MANCHESTER CITY
Manchester City fans have been reared on tales of consistent failure and it looked as if 2012 would be added to the bunch when, having spent most of the season on top, they were usurped as the finishing line drew nearer. However, when it came down to the final six games, Roberto Mancini's side were ruthless and they ultimately had the final say over neighbours United, even though it took two injury time goals on the last day of the season to fulfil the dreams of Sheikh Mansour. Their inaugural Champions League campaign ended in group stage disappointment, although they were in a very tough group and the experience they gained from those six matches will stand to them next time around. As will a first league title since 1968. These are the days City fans dreamed of when the Arabs rolled into town four years ago and those supporters who stuck by the club when they were losing to York City in the third tier of English football in 1998 have been rewarded for their loyalty. Now if only someone could explain that seven-letter word to Carlos Tevez...
MANCHESTER UTD
Rarely has finishing second in the league hurt so much. 89 points, nine more than the total which won them the title in 2010-11, proved insufficient to overhaul their affluent crosstown rivals. As if being upstaged by Man City wasn't enough, they relinquished an eight-point lead with the finishing line in sight when normally the closing weeks bring out the best in Alex Ferguson's men. It all began so merrily with five wins from five and United playing exhilarating football, but their frailties were exposed in the infamous 6-1 derby defeat in October. Their domestic heartbreak was compunded by a dreadful European campaign which saw them outclassed by Basel and Athletic Bilbao. It's not all doom and gloom, though - they still have several potent goalscorers, although midfield solidity and maybe another centre-back are required. It's worth pointing out that the loss of Nemanja Vidic for over half of the season took its toll.
ARSENAL
After seven games Arsenal had accrued just five points and lay 17th in the table. That horror start to the season included a crushing 8-2 defeat at Man Utd and the knives were out for Arsene Wenger. The Gunners' form turned, though, after a classic 5-3 win away to Chelsea and they had the player of the season in 30-goal Robin van Persie, without whom they would have crashed and burned. The signings of Mikel Arteta and Yossi Benayoun looked like panic buys but they settled in well to the team, Arteta filling the sizeable gap left by the injured Jack Wilshere. There were times in the second half of the season when Arsenal still looked quite shaky, not least when going down to AC Milan in the Champions League, but they took heart from their performance in the second leg of that crazy tie and a third-place finish means that, at worst, they will be in the qualifying rounds for the competition again. The fans would certainly have accepted that when they were languishing near the foot of the table in early October and struggling to adapt to life after Cesc Fabregas and Samir Nasri.
TOTTENHAM
Tottenham entered the second half of the season not only in the top three, but also with a decent chance of mustering a title challenge. Then came a shattering 3-2 defeat to Man City and the mood around the club wasn't helped by huge questions over Harry Redknapp's future vis-a-vis manging England. A possible tilt at the title instead turned into a battle just to finish in the top four, a battle they won but they are still waiting on the outcome of Saturday's Champions League final to see if they will be in the qualifiers for that tournament in 2012-13. Even if they get their way on that score, they could lose players like Luka Modric and Gareth Bale over the summer, and without the services of those two they will be severely hampered. Then again, it looked for all the world as if Modric was a goner at the beginning of the season, but the Croatia star held firm at White Hart Lane and how Spurs fans must be thankful for that.
NEWCASTLE
The Geordies had a surprisingly trouble-free return to the top flight last season, although some pundits reckoned their tendency to self-destruct had not disappeared and a few even tipped them for relegation this term. Instead Alan Pardew took Newcastle to within one game of possible Champions League football, in no small thanks to masterstroke signings such as Demba Ba, Yohann Cabaye and Papiss Cisse. Offloading Joey Barton was also a smart move. The only slightly chaotic occurence in the north-east all season was the depressing renaming of St. James' Park as the Sports Direct Arena, a sure-fire contender for worst stadium name in England. Mind you, considering how this year turned out for the Magpies, the club could probably have renamed the ground as We Love Sunderland Park and the fans would still be happy. Life is good around Newcastle right now, but can they hold on to their excellent acquisitions?
CHELSEA
Chelsea's entire season hinges on one game this weekend. Beat Bayern Munich and they become the first team in 15 years to add their name to the European Cup roll of honour, thus capping the greatest achievement in the club's history. Lose to the Germans and 2011-12 will be remembered for their worst league finish in over a decade, one which sees them having to settle for Europa League football. Andre Villas-Boas arrived with plenty of fanfare but his attack-minded yet naive tactics did not sit well with senior players like John Terry and Frank Lampard and a terrible run of form in the spring saw the Portuguese rookie axed. Club legend Roberto di Matteo filled in for the remainder of the season and oversaw a memorable Champions League triumph over Barcelona, even if football romantics were left wishing they'd rather have nails poked through their eyes. There will be a need for reassessment at Stamford Bridge over the summer, especially if FA Cup final hero Didier Drogba leaves.
EVERTON
I could nearly have written this part of the review in August, as it's become an annual event for Everton to limp out of the starting blocks before hitting form in the winter and pushing their way into the top seven, despite David Moyes having about as much money to spend as somebody who has been on the dole for the last three years. The ever-likeable Scot did buck the trend in terms of transfer activity this January, bringing in Darron Gibson, Steven Pienaar and Nikica Jelavic. All three were instrumental in the Toffees' revival and the fans had the added satisfaction of finishing ahead of Liverpool in the table. They were subjected to a gut-wrenching defeat to their city rivals in the FA Cup semi-finals but Everton supporters will once again look back on the season just gone with no little satisfaction.
LIVERPOOL
Firstly, the good points. Victory in the Carling Cup final gave them a first trophy in six years and something tangible to take from the season. They won at Arsenal, Chelsea and Everton, a triple-header that very few sides pull off. Well that's it really. Now for the bad bits. Six wins at home in the league, their lowest finish in the Premier League since 1994 when there was talk of the top four or maybe even a title push, a chronic conversion rate in front of goal. And that's before we even get into the matter of Luis Suarez and his fateful conversation with Patrice Evra in October. The Uruguayan showed both extremes of his enigmatic self during the season, compromising dazzling skill with stupid acts of petulance that have turned supporters of every other English club against him. They call Kenny Dalglish 'King' around Anfield, but on the evidence of this campaign the irascible Glaswegian is more peasant material.
FULHAM
Many Premier League footballers were still working on their suntan on 30 June last, but Fulham players were in Europa League qualifying action against the all-powerful NSI Runavik of the Faroe Islands. Considering the marathon season that Martin Jol's team battled through, a 9th-place finish is a fine achievement and it cements the Cottager's place as top half mainstays in the Premier League. While the likes of van Persie, Rooney and Aguero hogged the headlines for their goalscoring exploits, Clint Dempsey was not far behind. The American is not even a striker but he still came up with 17 goals over the course of the season. There will be no continental distractions for Fulham next year, so they seem well placed to continue the wonderful progress they have made in recent years.
WEST BROM
The Baggies had an unusually relaxed end to the season for the second year in a row, having spent their other Premier League campagins in relegation scraps. Roy Hodgson arrived at the Hawthorns in 2011 looking to rebuild his reputation and the newly-appointed England manager leaves West Brom in their rudest state of health in recent memory. Peter Odemwingie was not as prolific this term but the purchase of Shane Long from Reading was a smart one and they also had midfielders such as Graham Dorrans and James Morrison who were good for a few goals. The fans had a dream day out when they destroyed Wolves 5-1 in February and results like that propelled the club to a top half finish. Now to find a manager to keep up the good work.
SWANSEA
Some pundits didn't give Swansea a hope in hell; others thought they would start brightly but fade out of the picture like Blackpool last year. Instead the Swans took to their first Premier League season like, ahem, ducks to water, with a brand of football that not only got results but was also very enjoyable to watch. Brendan Rodgers kept faith with the bulk of the promoted squad while making excellent additions such as Michel Vorm and Gylfi Sigurdsson and he stayed true to his attack-minded principles. Man City, Liverpool and Arsenal were all beaten in Wales and Swansea were also able to get wins on their travels. An excellent first season back in the top flight - now can they keep it up second time around?
NORWICH
With two consecutive promotions en route to the Premier League, Norwich fans have had plenty to celebrate in recent times. Paul Lambert and his team gave them even more to savour as they comfortably survived in their first top flight campaign since 2004-05. They had reliable goalscorers in Grant Holt, Steve Morison and Anthony Pilkington while goalkeeper John Ruddy proved very difficult to beat at the other end. It's been a whirlwind few years for the Canaries after relegation to the third tier in 2009 and a harrowing 7-1 home defeat to Colchester on the opening day of that season. Lambert was Colchester manager that day and after guiding Norwich to back-to-back promotions and a fantastic return season in the Premier League, some are tipping him to move on to even bigger things. The yellow-clad East Anglia faithful will pray that he doesn't jump ship.
SUNDERLAND
Sunderland began the season looking to push for a possible place in Europe, but a disastrous run of results in November, culminating in a 2-1 home defeat by Wigan where the winning goal came about from defending that would make schoolboy teams cringe, saw the fans calling for Steve Bruce's head. With the Mackems now facing a potential relegation battle, Martin O'Neill entered the pressure cooker and made an immediate impact as Sunderland surged up the table. He unearthed one of the newcomers of the season in James McClean, who had been signed by Bruce but never featured until O'Neill took charge, while players such as Stephane Sessegnon and even Nicklas Bendtner have looked sharp. The Black Cats tailed off in the final few weeks of the campaign but by then they were well clear of the drop zone and they seem well placed to kick on again next year.
STOKE
It was a season to remember for Stoke fans, who had the new experience of travelling across the continent to follow their team. The Potters gave a very good account of themselves in the Europa League, finishing ahead of Dynamo Kiev in their group and making Valencia work hard for their 2-0 aggregate win. The travel and extra games ultimately had an impact on their domestic form, with Tony Pulis' side stuttering to an eventual 14th place, although they were never in real danger of a relegation scrap and again proved they can cut it at this level. None of the top four won at the Brittania Stadium, with Chelsea and Liverpool also failing to leave Stoke with three points. There won't be any European adventures next time around so Pulis will be aiming to improve on their league position.
WIGAN
In the middle of March, with only nine games left to play, Wigan lay bottom of the table after a run of seven straight defeats. Scoring goals was a problem, as was the frequent concession of them. Not even the miracle men of the Premier League could pull off an escape from relegation once again, it seemed. Then they proceeded to win seven of their final nine matches, includings wins over Man United, Liverpool and Arsenal, the latter two away from the DW Stadium. The mild-mannered Roberto Martinez never gave up on his side and in turn the players refused to give up on him. They even had the luxury of going into the final day of the season with an eighth consecutive year of top flight football guaranteed. All of a sudden, Martinez could be in the shop window for higher-profile managerial positions.
ASTON VILLA
Morale was low around Villa Park in the summer after a lacklustre season and matters weren't helped when Alex McLeish, who had just been relegated with arch-rivals Birmingham, was installed as manager. The Scot was up against it from the outset and he never had the backing of the supporters. It didn't help that Ashley Young and Stewart Downing were not adequately replaced, with Charles N'Zogbia proving to be a disappointment. Another massive blow was the mid-season injury to Darren Bent, their one reliable source of goals. Robbie Keane compensated for Bent's absence during a six-week loan spell but after his return to LA Galaxy the goals dried up again. Villa ended in a lowly 16th, just three points above the relegation zone and looking like a team that couldn't wait to get a troubled season over with. McLeish paid the price this week with his dismissal and his replacement will have it all to do to resurrect the hopes of a disilliusioned set of fans.
QPR
After being thumped 4-0 at home by Bolton on the opening day, it looked like QPR would not be cut out for the top flight. However they kept plugging away and were able to produce some excellent wins over Everton, Chelsea, Liverpool, Tottenham and Arsenal. The problem, though, was their simultaneous tendency to be beaten by teams around them at the bottom, which was why Neil Warnock got the boot midway through the campaign. Their shocking disciplinary record didn't help, but whoever commissioned the signing of Joey Barton must have been high on ether when the decision was taken. Luckily, other arrivals such as Shaun Wright-Phillips and Djibril Cisse proved to be good spots. Mark Hughes arrived with a lofty reputation but this job proved tougher than any of his previous managerial posts and the R's went into the last day needing a point at Man City and a favour from elsewhere. They couldn't hang on for the draw in Manchester but other results went their way and QPR just about survived. With further signings and hopefully no more Barton hissy fits, they could improve next year.
BOLTON
It was a horrendously difficult year for Bolton, who spent most of the season in a relegation fight and won just four league games at home. That mattered little, though, after the shocking events of 17 March when Fabrice Muamba collapsed in an FA Cup tie against Tottenham. Thank God that the midfielder managed to stay alive and has made a very progressive recovery, which hopefully will continue in due course. Owen Coyle and his players were understandably shaken by the incident but they still had to focus on Premier League survival and it eventually proved too much of an ask. After 11 years in the top flight, the Trotters will be playing Championship football next season. 2011-12 was a campaign to forget at the Reebok Stadium and Bolton will now hope to put a traumatic year behind them.
BLACKBURN
If you think your job is stressful, and I'm sure it is at times, then spare a thought for Steve Kean, who had nearly 30,000 people baying for his blood on a weekly basis. A poor start to the season prompted a series of protests against the manager and Venky's, the Indian owners who had openly proclaimed Champions League football as a target within three years. It soon became clear that Premier League football was all that Blackburn fans were worried about, and despite a remarkable week where they drew at Liverpool and won at Man Utd, the season was played out to a backdrop of 'Kean Out' messages. At one stage in March it looked like the Scot could pull off a relegation escape but then it all went horribly wrong and, on a soaking wet night at home to Wigan, defeat condemned Rovers to the drop amid a poisonous atmosphere. Kean should probably quit now for the sake of his sanity while Blackburn are left to pick up the pieces of a woeful season, where not even the 17 goals of Yakubu Ayegbeni could keep them up.
WOLVES
With seven points from their opening three games, Wolves were in the top four and it looked as if they would have a very enjoyable season. Alas it quickly turned into a nightmare campaign at Molineux, with the club falling from Champions League places to the relegation zone in a matter of weeks. Steven Fletcher was prolific in front of goal but his fellow strikers looked shorn of confidence and defensively they were a mess, with keeper Wayne Hennessy prone to clangers and Roger Johnson proving a major letdown after his summer move from Birmingham. A dismal 5-1 home defeat by rivals West Brom brought the curtain down on Mick McCarthy's time in charge and the public search for a new manager went badly awry, with assistant Terry Connor reluctantly taking the reins for the remainder of the season. The new man couldn't manage one Premier League win in three months and Wolves' relegation was confirmed a full three weeks before the season ended. A club that had seemed to be making real progress now finds itself back at square one.
Goal of the season: Peter Crouch's swivel and volley against Man City at the Brittania in March
Game of the season: Chelsea 3-5 Arsenal
Manager of the season: Alan Pardew
Player of the season: Robin van Persie
Young player of the season: Sergio Aguero
Team of the season: Hart - R Taylor, Kompany, Vidic, Walker - Silva, Y Toure, Modric, Bale - van Persie, Aguero.
Honourable mentions for Krul, Assou Ekotto, van der Vaart, Rooney and P Cisse.
Moments of the season:
- Gervinho making a fool out of Joey Barton, despite being sent off on his Arsenal debut
- Man Utd 8-2 Arsenal, a result I refused to believe when told after getting home from work
- Fernando Torres' goal at Old Trafford, often forgotten amid his comical miss later in that match.
- Man Utd 1-6 Man City, a result I refused to believe when told shortly before the county final in October
- Chelsea 3-5 Arsenal, a breathless game that reminded us why we fell in love with football
- Joe Hart's stoppage time save at Anfield
- Robin van Persie's volley against Everton
- Blackburn's shock win at Old Trafford
- Tim Howard scoring with a hopeful punt up the field
- Man City 3-2 Tottenham, a thriller with no little controversy
- The Anfield Cat
- The unification of football fans after Fabrice Muamba's collapse
- Peter Crouch's wonder goal against Man City
- Roberto Mancini's constant dismissal of his team's title chances in the wake of Man City's unexpected late revival
- Papiss Cisse's outrageous strike at Stamford Bridge
- The reaction to Fabrice Muamba walking onto the pitch at the Reebok Stadium before Bolton's match against Tottenham
- A chicken gracing the Ewood Park turf
- Sergio Aguero sparking mayhem with his 95th-minute title-winning goal against QPR
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