Winners & Losers 2008/2009: England

Starting today and running all this week, Just-Football will be taking a look back around the top European leagues and assessing the winners and losers from the 2008/2009 season. Who impressed? Who underachieved? Stay tuned as we profile those clubs heading into the summer break feeling pretty damn good about themselves, and those whose personnel will forever sport a look of thinly disguised horror, a blank, embarrassed look cascading gently over the weary visage of anyone forced to recall the disappointments of 2008/2009.

First up, England.

WINNERS

Manchester United

Though the campaign ended in disappointment for Manchester United fans, history will show that 2008/2009 was actually a golden season for the Red Devils. Becoming champions of England for the eighteenth time, equalling Liverpool's long-standing record, League Cup winners and World Club champions is a highly successful end of season trophy haul no matter which way you look at it. And indeed when you think about it, United were ultimately only a penalty shootout and two games short of winning an unprecedented quintuple.


United's supremacy this season came largely down to one thing - defence. Amassing a record number of clean sheets, defending was the new attacking for Sir Alex Ferguson's men this year and they did it brilliantly. 24 clean sheets in 38 games is no mean feat, and goes some way towards explaining why the likes of Edwin Van der Sar and Nemanja Vidic were contenders for Player of the Year. As well as these names and other usual suspects, perhaps the defining moment in United's season however came from the right boot of an untried, unknown 17-year-old Italian called Federico. Macheda's dramatic last minute winner against Aston Villa, just 24 hours after Liverpool's own late winner vs Fulham, was arguably the key moment in the 2008/2009 title race.

Star Man: Nemanja Vidic

Stoke City

Stoke City were widely written off when they won promotion to the Premier League in 2008. Show me a man outside Stoke-on-Trent who confidently predicted The Potters' survival and I will show you either a genius, a liar or a combination of the two. But 38 games later, Tony Pulis guided Stoke to a remarkable 12th place finish, a full 11 points clear of relegation trouble.

Throughout the season, Stoke's main strength was their home form. Boasting one of the best domestic records in the division, Pulis and, of course, the club's supporters did a remarkable job in turning the Britannia Stadium into something of a fortress, where only 4 clubs (Everton, Chelsea, Manchester United and West Ham) managed to win. It was those 10 home wins which formed the foundation for Stoke to stay up. On top of that the January signings of James Beattie and Matthew Etherington proved inspirational. Beattie's 7 league goals were crucial in the second half of the season, while Etherington's assist tally was the club's second highest behind Rory Delap.

Star Man: Abdoulaye Faye

Fulham

Fulham narrowly avoided relegation last season, only managing to secure their survival within minutes of the campaign's finale. One might have expected 2008/2009 to be little more than a year of consolidation therefore, with lower mid-table a reasonable aim. Not so. In his first full season at Craven Cottage, manager Roy Hodgson transformed Fulham into a well-drilled, efficient unit and the rewards of this approach came by way of a 7th place finish - the highest league placing in the West London club's entire history.

That so great an achievement was accomplished with so modest a goal tally I think explains that choice of words used to describe Fulham in 08/09 - 'well-drilled' and 'efficient'. The Cottagers scored just 39 goals all season in the league, a miserly tally for a team so high up the table, but balanced it out with a watertight defence - the fourth best in the Premier League. Among others, a Mr. B. Hangeland can be thanked for that. Aaron Hughes was also a sturdy performer, and underrated to boot.

Due to their excellence in 08/09, Fulham now qualify to take part in the rebranded UEFA Cup aka Europa League. Though great to look forward to if you're a Fulham fan, the extra strain on resources such a competition brings might prove to be a poisoned chalice for the club next season, and Hodgson will have to deal with that dutifully. Nevertheless, to beat a club like Spurs, with all their resources, into a European place is a fantastic achievement for Fulham and rightly deserves praise.

Star Man: Brede Hangeland

LOSERS

Newcastle United

Where to start with Newcastle? Band of massively overpaid, over-priced underachievers as players? Check. String of managerial changes? Check. Comedic handling of club affairs at boardroom level? Check. A profanity-laden manager rant featuring 52 swear words in one press conference? That, too. Though the Newcastle fans put on a brave face at Villa Park on the last day of the season as relegation was confirmed, it has been a horrible season for the Magpies.

It did not always seem like it would turn out that way. A creditable draw at Old Trafford on the opening day of the season followed by victory against Bolton gave Geordies everywhere early hope. But it soon turned to despair when, after just 8 months in charge, Kevin Keegan resigned, citing his poor relationship with the board as a main reason for departing. From there Newcastle's performances deteriorated steadily, and though Joe Kinnear did oversee something of a mini-revival, health problems unfortunately forced him to step aside.

After Chris Hughton's brief yet disastrous tenure in charge, another Geordie messiah was recruited, as with 8 games to go Mike Ashley turned to Alan Shearer. Nothing doing. Ashley over-estimated the motivational effect Shearer's presence might have on the players, and the former Newcastle number 9 managed to draw just 1 win in 8 from a dishevelled, dejected bunch. Even on the final day of the season 1 point would have been enough, but Newcastle failed to deliver. And so they go down to the Championship graceless, toothless, up for sale and embarrassed. When will they be back?

Arsenal

Four years without a trophy now. Tick tock, tick tock. A 4th place finish alongside two failed semi-finals cannot really be seen as much consolation either. Though many Arsenal fans remain behind Arsene Wenger, the rough treatment he received at the club's shareholders AGM and the subsequent flirting with Real Madrid portray a widening sense of discontent at Ashburton Grove. The relationship between manager and fan would be severely tested by another trophyless season in 09/10.

Middlesbrough

Gareth Southgate tried to revamp Middlesbrough this season, allowing a number of experienced Boro players to leave in place of various youngsters and fringe players. Gareth Southgate failed. Middlesbrough went down as a consequence. Goalscoring was Boro's chief problem. Amassing a painfully low tally of 28 league goals, or 0.73 per game, is an awful ratio at this level and was rightly punished by the drop. No defence can rectify those numbers, but Middlesbrough didn't even make up for it defensively, conceding 57.

Many castigated Afonso Alves, Boro's most expensive ever signing at around £12.5 million, for his lack of goals, but few others performed any better. Jeremie Aliadiere notched 2 league goals in 27 starts. Stewart Downing, the club's most valuable player, couldn't muster a single strike. In attacking areas only Sanli Tuncay really emerged with any great credit. And again, in defence they were equally abject. When the likes of West Brom and Bolton are dishing out 3-goal margin beatings you know something's not right. So, like their North East neighbours Newcastle, Middlesbrough are consigned to the Championship where really there are no guarantees. It could be a while before we see the Boro back.

Stay tuned for Part 2 when we will be assessing the 08/09 winners and losers in France.