As the 2014 FIFA World Cup draws to a conclusion with the final between Germany and Argentina, and before that the third place play-off featuring Brazil and the Netherlands, I take an early look back at the best and worst of the tournament with a World Cup edition of the BTG Awards.
Player of the Tournament:
The World Cup was all about which of the game's genuine superstars would announce to the world that they were the best. Cristiano Ronaldo flattered to decieve in a disappointing Portugal side. Neymar threatened to take it by storm before his injury ended Brazil's hopes of letting him. Lionel Messi has the chance to become an all-time legend of the game with a win in the final, but he hasn't taken Argentina there single handedly. Which leads us to the player without whom his nation would have looked far weaker, especially one already missing another world class player in Radamel Falcao. My player of the tournament scored six goals, and was only stopped in the quarter final by some rough tactics by Brazil. The winner is Colombia's James Rodriguez.
Goal of the Tournament:
'Ham-ess' also wins this award, for this...
Biggest disappointment (player):
While the game's world class players proved why they are just that by scoring goals, influencing games or producing brilliant pieces of skill, another's World Cup participation will only be remembered for a moment of madness. Uruguay's Luis Suarez's bite of Giorgio Chiellini of Italy cost his country their realistic tournament challenge and himself a four month ban from football. After a phenomenal season for Liverpool, I thought his previous misdemeanours were things of the past. All eyes will be on the striker when he returns to action, probably at Barcelona.
Biggest disappointment (team):
While few in my country expected our team to win the competition, or even reach the business end, elimination in the group stage fell far below the standard required. Granted, England were in a difficult group, and their two defeats came against teams higher than them in the FIFA rankings, but what was difficult to accept is that while Roy Hodgson's side were never outclassed, they were never clinical enough in the key areas to win those games. The final game against shock quarter finalists Costa Rica was one of the biggest non-events in the history of English football. I don't think Hodgson should pay with his job, and it looks like he won't, but we will expect far better in the next European Championship if he and this group are given two more years to gel together.
Best game:
Round of 16
Brazil 1-1 Chile (Brazil won 3-2 on penalties)
What a season it has been in the Barclays
Premier League. One of the closest title races for years has gone all the way
to the final week of the campaign, and while it should be won by Manchester
City now following Liverpool's dramatic collapse at Crystal Palace, you cannot
take it for granted the way it has gone in recent weeks. At the bottom, Cardiff
City have been relegated after just a single season in the top flight, along
with Fulham and almost certainly Norwich City. Sunderland's upturn in form has
come at exactly the right time, and Gus Poyet has got the Black Cats over the
line for another year in the Premier League. Leicester City and Burnley will join the
elite next season after romping to the automatic promotion positions in the Sky Bet Championship; the
latter defying this blog's prediction of an 18th-place finish. Derby County and Queens
Park Rangers' play-off positions were nailed on for most of the season, but
Wigan Athletic and Brighton and Hove Albion were made to sweat for theirs; the
Seagulls not securing a top-six finish until stoppage time at Nottingham
Forest on the last day. We await the play-offs with excitement once again. It's also been another enjoyable year on a
personal level as I have continued Behind The Goal for a second season. Once
again, thank you for taking the time to read my work and supporting the page. Here are the 2nd annual Behind The Goal
Awards. If you agree or disagree with any nominations or winners, let me know either on this page or on Twitter @adamgray50. Player Of The Year: Nominations: Wilfried Bony,
Steven Gerrard, Eden Hazard, Daniel Sturridge, Luis Suarez, Yaya Toure. He
has won the PFA and the Football Writers' awards, and now he has the hat trick.
To score 30 goals in a season is not to be sniffed at, and the way in which he
has rebuilt his reputation a year after the incident with Branislav Ivanovic is
commendable. The
winner is Luis Suarez. Goal
Of The Season: Nominations:
Christian Benteke (Aston Villa v Norwich at Villa Park)
Graham Dorrans (WBA v Man City at the Etihad) Pajtim Kasami (Fulham v Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park) Pablo Osvaldo (Southampton v Man City at St Mary’s) Wayne Rooney (Man Utd v West Ham at Upton Park) Tomas Rosicky (Arsenal v Tottenham at White Hart Lane) Jonjo Shelvey (Swansea v Aston Villa at the Liberty Stadium) Luis Suarez (1st goal, Liverpool v Norwich at Anfield) Alexander Tettey (Norwich v Sunderland at Carrow Road) Jack Wilshere (Arsenal v Norwich at the Emirates)
All types of goals in this
list, and any could have won, but the winner is this beauty from an early
season London derby.
Best
signing of the season:
Nominations: Wilfried
Bony,Fernandinho, Romelu Lukaku, Nemanja Matic, Jason Puncheon, Willian.
This award goes to a player
whose team would have been in serious relegation trouble without his signing.
To come into the Premier League and score 15 goals for a mediocre side is no
mean feat, and Swansea must be praised for taking a punt on a striker from
Dutch football.
The winner is Wilfried
Bony.
Manager
Of The Year:
Nominations: Steve Bruce,
Mark Hughes, Roberto Martinez, Manuel Pellegrini, Gus Poyet, Tony Pulis, Brendan Rodgers.
It is difficult not to give
the award to Brendan Rodgers, considering how close he has taken Liverpool to
the title, but the winner has taken his Crystal Palace team to a scarcely
believable 11th place at the time of writing. I think people forget how bad they
were under their sacked former manager Ian Holloway. They looked embarrassingly
out of their depth at this level, yet they now have the potential to establish
themselves as a tough-to beat, mid-table outfit.
The winner is Tony
Pulis.
Premier
League Rookie Of The Year:
Presented to the player
playing his debut season in the top flight.
Nominations: Wilfried Bony, Gerard Deulofeu, Christian Eriksen,
Fernandinho, Adnan Januzaj, David Marshall.
Any player that can adapt to the speed of the English game and instantly
fit in will impress me, and it is no surprise that the likes of Borussia
Dortmund are reportedly interested in his services, so for the same reasons as
Christian Benteke won it last year I shall award it to one of the best, if
still slightly underrated strikers in the league.
Named in honour of its first winner, whose season was so bad it
deserves permanent recognition.
Nominations: Jozy Altidore,
Andreas Cornelius, Marouane Fellaini, Erik Lamela, Roberto Soldado, Ricky van
Wolfswinkel.
These players have either
flattered to decieve (Altidore), failed to live up to a big price tag or
reputation (Lamela, Soldado), sent back to their former club (Cornelius), or
just been plain rubbish (van Wolfswinkel). But the winner sums up his team's
dreadful season on and off the pitch. There's no way he's good enough to play
for Manchester United.
The winner is Marouane
Fellaini.
Boob of the Year:
Nominations:
Manchester United appointing David Moyes
Tottenham wasting the Gareth Bale money Cardiff sacking Malky Mackay to appoint Ole Gunnar Solskjaer Arsenal signing an injured Kim Kallstrom and not a striker in January Andre Marriner sending off Kieran Gibbs instead of Alex
Oxlade-Chamberlain against Chelsea
The winner is Manchester United appointing David Moyes.
Little explanation necessary.
Luis Suarez in recent weeks has found out that a reputation can go before you when it comes to penalty appeals. Rightly or wrongly, and whether they would like to admit it or not, referees must have it in their mind when the Uruguayan goes down in the area. The incident at Norwich last week looked a stonewall penalty, yet Suarez wasn't given it, much to most people's surprise. Yet if he thought that any referee would fall for his antics at Anfield yesterday against Stoke, he was sadly mistaken. It was the worst example of cheating I have seen in a long time, and I hope he is embarrassed by it. I doubt he is though. Sadly he was not the only one to be shamed. Gareth Bale was just as guilty of 'simulation' in the game against Aston Villa and probably just as unremorseful of his actions. If players can receive retrospective punishments for acts of violent conduct, the FA and the Premier League must look to ban divers too.
Ashley Cole became the latest player to find out the hard way that Tweeting in the heat of the moment can land you in hot water. His rant at the FA follwing his evidence in the John Terry racism case was silly, but it could have been worse. Although he ought to have known better, he has apologised and he will pay his fine, and that should be the end of it in my opinion. He was likely to be rested for the England v San Marino World Cup qualifier on Friday irrespective of the controversy, but frankly I could play left back and we would be ok. They say there are no easy games at International level, but San Marino continue to contradict the cliche.
One player who should be playing for England but will not be is Rio Ferdinand. Absolutely nobody believed Roy Hodgson's 'footballing reasons' explanation before the European Champonship, but his omission this time around following John Terry's retirement from the International game can mean there are no other reasons this time. I'm sorry Roy, that's nonsense. He should be in the squad, it cannot be said more plainly. As for Hodgson letting slip on the Tube that Ferdinand was out, inadvertently or otherwise, what an incredible lack of respect. It wouldn't surprise me if Ferdinand opted to quit England duty too.
