Half season awards!!

[Drummer]

Many Thanks to our spanish counterparts, this is their idea and i think its a good one......

In this thread, we sum up our thoughts in what has happened now that the EPL has reached the halfway point. I have thought of some awards for the best and worst of this halfway EPL, like:

1Surprise team
2Dissapointing team
3Best player
4Surprise player
5Dissapointing player
6Best manager
7Worst manager

1. Southampton for the obvious reasons. Strachan has done wounders bringing them from an annoying relegation team that always just remain in the epl, to european chasers.
2. Liverpool. They have in the last 3 years improved greatly under houllier but a disasteropus 2 months have meant that they are out of europe and look only likely to possibly take a cup and a uefa place unless they greatly improve.
3. I would have to be honest and say henry. he has been the most important player to arsenal (particularly now that Ljungberg and Pires havent had as much an impact on the team this year) and has scored a phenomimal amount of goals.
4. i think that James beattie gets it, but only from Zola. He is playing with a decent team, yet his goal ratio is amazing. Zola is 35 and still manages to surprise us all when we think that he is past it!
5. Stephen Gerrard. I dont think I need comment any more.
6. David Moynes. Perhaps southampton are alos in this category but Moynes has worked wounders also with Everton and i think that he deserves much credit for this, particularly bearing in mind that the toffee fans would be expecting more of everton then the saints would of southampton.
7. Roeder has been awfully unlucky with Injuries so I think that its unfair to pick him. I think that Houllier has been the worst manager. Mainly because I dont think that he has handled the liverpool slump well. He just blamed Gerrard and dudek. He then came out and efended them when he realised that it was not the correct choice of action!! Liverpool have deteriorated like no other.

[The Rule]

Surprise team(s):Everton/Southampton, a tie between two teams doing very well

Dissapointing team:Us, for obvious reasons.West Ham a close second.

Best player:Scholes,people doubted his ability to play in the hole,others called him inconsistant,he's been United's best player by a mile and IMO the best in the league,just ahead of Henry and Zola

Surprise player:Beattie, for obvious reasons.Gary Speed a close second.

Dissapointing player:Gerrard,but he looks like he's back to something like his best(i hope).

Best Manager:Strachan,Moyes was in with a shout,but Everton are a big club and there fans do expect them to do well,the Saints aren't are normally relegation contenders,and while Everton's success is based on hard-work and determination mixed with a few flashes of roonaldo genius,Southampton play nice free-flowing football.

Worst Manager:Foolier,Humplier, Hooflier,call him what you like someone please come and take this guy away(i can't believe i used to rate this guy) and give us Rijkaard or the sociedad coach.Honourable mentions to his fellow dinosaurs,Turnip,Wilko and El Tel as well as Roeder and Allardyce.

can i mention a best goal as well??Gudjonsson for Chelsea against Leeds last night,awesome!!!!!!

[Drummer]

can i mention a best goal as well??Gudjonsson for Chelsea against Leeds last night,awesome!!!!!!
i agree hands down thats the best goal of the season. Although Henry scored 17 goals and some might argue that they were all the best goals in the league!
Sure arsenal are the best team in the league, that means that they score the best goals!!!;)

[The Rule]

Originally posted by Drummer
Sure arsenal are the best team in the league, that means that they score the best goals!!!;)

you'd have to ask JD about that one ;)

[Flukey Lukey]

1Surprise team - Everton, it was between them and Sputhampton and i had a feeling Southampton would do well so its Everton for me, great job by Moyes.

2Dissapointing team - West Ham, they have plenty of talent, hopefully they can sort themselves out and show it.

3Best player - lots of candidates, scholes, shearer, beattie, pires etc but i'm gonna go for Henry, he is awesome.

4Surprise player - tough one, i'll say Rooney simply for the unknown factor, also a mention for Yobo.

5Dissapointing player - hmm, Veron :D

6Best manager - Strachan just ahead of both Wenger and Robson. He's don magnificantly at Southampton.

7Worst manager - Allardyce, i'm not a fan and i feel he's donig very poorly at Bolton. Houllier has to have a mention as well, i feel his health has something to do with it though.

as for best goal, it would have been by Arsenal last night if henry could have converted or put in Parlour after Pires's flick, that wa sensational. I like lots of Shearers strikes.

[Juan]

Let´s see if I can do this in the EPL...

Surprise team: Southampton

Dissapointing team: West Ham

Best player: Thierry Henry

Surprise player: James Beattie

Dissapointing player: Steven Gerrard

Best manager: David Moyes

Worst manager: Gerard Houllier

[Drummer]

Good go Juan, you obviously have a good knowledge of the EPL!:D ;)

[Looney]

I dunno...... worse manager is up for debate....... Houllier, Wilkinson and Roeder.....

And I'm glad people haven't been caught in the hype and all named Rooney as surprise player......

[shearergol]

Have to agree with most of what has been said.....

Surprise team: Southampton (and also good to watch)

Dissapointing team: Liverpool (although is 6th disappointing?)

Best player: Alan Shearer (I feel so biaised right now, but the toon are buzzing. Scholes a very close second)

Surprise player: James Beattie (I think this is the hardest category to judge. Beattie was on fire last season until Man United put him out of action. Maybe someone like Jason Koumas would be a better choice)

Dissapointing player: Steven Gerrard (let's hope that he can start performing for England). Owen was a close second, but I don't like him so he hasn't been that much of a disappointment to me.

Best manager: David Moyes (Everton may be a bigger club than the saints, but their position over the last 7 seasons has been appauling. Moyes has turned it around so quickly)

Worst manager: Gerard Houllier (let's all laugh at Liverpool. Thompson did a better job!!)

Best Goal: Either......Shearer v Everton (volley), Shearer v Man United (free kick) or Rooney v Arsenal (just because it annoyed my best mate so much)

England hope: Jermaine Jenas (a clear winner)

Sorry for adding a new category, but I had to mention JJ somewhere.

Mark
An extremely happy magpie!

[The Rule]

Originally posted by shearergol
Have to agree with most of what has been said.....

Surprise team: Southampton (and also good to watch)

Dissapointing team: Liverpool (although is 6th disappointing?)

Best player: Alan Shearer (I feel so biaised right now, but the toon are buzzing. Scholes a very close second)

Surprise player: James Beattie (I think this is the hardest category to judge. Beattie was on fire last season until Man United put him out of action. Maybe someone like Jason Koumas would be a better choice)

Dissapointing player: Steven Gerrard (let's hope that he can start performing for England). Owen was a close second, but I don't like him so he hasn't been that much of a disappointment to me.

Best manager: David Moyes (Everton may be a bigger club than the saints, but their position over the last 7 seasons has been appauling. Moyes has turned it around so quickly)

Worst manager: Gerard Houllier (let's all laugh at Liverpool. Thompson did a better job!!)

Best Goal: Either......Shearer v Everton (volley), Shearer v Man United (free kick) or Rooney v Arsenal (just because it annoyed my best mate so much)

England hope: Jermaine Jenas (a clear winner)

Sorry for adding a new category, but I had to mention JJ somewhere.

Mark
An extremely happy magpie!

all good calls,but Shearer's free-kick??Hamanns against Fulham was far better.and yes 6th is very dissappointing

[gnlvagosov]

Surprise team: Everton
Dissapointing team: Liverpool
Best player: Thierry Henry
Surprise player: James Beattie
Dissapointing player: Steven Gerrard
Best manager: Arsene Wenger
Worst manager: Gerard Houllier

[shearergol]

Think I'm beginning to work out how biaised I am.

As for the Shearer goal, it was against Man United, it was Alan Shearer, and it was a wonderful goal. Shearer's free-kicks are awesome. Danny Murphy is the only other player in the Premiership I expect to score from all his free-kicks.

[Looney]

Shearer's goal against Man U..... it just had the setting and it was half expected but you weren't entirely sure if it'll go in....

[soccer fanatic]

Surprise team: Southampton.
Dissapointing team: Leeds
Best player: Henry
Surprise player: Beattie
Dissapointing player: Diouff
Best manager: Robson
Worst manager: Houllier

[rshepherd1000]

Surprise team: Southampton

Disappointing team: West Ham

Best player: Thierry Henry

Surprise player: David Unsworth

Disappointing player: David Dunn

Best manager: David Moyes

Worst manager: Gerard Houllier

[kenodoki]

1. Surprise team: Southhampton

2. Dissapointing team: Leeds - We had a championship winning team a few months ago! Now we can win bugger all.

3. Best player: Alan shearer - Quitting England has improved his form loads.

4. Surprise player: James Beattie - Just can't stop scoring. It's also funny that the next highest Saints scorer has 3 goals to his name.

5. Dissapointing player: Controversial one! But I'll go for Michael Owen. For most people 16 goals at this stage would be a great season. And Owen isn't doing to badly. But he should be doing a lot better. He hasn't looked as sharp as he should be and he has missed some sitters. Maybe it could be the service the team give him but he doesn't look like the Owen of old.

6. Best manager: David Moyes - fought against relegation last season, top half of the table this season. I think Keegan would come a close second.

7. Worst manager: Glen Roeder - For taking one of the most talented squads in the premiership to the foot of the table. And then buying another striker and another midfielder when they are already full of talent in those areas and actually need defenders! Oh and also playing a defender upfront. nonce.

I agree with the Rule about best goal. Gudjohnsen's one against Leeds was unbelievable. My heart sank when he scored but I could not doubt it was a masterclass.

[Juan]

Originally posted by Looney
I And I'm glad people haven't been caught in the hype and all named Rooney as surprise player......

Well, im my particular case, I didn´t do it because soccernet, my main source for Premiership news, had penciled Rooney as a future star for some time. So that didn´t really surprise me.

[Flukey Lukey]

Originally posted by soccer fanatic

Dissapointing player: Diouff


Good call!!