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THE WEEKEND THAT WAS 6-5-06
Kean Thomas
THE WEEKEND THAT WAS IS SPONSORED BY PADDY POWER - CLICK THE BANNER FOR A FREE TEN QUID BET
The Season That Was...
Or... One Season In Four Days.
Part 2
Following on from yesterday...
Aston Villa
David O'Leary must be a charmed man, either that or he has something to blackmail Deadly Doug with. Other Villa managers have lost their jobs after having better seasons than O'Leary has managed this year.
Funny team Villa. I forget all about them sometimes as they never seem to win big or lose big (with the notable exception of a certain 4-0 away win) yet they are one of the biggest clubs in the land. With Baros and Angel up front you would have expected them to have scored more than a paltry fourty goals this season.
I suppose they could take some pride in being the best team in the West Midlands. But when you look at the competition it's nothing to brag about.
Manchester City
Psycho's first full season in charge promised, and looked at one point like delivering, some silverware. But it all went tits up after the FA Cup quarter-final against West Ham. Only winning one match since then has left them on the wrong side on the mid table divide.
Give Pearce his due though, he has given the journalists some good copy, particularly his tirade towards his own players after defeat against Boro. You do get the feeling his players will not give him any shite. As for his dealings in the transfer market, only time will tell but getting £21 million for Wright-Phillips is good business. Georgios Samaras came in for £6 Million and has scored a goal every three games.
Will Mr Pearce be Steve McClaren's assistant for the England job? I bloody hope so. No show pony will be safe.
Fulham
Fulham... Fulham... trying to think of something to say about Fulham. Another one of these teams that just seem to exist on the periphery of planet Football.
Nothing special has happened with them this season. The best they can finish is 12th, the worst they can finish is 15th. Went out in the third round of the FA Cup to lowly Leyton Orient. Oh, and let the Mackems get their first home win of the season.
Safe if not spectacular, apart from a 6-1 win against West Brom.
Now if only the same could be said about Chris Coleman's ties. I've seen smaller knots tying the QM2 to Southampton docks.
Fulham have started building for next season already with the signing of Wigan's Jimmy Bullard for £2.5 million.
Fuck me, they are boring.
Charlton
It's the end of an era for the boys from the Valley as Alan Curbishley has decided to call it a day and move onto pastures new.
Charlton started the season with a bang with Darren Bent knocking in goals for fun and finishing the season with twenty-two goals.
A notable cup run finished at the quarter-final hurdle with a replayed 4-2 defeat at the hands of mighty Boro. And since that game the Addicks season has nose dived, with just one win in four, against Portsmouth.
The customary end of season slump duly arrived around mid-February. Since beating Liverpool on February 8th they have won four games in all competitions and one of them was against Brentford in the cup. Luckily after such a good start to the season they really haven't had to worry about relegation.
But without Curb's what will happen next season?
Everton
The blue half of Merseyside must have been relishing this season starting after a phenomenal fourth place finish last season meant them qualifying for the Champions League.
Oh dear. Didn't quite work out so well did it?
After meeting eventual semi-finalists Villareal and losing both legs 2-1, they dropped into the Uefa Cup where they met Dinamo Bucharest. And then the shit really hit the fan. After rolling over in Romania and being tonked 5-1, their European dreams were over.
Luckily their league form was just as bad.
After beating Bolton in the second game of the season (August 21st) they then decided to wait until October 29th before picking up any league points. After that they tightened up the defence and ground out a few 1-0 wins, propelling them up the league.
James Beattie top scored for them with a huge return of... elevne goals, ten coming in the league. That's ten out of thirty league goals. Can you see where Everton's problems lie?
Wigan
Surprise package of the season. Come on admit it, when the won promotion last season you thought 'They'll be relegated'. I did. Shows what I know about football.
After outplaying Chelsea in the first match of the season, and being unlucky to lose, the good times just kept on rolling for Paul Jewell's boys, culminating in a Carling Cup Final appearance against Manchester United. Shame they shipped in four goals though.
However after challenging for a European spot for most of the season their form of late has left them looking at a highly respectable mid table finish.
Henri Camara has been their goal getter this season with a dozen in the league, this after scoring only four times last season for Southampton.
But with Jimmy Bullard jumping ship and the rest of the Premiership now knowing how they play, next season could be a very hard slog for them.
But until then, well done Paul Jewell and all at Wigan Athletic F.C.
PART THREE OF THE SEASON THAT WAS COMING SOON...
PART ONE RIGHT HERE
THE WEEKEND THAT WAS IS SPONSORED BY PADDY POWER - CLICK THE BANNER FOR A FREE TEN QUID BET
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