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Featured Sport News

Man Utd Rule The Roost

Author: Craig Williams
Date: 27/05/2009

Manchester United were the clear winners and Newcastle United the undisputed losers following another rollercoaster Premier League season.

Sir Alex Ferguson's side not only secured a hat-trick of successive league titles, but they also moved level with bitter rivals Liverpool on 18 top-flight crowns.

The Red Devils ended the season with 90 points - their best haul since the 1999-2000 season - and could find themselves celebrating a trophy quadruple of Premier League, Carling Cup, Club World Cup and Champions League should they overcome Barcelona in Rome on Wednesday.

However, celebrations in Manchester have been somewhat eclipsed by the scenes of despair on Tyneside as Newcastle United bowed of the Premier League on a dramatic final weekend.

Even the latest Geordie messiah, the club's all-time record goalscorer Alan Shearer, was unable to mastermind the Great Escape and the 50,000 who crowd into St James' Park week after week will be watching Championship football next season.

North-east rivals Middlesbrough and last season's Championship winners West Bromwich Albion will also be playing in the second tier next season, but the biggest impact is likely to be felt on Tyneside.

Shearer blamed years of mismanagement at both boardroom and dressing room level for Newcastle's plight, but it remains to be seen who will be at the helm of the wounded Magpies next season.

Elsewhere, managers at both ends of the experience spectrum tried and failed to make the grade in the league which continues to be described as the best in the world.

World Cup-winning Brazil coach Luiz Felipe Scolari lasted just seven months at Chelsea, while rookie bosses Paul Ince and Tony Adams were sacked by Blackburn Rovers and Portsmouth respectively as the spectre of relegation became a distinct possibility.

Both clubs ultimately survived, but only after deciding to turn to safe hands like those of wily old campaigners Sam Allardyce and Paul Hart mid-season.

Hull City deserve credit for not panicking and sacking Phil Brown following an amazing loss of form which threatened to end their Premier League dream after just one season.

The Tigers won just one of their last 23 games to slip from third place down to 18th in the closing weeks of the season before ultimately surviving on the final day.

Aston Villa will look back on the campaign with a sense of what might have been as, for vast periods of the season, they had appeared on course to secure Champions League qualification.

However, Martin O'Neill's side, like Hull, struggled for points during the second half of the season - when captain Martin Laursen picked up a career-ending knee injury - and ultimately had to settle for a sixth-placed finish.

The Midlands club, alongside a resurgent Tottenham under Harry Redkapp and well-managed Fulham outfit will all be playing in the new-look UEFA Europa League next year.

Manchester City though may struggle to attract some of the star names reportedly earmarked by their ambitions Middle Eastern owners after they could only finish in tenth spot.

The season might have started in a blaze of publicity and the smashing of the British transfer record with the 32.5million acquisition of Robinho, but not even the Brazil star could drag an inconsistent City side into the top-seven.

Manager Mark Hughes has been told a top-six finish is a minimum requirement so expect another summer of big-spending at Eastlands.

Equally, the Welshman is already been tipped to be the first managerial casualty of the 2009-10 campaign in the football betting odds should City fail to get off to a strong start.

One manager with no such worries is Tony Pulis after he took the plaudits for guiding unfashionable Stoke City to a 12th placed finish in the final shake-up.

Their uncompromising style of play, coupled with fervent support, has made them hard to beat and they should be the blueprint for the likes of Wolves, Birmingham City and Burnley, who will all be mixing it with the big boys next season.

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