The Footie Fool

As another EPL season comes to a close, I thought it only fitting to do a bit of navel gazing and pick my top 5 news stories from the EPL this season.

5) The Domination of Chelsea. The first team other than Manchester United to win back-to-back Premiership titles. This season was never in doubt – actually, I doubted for a few moments after they struggled in their opening game against Wigan when they had to fight hard to….but I’m getting ahead of myself. Jose Mourinho and crew finished the season with 91 points and an undefeated record at Stamford Bridge.

4) The Sudden Departure of Roy Keane. I’m still not sure what led to the sudden departure of Roy Keane from ManU in November, but I certainly didn’t see it coming, even considering his harsh words about the team early in the season. But I really thought he would end his career as a Red Devil.

3) So Long Alan Shearer and Dennis Bergkamp. Two of the EPL’s most dangerous and prolific strikers hung up the cleats this year.

2) Highbury. The home of Arsenal for close to a century, the grand old lady goes out with a bang, with a three goal performance by Thierry Henry that broke the heart of rival Spurs and stole the final Champions League spot out from under them. The only thing that would have added to the mythical nature of the final game would have been if the victims were Spurs instead of Wigan, which leads to….

1) Plucky Little Wigan. Everyone loves the underdog, and none were considered lower at the beginning of the season than Wigan. Pegged as the the team everyone would feast upon (a title that ended up going to Sunderland), who would have predicted this Cinderella story? I remember watching the opening game of the Prem when Chelsea beat Wigan 1-0 (thanks to a 93rd minute strike from Crespo) and thinking either Chelsea lost it over the summer, or this Wigan team is something. Turns out, they were something.