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WD&A Premiership Awards 2015

We make occasional awards to outstanding players, teams, managers and boards, in the Premier League. Below are the winners for 2014/15 season and thank you to everybody who submitted their nominations.

Best Board Winner: Southampton

Best Board Shortlist

The short list for this was a long one, which says a lot for the quality of the Premiership. In alphabetical order, was as follows:

Arsenal. For once again standing by Arsene Wenger against criticism from some of their own fans who ‘fancied a change’. Be careful what you wish for.

Burnley. For standing by their excellent manager come what may. Sometimes it works out, sometimes it doesn’t, but it’s an ethical thing to do.

Chelsea. For eating a bit of humble pie, re-signing their special manager, and reaping the rewards this season.

Hull City. If we can say it for Burnley, we can say it for Hull.

Manchester City. Anyone can spend big, but not everyone spends well. Congratulations to City for doing both and getting second spot.

Southampton. Something seriously good is going on at board level, with changes of manager and players, they still come good. It would be great to see behind the scenes.

Swansea. As for Southampton, the Swansea board have done miracles, and in style. Not too many teams beat Arsenal home and away.

Best Goalkeeper Winner: Lukasz Fabianski (Swansea)

Best Goalkeeper Shortlist

There are some seriously good goalkeepers in the Premiership. Here is the shortlist for our award:

Costel Pantilimon (Sunderland). Sunderland’s poor season has meant that their goalkeepers have been busy. Out of favour at the start of the season Pantilimon eventually gained his place in the side and made 109 saves over 28 league appearances ensuring Sunderland’s Premier League status.

David De Gea (Manchester United). The Manchester United goalkeeper has been outstanding this season, he had many doubters after his first season but without him Manchester United may not have made the top four.

Fraser Forster (Southampton). The same thing applies to Forster as to Fabianski, though not quite in the same way – he never was an Arsenal reject. Just as many clean sheets though, and no-one can accuse Southampton of defensively protecting their goalkeeper.

Joe Hart (Manchester City). Hart tops the ‘clean sheet’ list, and, when you’re talking about goalkeepers, that is difficult to argue with.

Kasper Schmeichel (Leicester). Nobody knows quite what turned round Leicester’s season in such dramatic fashion, there were several factors which could account for it and maybe it was all of those. Schmeichel’s return to goal was certainly one of them though.

Lukasz Fabianski (Swansea). Fabianski came to Swansea as an Arsenal reject, and, psychologically has picked himself up big time. Just one less clean sheet than Joe Hart, even with Swansea playing some expansive games in front of him. Very impressive, and not with the recognition that some other goalkeepers have had.

Thibaut Courtois (Chelsea). Anyone who can convince everyone he should be selected ahead of Peter Cech has to be taken very seriously, helping Chelsea win their first Premier League title since 2009/10.

Best Defender Winner: John Terry (Chelsea)

Best Defender Shortlist

The shortlist for best defender is:

Branislav Ivanovic (Chelsea). Probably the most underrated defender in the Premier League. Consistently brilliant, he like Terry has been a rock at the back for Chelsea this season (he’s good going forward too). Playing in every Premier League game he played his part in gaining the Premier League title.

John Terry (Chelsea). People were beginning to question his fitness not too long ago but John Terry has been a mainstay for Chelsea this season. He has had his share of criticism and controversy over the years but shown his psychological resilience and played in every Premier League game. His obvious leadership skills helped guide them to the title.

Ryan Bertrand (Southampton). After the departure of Luke Shaw things weren’t looking too bright for Southampton, but the loan signing of Bertrand from Chelsea was good business – he has been outstanding at left-back. Bertrand finished the season with 2 goals, 2 assists and an England call-up.

Best Midfielder Winner: Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)

Best Midfielder Shortlist

The Best Midfielder shortlist is as follows:

Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal). Foreign players often find it hard to adapt to life in Premier League, but the former Barca man fitted in with ease. Great on the ball, and a good finisher Alexis Sanchez scored 16 goals, provided 8 assists, and helped Arsenal to a top 3 finish and a trip to Wembley for the FA Cup final. With his commitment to Arsenal and his boundless energy, he also brought renewed faith and another great on-field role model to the sons-in law at The Emirates.

Cesc Fabregas (Chelsea). Fabregas has had a brilliant season for Chelsea, providing more assists than any other player in the Premier League (16) and scoring 3 important goals.

Eden Hazard (Chelsea). Everybody already knew how good Eden Hazard was, but this season he has been exceptional and the stats prove it … not only did he score 14 goals and provide 9 assists he also created the most amount of chances, completed more dribbles and won more fouls than anybody else in the Premier League.

Santi Cazorla (Arsenal). On his day (and he has plenty of them) he is just wonderful to behold, and can show anyone what the beautiful game is all about. Manchester City can testify to that, but so can plenty of others.

Steven Gerrard (Liverpool). Even if football were only about football, Gerrard would be on the shortlist. But maybe football is also a metaphor for life, and if loyalty, commitment, and the ability to think with your heart as well as your head are important, then Gerrard deserves to be on the shortlist twice over.

Best Striker Winner: Diego Costa (Chelsea)

Best Striker Shortlist

The shortlist for Best Striker is:

Charlie Austin (QPR). Scoring is difficult enough even when you’re playing for a top team giving you plenty of chances. When you’re not, then maybe it’s twice as hard and, psychologically, you have a hard task keeping as motivated as you need to be. For this reason Charlie Austin is firmly on the shortlist.

Diego Costa (Chelsea). Diego Costa was the striker Chelsea had been missing during the 2013/14 season. Strong, clinical and a nuisance he managed to score 20 goals in only 26 appearances. If it wasn’t for injuries who knows how many goals he could have scored.

Harry Kane (Spurs). At the start of the season no-one could have predicted how well Harry Kane would do – he has gone from sitting on the bench to becoming one of the brightest talents in English football, scoring 21 goals.

Sergio Aguero (Manchester City). Aguero has slipped under the radar this season, but if being a striker is all about scoring goals then there isn’t anybody better. He was the Premier League’s top scorer with 26 goals (five more than Harry Kane).

Theo Walcott (Arsenal). Word has it that Walcott has the highest number of goals-per-minute-on-the-pitch, but there again, he’s not had many minutes on the pitch. Even so, Walcott coming on at 70 minutes must be just what a tiring opposition doesn’t want to see.

Best Signing Winner: Esteban Cambiasso (Leicester)

Best Signing Shortlist

The shortlist for Best Signing is:

Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal). Foreign players often find it hard to adapt to life in Premier League, but the former Barca man fitted in with ease. Great on the ball, and a good finisher Alexis Sanchez scored 16 goals, provided 8 assists, and helped Arsenal to a top 3 finish and a trip to Wembley for the FA Cup final.

Diego Costa (Chelsea). Diego Costa was the striker Chelsea had been missing during the 2013/14 season. Strong, clinical and a nuisance he managed to score 20 goals in only 26 appearances. If it wasn’t for injuries who knows how many goals he could have scored.

Esteban Cambiasso (Leicester). It was said that Manchester United and Chelsea were ready to pounce when Cambiasso’s contract talks broke down with Inter Milan, so it was a major coup for Leicester when the former Argentinian international and Champions League winner signed for the club on a free transfer. With Leicester tipped for relegation, Cambiasso (Leicester’s player of the season) was one of the main reasons Leicester gained 22 points from their final 9 games to ensure Premier League status.

Best Player Winner: Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal)

Best Player Shortlist

All the players on the shortlist are not just great players, they have a great effect on those around them. In alphabetical order, here they are:

Alexis Sanchez (Arsenal). Foreign players often find it hard to adapt to life in Premier League, but the former Barca man fitted in with ease. Great on the ball, and a good finisher Alexis Sanchez scored 16 goals, provided 8 assists, and helped Arsenal to a top 3 finish and a trip to Wembley for the FA Cup final. To bring a breath of fresh air to a team which itself is a breath of fresh air, you need to be something special.

Lukasz Fabianski (Swansea). Fabianski came to Swansea as an Arsenal reject, and, psychologically has picked himself up big time. Just one less clean sheet than Joe Hart, even with Swansea playing some expansive games in front of him. Very impressive, and not with the recognition that some other goalkeepers have had.

Eden Hazard (Chelsea). Everybody already knew how good Eden Hazard was, but this season he has been exceptional and the stats prove it … not only did he score 14 goals and provide 9 assists he also created the most amount of chances, completed more dribbles and won more fouls than anybody else in the Premier League.

Best Team Winner: Chelsea

Best Team Shortlist

The Best Team shortlist is as follows:

Arsenal. The favourite team for millions and the second favourite for everybody else, Arsenal were guaranteed Champions League football next season and are favourites to lift the FA Cup. Wenger continued to get his team playing attractive football and in Alexis Sanchez they had one of the signings of the season. This season they did well against the others in the top four; even Chelsea’s biggest aspiration at The Emirates was to come away with a draw.

Chelsea. Chelsea eased to their first premier league title in 5 years. In Eden Hazard they had the Premier Leagues best player statistically and they also made great signings in the summer (Cesc Fabregas and Diego Costa). Costa was one of the final pieces in Mourinho’s jigsaw, despite his injuries he scored 20 goals in 26 appearance and showed what Chelsea were missing last season. Chelsea also lifted the League cup, beating Spurs 2-0. If statistics are all, then Chelsea are the best team.

Southampton. Following the departure of their manager and some of their major players (and also the long term injury to Jay Rodriguez), things were looking bleak for the club in the summer. Many people tipped them to struggle or even be relegated, but after the arrival of Koeman he managed to make some astute signings, including Pelle, Long, Mane, Bertrand, Alderweireld, and Tadic who was brilliant, particularly in the first half of the season. Southampton played some great football and earned their highest ever Premier League finish (7th) and the possibility of playing in Europe football next season.

Best Manager Winner: Alan Pardew (Newcastle and Crystal Palace)

Best Manager Shortlist

The shortlist for Best Manager is:

Alan Pardew (Newcastle and Crystal Palace). When Alan Pardew left Newcastle they were 10th but with his departure they went into freefall and would certainly have been relegated had it not been for the points they won under his stewardship. When he took over at Crystal Palace they were in the bottom 3 but finished 10th (their highest ever Premier League finish). Alan Pardew effectively saved two Premiership clubs from relegation this season, and no other manager can say that!

Arsene Wenger (Arsenal). Any shortlist of top managers has to have Arsene Wenger on it. Producing teams with incredible flair, and who can only defend by attacking, his teams are every neutral’s favourite. Incredibly he came under criticism from some fans early this season, and said they should judge him at the end of the season. We say he has proved himself beyond any annual judgment.

Jose Mourinho (Chelsea). Sometimes criticised for his style of football against the bigger teams (often ‘shutting-up shop’), but there’s no denying that tactically he is indeed ‘special’. Defensively they were brilliant, in Eden Hazard they had statistically the best player in the Premier League, and on frequent enough occasions they showed the flair that the best teams must have, beating Swansea 0:5 and Everton 6:3.

Mark Hughes (Stoke). When Mark Hughes went to Stoke, he said he had a point to prove, and we reckon he has proved it. A very talented manager who has managed to miss receiving the credit he deserves this season, he well deserves to be on the shortlist.

Ronald Koeman (Southampton). Following the departure of Mauricio Pochettino to Spurs and the sales of Calum Chambers to Arsenal, Rickie Lambert, Dejan Lovren and Adam Lallana to Liverpool, and Luke Shaw to Manchester United many people predicted Southampton would struggle this season (even relegated). However after achieving their highest ever points tally last season Koeman surpassed that to finish 7th (their highest ever Premier League finish).

Special Book Award:

On the Ball?: How Football Can Help Your Mental Health by Paul Gaffney (Author)

This is a book for anyone interested in football and keeping well. Football is a global game, played, enjoyed, talked about (and given out about!) by millions of people around the world. Looking after your health, especially your mental health, has become more of a priority in recent years as higher levels of distress allied with economic uncertainty can make the pressures of life take their toll more heavily on everyone. This book uses the universal language of football in trying to help you deal with difficulties you may face, help you make the most of your potential and better look after yourself, whilst negotiating your way through the ups and downs of life.

About WD&A Sports Psychology

Dr William Davies and Dr John Gardner became the first professional psychologists in English top flight football when Sir Bobby Robson employed them as consultants in 1981 at Ipswich Town. Since that time William Davies has built up the UK’s most successful enterprise providing psychological training to the NHS and related organisations.

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