Alex Dunn takes a look back on 2008 and reflects on what transpired in the football world.
Alex Dunn takes a look back on 2008 and reflects on what transpired in the football world
In years to come historians will credit 2008 as being dominated by Manchester United but those that are willing to delve further into the archives will realise their domestic and European double tells only part of the tale.
2008 was the year of the underdog as Hull City punched above their weight and left the likes of Arsenal and Spurs with bloodied noses. It was the year Spain proved football does on occasion dish out justice as the continent's most stylish nation secured its first trophy since 1964, as Fernando Torres' goal decided the European Championship final.
It was a year of disaster then resurrection for the England national side as Steve McClaren's ill-fated tenure ended in abject failure to qualify for Euro 2008, before Fabio Capello set about deflating egos and restoring pride.
2008 saw Tottenham claim their first trophy in nine years, only for Juande Ramos to be given the boot just eight games into the new season. Harry Redknapp was summoned for but not before he had claimed Portsmouth's first major honour since 1950, as Kanu's goal was enough to beat Cardiff in the FA Cup final. It was the year of Grannygate for Stephen Ireland, the year McClaren turned Dutch in the funniest football interview ever recorded, the year Real Madrid and Cristiano Ronaldo spent the summer making eyes at each but never sealed the deal.
Talking of Mr Ronaldo...
PLAYER OF THE YEAR - CRISTIANO RONALDO
Rarely is the narcissist universally loved but providing he can avoid drowning in his own reflection between now and the end of the month, Cristiano Ronaldo will rightly be crowned as 2008's finest player.
Ronaldo polarizes opinion like few others in Premier League history. If you support Manchester United you love him. If you support anyone else you don't.
Yet behind the facade of rampant egotism, fuelled by the winks, tricks, theatrics and flirting with Real Madrid, there is a serious footballer - a footballer who scored 42 goals last season as Manchester United claimed a domestic and European double.
A summer spent dreaming idly of Spain while being fed grapes by a bevy of European beauties hardly endeared him to those who feel only John Travolta can get away with a white suit, but just as they did after Winkgate 2006, the Old Trafford faithful stood by a player rightly ranked alongside Best, Law and Charlton in the club's rich history.
RENAISSANCE OF THE YEAR - ENGLAND
Rewind 12 months and it's fair to say the national game was in crisis. The image of Steve McClaren only avoiding drowning in his own ineptitude via an ill-fated use of an umbrella has become almost as iconic as Gene Kelly's piece de résistance of 1952. As Paul Ince has discovered this season, being over-promoted does not come without its costs as McClaren's tenure lasted a meagre 18 games.
The FA served Mac's head for his failure to qualify England for Euro 2008 and having arrived at the conclusion appointing a middling Premier League boss with limited experience was not the most astute of moves, the top brass sought out a high-profile replacement. One of the game's most respected figures Fabio Capello was summoned for and immediately made known his disdain for the WAG culture that had permeated the England camp.
Aware that a nation had fallen out of love with the England side, Capello set about dismantling the cosy relations that had been a feature of both Sven Goran Eriksson and McClaren's regimes. There was no more 'JT' and 'Stevie G' - who sound like a pair of gay rappers in any case - as the Italian disciplinarian made clear who the boss was.
Results at first were mixed but as England sit top of their World Cup qualifying group, with four wins from as many games, there is a sense that the tide is turning. An emphatic win in Croatia is testimony to the improvement and with 2008 having also housed a victory in Germany's back yard, all looks good for an England side that no longer picks itself.
BREAKTHROUGH ACT OF THE YEAR - ASTON VILLA
While MGMT and Glasvegas have dominated the airwaves, on the pitch it has been Aston Villa that have made the heartiest strides for the Holy Land. Not since Everton made the UEFA Champions League in 2005 has the 'Big Four's' grip on the Premier League summit been interrupted. Finances dictate that failure to qualify for Europe's elite competition has chief executives reaching for the Beta Blockers, and it could be that Arsenal's Ivan Gazidis is on prescription drugs by the end of the season should Villa's rise continue unabated.
Martin O'Neill's Midas touch has again surfaced as his impeccable record at both Leicester and Celtic has been matched in the Midlands. While chairman Randy Lerner has hardly been slow to open the chequebook there has been something more organic about Villa's progress, when placed in context against the more gaudy and ostentatious spending of elsewhere.
Piece by piece, O'Neill has assembled a side that is simultaneously organised and exciting, as his vision dictates which players are brought in rather than the other way around. There's no Robinho at Villa Park but those of a claret and blue persuasion will argue why bother with a Brazilian when you've got an Englishman just as good?
If Villa are a breakthrough act of considerable promise, it is Ashley Young that acts as their front man. The strides made by the roving forward have been meteoric in 2008 and alongside his jet-heeled partner in crime, Gabriel Agbonlahor, Villa have a duo as good as any in the top flight. Muscle is provided by John Carew, while O'Neill's decision to play hard ball with Liverpool over Gareth Barry in the summer is reaping rich dividends, as the England schemer is back to his best in dictating proceedings from the centre of the field.
Of those that covet a top four finish, it is Villa that have the talent, finance and manager to do so, in what promises to be an exciting 2009 for O'Neill and his side.
FALSE DAWN OF THE YEAR - SPURS' CARLING CUP WIN
In February Juande Ramos was the toast of the Tottenham faithful after guiding the club to its first silverware in nine years. That such a success came against neighbours Chelsea in the Carling Cup final made it all the sweeter, as the club's controversial decision to axe the popular Martin Jol was at least partially vindicated. The sight of Robbie Keane showering the Spaniard with champagne at Wembley was alien to reports that the man lured from Sevilla had not won over the dressing room.
By October both had left the club as Spurs found themselves marooned at the bottom of the table with just one point from eight matches.
Ramos' record in Spain at Sevilla was second to none, having guided the Andulacians to five trophies - including the retention of the Uefa Cup - but a language barrier was never really overcome, as his departure was met by muted responses from a group of players that never seemed convinced by a reported stand-offish approach.
Spurs called for Harry Redknapp and the rest is history. A remarkable upturn in fortunes has seen the club edge up the table, while it's not worked out too badly for Juande either....
MANAGER OF THE YEAR - PHIL BROWN
Upon scoring the winner in last season's Championship play-off final Dean Windass barely had time to raise his pint in celebration before talk surfaced of relegation. Hull City's first ever top flight campaign was met with disbelief before the realisation set in - The Tigers were lambs to the slaughter. Still, for all the doubts that surfaced over the summer, Hull were in a decidedly better state than the club which Brown inherited in 2006. When Brown initially took temporary charge at the KC Stadium the club were 22nd in the Championship table and struggling to retain second tier status. At the time of going to press they currently occupy sixth place in the Premier League having taken 27 points from 17 games. Last season Derby - who sacked Brown in his only other managerial role - managed just 11 points throughout the whole of the campaign.
Getting Hull to the Premier League was a remarkable achievement given he oversaw only the 11th highest wage bill in the Championship, but it was in the summer that he really excelled. The signing of Marlon King was met with at best surprise but the Wigan front-man - on-loan at the KC - has proven to be a revelation, while Geovanni's capture has not been bettered elsewhere.
It would do an ill-service to concentrate praise solely on the never-say-die attitude Brown has instilled in his players, as the Tigers have played some fine football in what has been the most remarkable of seasons to date. Rather than merely aiming to compete, Brown has set his team up to win games and perhaps as a consequence, there has been a refreshing attitude employed by a number of other 'lesser' Premier League sides this term.
FALLEN HERO OF THE YEAR - WILLIAM GALLAS
Bearing in mind Ashley Cole is about as popular as being run over, William Gallas has done remarkably well to be less well liked than the man he replaced in Arsenal's defence. While Ashley has been able to take sanctuary in being husband to the new People's Princess Cheryl Cole (Is it me, or is it now more her surname than his?), Gallas has cemented his reputation for being a mardy-arse par excellence.
El stroppy sod spent most of 2008 moaning and bitching about his team-mates while simultaneously his own displays showed about as much consistency as a schizophrenic at a fancy dress party. His crying at St Andrews raised the bar in acting like a spoilt child, which he then proceeded to vault over in decrying his team-mates' efforts this season in falling behind the pacesetters. A call for his younger team-mates to act like men, at a time when he was suffering from nappy-rash, was nothing short of comical. Give the guy a Rusk and let's hope for an improved 2009.
IMPROVED PLAYER OF THE YEAR - STEPHEN IRELAND
In 2007 Stephen Ireland killed off one of his grandparents without their knowledge, pulled down his shorts to expose a pair of Superman underpants, customised his Range Rover with pink accessories and sported (allegedly) the finest syrup since Reg Dwight was still married to Renate Blauel.
Not a bad year by all accounts but it's safe to say Manchester City's Irish midfielder knew improvements could be made in 2008.
And boy has he made improvements. There has never been any doubting the player's talent but by his own admission he's not always enjoyed the most stable of personal lives. In the summer it was rumoured he was ready to leave Eastlands for a fresh challenge but City boss Mark Hughes convinced him otherwise and while the club's results have been poor - Ireland has been sensational.
There are few better passers of a ball in the Premier League and this season he has discovered an eye for goal that has yielded seven strikes to date.
Superman indeed.
ILL-FATED PINT OF THE YEAR - MIKE ASHLEY
Prior to becoming the second most unpopular person in Newcastle in light of Kevin Keegan's St James' Park walkout, Mike Ashley liked to sell himself as a man of the people. The billionaire businessman is just like you or I, which presumably means we all sell £3 umbrellas and down pints at the Emirates. The sight of Ashley necking a beer during Newcastle's 3-0 defeat in September was not dissimilar to catching your parents kissing: a bit embarrassing for all parties and wholly unnecessary.
His defence that he thought it was non-alcoholic ranks alongside former Chicago Cubs baseball star Jose Cardenal's explanation for missing the opening day of the 1974 season - 'I can't play my eyelid is stuck open'.
It got no better for him thereafter as Ashley's inability to forge a workable relationship with Keegan saw Elbow rake in the royalties, as every black and white montage of Geordies crying was accompanied by their single 'Grounds for Divorce'.
DESERVED VICTORY OF THE YEAR - SPAIN EURO 2008
International football is normally an acquired taste. For the purists it represents the Beautiful Game at its pinnacle, but for the rest of us the prospect of sitting through Bulgaria versus Romania is up there with being forced to watch the Iceland advert on a 90 minute loop - before having to simultaneously eat the party food on offer and rub Kerry Katona's feet. Euro 2008, however, was something else entirely.
It was as though all the players taking part were too tired to think about tactics and boring stuff like defending, as the likes of Spain, Holland and Russia served up some scintillating football. Even the Germans went a bit gung-ho as only the French arrived at the party empty-handed. Still at least Raymond Domenech got engaged.
Luis Aragones may be less PC than an Apple Mac but there is no doubt the job he did in turning perennial dark horses Spain into eventual winners was first class. With Xavi pulling the strings and Fernando Torres and David Villa the competition's best two strikers, Spain were a delight to watch from start to finish, as the former scored the winning goal in the final with a cute clipped finish past Germany's Jens Lehmann.
RETURN OF THE YEAR - JOSE MOURINHO
The Special One's return to football with Inter Milan has seen the game's most charismatic tactician resume what he does best. The cashmere still looks good, while he's retained the ability to start an argument in an empty room. His relationship with the uber-serious Italian press is barely cordial and his spat with Juventus and fellow former Chelsea boss Claudio Ranieri has been highly entertaining. Mourinho looked tired in his final days on the Stamford Bridge throne but a spell away from the game has rejuvenated his appetite for the fight and while he's remained relatively quiet in 2008, the business end of the season next year will likely bring out the best/worst in the Inter Milan chief.
What do you think of Alex's selections? Let us know using the form below.
