A Season in Review

Now as the dust settles on what was possibly the best ever Barclays Premier League campaign. Let us try and have a look back over the past nine months and see where trophies landed and who got them. The Premier league was brilliant, like a horse race going down to the line. In my opinion Manchester City were deserved winners and have so much to offer next season. When it came to the crunch of the run in they held there nerve and moved away from second place Liverpool. If we are to be totally honest the Liverpool train could just not get the job done. A superb run from Christmas to the last week of the league, has to be commended, but they just could not see it over the line. Chelsea put the spanner in the works by defeating the Reds at Anfield and the Liverpool balloon went down completely with that three all draw at Crystal Palace. I for the life of me can not understand why they did not just shut up shop when three up and get the job done. Those extra points would have kept the pressure on City for their last couple of games. It probably was the fact that it has been years since Liverpool had any chance of winning the top league and as they say inexperience can cause issues. I have to praise a Dublin lad who was tipping Liverpool since Christmas to go on and win it, but unfortunately Billy and Liverpool fell just short. Having won the league in 2012, when it came to the final hurdle, Manchester City had that winning mentality and managed to see it over the line. It has to be said that manager Manuel Pellegrini was superb throughout the whole season and did not get involved in any of the nonsense a certain manager in London was trying to draw him into. We must not forget that this was Pellegrini’s first campaign in English football and to take away the League and League Cup was a brilliant achievement. In my opinion City are building something quite extraordinary at the moment and more trophies will follow

over the next few seasons.

As you all know, there is a third team on every pitch and that team is my one, the officials. It has been quite a good season for the referees no matter what the TV panels have been saying. Ok there have been a few incidents but over all the games in all the leagues, officials have done well. The one outstanding incident we all will remember is the handball by Oxlade Chamberlain in the Arsenal game against Chelsea at the Bridge. How Andre Marriner thought that it was Kieran Gibbs who handled the ball is still a mystery. I said at the time that I felt the fourth official might have given him a shout on the headset as he was in direct line with the incident.I actually don't think Andre saw the handball and that is where it started to go wrong.Sure we will never know but as I said earlier it has been a good season for the referees. If I may just pick out my referee of the year it has to be Mark Clattenburg. This season Mark has been brilliant and I don't think he has put a foot wrong. He has been refereeing with a smile and it has worked for him.All the hard work Mark put in, culminated in a superb performance in the Europa League semi final second leg between Juventus and Benfica. For that ninety minutes he got everything right, no question. It is disappointing for Mark that he won't be going to the World Cup Finals after such a season but Howard Webb is the chosen one. But I am sure his time will come and the European Championships in 2016 will be his stage.

Before I finish, let us not forget that the greatest show on earth starts next month and I for one can't wait. It will be round the clock football for everyone who loves the beautiful game and excitement will be massive. I have been getting questions from all over the networks as to who I think can win it ,but I am waiting to see we're my old Dublin pal Billy is laying his ten euro before I decide, because as I said earlier his Liverpool shout was an excellent one, so stand by your beds as we wait for Billy’s choice. Oh yes and in case you’re missing it already the English Premier League season for 2014/15 season kicks off again on the 16th of August, not to long to wait now.