Another season of English football is nearly over, and what a year it has been. Manchester United won their 13th Barclays Premier League title, and 20th championship overall, in Sir Alex Ferguson's final year as Old Trafford boss. Wigan Athletic stunned Manchester City to win the FA Cup, yet were relegated just three days later, and the car crash that has been Queen's Park Rangers' season has kept us watching, sometimes through our fingers, as their campaign went from bad to worse. In the Football League, Cardiff City proved that red really is a lucky colour by romping to the Championship title, and the ups and downs went right down to the wire, nowhere more so than at Griffin Park, Brentford, where Doncaster Rovers won League One in spectacular circumstances.
It has also been the debut season of Behind The Goal. It has been enjoyable to write my thoughts and feelings of the season's big moments, and I have read your comments, some I have agreed with, some not so much, but they are all appreciated and your support means a lot. I thought I would end the season with what I hope will become my annual BTG Awards. You may or may not agree with the winners but I would love to hear why. Send a message at the bottom of the page or Tweet me @adamgray50.
Player Of The Year
Nominations: Robin van Persie, Gareth Bale, Luis Suarez, Michu, Christian Benteke, Juan Mata.
I know Bale won the PFA awards, but for me my winner has been the difference between his team winning and losing the league title. At the start of the season there may have been doubts as to whether he was the right signing for his team, but there never was for me. The winner is Robin van Persie.
Signing Of The Season
Nominations: Robin van Persie, Michu, Christian Benteke, Eden Hazard, Dimitar Berbatov, Philipe Coutinho
For the same reasons as above, this signing practically won the league by itself, as I predicted it would in August. The winner is Robin van Persie.
Premier League Rookie Of The Year
Presented to the player playing his first season in the top flight.
Nominations: Christian Benteke, Michu, Eden Hazard, Rickie Lambert, Matthew Lowton, Morgan Schneiderlin.
No doubt all of these players have been excellent additions to the Premier League. many players struggle to adapt to the speed and the relentlessness of the English game, especially strikers, which is why the award has gone where it has. This man broke his team's single-season goals record, and has put himself in the shop window for a summer move to a bigger club potentially. The winner is Christian Benteke.
Goal Of The Season
Nominations: Matthew Lowton (Aston Villa v Stoke), Robin van Persie (Man Utd v Aston Villa), Loic Remy (QPR v Wigan), Gareth Bale (Tottenham v West Ham), Luis Suarez (Liverpool v Newcastle)
For pure technique, and the largely forgotten assist by Wayne Rooney which was one of the most accurate you will ever see, the winner is Robin van Persie's volley against Aston Villa in the game which secured United's title.
Manager Of The Year
Nominations: Andre Villas-Boas, David Moyes, Michael Laudrup, Rafael Benitez, Sam Allardyce, Sir Alex Ferguson
All of these managers have done wonders for their teams in differing circumstances, but there's only one winner I could name. This man has taken what some percieve to be a poor Manchester United team to another title. He has won everything possible, but now he has a BTG award to his name before his well-deserved retirement. The winner is Sir Alex Ferguson.
Flop Of The Year
Nominations: Jose Bosingwa, Esteban Granero, Chris Samba, Joe Allen, Scott Sinclair, Pavel Pogrebnyak
For every good signing, there are always a few bad ones. The fact that three of my nominees play for the same club sums up how wrong it is possible to get transfers. QPR's relegation is not down to just one player, but the winner of this award is the one man which sums up what went wrong at Loftus Road this season the most. So bad in fact, that I may even rename the award in his honour next year. The winner is Jose Bosingwa.
OMG! Moment Of The Year (sponsored by Joey Barton)
Nominations: Suarez's bite on Ivanovic, Brentford v Doncaster, Watford v Leicester, Ben Watson's Cup final winner, Bayern beating Barcelona 7-0 on aggregate.
I would like to think I have seen it all in football, but the winner of this award genuinely left me speechless watching Sky's Gillette Soccer Saturday coverage. For sheer unbelievablity of the situation, the winner is the last minute of Brentford v Doncaster Rovers. You all know what happened, but here it is again! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AKyR4f9ylEY
