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With Hartlepool United sitting in 11th place after another respectable year in League One, resident Pools blogger John Mason looks at how the season has been at Victoria Park.  

There have been many good performances throughout the year from Pools and I have consistently been impressed with the way the club have defended as a unit. I would like to highlight a couple of players who are my candidates for the Player of the season award:

Paul Murray: By marshalling the midfield, just in front of the defence the holding midfielder does a tidy job in protecting the back four for United. Dictating the midfield with his leadership and distribution, he has been second to none and instrumental in the team this season.

Evan Horwood: The left back has a consistent season, even scoring a few cracking goals this season and the fan’s favourite has rarely missed a game for the Pools.  As an attacking full back who possesses a mean delivery, he can hurt opposition teams in attack as well as doing a fine job in defence.

Sam Collins: The experienced centre-back, with a wise head, has once more excelled for Pools in another hard fought campaign. As one of the club’s longest serving players, he has been a prominent figure in the back-line for the team again and the team looks stronger with him among it.

However the winner for me is Evan Horwood, from many fans and journalists I have spoken to up North this season from the games I have been to seem to agree and they do not have a bad word to say about him.

With the young player of the season award I’m afraid there is only one winner. Although both Greg Rutherford and Jack Baldwin, who both look worthy stars of tomorrow, have run him close the one lad who totally stands out head and shoulders above the rest is Luke James. The 17-year-old career has really taken off since he was given the chance to play-upfront with Boyd, Noble and Sweeney. Nobody really expected him to be quite the talent he is but scoring three times already he is certainly one to watch next season.

The players whose impressive displays have gone under the radar include Paul Murray, Anthony Sweeney and Paul Murray who have been equally impressive but don’t seem to receive much praise when the team performed well. Hard-working, reliable and willing are a few words used to describe these different individuals.

As for the players who have disappointed this season I will have to go for Adam Boyd and James Poole. Boydy as surely his best years out behind him and in the words of Neale Cooper: ‘He is isn’t going to outrun anyone’ referring to his speed.  While I don’t think that Poole has shown his true potential yet after struggling with injuries throughout the season it’s slightly harsh to call him underperforming as he has shown moments of class when he was fit. However he has been unable to hold down a starting position which he badly needs if he is progress with the Pools.

The best moment of the season for me was watching James Poole come on from the substitute bench at the beginning of the season and practically scored with his first touch twice against MK Dons and Rochdale. Not just scoring, but his goals in those two games were pure class. I remember jumping out of my seat on both occasions in sheer amazement in what I just saw. Two fabulous goals worthy of being in the Premier League, they were that good.

For my best eleven from the season there are one or two players who perhaps may have got in had they not been injured like James Poole and other late arrivals to the team such as striker Ryan Noble who have only recently joined so they both unfortunately miss out.

Team of the season 

GK – Scott Flinders

LB – Evan Horwood

CB – Peter Hartley

CB – Sam Collins

RB – Neil Austin

LM – Andy Monkhouse

CM – Gary Liddle

CM – Paul Murray

RM – Ritchie Humphreys

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ST– Anthony Sweeney

ST– Luke James

The team pretty much picks itself this season as the squad has looked a bit thin on the ground in recent weeks towards the end of the year. I’m sure that manager, Neale Cooper, has been brought in to put his stamp on the team and therefore will see a different starting eleven from next season.

After another ordinary campaign, Pools fans will be thinking déjà vu to last year. How can we improve? In my opinion I am almost certain the manager will bring in one maybe two strikers. Hartlepool in my opinion lack goals, especially at home and I think this should be assessed. As for other positions the club may need strengthening and I understand Cooper likes to play with natural wingers with pace, something the club do not have. I think he’ll sign a couple of players he is familiar with to play in these vacant positions.

By Hartlepool United blogger John Mason 

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Well, the season’s over, the post mortems done, England haven’t been humiliated in the Euros yet, therefore it’s time to start refreshing the Palace squad ahead of what could be a tough season next time out.

With doubts over budgets and promising youngsters attracting a lot of interest, Palace’s starting XI for the first game of next season could be unrecognisable.

The Outs

Nathaniel Clyne – With the right back’s contract up in the summer, it seems likely that Clyne will be heading to the Premier League. It will require a spectacular u-turn for new contract to be signed now, but it’s not over until it’s over.

Paul Mcshane – The big Irishman’s loan is up, but may return as a squad player next term if Freedman can do a deal.

Chris Martin – Martin received a lukewarm reception from Palace fans, and his loan from Norwich now up, I wouldn’t expect him to return.

Tony Popovic  – the big man who has been helping out with the coaching is returning to the Antipodes to coach Sydney United and is already being touted as future national coach of Australia.

Potentially going

David Wright – Injury restricted Wright’s season to 25 games, and could move on if Freedman is looking to free up space in the squad. That said, he seems to be a favourite of the manager, and has attributes on and off the field. His versatility and leadership qualities could mean he’s kept on.

Anthony Gardner – His contract is up at the end of the season, and if last summer is anything to go by, he could be angling for a move to a bigger club if better wages are on offer. A move to the Premier League seems unlikely but the likes of Leicester, Wolves, Birmingham or Cardiff could be tempted.

Darren Ambrose – it seems  ridiculous that Palace would sell their top scorer, but Ambrose had an indifferent season with a mixed impact. Likely to be on big wages.

Kagisho Dikgacoi – KG had a disappointing season, and with the emergence of Joniesta and Stuart O’Keefe, Freedman might be tempted to get rid of the chunky African.

Owen Garvan – Surely Garvan’s time at Palace is drawing to a close. A drunken tweet at the POTY night suggested he’d just signed for an Irish side, but this seems unlikely. The boy has got talent, but not enough to regular turn out in the Palace midfield, and may need to step down a level to make an impact.

Sean Scannell – this was supposed to be Scannell’s big season, and he started well enough, but was not played down the middle in his preferred striker’s role enough. He looked disillusioned by the end of the season, and it will be interesting to see how career pans out from here.

Out on loan?

Alex Wynter – It would be nice to see the England youth captain given a run out at centre back in the first team, but the youngster may be sent out on loan to gain much needed experience.

Antonio Pedroza – The Mexican forward was given limited first team chances, and despite some flashes of ability towards the end of the season, may benefit from a run out at a lower level.

Matthew Parsons – The young left back impressed at the end of the season, but will find his route to the first team blocked by POTY Parr, and Dean Moxey.

The Ins

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Some of the players that were on loan at Palace this season may well return, particularly defenders.

If Clyne moves on then expect Freedman to move for Doncaster Rovers right back Mustapha Dumbuya who looked really good in a short loan spell earlier in the season.

In terms of central defenders, a lot will depend on whether Gardner moves on or not. In an ideal world he will stay. If this is the case, expect Freedman to sign at least one defender to provide competition and back up for the anglo-irish axis of Gardner and McCarthy. Leicester’s Tunchev has already been approached, and Paul McShane could be a further option. If Gardner stays , Freedman may look to Alex Wynter to provide cover.

If Freedman can move on a couple of players, he might look to refresh the midfield. KG needs to up his game if he’s to stay, and a more attacking midfielder might be a option too. However Freedman may be reluctant to sign a more experienced creative midfield in case it hinders the development of latest academy prodigy Jonny Williams.

Depending on how the team develops, wide midfielders would be an option too, particularly if Ambrose moves on or Zaha or Scannell are moved into a more central attacking role.

The final piece of the jigsaw will be a goal scorer. Glenn Murray did not quite cut the mustard this season, but with better service, could kick on. Freedman may look to play Zaha or Scannell down the middle too.

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The clamour for Di Matteo to be installed as the permanent successor to AVB is longer than the Kings Rd and while Chelsea legend Gianfranco Zola believes that Bobby should have been given the job, regardless of the outcome in Munich, the club has been tight-lipped with Bruce Buck saying that he is one of many options being considered for the role. For the neutral it is hard to comprehend that a man who delivered both the FA Cup and Champions League in the space of a few months hasn’t already been installed as manager – but this isn’t any other job.

What Di Matteo has achieved during his reign is extraordinary; however the Italian must be aware of the initial job brief at Chelsea when he was appointed with Andre Villas-Boas. The Blues board was seeking change at the football club by phasing out the old and in with the new, as well as providing an expansive football on the pitch that is easy on the eye. Di Matteo’s success during his spell in charge was to simply go back to the Chelsea of old and rely on the tried and tested philosophies and methods on the pitch. It duly delivered, but it mustn’t detract from the fact that a change is needed and new players to replace the old guard need to be blooded in. Does Di Matteo have the ability to do that? That is the question the board will be asking.

It is a tough call for the Chelsea board and any decision to take Di Matteo out of the equation now is a tough one. Ruud Gullit said prior to the final that it may be easier for Abramovich if the Blues were to lose in Munich, in terms of bringing a new man in, but victory has inadvertently changed things. The Russian has never been one to shirk big decisions and he arguably has one of the toughest calls of his time, but is Di Matteo really experienced enough for the big job that is needed at Chelsea? Winning the Champions League was a fantastic achievement, but on closer examination the Blues were hardly a dominating force throughout. As Gary Neville pointed out that in footballing terms against Napoli, Barcelona and Bayern they were given a lesson, but it was their heart, determination and hard work that saw them cross the line and get the respective job done. It wasn’t champagne football, but simply percentages and Abramovich has to wonder whether Di Matteo can deliver the former, as well as be successful?

Di Matteo would certainly be the safer and in many ways the easier option, but will the Chelsea side evolve under his stewardship, given his reliance on experience? I for one have my doubts, given that Bobby would start the new season with much the same instruction that Villas-Boas was given in order to reshape the football club. That would mean phasing out the old guard – the very people who brought him his current success. Regardless of Champions League success, Chelsea needs to move forward in their development as a football club, if they are to enjoy the types of nights like they had on Saturday on a regular basis.

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Petr  Jiracek’s scored the only goal of a tense game in Wroclaw to send Poland crashing out of Euro 2012 and book Czech Republic a place in the last eight.

Poland came into the game knowing they had to win in order to stand a chance of making it into the quarter finals but proceeded to spurn a series of good chances before Wolfsburg midfielder Jiracek struck in the 19th minute to send the Czech’s through as Group A winners and set up a potential rematch of the Euro 96 final against Germany. A flurry of late pressure failed to bear fruit for Frank Smuda’s men with captain Jakub Blaszczykowski seeing his last gasp effort cleared off the line and leaves them still searching for their first win at a European Championships.

The co-hosts will be ruing their profligacy in front of goal despite their attacking quartet carving out a number of opportunities that were squandered by Robert Lewandowski. The Borussia Dortmund hit man sliced wide under pressure from Theodor Gebre Selassie after linking up with Blaszczykowski.

A free kick from Ludovic Obraniak then found it’s way Sebastian Boenisch but the full back fired narrowly wide of Petr Cech’s goal. The tide soon turned as the Czech’s as Vaclav Pilar started to pull the strings for Michal Bilek’s side took control as the first half ended with the news that the group landscape had shifted after Greece took the against Russia in Warsaw.

After the break it was the Czech’s who monopolised possession pinning Poland back into their own half for long periods as they searched for the goal that would send them into the knock-out phase. Pilar saw his scrambled effort cleared before Theodor Gebre Selassie headed narrowly over. Tomas Sivok was then denied by a superb point blank save from Przemyslaw Tyton as the Polish clung on for dear life.

On the rare moments they did break forward Poland failed to take advantage and when Rafal Murawski sacrificed possession the Czech’s broke to devastating effect. Milan Baros, who’d been invisible for much of the game, beat his man to play in Jiracek who stampeded into the penalty area, sidestepped Boenisch’s and rolled the ball beyond Tyton to stick a dagger straight through Polish hearts.

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Still they battled on until the last and almost produced a stunning finale that would have denied the Czech’s a place in the last eight but Blaszczykowski’s lob over Cech was heroically cleared at the last second by Michal Kadlec to ensure safe passage for his country on a night of drama in Poland.

The name Nick Powell has become rather well-known following his goal in the League Two playoff final and subsequent move to Manchester United. However, it’s fair to say Crewe have a ready made replacement. It is testament to their academy that Max Clayton is ready to step into Powell’s shoes and assume the mantle of promising youngster as the Railwaymen begin their assault on League One.

Clayton actually made his debut in April 2011 as a 16-year-old before getting a regular run of games last season, scoring his first league goal against Morecambe in November. He became a more established member of the side, even scoring the crucial goal in the playoff semi final draw with Southend that helped his side on the way to Wembley. And while Powell may have grabbed the headlines at Wembley, Clayton replaced him with ten minutes remaining, showing the Crewe fans that all was not lost without their new found starlet.

One would expect Clayton to play a key role in Crewe’s campaign in League One despite the fact the standard of football will be a step up. That’s the advantage of playing at Crewe, the average age of their line up at Wembley was just 22, with nine of the players having come through the club’s academy. Certainly Steve Davis, the man in charge, feels that Clayton has the potential to develop in a similar way to Powell and perhaps earn himself a move to the big time as well.

The forward has also been impressive when in action for the England U17’s, especially during the Fifa U17 World Cup in 2011 in Mexico, where he scored against Uruguay before England finally exited in the quarter finals, inevitably against the Germans. You can also tell Clayton is a promising player by the fact that he slotted nicely into the habit of missing a penalty in a shootout against Argentina in the second round, though England actually managed to win that exchange.

All eyes will be firmly fixed on the Alexandra Stadium in 2012 then to see if Clayton is made of similar stuff to his former team mate. You can be sure the Premiership scouts will be present, so don’t be surprised if we’re adding Max Clayton to the list of those excellent players who’ve graduated from the Crewe academy and gone on to make a wonderful career in the game at some point in the future.

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Liverpool are ready to sell fringe midfielder Alberto Aquilani to Fiorentina for £7 million, Mirror Football report.

The Italy international was signed as a replacement for Xabi Alonso, but has failed to make an impact at Anfield over the last number of seasons.

After struggling to fit into life in England Aquilani has spent the last two seasons on loan back in his homeland, as he played for AC Milan last season.

Despite Brendan Rodgers’ appointment and pledge to give the whole squad a chance to impress him, Aquilani is seen as surplus to requirements and will be allowed to leave the club.

Fiorentina are leading the chase for the midfielder, as the Viola are eager to replace Riccardo Montolivo, who left the Stadio Artemio Franchi this summer.

A fee of £7 million will help to fund a move for Swansea’s Joe Allen, who Rodgers feels will fit into the Reds’ style of play better.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Once again rumours are rife that 29-year-old forward Jermaine Defoe wishes to leave White Hart Lane. He hopes to become first-choice striker at whichever club he joins.

Previous Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp utilised a 4-2-3-1 formation that meant Defoe factored little in his plans. However, Defoe still bagged 17 goals last season coming off the bench – and we could be looking at a candidate for the golden boot if he moves to a club where he is the main-man up front. This may certainly be the case, as current manager Andre Villas-Boas’ favoured 4-3-3 system would mean another season of keeping the bench warm. Defoe told The Mirror “last season was heartbreaking for me in terms of putting my body on the line, being prepared to give everything for the club and not getting a game.”

With Harry Kane the only other out-and-out striker on Spurs’ books, it is unlikely Defoe will leave until at least one other striker is brought in. Emmanuel Adebayor is still demanding wages that Spurs are uncomfortable paying and Internacional have placed a £47m price-tag on Leandro Damiao. However, Defoe hasn’t ruled out staying at Tottenham, as he continues; “obviously I have to think seriously about my future. I will talk to the club and see what happens but right now all I want to do is what is best for Tottenham”.

Aston Villa and Sunderland were two clubs desperate for goals last season, and Defoe would solve that problem. After having a £12m bid for Wolves striker Steven Fletcher turned down, Sunderland will be eager to sign a reliable forward before the transfer window shuts in 15 days. QPR have been undergoing a squad overhaul during the summer, including the signings of forward Junior Hoilett and Andrew Johnson – and a move here would place Defoe’s desire to be the number one choice striker in some doubt.

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Adam Johnson is on the verge of leaving Manchester City, with Liverpool emerging as the favourites to sign the England international, according to reports by The Independent.

Johnson has become frustrated with the lack of first-team opportunities at the Etihad, making just 10 league starts for City last season and seemingly not fitting into Roberto Mancini’s style of play- preferring to use David Silva on the left instead.

Liverpool may be the ideal destination for Johnson, as Brendan Rodgers seeks an alternative to Stewart Downing, who endured a torrid campaign last season.

Johnson has proved himself to be one of the League’s best wingers, offering great deliveries that the likes of Andy Carroll would thrive upon- if he stays at Anfield.

He said: “I’m the kind of player that needs to be playing regularly,” he said. “Any player does, really, no matter what age they are. I need to play week-in week-out. You can’t just go into one game after not having played for five, and be expected to perform.”

The midfielder who joined City from Middlesbrough in 2010, has a number of options if he decides to leave, with Sunderland and Tottenham keen on agreeing a deal.

Sunderland Owner, Ellis Short has agreed to finance the £10 million needed and is ready to meet Johnson’s wage demands, but Spurs may have the edge over the Black Cats as the attraction of European football may be too good to resist.

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City manager, Roberto Mancini is keen for Johnson to stay at the club, hinting that he could be a good option from the bench, but would not stand in the player’s way to find regular match time.

He said: “If he wants to, he has to leave – but if that happens I will be so sorry because Adam is a good guy. He is a different player to the other strikers and wingers, and maybe he could be important for us.”

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England under-21 boss Stuart Pearce has stated that he would like to pick full internationals for his side’s upcoming Euro 2013 play-off fixture in October.

The likes of Kyle Walker, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jack Butland are players that are involved in the senior side but Pearce is eager to select them for the under-21’s.

“I’ve spoken to Roy already in that respect and he’s aware of my feelings,” Pearce told reporters, published in The Telegraph.

“I wouldn’t say the depth of talent we have in this country is massive, by any means. It’s quite a shallow pool and we need to have to keep building on it, but it’s important that our high-fliers and best players are all playing in every international get-together.

“You’ve only got to look at the best team in the world at this moment in time, Spain. Three players went to the Euros this year and then went to the Olympics,” he concluded.

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By Gareth McKnight

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Comparing teams from different decades and generations is a thankless task but one that I’ve been assigned ahead of this weekend’s big game between the two giants of English football. Liverpool excelled at home and abroad throughout the 1980s, while Manchester United have since established a dominance over the Premier League that has yet to be matched since and they more than replicated the successes of the Merseyside outfit. Nevertheless, it provokes a bit of healthy, interesting debate between two clubs and their sets of fans at a time of reconcilliation, so let’s get this ball rolling.

Firstly, we need to establish some ground rules. The first category will of course be domestic form, the second European form and the third and final one being legacy, for nothing spells true greatness than the safe passing on of the baton to the next side, otherwise you merely have a spell of success as opposed to a dynasty.

It’s important when looking at Manchester United to understand that Sir Alex Ferguson during the 1990s created at least two great teams. The first, as misty-eyed romantics will tell you, around 1993-4 which included the likes of Paul Ince, Roy Keane, Mark Hughes and Steve Bruce was the finest, although the majority will realise the 1999 vintage was far superior simply by virtue of their triumph in Europe.

During the 1990s, Manchester United won seven league titles (six if you don’t count the season which started in 1999 but ended in 2000) and four FA Cups. Contrast this with Liverpool during the 1980s and they also won seven league titles (if you include the 1979-80 season) and two FA Cups. So far, it’s pretty even with perhaps  Liverpool just about edging ahead when you also factor in that they managed to win four League Cups while Manchester United didn’t win any.

The strength of the competition also has to be taken into account. At the start of the 1980s, money didn’t play anywhere near as big a part as it does nowadays and it didn’t distort the league as much. While it would be misleading to say that Liverpool didn’t flex their financial muscles at the time when they had to, they won the 79-80 title from Manchester United by just two points, the 81-82 league title from Ipswich by four points, the 83-84 league ahead of Southampton by three points and the 85-86 title ahead of Everton by just two points, which would indicate the sort of strength in depth that we simply don’t have these days and the fact that more good teams emerged out of the blue.

It was easier back then to come out of nowhere, have one great season and win something than it is now and Everton were a truly superb side during the mid to late 80s, certainly as good as the 1990s had to offer. The other three league wins were by significant margins, which if anything, highlights the quality of the side more.

Manchester United by comparison have had to face off against Arsenal, Blackburn and Newcastle for variously spells in length, with only Arsene Wenger’s side providing a sustained challenge, much in the same way that Everton did to Liverpool in the 80s. Only in 1995-6 with Newcastle by four points and 1998-9 with Arsenal by one point were they genuinely challenged for the league crown in the years that they won it. The average points tally between them and the team in second place in the years that they won the title was 6.8 points, while for Liverpool it was 5.7 points.

It all really depends on how you look at it – one person’s strength in depth can be seen by another person as a sign that there wasn’t one truly great team around, much like there is now. However, what we can all agree on, is with the introduction of the Premier League, once you got good, with the rewards the money brought and most importantly, what they bought, it was a lot easier to stay good.

Personally, I’d mark Liverpool fractionally ahead in terms of domestic success by virtue that money played a slightly less significant role so the playing field was more level than it is these days and that they won more silverware, even if they are tipped ahead by the number of League Cups they won. Of course, that a lot of Ferguson’s side during the late 1990s were academy graduates such as Scholes, Giggs, Beckham, Neville and Butt counters this, but they still spent significantly on the likes of Andy Cole, Dwight Yoke, Roy Keane and Jaap Stam, figures that when you compare to Liverpool’s expenditure in the 80s, even when you factor in inflation, is still a lot more.

Moving on to European success and the clear winner here is of course Liverpool. There’s not really any great need to go into it. Winning the 1981 and 1984 European Cups and making the final again in 1985 before being beaten by Juventus far outweighs the solitary appearance by Manchester United in 1999, where a good degree of fortune saw them win in dramatic fashion in the last few minutes against Bayern Munich in a match that they were out-played in for prolonged spells.

Much in the same way that the 1999 victory wasn’t as good as the manner in which they triumphed in 2007-8, Liverpool’s victory in 2005 could be said to be far more fortunate than their 1970s and 80s successes. There’s a big difference between winning a tournament as the best team and turning up and stealing a match, just ask Chelsea fans, although the strength in depth across the continent is a lot more stronger in the 90s than it was in the 80s, so it’s all about perspectives when comparing the two eras yet again.

Which leaves us with legacy and this is where Manchester United truly come into their own. Liverpool are in the midst of a 22-year league drought, while Manchester United have won the title six times since the turn of the century. Liverpool have won a decent, if unspectacular tally for a club of their size, two FA Cups, three League Cups and a Champions League. Ferguson’s charges have matched that on top of their league dominance with one Champions League final triumph, two further final appearances against quite possibly the greatest club side in history, Barcelona and one FA Cup trophy and the League Cup in its various incarnations a further three times.

It’s been well documented how Liverpool failed to see the potential of emerging global markets to the same extent that their rivals did and they’ve suffered financially as a result, while they also struggled to replace crucial players at key times while Manchester United are an ever-evolving, well-oiled machine. It could be argued that Liverpool’s legacy was the 1980s built on the solid platforms of gradual but continued success of the 1960s and 70S, so again, it’s all about context and how you approach it.

It’s a no contest on this category, but Liverpool do have the edge on the other two and it may have been completely different had Kenny Dalglish decided to stay on longer in charge during his first spell, for there was always a suspicion that he had Ferguson’s number to an extent and that Liverpool wouldn’t have rolled over to quite the same extent had he remained in charge, but we shall never know.

Often, tribalism gets in the way when analysing matters such as this, but both are quite simply extraordinary teams and Kenny Dalglish, Joe Fagan, Bob Paisley and Sir Alex Ferguson were and still are all quite extraordinary managers when put in the context of history. It’s nye on impossible to present a case without being accused of inherent bias and there may well be other factors that I have missed or simply glossed over for the sake of brevity. Liverpool of the 1980s is my choice by a nose and I’m sticking to it, at the risk of being abused by a generation of Premier League supporters.

Which generation of team would your choice be – cast your vote below

[poll ]

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You can follow me on Twitter @JamesMcManus1