Don’t let the corny name fool you, this is the Flaggie Awards. These are our awards for the best and worst over the past club season.
Manager of the Year (EPL) – Jose Mourinho
When you win the Premier League close to a month early, you’re bound to get some credit as a manager. Jose Mourinho steered the team to two trophies and completely dominated in England for almost the entire season. Mourinho may have gone off the rails in interviews and had some somewhat conspiracy theories on the referees but he stuck with his players and his team and he got the trophies in the end.
Others receiving votes – Arsene Wenger, Alan Pardew
Worst Manager of the Year (EPL) – Harry Redknapp
There were some worthy candidates but Harry Redknapp ended up winning out. Redknapp didn’t last long at QPR this season, having to resign in February due to a knee operation, but QPR was rather disappointing and only continued once he left. It can be argued that Redknapp kind of left QPR “in the lurch” and all but sealed their relegation fate.
Others receiving votes – John Carver, Paul Lambert
Manager of the Year (Overall) – Massimiliano Allegri
While he doesn’t get as much notice as some other managers, Massimiliano Allegri has done an absolute fantastic job managing Juventus. Yeah, we kind of figured Juventus would win the Serie A and Coppa Italia titles but making the Champions League Final simply shocked everyone. They beat Real Madrid in the Semifinal and now has to face the other Spanish giant Barcelona. Trust me, if Juventus wins, it won’t be because they got lucky, they deserve to win by beating Real and Barcelona back to back.
Others receiving votes – Luis Enrique
Worst Manager of the year (Overall) – John Carver
While he didn’t win the EPL Worst Manager of the Year, John Carver did sneak out the Worst Overall Manager of the year. The John Carver era at Newcastle has gotten more and more absurd. Carver is a great guy and he’s trying his best but it’s clear he’s not qualified to be a manager of an EPL team and just seems to be in over his head more and more every week. He may luck out and stay in the EPL but it won’t be to his credit.
Others receiving votes – Paul Lambert, Carlo Ancelotti
Biggest Surprise – Leicester City’s “great escape”
I really want Leicester City to walk out on Sunday with this playing. They pulled off the greatest of the great escapes. They were in last place for most of the season and pulled it out in the last couple months to ensure EPL safety.
Others receiving votes – Newcastle’s collapse, Juventus making Champions League Final
Biggest Disappointment – Newcastle United
Newcastle used to be a top ten team with an outside shot at European competition. They even made the Europa League one year and were just short of making the Champions League. Now, they have slid into the cesspool they have become. They enter the final game of the season with a chance to be relegated. Definitely something that wasn’t foreseen at the beginning for one of the most popular teams in England.
Others receiving votes – Liverpool, Real Madrid, English teams performing in Europe
Best EPL Game – Leicester City 5-3 Manchester United
After going up 2-0 and then 3-1, it very much looked like Manchester United would have their way with Leicester City. Then, the newly promoted side started coming back and, in a preview of their great escape for EPL safety, they pulled off the great escape in this game as they won by the bonkers score of 5-3.
Others receiving votes – Liverpool 3-2 Tottenham, West Brom 2-3 Leicester City
Best Game (Overall) – Chelsea 2-2 PSG, Champions League Round of 16 2nd Leg
Chelsea had every possibility to win this game. Zlatan Ibrahimovic got sent off, Chelsea took the lead late both in regular time and in extra time. Both times, PSG came back while down a man and advanced due to away goals. It was simply an unbelievable game.
Others receiving votes – Bayern Munich 7-0 Shakhtar
Best EPL Player – Eden Hazard
The media, the players, just about everyone chose Eden Hazard has the EPL Player of the Year and for good reason. The guy cemented the stability of the Chelsea team by manning the midfield and was a huge contributor to them winning two trophies. That, and he’s a very skilled player.
Others receiving votes – Alexis Sanchez
Best Player (Overall) – Lionel Messi
Is there any other choice? Well, Ronaldo did get some love but Messi is going for a treble and Champions League glory for the fourth time. That wins out over Ronaldo for this season at least.
Others receiving votes – Cristiano Ronaldo
Best Moment – Burnley upsetting Manchester City
Burnley is getting relegated and we all kind of expected that, but there was a stretch of the season where we thought Burnley could survive. This upset of Manchester City showed a lot of people that Burnley was still going for it and they weren’t giving up. Ultimately, they did relegate but it wasn’t for a lack of effort.
Others receiving votes – Liverpool beating Man City 2-1, Leicester’s “great escape”
Worst Moment – Frank Lampard Man City/NYCFC drama
Everything has kind of subsided for now but the Frank Lampard/Manchester City/NYCFC love triangle didn’t make anyone look good. Here’s what we knew, Lampard agreed to play for City before going to NYCFC in MLS. What we got after that was various changing stories about Lampard’s position within the group. There were so many different stories that it was very difficult to understand what was what or what version was the truth. It was a complete PR disaster for all and thankfully it’s over and done with.
Others receiving votes – Palace beating Pool in Steven Gerrard’s last game at Anfield, referee mistakes, Newcastle releasing Pardew
