There was more to 2011-12 than its dramatic denouement, extended by Joey Barton, who was just one of the campaign's many controversial figures. Some storylines are not over yet …
No Premier League title has ever been decided on goal difference before, and even before the rebranding of the top division in 1992 finishes as close as the one we have just seen were uncommon.
The most recent and most famous was Arsenal snatching the crown from under Liverpool's noses at Anfield in 1989, but for all the drama and excitement of Michael Thomas's last-minute winner – not only immortalised in the Fever Pitch novel and subsequent film but credited with ushering in the present era by waking everyone up to the commercial possibilities of live televised football – that game took place in isolation. The fixture had been delayed due to the Hillsborough disaster and then Liverpool's involvement in the FA Cup final, and was played on a weekday evening in late May, three days after everyone else's season had been completed and all issues apart from the destination of the title resolved.
Arsenal had not recorded a win at Anfield in 15 seasons and Liverpool had not lost at home by two or more goals for three years, so Kenny Dalglish's side were overwhelming favourites. All Arsenal could do was go for a win and, though the game was predictably cagey at first, that is what they ended up doing. Discussion afterwards centred on whether Dalglish got his gameplan right in attempting to keep things tight at the back, even after the visitors had scored the first goal.
It would be a close call to say which denouement was the most dramatic, Arsenal exposing Liverpool's lack of ambition or Manchester City taking their fans to the edge of despair before rescuing the situation in stoppage time, but the fact that other games were taking place simultaneously last Sunday certainly added another dimension to the most breathtaking finish the Premier League has seen. Match of the Day did a great job of patching the scenes from the Stadium of Light into the unbelievable events at the Etihad, but there was more than just Manchester United heartache – as if it was not United's turn for a bit of heartache – to factor into the equation.
Consider this. Joey Barton might have been the man responsible for depriving United of the title, wrapping it up for City and sending Bolton down. How? Well he was mostly responsible for the five minutes of stoppage time at the Etihad, wasn't he? No stoppage time, no incredible finale with just seconds to spare. Yet something else happened during the overtime at the Etihad. Bolton's match at Stoke ended in a draw, so Queens Park Rangers went into the final minutes of their game knowing they were safe. That could have made a crucial difference, for players definitely picked up the news from their supporters, and I have read at least one report – I was at the Britannia Stadium on Sunday so I couldn't swear it first hand – that mentions QPR switching off just before the end. It is hard to say for sure whether it happened or not, but it might have done.
Yet Bolton in their turn were undone by events at City. Leading 2-1 at the break against a Stoke side that were not exactly busting a gut to get back on terms, Bolton should have been capable of seeing the game out but were utterly disheartened to hear QPR had not only taken the lead at City but appeared to be holding on to it. Bearing in mind that even a QPR draw would have sent Bolton down, Owen Coyle's players must have been distracted, to say the least, on hearing that Rangers were winning and that whatever they achieved against Stoke might not be enough. Again, Coyle could not confirm or deny that concentration had wavered due to the news from elsewhere, but he agreed that it might have. City were still losing 2-1 by the time Bolton finished their game in the belief their result would not have mattered anyway, only to be galled by the discovery that had they held on to their lead Sergio Agüero's winner would have saved them. But then again, had Bolton held on to their lead, maybe QPR would not have surrendered theirs so completely.
Who knows? If all last days of the season were like that no one could possibly complain, but maybe United would have had the title sewn up before the end were it not for Dave Bryan. Oh come on, you must remember him. He was the linesman at Chelsea, subsequently stood down, who let two outrageous offside goals stand to deprive Wigan of an away win they thoroughly warranted. And who did Wigan play next, with a sense of burning injustice to add to their new formation and hitherto unsuspected ability to give the top teams a chasing? Manchester United at home. The rest is history, but had Wigan collected the points they deserved from Stamford Bridge they might not have been quite as fired up against United and history could have been written differently.
One thing we can all agree on is that the season just ended has been the most sensational in Premier League history. Those who wish to discuss whether sensationalism is a good thing or a bad thing can do so somewhere else. Perhaps the quality of the football has been higher in previous years, and maybe we have seen more dominant title candidates than either of the Manchester sides have proved this season, especially when you take Europe into account. But in terms of generating interest, excitement, controversy, spectacle and an astonishing number of surprises, 2011-12 surely had it all. It deserves to be remembered as the most gobsmacking season of all, and here are 10 reasons why.
1) The final day, obviously.
2) One of the best hat-tricks of all time – Luis Suárez's one man show at Norwich.
3) All three promoted teams staying up, only the second time this has ever happened.
4) Some genuinely amazing scorelines. United 1 City 6, United 8 Arsenal 2, Chelsea 3 Arsenal 5.
5) Wigan's recovery. Not a last day scrape or a case of three worse teams saving their skin, as happened in the past. When Dave Whelan criticised Roberto Martínez's team selection following a home defeat by Swansea in early March Wigan were bottom of the table looking doomed. Two months later they were top of the Premier League form table and safe, after notable wins against Arsenal, United, Newcastle, Liverpool and others helped pick up 21 points from nine games. Not sure the Premier League has ever seen anything quite like it.
6) Newcastle's overseas signings. Hatem Ben Arfa alone is worth anyone's admission money, but put him in a team with Yohan Cabaye, Demba Ba and Papiss Cissé and excitement is almost guaranteed. That's not even mentioning Fabricio Coloccini and Tim Krul. An absolutely brilliant season on Tyneside – great to have you back.
7) The best off-field controversies ever. There is nothing big or clever about alleged racist abuse or refusing to accede to your manager's request to warm up before being sent on as a substitute, but though the Luis Suárez/John Terry/Carlos Tevez situations may have started out as tawdry affairs no one could have predicted the fallout. Liverpool persisted in being doggedly wrong-headed right up to the point of Dalglish giving that car crash of a TV interview with Geoff Shreeves at Old Trafford; Terry ended up bringing Fabio Capello down; Tevez ended up running round the Etihad with a winner's medal before managing to launch another controversy during the victory parade.
8) The continuing Steve Kean situation at Blackburn. Space is too short here to list all the details, but the whole Venky's takeover and running of the club has to be one of the weirdest of Premier League stories. Unlike some owners in the recent past, the people at Venky's are astute businesspeople and are not short of money. Their methods are unusual, to say the least, and their communication is poor, but their motivation remains the biggest mystery.
9) The comeback kids. Thierry Henry may have been stage-managed but Paul Scholes, amazingly, was better than anyone had dared imagine. Better than he was a year or two ago, in fact.
10) A London club winning the European Cup for the first time. All right, that hasn't happened yet, and it would probably be a mistake to underestimate Bayern Munich. I just happen to think this Chelsea side are capable of anything, however outrageous or far-fetched, and I wouldn't bet against this crazy season containing one more huge surprise. Read More
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