2007/08 season review - Part 1 May 13 2008
Here is the first part of our review of the 2007/08 Premier League season...
Arsenal
Many pundits and fans wrote the Gunners off before the start of the season, claiming that the departure of Thierry Henry and David Dein would see the club dropping out of the top four at the expense of Tottenham. How different things turned out.
Arsenal topped the Premier League table for much of the season and only a string of injuries and some crucial refereeing errors knocked them off their perch. And when the crunch came a severe lack of depth in the squad was exposed.
There can be no doubt that Arsenal's starting eleven are a match for any other side in world football but the sharp drop between the first team and the bench remains their weakness.
Gunners fans will look back to the game against Birmingham and the horror injury to Eduardo da Silva as the turning point in their season. They seemed like a different side after that, as if the psychological damage suffered was just too overpowering, and a string of draws saw first Manchester United, then Chelsea overhaul them.
The undoubted highlight of the campaign for the Gunners faithful had to be that night at the San Siro. Beating AC Milan is a difficult challenge for any football team, but to do so in the Giuseppe Meazza is a different kind of special. After cup hammerings at the hands of bitter rivals Tottenham and Manchester United, the UEFA Champions League victory in Italy made up for all the other heartaches suffered throughout the season.
Even though the season ended without silverware there were many incidents to take hope from. The emergence of Theo Walcott as a real attacking threat (who can forget his magnificent run against Liverpool), the acquisition of Bacary Sagna and Gael Clichy's blossoming into one of the best left-backs in football all bode well for the future.
Premier League finish: 3rd
UEFA Champions League: Quarter-finals
FA Cup: Fifth round
Carling Cup: Semi-finals
Aston Villa
Following a relatively meaningless 11th spot finish to last season, Martin O'Neill's charges will be delighted to have secured an improved sixth place and passage to the Intertoto Cup at the end of the 2007/08 campaign.
O'Neill's tenure at the club is widely heralded as the 'rise and rise of Aston Villa' and rightly so. He has helped eradicate Villa's many errs (while picking up the Manager of the Month award for November) and it has proved fruitful.
Villa struggled to find the back of the net last season and managed a paltry 43 goals. This term, only Manchester United and Arsenal can claim to have scored more, with Villa adding a cool 28 goals to their previous total.
John Carew and Gabriel Agbonlahor stole the show upfront while the Villans ran rampant against Bolton, winning 4-0 and routing Birmingham 5-1. But it was an unassuming summer signing in the form of Marlon Harewood that has warmed the hearts of the Villa fans.
A vital strike against the Reds and a strong performance against Newcastle, coupled with back-to-back goals against the Trotters and Derby had the fans chanting "feed the Hare and he will score."
Then there was the riveting 4-4 draw with title contenders Chelsea at Stamford Bridge when Villa twice came from behind to draw level.
And it wasn't just the flurry in front of goal that got the supporters of the smallest squad in England cheering.
Villa's home form, set-piece play and their form towards the closing stages of the campaign have all drastically improved.
This can be attributed to the adroitness of Ashley Young, the poaching ability of Agbonlahor and the reliability of captain Gareth Barry.
The trio were exceptional and were rewarded with England call-ups, while Young deservedly earned a spot in the PFA's Team of the Year.
However, an area of concern for the Irish mentor will be his defence as there is still major room for improvement.
Nigel Reo-Coker, Zat Knight and on-loan Scot Carson were added to bolster the Villains' bite at the back in the summer and while neither of the above-mentioned players were terrible this season - all three failed to add any real verve.
Villa only managed nine clean sheets and let in eight more goals this term and the departure of Olof Mellberg will not do them too many defensive favours.
It will be an area that the manager is certain to attend to in the summer as he hopes to take the club a few steps closer to the aim at hand - to meet, greet and overcome the likes of Real Madrid and Inter Milan in the world's most prestigious club competition.
Premier League finish: 6th
FA Cup: Third round
Carling Cup: Third round
Birmingham City
It was a very topsy-turvy season for Birmingham, with failed takeovers, arrests and managerial changes all contributing towards their relegation from the Premier League.
However, it all looked so good for Blues when Hong Kong-based businessman Carson Yeung looked set to complete his takeover after buying 29.9 per cent of the club's shares. That move never materialised and City were hit hard by it.
Their on-field situation looked slightly better, as former France international Oliver Kapo, Dutch starlet Daniel De Ridder and Aston Villa defender Liam Ridgewell all joined the club, providing the supporters with optimism ahead of the new campaign.
Despite the new arrivals, the team could not get going in the league. The departure of Steve Bruce hit the team hard, as the former Manchester United player had taken them to new heights. However, the arrival of former Scotland boss Alex McLeish took some of the pain away from Bruce's departure, as McLeish lead his side to a victory over Tottenham in his first match in charge.
However, Blues continued to perform inconsistently and they remained in and around the relegation places.
The arrival of Argentine striker Mauro Zarate lifted the Brum faithful during the January transfer window, but it was not a one man job as the midlands club continued to struggle.
More off-field distractions continued to effect the club when David Sullivan and Karren Brady were both arrested on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and false accounting in connection with an ongoing investigation of alleged corruption in English football.
With yet another off-field distraction for the club to deal with, the team on the pitch continued to struggle, with results going against them week-in, week-out.
And their relegation was finally confirmed on the final day of the season. Despite beating Blackburn 4-1 at St Andrews, they still failed to beat the drop due to Fulham's victory over Portsmouth.
Thinking of what might have been is something which Blues should steer clear of. Now is the time for them to build again, but this time, they must do it properly.
Premier League finish: 19th
FA Cup: Third round
Carling Cup: Third round
Blackburn Rovers
Following a blistering start to the season and equipped with a new frontman, Blackburn looked set to seal a top-six finish and challenge for a UEFA Cup spot. But on the last day of the campaign a 4-1 defeat to an unsuccessful, relegation-battling Birmingham side saw Rovers end seventh - losing out on an Intertoto Cup spot to Aston Villa.
And while their season is a three-place, six-point improvement on last term, Mark Hughes' men will be undoubtedly aggrieved to end 2007/08 essentially empty-handed.
The start of season was tough, yet fruitful for the boys from Ewood Park. Fixtures against Chelsea, Arsenal and an improved Everton team all deservedly resulted in points.
And the club's new summer signing, former Bayern Munich ace Roque Santa Cruz - who did nothing in the Bundesliga - was setting the Premier League alight.
David Bentley found his feet as he commanded the right wing and earned the opportunity to grant David Beckham competition in the England squad.
Hughes' charges were looking new, improved and were certainly on fire. But their form during the second half of the season sank as quickly as the Titantic did.
A four-match losing streak in December coupled with one stalemate too many, saw the Lancashire club fall off the pace in their chase for European competition.
During the closing stages of the campaign, the only real highlight - apart from Cruz's consistency in front of goal - was an almost season-defining 1-1 draw against Manchester United.
Players like Benni McCarthy and Morten Gamst Pedersen failed to realise their full potential, while Jason Roberts was a merely a stop-gap solution as a partner to Cruz upfront.
Off the field, the Dan Williams-led consortium who had a long-held desire to take over the club withdrew their interest in January. This affected Rovers' financial planning and they have made it clear they are still up for sale. In April 2008, the club were linked with a takeover from JJB Sports owner Chris Ronnie, and a Icelandic-based consortium.
However, a formal bid is yet to be made. And if Blackburn aim to go further than they did in the current campaign, increased funding will be a necessity.
Premier League finish: 7th
UEFA Cup: First round
FA Cup: Third round
Carling Cup: Quarter-finals
Bolton Wanderers
The departure of Sam Allardyce was never going to be an easy one for the club to recover from. To make things worse his successor, Sammy Lee, was seen by the fans and media alike as the wrong man for the job of taking Bolton forward after all the hard work Big Sam had put in.
And those critics were correct in their assessment as Lee was sacked by the Trotters after claiming just one victory in eleven Premier League matches.
Gary Megson was the man who replaced the former Liverpool star as manager and Wanderers' season soon took a turn for the better after his arrival.
The former West Brom boss not only saved the club from inevitable relegation to the Championship, but he guided them to relative success in the UEFA Cup.
That run in the UEFA Cup saw them reach the last 16. Along the way Bolton achieved a creditable draw away at German giants Bayern Munich and a two-legged victory over Spanish outfit Atletico Madrid.
The loss of Nicolas Anelka to Chelsea during the January transfer window was a massive blow to the Lancashire club. Not only had they lost their top goalscorer, but they had lost their leading light, the man the team depended on.
But it was not the end of the world for the Trotters. The team pulled together and put up a fight against relegation. Results were still mixed, but they had that 'Bolton' fighting spirit about them. Something which paid off in the end.
Wanderers secured their Premier League status with two games left to play in the season. A dramatic turnaround considering their 'favourites' tag to go down earlier in the campaign. Their draw with Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on the final day summed up Bolton as a football club: They will always give 100 per cent and their commitment can never be doubted.
Next term will be another campaign of rebuilding. Whether Megson is the man to truly take the Reebok outfit forward will have to be seen, but it is without doubt that the club still have the right spirit to stay in the top flight.
Premier League finish: 16th
UEFA Cup: Last 16
FA Cup: Third round
Carling Cup: Fourth round
Andrew Hallett, Melissa Reddy & Justin Zehmke