing three within half an hour, with a lot of credit going to Roger Johnson. He couldn't quite keep up that scoring record, though he did grab one more goal before his loan was prematurely ended, helping Blues to a 4-0 victory against fellow strugglers Millwall. That, unfortunately, was Blues' last home victory of the season. David Murphy grabbed two goals in that game, but his season was cut short by injury, before he had to cut his career short.

Though the players were finally starting to adjust, the 3-5-2/3-4-3 system was bombed out in favour of a more orthodox 4-2-3-1, which some fans were crying out for. I was more for 3 at the back, but clearly the players were more suited to a four at the back system.  Blues went 10 games unbeaten, including 4 away wins. Lee Novak was reveling in his new wide role, grabbing a brace away to Blackburn and scoring one of the goals of the season.

The cups were a fun distraction. An incredible game finished 4-4 AET against Premier League Stoke City, even with 10 men. Penalties didn't go as well as the rest of the game, but there was still the FA Cup. Blues eased past Bristol Rovers (who have plenty of problems themselves) then were drawn to Swansea in the cup. Everything looked to be going well until a man worth more than the entire Blues team, Wilfried Bony, decided that enough was enough.

Blues had problems, though. Loan players were leaving and their replacements weren't quite clicking. Burn, Lingard and Bartley returned, with Thorpe, Blackett, Macheda, Huws and Rusnak coming in. Clark used an inordinate amount of players, with an incredible 21 loan players involved. However, this seemed to be the downfall. A constant changing of systems and players left the team with no consistency and no identity. Fortunately, two of those January loan signings really paid off.

Federico Macheda was hardly prolific at his other clubs smashed home 10 goals in his short spell at Blues. It's puzzling that he couldn't score many goals elsewhere, as he looked a proper striker. Pace, power and a deadly eye for goal; let's hope we can keep him.

Emyr Huws was absolutely superb in his few months at Blues. There's no way that he'll be at a Championship club next year; he should be at a Premier League team. He bossed the midfield with his strength, composure and range of passing. He showed that he has wonderful technique, with some lovely deliveries from set-pieces and some incredible goals, not least the wonderstrike against Middlesbrough.

Blues' home woes continued, but this time the away form was struggling too. Though we looked safe with 5 games to go, we still needed a point or three to make sure. Despite Huws' goal against Middlesbrough, Blues succumbed to a 3-1 loss against 9 men, somehow. Former Blues loanee Matt Derbyshire put Blues' survival chances in doubt, as Blues crashed to a 1-0 loss against a struggling Forest.

It looked to be written in the stars. Thoughts of the end of the 10/11 season under McLeish crossed all Blues fans' minds. A bizarre team selection from Clark screwed us over against Blackburn and at 0-4 Blues' fate looked all but sealed. Not even a late rally could rescue a point. It boiled down to the last day.

Even after Robinson's tough words to the loanees, they showed immense fight and passion for the club which they have no real affiliation to. Macheda, Huws and Ibe were superb and showed that they really do care. Ibe changed the game against Bolton, but Blues found themselves 2-0 down with 13 minutes left.

Up stepped the big game man. Nikola Zigic did what he does best - inspire Blues to the result they need in a big game. Hancox found the big man in the box with a delicious cross, and Zigic nodded home for 2-1. Doncaster were losing to Leicester, so only a point was needed. The Blues fans believed. Neil Danns did his best for the cause, spooning a great chance miles over the bar.

6 minutes added on. Time was running out. A long ball was launched forward, landing at the feet of Jordon Ibe. He made a yard before shooting, but it looped into the air off a defender. Zigic was there to surely head in the equaliser, but Tim Ream did superbly to head off the line. Luckily, his keeper tripped him as he tried to block the second header. Luckily, Caddis was there to score his first and probably his only headed goal of his career, but what a time to get it.

Blues survived.