With the 2024/25 season almost done and dusted, this feels like a good time to hand out awards to some deserving recipients.
We won’t bore you with categories that have been done to death elsewhere, but will focus on handing out alternative awards that may have otherwise been overlooked.
Without further ado, let’s get stuck in!
The ‘must do better’ award
Rated as the best thing since sliced bread when he was at Brighton & Hove Albion, Graham Potter subsequently flopped badly at Chelsea.
He returned to management at West Ham United earlier this year, with the club in 14th place in the Premier League, and his sights set on improving their fortunes.
The Hammers subsequently won just five league games and finished the campaign in 14th place in the standings. Amazing stuff.
The ‘that didn’t end well’ award
There was talk of Frank Lampard redeeming himself as a manager after he guided Coventry City into the Championship play-offs.
Having previously failed to win promotion to the Premier League with Derby County, Lampard somehow landed jobs at Chelsea (twice) and Everton.
He now has another failure on his CV after Coventry were defeated by Sunderland in the play-off semi-final. Better luck next time.
The ‘peaked too soon’ award
The hyperbole was in full flow after Declan Rice produced two excellent performances in Arsenal’s Champions League quarter-final victory over Real Madrid.
However, anyone hoping that he had finally proved he was a ‘big game player’ had their illusions shattered by Paris Saint-Germain in the semi-finals.
PSG’s midfield left Rice chasing shadows and reminded everyone why his £105 million fee still looks ridiculous. Arsenal need more from him.
The ‘don’t say he didn’t tell you so’ award
There can only be one winner of this award – Ange Postecoglou, the man who always wins silverware in his second season with a club.
Postecoglou argued he was only stating facts when he made the proclamation earlier in the season, and his comments were subsequently used as a stick to beat him with.
Tottenham Hotspur were far from pleasing on the eye in the Europa League final against Manchester United, but they got the job done. That’s all that matters.
The ‘don’t do that’ award
This one is aimed firmly at Rangers, who are reportedly considering appointing Steven Gerrard for a second spell as manager.
Gerrard guided Rangers to just one trophy during his previous stint at Ibrox before bombing out in subsequent roles at Aston Villa and in the Saudi Pro League.
Rangers’ new owners cannot afford to get their managerial appointment wrong. All together now – don’t do that!
Top football stories
- Inside Paul Mitchell’s Newcastle exit: Internal shock, Reuben’s reluctance and the Howe dynamic
- Robbie Keane’s Ferencvaros hold off Orban-backed Puskas Akademia – for now
- Enzo Maresca more popular with ‘football father’ Manuel Pellegrini than own fans
Football Today features
- Manchester United squad behind Ruben Amorim despite the ‘absolute grimness’ of their season
- UEFA rules out automatic qualification for Euro 2028 hosts, but safety net in place
- Famous Sheffield Wednesday fan shines a light on Alzheimer’s disease
What to watch
Chelsea face Real Betis in the Europa Conference League final tonight.
