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2012/13 Show 31::Season ends with a whimper
The last week of the English Premier League season of 2012/13 and it was…well…all a bit of a let-down really.
Sure, West Brom and title-winners Man Utd served up a 5-5 draw, something of a rarity in the English Premier League but it wasn’t serious stuff and where it was serious – at Stamford Bridge, WHL and St James Park – the scores were infuriatingly predictable.
In fact, that just mirrored the whole season with eight of last season’s top 10 finished in the top 10 this season whilst the relegated clubs included Wigan who’s run in the English Premier League had to end at some point, Reading – one of the promoted clubs generally gets relegated and QPR who simply picked up where they left off last season.
Perhaps the only unpredictability was in the cup competitions with Swansea winning the League Cup and Wigan the FA Cup although Wigan combining Championship football with the Europa League certainly begs the questions of whether Euro football should be confined to those clubs in the English Premier League and whether we need the Europa League at all.
The only area for speculation are the managerial positions and whilst the roles at Man City and Chelsea appear to be spoken for, the jobs at Everton and now Stoke are very much open. Stoke want Benitez but we suspect the feelings are not mutual; Martinez is also on the list and on Everton’s list but neither have made an approach. Malaga also haven’t.
Perhaps then this season was always on a hiding to nothing following on from last season’s never to be repeated last day dramas.In the end it may be remembered more for those who hung up their boots this season: Paul Scholes, Michael Owen, Jamie Carragher, Steve Harper who all, except Owen, spent their entire careers at one club. An increasingly rare feat in the modern English Premier League.
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About A Game of Two Halves – Talking English football since 2005
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