Last day round-up

This football season in the Premier League, there has been a visceral decline in my enjoyment of the sport, with its Wild West regulation and arrogant charlatans aplenty.  The glut of games has contributed to this perceptible feeling but the obsession with TV money above the ordinary fans make points on the board a little meaningless.  The FA Cup’s rescheduling for 5.15 p.m. was a case in point, stymieing the return travel plans of Liverpool fans and the day wasn’t even entirely cleared, with the Premier League leaving a dribble of spite with an early kick-off between Arsenal and Norwich.  If the FA had any integrity it would ensure that the traditions of the FA Cup are upheld and it being the last game of the season, yet it is hopelessly compromised by having Premier League chairmen on its board (one less after today – bye bye Phil Gartside), men who find it more convenient to their schedules to mess around with it.

Today was a case in point.  It was a 3 p.m. starting time for all of the final Premier League matches, but that just reinforced the memory that such games were played on a Saturday at this hour, not a Sunday.  I guess the reasoning is that fewer people work on a Sunday, here, in Europe and in Americas and will be able to tap into the late-night audience in East Asia.  It reminds me though of what we have lost.

Gripes aside, this was a thrilling climax to the top-flight season.  The drama was spectacular even if the quality of football played was not.  For Manchester City to win the title for the first time in 44 years in the dying seconds of the game, after staring down the barrel of defeat in the game to QPR and in the season as a whole, is astounding.  To take it away from Manchester United like that and leave them with nothing must make it all the more sweeter for the blue half of Manchester.  When QPR were stonewalling City, I thought it would make a great show were City to score late to win it by one goal and as it turned out that was the case.  Edin Dzeko scored in injury time with three minutes remaining and remembering other games that changed in time added on (Southampton 2, Middlesbrough 2 and Charlton Athletic 3 Blackburn Rovers 2) I knew that it was doable for another goal to be scored.  And then Sergio Agüero capped a remarkable turn of events with his late, late goal.

QPR escaped relegation at the expense of Bolton Wanderers, who join Blackburn Rovers (making it a hard season for much of Lancashire) and Wolverhampton Wanderers.  At least Owen Coyle can rekindle an association with Burnley, from whom he jumped ship to join Bolton.  St Totterings’ day strikes again on the last day (cf. 2006) – when will Tottenham Hotspur finish above Arsenal?  It’s been a tough season to mark David Moyes’ ten years in charge but there was the consolation of being higher placed than Liverpool.  King Kenny was touted as being able to challenge for the title by some sycophantic journalists but, as when in charge of Newcastle United in the late ‘90s, a strong finish as caretaker manager was followed by unabated mediocrity in his subsequent full season.  Glenn Roeder did a similar trick with the Magpies in 2006 but no-one talked up his title credentials (just as well as it turned out).  Fenway Sports Group will be more sensible in forcing Kenny Dalglish out in the summer period, instead of sacking him a few games into the new season as Freddy Shepherd did.  Being below Newcastle United (13 points behind!) must be painful for the turncoats Andy Carroll and José Enrique – where could Newcastle not challenge for again Enrique?  Ah yes, the top six – where you are not.

For the Toon, this season has petered out in anti-climatic fashion, with losses in their last two games, but that should not overshadow what has been a brilliant season in many respects.  I was hoping for a top-ten finish and a positive goal difference – well that was certainly achieved.   The same total of goals as last season – 56 – has been scored and with only half a dozen fewer conceded, but United have been more strategic in when they score goals, suffering big ricks in a few games to damage the goals against total.  This has led to the jump from 12^th to 5^th with 19 more points.  65 points is the best return for nine years and is nine better than was scraped together in Sir Bobby Robson’s last full season (it was always uncomfortable when he never qualified how he finished fifth in 2004).  A trip to the Champions League would have been amazing but the Europa League isn’t so bad as it would allow Newcastle to build up its UEFA ranking after five years away from European competition.  Just so long as it did not have a detrimental effect on the league form.  Highlights have been some of the goals scored, especially by Papiss Demba Cissé, Ryan Taylor, Demba Ba (remember him?) and Hatem ben Arfa; going on a six-game winning run; taking four points off Manchester United for the first time in decades; beating Man Utd for the first time in eleven years; righting last season’s wrongs at the likes of Bolton, Stoke City and West Bromwich Albion; beating Chelsea at Stamford Bridge for the first time in more than a quarter of a century; ending ahead of the team from the dark place is always welcome; and a general style of play that is easy on the eye.  Some of the squad may depart in the close period, making the scouting of Graham Carr ever more vital and Alan Pardew, the official Premier League manager of the season, will have to work on Newcastle winning games in which they fall behind – under his tutelage, they have only managed draws, not victories and that would be a key part in pushing on.  Though my fascination in much of top-flight football is on the wane, there are very interesting times ahead for Newcastle United.