2011-12 Premier League Season Review: Greatest Season Ever

It's official. The 2011-12 English Premier League season was the greatest ever statistically - and emotionally. Statistically, never have there been so many goals scored in a single season. And never before has the title race gone down to the last 5 minutes after extra time.

Everyone knew when Man City went 2-1 down to QPR in the middle of the 2nd half that to win the title they would need to score 2 goals in whatever time they had left, and that if they did, it would be something quite epic and memorable. Yet, everyone knew that even though Man United did it all those years ago courtesy of Steve Bruce against Sheffield Wednesday in stoppage time, surely it wasn't going to happen again?

Just as I thought that Man City had done an All Blacks at Rugby World Cup time and choked, Edin Dzeko, a substitution I didn't really approve, nodded home the equalizer that gave City hope when it seemed like there had been none. But it didn't stop City fans throwing tantrums, breaking chairs and crying like a baby as they knew they needed a very very dramatic 3rd goal to win the title that they should have had in the bag according to the media.

They got it.





Cue commentators screaming and throwing microphones all over the studio.

Cue delirium.

Absolutely sensational. Even non-football followers couldn't fail to not be enthralled by such the greatest finish to a title race in any place!




And what a title race it was. Both Man United and Man City would have been deserving champions whatever the outcome was on Sunday but in the end, the football gods obviously decided that after 44 years, it really was City's time.

In the end it was the dream outcome at the Etihad, Man City win the game and title, QPR lose but still stay up courtesy of Bolton's failure to win at Stoke. Man City deserved champions and in my opinion, QPR deservedly staying up simply because of their form at home and the fact that they've had to endure such a turbulent season back in the top flight yet remained resillient and well in the fight to stay up: takeovers, mid-season manager sacking, etc.

For Man United, the rebuilding begins in earnest. There are clearly deficiencies at the back and in midfield and a once superb team will have to be cleaned out this summer - but even if it is, I wonder if they can match Man City whose financial strength is now backed by a new wave of confidence from the end of a title drought. That they pushed City all the way to the final day and would have been champions had both games ended without injury time, is a testament to Fergie's genius and the team's grit and hardy attitude.

For Man City, things will only get better from here surely. They may not have Edin Dzeko or Mario Balotelli next season but I'm sure they'll get an even more potent replacement to push Carlos Tevez and Sergio Aguero - Eden Hazard or even Robin van Persie? The team will be brimming with confidence now that they have claimed the big one and the basis of a great team has clearly been formed by the likes of Zabaleta, Toure, de Jong, Kompany, Richards, Hart, Barry & Kolarov. They've got all the cards in their favour and the next step now is conquering the Champions League which they didn't quite manage to this season.

Elsewhere, Arsenal and Tottenham both won meaning that Arsenal will be in the Champions League next season while Tottenham will be cheering on Bayern Munich next Sunday in the Champions League Final for that 4th Champions League spot. Newcastle and Chelsea will be in the Europa League next season - for the Toon, delirium, Chelsea, disappointment.

And as mentioned earlier, Bolton were relegated as a result of their failure to win at Stoke meaning that whatever QPR did at the Etihad was inconsequential to their survival in the top flight - and as it was they nearly did more than enough to ensure it.

There will be concerns now that Bolton have been officially relegated with rumours of debts in the hundreds of millions. Players will have to be sold but Bolton don't necessarily have the players that other clubs want - perhaps Stuart Holden, Mark Davies and Martin Petrov are the most attractive but other than that, like Blackburn, there is a reason why Bolton have ended up where they are. I do hope they stick with Owen Coyle who I think can take them back to the Premier League.

How about QPR though? As I said they deserved to stay up after their performances at home and their never-say-die spirit even when things were looking dire at the start of the season with that 4-0 drubbing to Bolton in their first game of the season, then those takeover worries before AirAsia owner, Tony Fernandes took over the club just before the transfer window closed, and then the surprise sacking of Neil Warnock who took them back to the big time. I knew that they'd stay up once Mark Hughes was appointed manager and was proven right. Hughes has definitely sparked a still average QPR team to life and I think if he hangs around, QPR could be a team to look out for next season.

Anyway..

Surprise team of the season? There were Norwich and Swansea who really took the Premier League by storm despite being newbies there. They played some really terrific eye-catching football and really are model clubs. So is Fulham who nearly bettered their performance in the 2008-09 season under Roy Hodgson and had one of the surprise players of the season in Clint Dempsey. But it is Newcastle for me who were the surprise team of the season and showed that Alan Pardew's controversial appointment was worth it. They were just a win away from playing in the Champions League next season but only a hard run at the death stopped them - they do have Europa League football though which is not a bad consolation prize for a club like Newcastle.

Disappointing team of the season? Chelsea and Aston Villa are up there but it has to be Liverpool really. Given the amount of money spent on players and the form they were in at the end of the last season, Liverpool were expected to challenge for a Champions League spot. They finished behind their city rivals, Everton and lower than their 6th place last season. One wonders if Kenny Dalglish is really Liverpool's man. If he does stay, I hope the team does have a better season than last as Liverpool are just far too big a club to be languishing in mid-table.

Surprise player of the season? Clint Dempsey, Pavel Pogrebnyak, Nikica Jelavic and Yohan Cabaye are some contenders for surprise player of the season but for me, it's gotta be Papiss Cisse. No January signing has ever had such a huge impact in the transfer window era as Cisse, and his goals nearly took Newcastle into a shock Champions League spot. One wonders what he will do with a full pre-season behind him.

Disappointing player of the season? It's gotta be Jordan Henderson. Liverpool spent big money on the Sunderland and England youngster but he is yet to convince me that he is a viable alternative to Steven Gerrard in the centre of midfield. Mind you, Didier Drogba and Cristiano Ronaldo only blossomed in their third seasons so Henderson does have time.

Game of the season? Gotta be that Manchester derby in October that ultimately sent the title to the blue side of Manchester. It was quite a sensational performance by Manchester City at their old rivals and one that will be remembered by City fans forever.

My team of the season:
Joe Hart(GK), Man City
Leighton Baines, Everton
Vincent Kompany, Man City
Joleon Lescott, Man City
Pablo Zabaleta, Man City
Clint Dempsey, Fulham
Yaya Toure, Man City
Scott Parker, Tottenham
David Silva, Man City
Sergio Aguero, Man City
Robin van Persie, Arsenal