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Part One
ARSENAL
Player Of the Season: Saying Cesc Fabregas is almost too easy, isn't it? But that just goes to show how important the still-ever-so-young Spaniard has become to the Arsenal side. Fabregas is the only player to have featured in every Premiership game for the Gunners this season - an achievement made even more impressive when you consider he has had to avoid the annual Arsenal injury curse to do so - and can lay claim to the assists for fully a quarter of their goals.
If Arsenal had been stronger this season, Fabregas taking the ball from Cristiano Ronaldo and teeing up Emmanuel Adebayor to score the winner at Old Trafford might have been the defining moment of the title race. As it is, it serves as yet another indication that an already world-class talent is only going to get better.
Disappointment Of The Season: One of my guilty secrets is that I quite like diving. It makes me laugh, you see, especially when done as badly as Emmanuel Eboue does it. But when you combine performances that have not lived up to the promise shown last year with petulant behaviour, outright cheating and an attitude bad enough that Arsene Wenger hauled him off at Anfield, it adds up to a player who has been more disappointing than Thierry 'I'll have a month off for Christmas, please' Henry.
Revelation Of The Season: Robin van Persie, who has started scoring the goals that he so obviously has the potential to get, well, a lot of, and Emmanuel Adebayor, who has provided something of an answer to the 'no Plan B' accusations, both have a shout, but no-one can knock Gilberto's contribution this season. As stand-in captain in the absence of Thierry Henry, the Brazilian took his team by the scruff of the neck and dragged them through the festive period, finding the net in three straight games over Christmas.
ASTON VILLA
Player Of the Season: With Martin O'Neill finally making a move to bolster his wafer-thin squad in the January transfer window, hope has sprung eternal amongst the Holte End faithful that better days are just around the corner. But the most important piece of business of O'Neill's Villa tenure to date happened within a week of his arrival at Villa Park, when he persuaded Gareth Barry to turn down moves to Portsmouth and Spurs and sign a new four-year contract.
The man O'Neill installed as club captain has certainly not let his manager down. Indeed, while all is not rosy at Villa Park in terms of league position, it would be far worse without Barry's eight league goals. Able to play at left-back or on the left wing equally well, and able to hit a penalty like only a man born in Berlin should be able to, it is surely only a matter of time before Barry finally fights his way back into the national squad.
Disappointment Of The Season: "They are close to the bottom again and it's difficult for an individual to shine," whined Milan Baros of Villa on signing for Lyon, completely ignoring the fact that - had he scored more than one league goal, things might be rather different. There can be no more accurate summary of Baros' season than to look at his last moment in a Villa shirt - hauled off the pitch after missing a hatful of chances with the boos of a whole stadium ringing in his ears.
Revelation Of The Season: Liam Ridgewell started the season by showing he can be a Premiership defender rather than the comedy figure he had become under David O'Leary, but his old friend from the youth team has since outstripped him to grab a place at centre-half with both hands in the absence of Martin Laursen. After missing the start of the season through injury, Gary Cahill was thrown in at the last minute against Everton, and has played every league game since. With a centre-half's uncanny knack of getting in the way of every ball, the man who became a fans' favourite during a season on loan at Burnley has every chance of doing the same at Villa Park.
BLACKBURN ROVERS
Player Of the Season: It should be seen as no criticism of the Blackburn squad that Brad Friedel has been their best player of the season; it's simply an acknowledgement of the fact that, as he has been for many seasons at Ewood Park, the American is worth as many points over a Premiership campaign as any other keeper in the division.
The two most recent shining examples are the 1-0 win over Liverpool on Boxing Day and the 3-0 victory over Manchester City last weekend. It's easy to credit a goalkeeper with a major role in a 1-0 win - and Friedel certainly deserves credit for his performance against Liverpool - but without him and a string of point-blank saves, the 3-0 win over Manchester City could have been a 3-0 loss.
Disappointment Of The Season: He might be widely seen as their best attacking player, but the fact remains that Morten Gamst Pedersen has contributed just three goals and three assists to the Premiership cause since September. The good news is that four of those six statistics - two goals and two assists - have come in 2007, but that Pedersen has recently found the form that made him a target for Spurs in the summer and even led to rumours of Manchester United's interest, doesn't hide the fact that he went missing for more than three months before the New Year.
Revelation Of The Season: David Bentley could argue that his name should be here, as could Matt Derbyshire of late, but having been linked with a move to the Premiership for as long as anyone can remember, there were always doubts as to how Benni McCarthy would actually perform. 14 goals so far suggest he's not taking too much time to settle and has given Blackburn an instant replacement for Craig Bellamy. And Rovers fans can also take a smug satisfaction in Bellamy only having half of that tally to his name so far this campaign.
BOLTON WANDERERS
Player Of the Season: Ooh, there's always something endearing about a 'love 'em or hate 'em' player, isn't there? It's always good to see the crowd giving a player stick only for him to ram it down their throats - and that's been done no better this season than by El-Hadji Diouf at Newcastle.
As in every game, El-Hadji Diouf - a nasty little toe-rag, make no mistake - was booed from the word go and was being kicked by his oppponents...and responded by netting two goals and running to celebrate by taunting the opposition fans. A joyful wave to the crowd before taking a corner just added to the pantomime villain effect that, for the most part, makes people overlook what an outstanding player Diouf is. Don't.
Disappointment Of The Season: Remember Kevin Nolan? A free-scoring attacking midfielder once touted for the England squad by people and places other than Kevin Nolan's BBC column? That's surely not the same man who has drifted through this season with a grand total of one Premiership goal and zero assists and dropped off the national radar almost entirely until Sunday's goal against Arsenal? Is it? Really? Expect to see him in the next England squad, then, knowing Steve McClaren.
Revelation Of The Season: Between them, Ivan Campo and Gary Speed have spent a combined 70 years on the planet. Between them they've spent a combined 4026 minutes on Premiership pitches this season. They haven't been wasted minutes either - Gary Speed still covers more ground than players 20 years his junior, and Campo has filled in in almost every position going this season. To say you wouldn't expect it of men their age doesn't do it justice; Bolton will be hoping both of them play until they're 50.
CHARLTON ATHLETIC
Player Of The Season: Darren Bent has knocked in eight goals this season for a woeful Charlton side, but he hasn't done half as much in the effort to fight off relegation as Scott Carson. Make no mistake - this Charlton side has been woeful all year. Throw in three new managers and you might expect them to be sitting rock bottom of the table. Thanks to Carson's efforts, they're still in with a chance of survival.
Whether he makes it into the first team at Liverpool when his loan eventually runs out is doubtful; Rafa Benitez clearly prefers Pepe Reina. That being the case, whichever team gets hold of Carson can count themselves very lucky indeed.
Disappointment Of The Season: '90% of the players' is the obvious answer, but a more in-depth investigation of Charlton's problems invariably comes to rest focused firmly on the board. Whether you think Iain Dowie was sacked too soon or should never have been appointed, the board is to blame either way. And the farce that was Les Reed's term in office heaps shame on everyone connected with it, from the bizarre appointment of a relative unknown bank manager to the Christmas Eve sacking.
Revelation Of The Season: Are a handful of decent performances from Andy Reid earlier in the season enough to qualify him for this? No? Well then, Djimi Traore. He came, he saw, he was rubbish and he was shipped out at the first opportunity. But - and it's a big but - he kicked Jermaine Pennant in the face. That's got to be worth something.
Adam Fraser
ARSENAL
Player Of the Season: Saying Cesc Fabregas is almost too easy, isn't it? But that just goes to show how important the still-ever-so-young Spaniard has become to the Arsenal side. Fabregas is the only player to have featured in every Premiership game for the Gunners this season - an achievement made even more impressive when you consider he has had to avoid the annual Arsenal injury curse to do so - and can lay claim to the assists for fully a quarter of their goals.
If Arsenal had been stronger this season, Fabregas taking the ball from Cristiano Ronaldo and teeing up Emmanuel Adebayor to score the winner at Old Trafford might have been the defining moment of the title race. As it is, it serves as yet another indication that an already world-class talent is only going to get better.
Disappointment Of The Season: One of my guilty secrets is that I quite like diving. It makes me laugh, you see, especially when done as badly as Emmanuel Eboue does it. But when you combine performances that have not lived up to the promise shown last year with petulant behaviour, outright cheating and an attitude bad enough that Arsene Wenger hauled him off at Anfield, it adds up to a player who has been more disappointing than Thierry 'I'll have a month off for Christmas, please' Henry.
Revelation Of The Season: Robin van Persie, who has started scoring the goals that he so obviously has the potential to get, well, a lot of, and Emmanuel Adebayor, who has provided something of an answer to the 'no Plan B' accusations, both have a shout, but no-one can knock Gilberto's contribution this season. As stand-in captain in the absence of Thierry Henry, the Brazilian took his team by the scruff of the neck and dragged them through the festive period, finding the net in three straight games over Christmas.
ASTON VILLA
Player Of the Season: With Martin O'Neill finally making a move to bolster his wafer-thin squad in the January transfer window, hope has sprung eternal amongst the Holte End faithful that better days are just around the corner. But the most important piece of business of O'Neill's Villa tenure to date happened within a week of his arrival at Villa Park, when he persuaded Gareth Barry to turn down moves to Portsmouth and Spurs and sign a new four-year contract.
The man O'Neill installed as club captain has certainly not let his manager down. Indeed, while all is not rosy at Villa Park in terms of league position, it would be far worse without Barry's eight league goals. Able to play at left-back or on the left wing equally well, and able to hit a penalty like only a man born in Berlin should be able to, it is surely only a matter of time before Barry finally fights his way back into the national squad.
Disappointment Of The Season: "They are close to the bottom again and it's difficult for an individual to shine," whined Milan Baros of Villa on signing for Lyon, completely ignoring the fact that - had he scored more than one league goal, things might be rather different. There can be no more accurate summary of Baros' season than to look at his last moment in a Villa shirt - hauled off the pitch after missing a hatful of chances with the boos of a whole stadium ringing in his ears.
Revelation Of The Season: Liam Ridgewell started the season by showing he can be a Premiership defender rather than the comedy figure he had become under David O'Leary, but his old friend from the youth team has since outstripped him to grab a place at centre-half with both hands in the absence of Martin Laursen. After missing the start of the season through injury, Gary Cahill was thrown in at the last minute against Everton, and has played every league game since. With a centre-half's uncanny knack of getting in the way of every ball, the man who became a fans' favourite during a season on loan at Burnley has every chance of doing the same at Villa Park.
BLACKBURN ROVERS
Player Of the Season: It should be seen as no criticism of the Blackburn squad that Brad Friedel has been their best player of the season; it's simply an acknowledgement of the fact that, as he has been for many seasons at Ewood Park, the American is worth as many points over a Premiership campaign as any other keeper in the division.
The two most recent shining examples are the 1-0 win over Liverpool on Boxing Day and the 3-0 victory over Manchester City last weekend. It's easy to credit a goalkeeper with a major role in a 1-0 win - and Friedel certainly deserves credit for his performance against Liverpool - but without him and a string of point-blank saves, the 3-0 win over Manchester City could have been a 3-0 loss.
Disappointment Of The Season: He might be widely seen as their best attacking player, but the fact remains that Morten Gamst Pedersen has contributed just three goals and three assists to the Premiership cause since September. The good news is that four of those six statistics - two goals and two assists - have come in 2007, but that Pedersen has recently found the form that made him a target for Spurs in the summer and even led to rumours of Manchester United's interest, doesn't hide the fact that he went missing for more than three months before the New Year.
Revelation Of The Season: David Bentley could argue that his name should be here, as could Matt Derbyshire of late, but having been linked with a move to the Premiership for as long as anyone can remember, there were always doubts as to how Benni McCarthy would actually perform. 14 goals so far suggest he's not taking too much time to settle and has given Blackburn an instant replacement for Craig Bellamy. And Rovers fans can also take a smug satisfaction in Bellamy only having half of that tally to his name so far this campaign.
BOLTON WANDERERS
Player Of the Season: Ooh, there's always something endearing about a 'love 'em or hate 'em' player, isn't there? It's always good to see the crowd giving a player stick only for him to ram it down their throats - and that's been done no better this season than by El-Hadji Diouf at Newcastle.
As in every game, El-Hadji Diouf - a nasty little toe-rag, make no mistake - was booed from the word go and was being kicked by his oppponents...and responded by netting two goals and running to celebrate by taunting the opposition fans. A joyful wave to the crowd before taking a corner just added to the pantomime villain effect that, for the most part, makes people overlook what an outstanding player Diouf is. Don't.
Disappointment Of The Season: Remember Kevin Nolan? A free-scoring attacking midfielder once touted for the England squad by people and places other than Kevin Nolan's BBC column? That's surely not the same man who has drifted through this season with a grand total of one Premiership goal and zero assists and dropped off the national radar almost entirely until Sunday's goal against Arsenal? Is it? Really? Expect to see him in the next England squad, then, knowing Steve McClaren.
Revelation Of The Season: Between them, Ivan Campo and Gary Speed have spent a combined 70 years on the planet. Between them they've spent a combined 4026 minutes on Premiership pitches this season. They haven't been wasted minutes either - Gary Speed still covers more ground than players 20 years his junior, and Campo has filled in in almost every position going this season. To say you wouldn't expect it of men their age doesn't do it justice; Bolton will be hoping both of them play until they're 50.
CHARLTON ATHLETIC
Player Of The Season: Darren Bent has knocked in eight goals this season for a woeful Charlton side, but he hasn't done half as much in the effort to fight off relegation as Scott Carson. Make no mistake - this Charlton side has been woeful all year. Throw in three new managers and you might expect them to be sitting rock bottom of the table. Thanks to Carson's efforts, they're still in with a chance of survival.
Whether he makes it into the first team at Liverpool when his loan eventually runs out is doubtful; Rafa Benitez clearly prefers Pepe Reina. That being the case, whichever team gets hold of Carson can count themselves very lucky indeed.
Disappointment Of The Season: '90% of the players' is the obvious answer, but a more in-depth investigation of Charlton's problems invariably comes to rest focused firmly on the board. Whether you think Iain Dowie was sacked too soon or should never have been appointed, the board is to blame either way. And the farce that was Les Reed's term in office heaps shame on everyone connected with it, from the bizarre appointment of a relative unknown bank manager to the Christmas Eve sacking.
Revelation Of The Season: Are a handful of decent performances from Andy Reid earlier in the season enough to qualify him for this? No? Well then, Djimi Traore. He came, he saw, he was rubbish and he was shipped out at the first opportunity. But - and it's a big but - he kicked Jermaine Pennant in the face. That's got to be worth something.
Adam Fraser
