Gavan Reilly
What will be your defining memory from this season?
As a United fan I think it’s difficult to look far beyond two of Robin van Persie’s goals this season: the first a free kick to beat City 3-2 in the derby, and the second being his magnificent volley against Villa on the night the title was secured. I’ll go with the Villa one – simply because the possible absence of Wayne Rooney means we might not see too many of his crosses in the future.
Do you think the Premier League is weaker now compared with previous years?
I think it’s obvious. United winning the league by a double-digit margin while still underachieving and stumbling at the first real obstacle in Europe isn’t a great sign. The title wasn’t competitive and even beyond that, none of the English teams seemed to make a major impact on Europe so it’s hard to claim that the standard is safe.
What was your most regrettable prediction this season?
That Newcastle could challenge for the title. Oops.
Who was your Player of the Season?
I’m baffled by why Michael Carrick didn’t feature more highly in the end-of-season lists. RVP’s goals obviously had their part to play in United’s win, and Gareth Bale has single-handedly brought Spurs back to the brink of Europe, but Michael Carrick’s been relentless all year – easily his best season in a red shirt, the metronome that kept United motoring to the title.
What was your Goal of the Season?
RVP’s second against Villa, but failing that, a special mention for Theo Walcott’s injury time goal Arsenal’s 7-3 win at Newcastle. It was inconsequential, but marvellous.
Best individual performance you witnessed this season?
Not to go on about him too much, but Van Persie’s hat-trick against Southampton at the start of the season really set the tone for the year. United were dreadful in that game – as they were for much of the first half of the year – but RVP personally refused to countenance defeat and simply would not stop until the tides had turned.
Which team did you most enjoy watching (aside from the club you support)
It’s a tough question to answer, as the standard of football this year hasn’t been particularly good – but I think it’d be a shame if Swansea were overlooked for how joyous they were at the start of the season. They may never have another PL season like it, but they were exceptionally fluid in the early weeks and really hit the ground running.
Which Irish player impressed you most?
Have there been any? Genuinely struggling to pick one out.
How will you remember Fergie?
Leaping to his feet, his arms concretely pointed in the area, and clapping like a robot. He was appointed at Old Trafford three weeks before I was born. I honestly don’t know what it will be like without him. God speed, boss.
How did your Fantasy Football team do?
Are they even still alive? As per usual, I missed one game week in October and then abandoned the side for the entire season. Next year, I swear…
Any early expectations for next season?
Unless they make some serious changes, Aston Villa are going to get relegated. What muck.
Describe the season in one word/sentence.
‘Meh’. Mediocre United win at an uninspiring canter.
Adrian Russell
What will be your defining memory from this season?
The glazed look on Luis Suarez’s face as he lurched at Branislav Ivanovic teeth-first.
Do you think the Premier League is weaker now compared with previous years?
Certainly weaker and a little more top-heavy.
What was your most regrettable prediction this season?
Apart from saying West Brom would finish bottom, I wrote this about my Fantasy Football captain: ‘Thomas Vermaelen. He’s a goal-scoring centre-half, he’s going to step up to the plate of replacing RVP in the armband and his nickname is the Verminator.’
As Jim Carrey said in Dumb and Dumber: I was WAY off!
Who was your Player of the Season?
I really loved watching Leighton Baines and Seamus Coleman on either flank for Everton, and the former takes it for looking like an awards-show seat-filler for Kasabian.
What was your Goal of the Season?
Theo Walcott against Newcastle because of the kid-at-a-wedding knee-slide halfway through the build-up
Best individual performance you witnessed this season?
Take any from the Gareth Bale file. Maybe the West Ham one.
Which Irish player impressed you most?
I’ve always been a Weso fan but Anthony Pilkington was impressive again in that Norwich side.
How did your Fantasy Football team do?
A season of two halves; Very badly initially, and then I gave up.
Any early expectations for next season?
I have to say I’m already excited. It’s like professional wrestling the morning after a loser-leaves-town match at Summer Slam. Except the winner leaves town as well. We’ll start next season without the managers who led teams to the top three positions. Mourinho returns and will spend big, Arsenal hint at marquee signings, Manchester United begin a season with someone other than Fergie in the dug-out for the first time since 1986. It promises to be fascinating.
Describe the season in one word/sentence.
The end of an era… so long, Colin Murray.
Steven O’Rourke
What will be your defining memory from this season?
Has to be Ferguson’s retirement party. I started supporting United aged 6 in 1988 so he’s the only manager I’ve ever known. Didn’t realise how emotional I’d be about it all but it really was.
Do you think the Premier League is weaker now compared with previous years?
Was it ever really strong? Most years it comes down to two teams, this year was no different. There are only three teams that can win the league in England but, then again, there are only two in Spain, two in Germany and people don’t tend to call those leagues weak.
What was your most regrettable prediction this season?
Unlike some, I didn’t lay my reputation on the line at the start of the season. However, I was convinced Brendan Rodgers wouldn’t survive the year. I got that wrong and there are signs – small ones – that he might be the right man for the job there.
Who was your Player of the Season?
Gareth Bale. RVP and Suarez had their moments but Spurs are the very definition of mid-table mediocrity without the Welsh wizard.
What was your Goal of the Season?
I’m sure a lot of people will say Van Persie’s effort against Villa was theirs but, for me, he was offside and shinned it so I have to say this Cameron Jerome effort for Stoke. This was magic:
Best individual performance you witnessed this season?
Like Adrian said, you could probably take any of Gareth Bale’s performances this year and put it here but for me Jordi Gomez and his perfect hat-trick (left, right, head) for Wigan against Reading is the one I’ll probably remember most.
Which team did you most enjoy watching (aside from the club you support)
Early in the season Swansea and West Brom were good value for money but as the season drew to a close it was difficult not to enjoy Newcastle suffer multiple hidings.
Which Irish player impressed you most?
Shane Long has scored more league goals than Torres and Andy Carroll this season. A seriously underestimated and, in Ireland’s case, underutilised player.
How will you remember Fergie?
As the granddad I never had.
How did your Fantasy Football team do?
My NFL fantasy football team did brilliantly. I stopped looking at my Premier League one in November it was doing so badly.
Any early expectations for next season?
A title at his first attempt for David Moyes. Let’s face it, who couldn’t manage Manchester United with all that money and the talent already on the books?
Describe the season in one word/sentence.
Over (serious answer: enjoyable)
Fintan O’Toole
What will be your defining memory from this season?
Last Sunday’s series of farewells from some of the league’s most established figures. Fergie saying goodbye at Old Trafford, Scholes saying goodbye (again) at Old Trafford and Moyes saying goodbye at Goodison Park.
Do you think the Premier League is weaker now compared with previous years?
Definitely. The gap has widened between those shining and those struggling. The results in the Champions League this year don’t exactly paint a picture of a league in rude health either.
What was your most regrettable prediction this season?
Making the statement that ‘the signings of Lukas Podolski, Oliver Giroud and Santi Cazorla to help Arsenal overcome the loss of Van Persie’.
Cazorla impressed but the contributions of Podolski and Giroud were too sporadic.
Who was your Player of the Season?
RVP. He justified the big price tag, the decision to make the move after so many seasons with Arsenal and Ferguson’s faith in him. The single biggest reason as to why they wrestled the league back from Manchester City.
What was your Goal of the Season?
Leighton Baines free kick for Everton against Newcastle. A foot like a traction engine as Alan Partridge would say.
Best individual performance you witnessed this season?
Gareth Bale was pretty impressive against West Ham in February when Spurs won 3-2.
Which team did you most enjoy watching (aside from the club you support)
Spurs were always entertaining from AVB’s over the top celebrations on the sideline, Bale’s heroics on the pitch and the sense that there would always be goals at either end in their games.
An honourable mention goes to Watford – a team who could be in the Premier League next season – for that crazy finale to their semi-final playoff second leg with Leicester last week.
Which Irish player impressed you most?
Seamus Coleman at Everton. His attacking instincts served him well again but his defending has improved greatly in recent seasons. He’s become really consistent and is still only 24.
How will you remember Fergie?
Pointing at his watch, chewing gum, screaming at match officials and more often than not finding a way to claim victory in the 90-odd minutes of a game.
How did your Fantasy Football team do?
Fair when I paid interest to it earlier in the season and remembered to update it. I imagine they’ve fell apart since. Must check in before the season’s out.
Any early expectations for next season?
Sky Sports to try to increase the hype even more with the arrival of a new rival in BT Sports and the shift in the managerial landscape to increase interest. Moyes already has a new job, Pellegrini is almost in place and hopefully Mourinho will be soon.
Describe the season in one word/sentence.
His likes will never be seen again.
Patrick McCarry
What will be your defining memory from this season?
Adam LeFondre’s late goals popped into my head first but the late RVP goal against City was some moment.
Do you think the Premier League is weaker now compared with previous years?
It certainly seems that way. United did not have to be at their very best, yet romped to a league win. The fact that a team could finish 10th with 42 points tells you that a lot of middling teams struggled against any opposition with a touch of class this year.
What was your most regrettable prediction this season?
I predicted West Ham and West Brom to get relegated. As the song goes ‘I should’ve known better…’
Who was your Player of the Season?
Robin van Persie. Without his goals, Manchester United would have struggled mightily to win the title. His work ethic has impressed at United; that’s saying something.
What was your Goal of the Season?
I loved Cisse’s wallop against Southampton:
Baines’ free-kick a close second.
Best individual performance you witnessed this season?
Javier Hernandez and his hat-trick, and all-round performance, against Aston Villa. It was the perfect striker’s outing as he tormented Villa all night and earned his team three vital points in a comeback, 3-2 win:
Which team did you most enjoy watching (aside from the club you support)
Spurs. They are sometimes lacklustre against smaller sides at White Hart Lane but they play an attacking brand of football that did a job at Old Trafford in one of the games of the season. Chelsea, when Mata, Oscar, Lampard and Hazard get in the groove.
Which Irish player impressed you most?
Anthony Pilkington. His season tailed off a little but he was superb in the mid-section of the season and scored some vital goals. Ireland debut is still eagerly anticipated.
How will you remember Fergie?
The don of English football (as in Capo, the Aberdeen nickname is a happy coincidence). I’ll miss his post-match blustering.
How did your Fantasy Football team do?
As of Week 37, I’m doing pretty well. I’m 17th overall in TheScore.ie league but 150-odd points behind the runaway leader
Any early expectations for next season?
Liverpool to challenge for the top four. Moyes to do OK for himself.
Describe the season in one word/sentence.
Business as usual before the end of an era.
Ben Blake
What will be your defining memory from this season?
It’s got to be Alex Ferguson’s departure. He’s just been such an institution for as long as I’ve known the Premier League.
Do you think the Premier League is weaker now compared with previous years?
The PL’s poor showing in the Champions League and the manner in which Manchester United eased to their 20th title would suggest so.
What was your most regrettable prediction this season?
Suggesting that Southampton would go down.
Who was your Player of the Season?
Gareth Bale.
What was your Goal of the Season?
Matt Lowton v Stoke.
Best individual performance you witnessed this season?
One that springs to mind is Christian Benteke v Liverpool.
Which team did you most enjoy watching (aside from the club you support)?
Swansea.
Which Irish player impressed you most?
James McCarthy proved that he would be a valuable asset to most Premier League teams with his performances for Wigan this season.
How will you remember Fergie?
Fondly.
How did your Fantasy Football team do?
Packed it in before the season’s end. Shameful.
Any early expectations for next season?
Exciting times ahead with so much change.
Describe the season in one word/sentence.
Memorable.
Hugh O’Connell
What will be your defining memory from this season?
Has to be Fergie doesn’t it? Although I don’t think we’ll ever see the likes of Luis Suarez biting someone again although they probably said that in the Netherlands when he did it there a few years ago…
Do you think the Premier League is weaker now compared with previous years?
I think so and that is evidenced by English teams not doing well in the Champions League of late (if we discount Chelsea’s success last season which was more down to determination than any real quality and skill).
I think there’s a clear gap between the top 7 and the rest which is evidenced by the significant gap between Liverpool and West Brom who occupy 7th and 8th at the moment and also by the fact that until quite recently any of the bottom 10 could have been relegated.
What was your most regrettable prediction this season?
Looking back I appear to have got most things right or close to right which I am pleasantly surprised by. So, in my smugness, I have no regrets.
Who was your Player of the Season?
Stuff your Bale, Suarez was far more fun to watch for good and bad reasons.
What was your Goal of the Season?
Matthew Lowton for Villa v Stoke, unquestionable worldie (yeah, I went there) from an unlikely source. Those are always the best goals.
Best individual performance you witnessed this season?
Coutinho against Newcastle a few weeks ago was particularly delicious. A proper Brazilian playmaker.
Which team did you most enjoy watching (aside from the club you support)
Wigan were always value for money either shipping goals or scoring a few themselves.
Which Irish player impressed you most?
Pilkington’s had a good season but a word too for Seamus Coleman who appears to have established himself in the first team at Everton
How will you remember Fergie?
That horrible f*****.
How did your Fantasy Football team do?
Didn’t have one.
Any early expectations for next season?
I think predictions are impossible when the top three teams will all have different managers but elsewhere I’ve a sneaky suspicion Southampton might make inroads on the top eight next season.
Describe the season in one word/sentence.
As a Liverpool fan, the only word for me is ‘undecided’.
Paul Fennessy
What will be your defining memory from this season?
Retirements. Alex Ferguson, Paul Scholes, Jamie Carragher and Michael Owen to name but a few… Wow, I’m getting old.
Do you think the Premier League is weaker now compared with previous years?
Certain critics tend to jump to dramatic conclusions whenever English teams aren’t unequivocally successful in Europe, but it’s certainly not as strong as it was five years ago.
What was your most regrettable prediction this season?
Definitely West Brom to go down – I figured the change of manager would be their undoing. Though in fairness, I was not alone, as many of my esteemed colleagues, as well as around half The Guardian’s writers, said the same thing. I also predicted that Aston Villa would improve on last season’s position (16th) which could conceivably still happen – if they win on Sunday, they may end up as high as 11th.
Who was your Player of the Season?
As fantastic as Bale and Suarez were, Robin van Persie made the key difference when the pressure was truly on for United, so for that reason, he gets my vote.
What was your Goal of the Season?
Gareth Bale’s winner against West Ham. The sheer audacity of it, given the circumstances, made it genuinely breathtaking. Anyone can score a scorcher when you’re 3-0 up at home, but his strike in injury time was vital, and may yet be the difference in Spurs getting the Champions League spot.
Best individual performance you witnessed this season?
Paul Scholes in the second half against Tottenham at Old Trafford and in the second half against Southampton at St Marys. The way a player of his age dominated the game was inspirational, even though they somehow ended up losing on the former occasion.
Which team did you most enjoy watching (aside from the club you support)
Liverpool play in an attractive fashion and their games were rarely predictable – the fact that they beat Newcastle 6-0 away and drew with them at home epitomises their inconsistency.
Which Irish player impressed you most?
James McCarthy. Despite Wigan’s relegation, he can hold his head up high on account of some stellar performances. A move to a bigger club surely awaits.
How will you remember Fergie?
As the most obsessive and hyper-competitive manager the league has ever seen.
How did your Fantasy Football team do?
‘Fenno’s Dinosaurs’ were essentially the Liverpool of Fantasy Football – great one week, abysmal the next, and ultimately left with little to play for.
Any early expectations for next season?
Jose Mourinho to take Fergie’s title as the quintessential manager that opposition fans (and referees) love to hate.
Describe the season in one word/sentence.
