English Premier League Season Recap – Man U wins again, Newcastle relegated
The English Premier League 2008/09 season has finished with Manchester United retaining for the trophy and Newcastle United, West Bromwich Albion, and Middlesbrough all being relegated. Liverpool had an early lead over Man U but couldn’t hold on and ultimately ended in 2nd place. Fulham enjoyed a terriffic season with a 7th place finish that will give them a Europa League spot for next season. Aston Villa was dreaming of a Champions League spot only to crumble the last few months. Here’s the recap of this past season.
Manchester United champions again
During the halfway point, Liverpool looked to have a strong chance at challenging Man U and holding onto their lead. However, Sir Alex Ferguson and his players closed the season emphatically and won the league trophy again. This team had a few hiccups, including a couple losses in March, but won the matches when it really counted. Cristiano Ronaldo has now won several EPL titles, a Champions League title, and could be heading to Real Madrid in the offseason. With Ronaldo likely to leave, can Man U repeat? As long as SAF is managing the team, they will have as good a chance as any other club to lift the league trophy. The one bad thing about repeat champions is that it is a bit boring and a win from Liverpool would provide a little boost into the league. It’s not good if the Premier League turns predictable.
Fulham turn it around
The past few seasons saw Fulham struggle to stay alive but manager Roy Hodgson has the club on the right track. A 7th place finish and Europa League spot has been a remarkable turnaround from previous seasons. Fulham were one of the best defensive teams in the league, and were able to rely on a strong showing at Craven Cottage. Can this team have any success in Europe? They will have to get more depth which will mean spending some money. With a busy schedule for next season, can they continue their rise up the Premier League table?
The top 4 remain the same
Aston Villa looked to be the team to crack the top 4 as they were above Arsenal at the half-way point. However, the team fell apart and the usually top 4 of Arsenal, Liverpool, Chelsea, and Man U remains the same. This is one of the problems with the EPL and most European soccer leagues, that the teams who will finish in the top of the table are very predictable. These are usually the biggest spenders and can outspend a team like Villa, Fulham, or West Ham. If the league wants competitive balance (and maybe it doesn’t, who knows) then there have to be some changes made. Salary caps, a luxury tax, or something should help the smaller clubs. However, this seems unlikely to occur anytime soon so the top 4 will probably remain the same.
Newcastle, WBA, and Boro relegated
It’s a sad day for the Toon Army who will see Newcastle play in the Championship next season. Newcastle have no one to blame but themselves are they continually underacheive even with having more resources than most EPL clubs. West Brom is not a surprise as they were just promoted and had a noticably weak squad. The best the club can hope for is to win an automatic promotion spot and somehow avoid relegation in the Premier League. Middlesbrough have struggled for a few seasons and did not finish the season strong. Overall, all these teams didn’t get the points they needed and Newcastle not in the Premier League is funny and sad. Which of these teams will be promoted if any after next year?
| 2008/2009 English Premiership Table | |||||||||||||||||||||||
| Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||||||
| RK | TEAM | GP | W | D | L | GS | GA | W | D | L | GS | GA | W | D | L | GS | GA | GD | P | ||||
| 1 | Manchester United | 38 | 28 | 6 | 4 | 68 | 24 | 16 | 2 | 1 | 43 | 13 | 12 | 4 | 3 | 25 | 11 | 44 | 90 | ||||
| 2 | Liverpool | 38 | 25 | 11 | 2 | 77 | 27 | 12 | 7 | 0 | 41 | 13 | 13 | 4 | 2 | 36 | 14 | 50 | 86 | ||||
| 3 | Chelsea | 38 | 25 | 8 | 5 | 68 | 24 | 11 | 6 | 2 | 33 | 12 | 14 | 2 | 3 | 35 | 12 | 44 | 83 | ||||
| 4 | Arsenal | 38 | 20 | 12 | 6 | 68 | 37 | 11 | 5 | 3 | 31 | 16 | 9 | 7 | 3 | 37 | 21 | 31 | 72 | ||||
| 5 | Everton | 38 | 17 | 12 | 9 | 55 | 37 | 8 | 6 | 5 | 31 | 20 | 9 | 6 | 4 | 24 | 17 | 18 | 63 | ||||
| 6 | Aston Villa | 38 | 17 | 11 | 10 | 54 | 48 | 7 | 9 | 3 | 27 | 21 | 10 | 2 | 7 | 27 | 27 | 6 | 62 | ||||
| 7 | Fulham | 38 | 14 | 11 | 13 | 39 | 34 | 11 | 3 | 5 | 28 | 16 | 3 | 8 | 8 | 11 | 18 | 5 | 53 | ||||
| 8 |  |
Tottenham Hotspur | 38 | 14 | 9 | 15 | 45 | 45 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 21 | 10 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 24 | 35 | 0 | 51 | |||
| 9 | West Ham United | 38 | 14 | 9 | 15 | 42 | 45 | 9 | 2 | 8 | 23 | 22 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 19 | 23 | -3 | 51 | ||||
| 10 | Manchester City | 38 | 15 | 5 | 18 | 58 | 50 | 13 | 0 | 6 | 40 | 18 | 2 | 5 | 12 | 18 | 32 | 8 | 50 | ||||
| 11 | Wigan Athletic | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 34 | 45 | 8 | 5 | 6 | 17 | 18 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 17 | 27 | -11 | 45 | ||||
| 12 | Stoke City | 38 | 12 | 9 | 17 | 38 | 55 | 10 | 5 | 4 | 22 | 15 | 2 | 4 | 13 | 16 | 40 | -17 | 45 | ||||
| 13 | Bolton Wanderers | 38 | 11 | 8 | 19 | 41 | 53 | 7 | 5 | 7 | 21 | 21 | 4 | 3 | 12 | 20 | 32 | -12 | 41 | ||||
| 14 | Portsmouth | 38 | 10 | 11 | 17 | 38 | 57 | 8 | 3 | 8 | 26 | 29 | 2 | 8 | 9 | 12 | 28 | -19 | 41 | ||||
| 15 | Blackburn Rovers | 38 | 10 | 11 | 17 | 40 | 60 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 22 | 23 | 4 | 4 | 11 | 18 | 37 | -20 | 41 | ||||
| 16 | Sunderland | 38 | 9 | 9 | 20 | 34 | 54 | 6 | 3 | 10 | 21 | 25 | 3 | 6 | 10 | 13 | 29 | -20 | 36 | ||||
| 17 | Hull City | 38 | 8 | 11 | 19 | 39 | 64 | 3 | 5 | 11 | 18 | 36 | 5 | 6 | 8 | 21 | 28 | -25 | 35 | ||||
| 18 | Newcastle United | 38 | 7 | 13 | 18 | 40 | 59 | 5 | 7 | 7 | 24 | 29 | 2 | 6 | 11 | 16 | 30 | -19 | 34 | ||||
| 19 | Middlesbrough | 38 | 7 | 11 | 20 | 28 | 57 | 5 | 9 | 5 | 17 | 20 | 2 | 2 | 15 | 11 | 37 | -29 | 32 | ||||
| 20 | West Bromwich Albion | 38 | 8 | 8 | 22 | 36 | 67 | 7 | 3 | 9 | 26 | 33 | 1 | 5 | 13 | 10 | 34 | -31 | 32 | ||||
| Champions League: 1st , 2nd , 3rd Champions League qualifying: 4th Europa League: 5th , 6th , 7th Relegation: 18th , 19th , 20th |
