Paul Fennessy
What will be your defining memory from this season?
As brilliant as City, Arsenal and to a lesser extent Liverpool were, it has to be Erik ten Hag’s Man United. How can a team spend so much money and still concede 31 shots against Brentford? It was arguably a worse performance than the infamous 4-0 defeat against the same opposition in Ten Hag’s second game in charge last season, yet they somehow came away with a 1-1 draw.
Who was your Player of the Season?
It’s a season where no individual has been clearly superior to everyone. On that basis, I’m instead going for the ultimate team player, Rodri.
It’s no coincidence that City look much weaker when he is not around.
Moreover, he is unbeaten in 50 Premier League games and 74 matches in all competitions — a British record (the Champions League penalty shootout loss to Real Madrid does not count as a defeat in these statistics).
One player has a superior tally to Rodri in Premier League history — ex-Arsenal defender Sol Campbell with 56 — and that’s another record the Spanish international is certainly capable of eclipsing.
Name the best and worst signing of the season.
It’s hard to look past Declan Rice as the best as he is one of the biggest reasons why Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have reached new heights this season. Yet the Gunners were paying £100 million (€116.7 million) for proven Premier League quality, given his consistently exceptional performances for West Ham. Alternatively, Chelsea haven’t exactly been frugal or especially wise with their spending, but £40 million (€46.7 million) for Cole Palmer looks an increasingly smart piece of business.
There are a few contenders for worst, but Sofyan Amrabat springs to mind. He looked so impressive for Morocco at the 2022 World Cup but invariably hasn’t been good enough in a Man United shirt.
Best individual performance you witnessed this season?
I’ll interpret this as individual team performance and opt for when an Unai Emery-inspired Aston Villa beat Man City 1-0 in December. I struggle to think of many other examples when a Pep Guardiola side were thoroughly outplayed for more or less the entirety of the 90 minutes — City registered just two attempts on goal compared to Villa’s 22. The reigning champions were missing some important players, but it was still an astonishing display from the hosts.
Which Irish player has impressed you most?
If we’re talking standalone performances, then Evan Ferguson’s hat-trick against Newcastle is the comfortable winner. But overall, despite the occasional dodgy moment, Nathan Collins has recovered well from a disappointing spell at Wolves to establish himself as an important player for Brentford. At the time of writing, he is in the top 10 for most interceptions and most headed clearances in the Premier League.
Which team did you most enjoy watching (aside from the club you support)?
They regularly struggled and occasionally silenced the critics, but the one consistent aspect of Man United’s season was the entertainment value the team provided.
Name your favourite moment from this season.
When a nine-man Spurs almost held Chelsea to a draw or better and bafflingly insisted on continually playing a high line. Nicolas Jackson went from being a laughing stock to a hat-trick hero within a few minutes to complete an utterly insane, unforgettable contest.
Describe the season in one sentence.
Man City triumph again, with 115 charges hanging over them.
Gavin Cooney
What will be your defining memory from this season?
The definitive moment will be Stefan Ortega’s save from Son Heung-min late in the game at the Spurs Stadium in the final week of the season. After years of ruthless, unsparing dominance, it seemed as if City might finally be undone by a freak Gerrard-slip style event. Instead, Ortega stood tall to block the shot, save City, and shatter Arsenal fans. Those four seconds in which Son galloped through before shooting must have been filled with unfathomable wonder for Arsenal fans. But that’s all City will give you: four seconds.
Who was your Player of the Season?
Cole Palmer has been sensational at Chelsea, but his thriving in that team only goes to show how much more difficult it is to shine in Guardiola’s precisely choreographed system. Had Kevin de Bruyne played more minutes I’d have picked him, but Phil Foden consistently delivered in big moments across the whole season so I will go for him. With apologies to Declan Rice and Martin Odegaard, who would be worthy winners.
Name the best and worst signing of the season.
The best is Declan Rice, without question.
The worst is Sandro Tonali, also without question.
Best individual performance you witnessed this season?
It’s a personal choice but I’ll pick Kevin De Bruyne’s return from injury away to Newcastle in January. With City 2-1 down, he scored within five minutes of his introduction and then created Oscar Bobb’s late winner. They would have won the league before the final day had he not missed so many games with injury: Arsenal would be champions had he missed a few more.
Which Irish player has impressed you most?
Injuries got in the way of Evan Ferguson building on a sensational start, so I’ll go with Caoimhín Kelleher: outstanding and almost entirely error-free for Liverpool during Alisson’s long absence. Dara O’Shea deserves a mention too.
Which team did you most enjoy watching (aside from the club you support)?
Tottenham were so good to watch in the early part of the season, when Destiny Udogie was fit, Son was in better form, and James Maddison was firing. Oliver Glasner, Michael Olise, and Ebere Eze combined to make Crystal Palace a late-season delight, too.
Name your favourite moment from this season.
Ange Postecoglu’s counter-intuitive/insane reaction to going down to nine men at home to Chelsea: push so madly high that it scrambled Chelsea’s brains for almost long enough to get a point. Watching Eric Dier sprint back and forth from the halfway line in distress was genuinely entertaining.
Describe the season in one sentence.
The Premier League is decadent and depraved but bloody hell I can’t stop watching.
David Sneyd
What will be your defining memory from this season?
Jurgen Klopp announcing his departure from Liverpool was a genuine stop-you-in-your-tracks moment.
Who was your Player of the Season?
Phil Foden. An exceptional footballer who has the work ethic of someone who feels as if they’re fortunate to be in the best team in the country while possessing the ability that makes it clear they are the ones lucky to have him.
Name the best and worst signing of the season.
Best: Cole Palmer of Cole Palmer FC.
Worst: Mark Clattenburg, the Nottingham Forest referee analyst-cum-lobbyist.
Best individual performance you witnessed this season?
No doubt an Irish bias but Caoimhin Kelleher’s display in the League Cup final was superb and if it wasn’t for his saves ‘The Blue Billion Pound Bottle Jobs’ might never have been born. Aston Villa’s win at home to Manchester City was the most memorable team performance.
Which Irish player has impressed you most?
Kelleher had a long enough spell in Liverpool’s team, and performed to a consistent level, to suggest he could shine for a top-six Premier League club. Chiedozie Ogbene had moments of genuine class for Luton but a combination of injury and form meant he was unable to sustain it. Hopefully he’s done enough to earn a move to keep him in England’s top flight — the same goes for Dara O’Shea at Burnley — or attract attention from abroad.
Which team did you most enjoy watching (aside from the club you support)?
Spurs were brilliant until around Christmas, Liverpool the same until around St Patrick’s Day, while Villa also played with a vibrancy that secured Champions League qualification.
Name your favourite moment from this season.
Amad Diallo’s winning goal for Manchester United against Liverpool in injury time of extra time for a 4-3 victory in their FA Cup quarter-final at Old Trafford.
Describe the season in one sentence.
There are 115 charges to answer before any of this can be properly assessed.
