15 goals this season is a fine return for our 4th choice striker. But I also think Almunia has really established his class

PLAYER OF THE YEAR:

Mean Lean – The first answer and probably the most difficult, in such a stop start campaign we haven’t really had anyone that has been consistent from start to finish, many players have had purple patches but unfortunately none of those patches have lasted the distance. I will choose the player who had the longest run of good form and for a first full season in the starting eleven, it is not bad going. Denilson had an indifferent start to the season, some fine games and some poor games but once he found his feet he quietly went about his job very well, breaking up opposition attacks, intercepting his opponent and starting attacks. Not bad for a young player who will only get better.

Squid Boy – Reading through last year’s awards, we had an array of names to sift through: Clichy, Sagna, Flamini, Fabregas, Hleb and Adebayor all in with a shout. The list is somewhat meagre this year, a sure indication of our comparative struggles. There was a stage where we were nearly 8 points behind Villa in the race for fourth. Thankfully we’ve eventually trumped them – and quite comfortably, too. Were it not for the timely arrival of one man I fear that the race would have been much closer, if not reversed. So Andrey Arshavin gets my vote, and not just because of his on-field contribution, but because he gave the whole club a lift. The winter of discontent amongst the Emirates faithful was momentarily forgotten. Think of it this way: can you imagine having missed out on him after a tortuous transfer saga amidst a raft of 0-0 draws and the fans getting even more antsy? It doesn’t bear thinking about.

Ole Gunner – I’m with Mean Lean on this one. For a 20 year old to come into the team, into a position that wasn’t his and be consistently good is nice to see. When Fabregas came into the team, he was eased in. Denilson was thrown in, and for me he’s taken his chance. He runs endlessly, wins the ball quietly, effectively. He never hides, takes responsibility, and is not swayed by the negativity around him. He’s just determined to prove himself. One more season like this and he’d get the recognition he deserves. What I’d definitely recommend (tongue-in-cheek) is for him to break somebody’s leg in the first 5 minutes of next season so he gets the reputation of hardman. I think the disrespect he still gets is because people think you have to be a hard man to be effective in midfield. Funny thing is that Manchester United don’t have a hard man or even a defensive midfielder in the strict sense.

James Poplett – It’s a measure of our season that this is such a difficult decision to make. And not in the good way that there’s too many to choose from. No one player has stood out as being the best, apart from Arshavin, but it doesn’t seem right to give it to a player who’s only made thirteen appearences. Denilson has done well, making the most appearances, but to me he hasn’t stood out in terms of performances. Fabregas and Walcott spent half the season injured, Nasri started well but made less of an impact as the season went on. Clichy had a poor season by his standards and missed the important games, Sagna was solid but unspectacular, as was Almunia. Toure was dropped due to his poor performances, Gallas only started to play well when stripped of the captaincy, then got injured. The only player I can really award this to, and even he has dissapointed me, is Robin Van Persie. At stages this season he carried the team single handedly, and is really the only world class attacking player we have. He finally managed to spend an entire season pretty much injury free, and I think we’ll see more from him next year.

Iron Man – I tried to start this conversation in the pub last week and it I think it speaks volumes about the way this season has gone that the unanimous name amoungst gooners and non-gooners alike was Andrey Arshavin. Before his arrival, Arsenal were indifferent at best, disjointed at worst. Despite the fact he has contributed to less that half of Arsenal matches this season, that contribution has been telling. For someone who himself admits he is playing out of position and still finding his feet, the prospect of a full season and playing in the champions league (qualification permitting) next term is one that excites me on quite disturbing levels.

Honourable mention: RVP

James Mckean – The fact that this is so hard a question to answer leaves me optimistic for next year. Few of Arsenal’s best players had particularly good seasons. Clichy and Sagna were both okay, though not as good as last term, while Toure ended the season well – after a worrying 12 months where he looked to be in decline. Gallas recovered quite impressively post-Captain Mouth Gate. And RVP finally put in a full season, and had a very strong mid-season spell. Song made great strides from November or December. But all of them can and will do better. Anyway the stats say Denilson, but I’m going to go with Alumunia – who is belatedly looking like a top class kepper (Spurs at home apart) – and Arshavin, for obvious reasons.

BREAKTHROUGH PLAYER OF THE YEAR:

Mean Lean – As I have given player of the year to Denilson I shall pass this one across to his defensive midfield team mate. Alex Song has been the figure of ridicule for many years, I personally did not see him developing into the player he is today. Gilberto was known as the invisible wall, that title could quite easily be passed onto Denilson but Song is the very visible wall. I love the way he gets in between opponents and the ball and they fall over and he just strides away with the ball. His new found confidence has allowed Song to express himself on the pitch.

Squid Boy – couldn’t agree more Mean Lean, Alex Song is my undisputed choice too. Just goes to show what a bit of confidence can do for a player. Gone is the bumbling Song of old – he now bustles and bristles. On a related note, headline of the year goes to you Mr. Lean: “Song finally Billongs” after we thrashed Wigan away. He sure does.

Ole Gunner – Bendtner. 15 goals this season is a fine return for our 4th choice striker. But I also think Almunia has really established his class, and while there is still a minority that still doubts him, the defence definitely feel confident with him between the sticks.

James Poplett – Honourable mentions go to Gibbs and Vela for making impressive cameo appearences in their first season in Arsenal’s first team squad, and to Nasri and Arshavin for taking to the Premier League ridiculously quickly, but I would have to go along with Mean Lean and give this to Alex Song. A much maligned player during his time at Arsenal, towards the tail end of this season he has begun to show what he is really capable of, securing his position as Fabregas’ first choice central midfield partner, outstanding in the games against Villarreal, playing with a lot more confidence. And when asked to play at centre back, he was part of a defence that prevented the champions from managing a single shot on target at Old Trafford for the first time this season.

Iron Man – While once more I’m not prepared to accept that he is the answer to our problems nor do I rate him that highly, Alex Song has come on leaps and bounds over the last 12 months. I no longer groan when I see his name on the teamsheet which says a lot about how much he has improved this season. If he continu
es to step it up at the same rate next time around, we could actually have a half decent player on our hands.

Honourable mention: Kieran Gibbs – His record doesn’t look great thus far but given he has faced, Chelsea(x2), Man Utd(x3) and Liverpool all in succession without being the worst player on the pitch means that he should now thrive against weaker opposition.

James Mckean – Song.

DISAPPOINTING PLAYER OF THE YEAR:

Mean Lean – Most clubs would put Cesc Fabregas’ performances this season as their player of the year, this is how far he has set the bar at Arsenal but Cesc has never been right since the start of the season when he came into the squad late due to his exploits in Euro 2008. He suffered a long term injury which kept him out of action for a number of months and when he came back he was shifted into a new position behind the striker. Cesc was not our worst player of the season, not be a long chalk but when you know how good he can be it is a shame that we haven’t really seen his best for any length of time this season.

Squid Boy – a predictable choice, I suppose, but I have to go for Emmanuel Adebayor. A more than respectable goal and assist return cannot mask the fact that, in my eyes, his effort levels have dropped. He has never been the greatest of finishers, but missed chances are forgiveable. Lack of effort is not. Offsides are fine when you’re trying to beat the trap and race through on goal. Offisdes when you are lamely trudging back to contest a header are not. The attributes that so endeared him to us from 2006 to 2008 have faded. Can he recapture them? Will he even get the chance to? Only time will tell.

Ole Gunner – This is a hard one, really. I can’t really say any one player has been truly disappointing. It’s been a tough season for the club, squad and so many individual members of the team. I expected more from Cesc and RVP to be honest. Kolo & Gallas were very disappointing early in the season. Clichy as well struggled at times. Nasri started well and then got the Hleb disease. The boy should shoot more and be more direct and stop trying to be over-precise.

James Poplett – I lost patience with Diaby this season, he was given plenty of chances, including more than usual in his preferred position of central midfield, but responded with lethargic ineffectual performances. He is a very frustrating player, clearly has the talent and athletic ability but lacks the footballing brain to know what to do in an around the box, so more often than not gets found out by defenders, despite flashes of brilliance like those against Villa and Newcastle. Similar to the Player of the Year category, i’m finding it difficult to think of one standout player who dissapointed me. Adebayor could perhaps be seen as an obvious choice, but his lack of effort was foreseen by many after his antics last summer. It’s not really dissapointing if someone who you expect to underperform, underperforms. He still managed sixteen goals in thirty starts, but by completely not turning up to any of the big games this season he gets my vote, because this award is too hard to think about.

Iron Man – Emmanuel Adebayor. He’s let himself and the club down in so many ways in the last 12 months, it’s no wonder most fans wont be upset to see him go. The signs were there last summer and the fact that Arsene and the club fought tooth and nail to give him a better contract meant that he needed to repay the faith shown in him. He failed to do that. His demeanor on the pitch in many games has been disgraceful. Lack of ability is one thing but lack of effort is unforgivable. He’s shown his true colours with his recent criticism of the fans. As if we are supposed to just accept him acting like an ungrateful child.

Honourable mention: Diaby. Awful. Simply awful.

James Mckean – Fabregas. The ACTIM stats suggest that the problem with our failure to replace Flamini was not that Denilson is not good enough, but more that Denilson is not the right partner for Cesc, who is our most important player. Last year he was one of the bext players in the league – and indeed the world. This year he simply has not.

GOAL OF THE YEAR:

Mean Lean – Samir Nasri against Manchester United at the Emirates is my choice, it was a great strike but that was just a fraction of why I am choosing this goal. The passing and movement of the players before the goal was just amazing and there are not many teams you would choose to score a great goal like that against.

Honourable mention – Andrey Arshavin’s rocket at Anfield was very pleasing on the ol eye.

Squid Boy – Eduardo’s volley versus Burnley in the FA Cup. Stunning. Not many others in the world could’ve done that. Plenty to look forward to next season – keep him fit and he’ll bag 25+ goals for us. I have a thing for chips (not the potato variety), so honourable mentions go to Vela’s trio in the cup competitions and Theo’s effort against Villarreal. Bit of ketchup with those fries, thanks.

Ole Gunner– The Eduardo goal against Burnley is one of the best goals I’ve seen. It exemplifies the Eduardo phenomenon. Predatory instinct, perfect easy execution.

James Poplett – Honourable mentions to Nasri’s second against United, Arshavin’s second against Liverpool, Eduardo’s against Burnley, van Persie’s against Liverpool, and Vela’s various chips, but i’m going to plum for Arshavin’s fourth at Anfield. Partly because you get to say “Arshavin’s fourth at Anfield”. But it was my favourite goal of the season because of the desire shown by Andrey. 3-3 was a respectable scoreline, but going into the 90th minute he ran near the length of the field to get on the end of Theo’s excellent assist, and still had the composure to slam the ball past Reina as if he wasn’t there. The will to win that the little Russian has is what has been missing from this team this season, and in a microcosm of our season our defence then spoiled it.

Iron Man – Despite what I said above, Adebayor’s goal at Villareal was one of the best you are likely to see and I dont mean just this season. The technique was unbelievable and it just makes his behaviour all the more frustrating. And so, out of spite, I’m going to say Eduardo v Burnley.

Honourable mention: RVP’s last-gasp volley v Everton.

James Mckean – I’ll go with Arshavin’s 2nd at Liverpool. Nasri’s 2nd at home to Utd, and RVP’s at home against Liverpool deserve honorable mentions too. As do Diaby’s goals at Newcastle and Villa.

ASSIST OF THE YEAR:

Mean Lean – Alex Song’s back heal for Eboue against Burnley in the FA Cup, a fantastic moment for the players.

Squid Boy – off the top of my head, Bendtner to Adebayor away at West Ham. 1-0 up in injury time, defending a corner, and then Super Nik delivers a Bergkamp-esque long-ball to allow the Togonator to wrap it up.

Ole Gunner –Can I refer to an entire move as an assist? Best flowing Arsenal move is the one that led to Bendtner’s’s goal at Bolton. Cesc wins a sliding tackle, he passes to Denilson who backheels to Song. Song to Eboue, who passes to Ade who flicks wide to Denilson. The Brazilian crosses it to Bendtner’s feet who taps in under pressure. All in like 9 seconds!

James Poplett – Nasri’s pass for van Persie’s goal against Liverpool. A truly exceptional pass, followed by an emphatic finish. Honourable mentions go to Fabregas’ flick for Theo’s goal against Villarreal, Song’s backheel for Eboue, Song’s pass for Eduardo’s ankle-flick goal, and Fabregas’ p
ass to Nasri for his second against United. And probably others that i’ve forgotten.

Iron Man – Eboue for Diaby at Villa. The complete antithesis of our shocking first half performance that evening. Two players combining to produce what very few knew them to be capable of.

Honourable meantion: Cesc for Ade’s second against Man City. Few players can produce a pass out of nothing that takes so many of the opposition players out of the game.

James Mckean – Walcott for Arshavin’s 4th at Liverpool!

MATCH OF THE YEAR:

Mean Lean – Arsenal 3 Villarreal 0 will stick with me for some time, fantastic atmosphere, a wonderful opener from Theo Walcott and the ovation that Bobby Pires got was just wonderful.

Squid Boy – the kids battering Sheffield United 6-0 in the Carling Cup. Pure unadultered joy (pun intended), topped off by a sublime hat-trick from Vela and the boy Wilshere’s first senior goal. Arshavin’s star turn at Anfield comes close, but for the fact that we conceded a last-gasp equaliser.

Ole Gunner – My choice is a bit dull. It’s the away performance against Dynamo Kiev away. We clearly were not at our best. We missed early chances against a very defensive team. They fluked a late goal but we had the mental strength to come back and equalize with minutes left on a cold night on a crappy pitch.

James Poplett – Honourable mentions to the 5-2 win at Fenerbahce, the 6-0 against Sheffield United and Eduardo’s return against Cardiff, but i’ll have to agree with Mean Lean for this one. The atmosphere, the opening to the game, the return of Pires, and it was the one game of real importance this season where we actually performed brilliantly and won comfortably.

Iron Man – 2-1 v Man Utd at Emirates. How often is there a football match where not one of the 22 players on the pitch plays badly?

Honourable mention: Liverpool 4 Arshavin 4.

James Mckean – Man Utd at home and Liverpool away were probably the games that will stick in the memory longest (apart from the semi-final disappointments perhaps!).

BEST MOMENT:

Mean Lean – Beating Villarreal in the 2nd leg was amazing but the signature of Andrey Arshavin was a fantastic feeling and created a buzz around our club. He will prove my point next season.

Squid Boy – winning the shootout in Rome. From a personal point of view, it ensured that the money I forked out to go there wasn’t wasted! From a team point of view, it instilled belief.

Ole Gunner – I agree with Mean Lean. Those two moments were great moments in tough season. I actually went out to celebrate us getting Arshavin, a player I thought was the star of Euro 2008 and the 2008 UEFA Cup. The Villareal victory also showed that Arsenal is miles better than the second tier of Champions League. We qualified for the semi-finals of the European Cup for only the second time in our history, and the performance over both legs confirmed we deserved to be there. But I can’t forget having the players come to celebrate with the away fans in Rome after they showed great mental strength and character to win the tie.

James Poplett – From a footballing perspective, Arshavin’s four goals at Anfield. Easily. A truly remarkable achievement for a player making his eleventh appearence in a new league, away at a team challenging for the league. Eduardo’s return against Burnley, capped by two goals, was a wonderful and emotional moment. Hopefully we’ll see him back at his best next season.

Iron Man -The 2-1 victory at Stamford Bridge stands out for me. Having not beaten then for what seemed like donkey’s years at their gaff it was truly a great day. Made sweeter by the fact we had to come from behind AND that Robin’s equaliser was a good distance offisde. They’ve had some dodgy decisions in their favour down the years (particularly against us) so it was nothing more than we deserved.

Honourable mention: Penalty shoot-out win in Rome.

James Mckean – Beating Villareal and the period when we had the 2 semis on the horizon.

WORST MOMENT:

Mean Lean – The 2nd leg of the Champions League against Manchester United is the obvious one, probably the most at stake but I am finding it difficult to look past the 4-4 draw against Tottenham at the Emirates. To watch the team fold like a deck of cards against our neighbours at home was just beyond painful. I haven’t been stunned into silence many times but that evening I certainly was.

Squid Boy – the past few seasons have contained some harrowing moments for us Gooners, and this campaign was no different. Most of these seem to come at the hands of our most hated rivals – the Spuds and Mancs – and both did it to us again this year. However, there is less shame in losing to the best team in the world in the Champions League semi than there is at conceding two goals in stoppage time to your closest neighbours. From being dominant to disastrous in the space of five minutes. It was surreal. We need to exact revenge on the f*ckers next season, they’ve had our number recently.

Ole Gunner – The loss to Stoke City. Honestly it’s one of the most gutless Arsenal performances I’ve ever seen. Our players looked scared. They looked annoyed to have to play such teams as Stoke City. And what just summed up that game in my mind is the picture of Theo being stretchered off, in almost a foetal position, looking shattered and broken, a casualty of war.

James Poplett – In agreement with Mean Lean, the draw with Tottenham. Both defeats against United were gutting, as was the thumping in the league by Chelsea, but no one really expected us to get anything out of those games, and the tie was over ten minutes into the second leg. Spurs were bottom of the league and we were 4-2 up in extra time. Completely unforgivable for our squad to see out that extra time as they did. Leaves a bad taste even to this day. They released a DVD of it for goodness sake.

Iron Man – 4-4 v Spurs. Still makes me sick thinking about it.

Honourable mention: 4-4 v Spurs!

James Mckean – The tranfer window closing with no experienced midfielder coming in, and the realisation that it was probably going to be a hard old season! Spurs at home, and Chelsea in the FA Cup were also painful.

CHANT:

Mean Lean – ‘You’ll always be a Gooner’ sang to Robert Pires towards the end of the Villarreal match, emotional stuff.

Squid Boy – I have an irrational love for all things Eboue, so any chant for him. And given his cult hero status amongst the travelling Arsenal fans, there is now an array to choose from. I LIKE EBOUE BOUE, YOU LIKE EBOUE BOUE, I LIKE EBOUE BOUE, WE LIKE…EBOUE!

Ole Gunner – “You’ve only come to see Eboue”, for some reason cracks me up.

James Poplett – ‘We only need four more’ sung at United after we scored the consolation penalty. I did enjoy the various Eboue chants, but my favourite, to the tune of ‘I like to move it’, ‘I like Eboue-boue, I like Eboue-boue, I like Eboue-boue, I like EH, BOUE’

Iron Man – Unoriginal but “We only came to see Eboue” after his 2 goals against Blackburn. Not particularly special but it was nice to see the crowd behind him. Even the PA announcer got in on the act by referring to the Ivorian as a “Goal Machine”. Such a contrast to the infamous Wigan game.

Honourable mention:
“Harry Redknapp has got a twitch. How he got it we dont know, how he got it, we dont care, all we know’s that Harry’s got a twitch”

James Mckean – Edddddduuuuuuuaarddooooo!!!!!!!!

WHAT I’M LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT SEASON…:

Mean Lean – Exactly what I said last season, an injury free season to our key players would be nice. Please, pretty bloody please!

Squid Boy – The Arsenal medical staff to be made redundant due to a lack of demand for their services. Why not? One can but dream…

Ole Gunner – Seeing all our attacking players fit at the same time. If we have no long-term injuries; Adebayor, Van Persie, Rosicky, Eduardo, Arshavin, Nasri, Fabregas, Walcott, Bendtner, Vela is a very strong pool to pick from. There’s a lot of firepower in that pool, and if we get the midfield formula right they’ll fire. That group can get 120 goals in one season between the 10 of them.

James Poplett – An injury free season to key players would be wonderful, but realistically i’m looking forward to seeing some players develop into even better performers, Fabregas and Walcott to become even more important to the side, and Eduardo and Rosicky to make long awaited returns to the regular first team squad. However, in order to look forward to a genuine challenge for silverware, Wenger needs to address the problems in the team that are clear for all to see, starting with the defence.

Iron Man – Improvement. This season has been nothing short of an utter disappointment.

James Mckean – A better season for the club!