Newcastle: 1/10
It was a standard season for Mike Ashley’s Newcastle: listless performances, inept management from top to bottom, a team battling the drop, a no show in the cups … but, even by our pitiful standards, this will take some beating. McClaren wasn’t the right man for the job, Benítez is, yet he was given too little time to save us. And while Rafa reorganised the defence and inspired a minor fightback, he couldn’t be expected to conjure up a Vardy or Kane out of thin air.
The stars Rob Elliot and Karl Darlow kept us in more games than we’d care to remember, and Jamaal Lascelles stepped up. Andros Townsend was the pick of the January bunch - he ran his socks off.
The flops Where do you start? Mysterious January signings Seydou Doumbia and Henri Saviet barely kicked a ball, Florian Thauvin was shipped off after half a season and Steven Taylor and Fabricio Coloccini were past their sell-by dates before it even started. Also, much ire has been directed at Moussa Sissoko, who has been ineffective far too often.
Summer targets Players with experience and guts. And we should do whatever it takes to keep Benítez.
Best and worst away fans Bournemouth were best, Man United worst. They only sing when they’re winning … and they didn’t win.
2016-17 title winners Tottenham.
Highlights montage music Long Road to Ruin - The Foo Fighters.
Richard & David Holmes, Observer readers
Norwich: 3/10
Not sure if “disappointing” quite does it justice. Calamitous is probably better. Our hope was for a season free of that sinking feeling, although we knew anything from 17th upward would be a result. But, despite a pre-Christmas flurry, it’s been an all too predictable slow, drawn-out march to relegation, punctuated only by the odd decent result. In three words: not good enough – and that includes, by his own admission, some of the manager’s decision making.
The stars Just three names: Timm Klose (in his few games), Robbie Brady and Jonny Howson. If Klose, or a centre-back of similar quality, had been signed last summer instead of January then maybe, just maybe, things could have turned out differently. But we’ve been profligate in front of goal, error-prone at the back and lacking in dynamism. Do the maths.
The flops Youssouf Mulumbu has barely featured, Steven Naismith – our marquee signing in January – has, a couple of games aside, failed to deliver, and Seb Bassong has been, well … Seb Bassong.
Summer targets Major surgery is needed at both ends of the pitch. A shiny new pair of centre-backs (a Championship version of Huth and Morgan), and some competition for Cameron Jerome.
Best and worst away fans Palace’s fans on the opening day were a lively and noisy bunch. Man Utd were awful: arrogant, condescending and muted.
2016-17 title winners Man City, via a vast transfer kitty.
Highlights montage music Bringin’ On The Heartbreak – Def Leppard.
Gary Gowers NorwichCity.MyFootballWriter.com
Southampton 8/10
It’s been excellent in many respects, though we never quite got going in the same way as last season. Equalling our record points tally with a game to spare, despite that horror run in the winter, is a definite plus, and could still be rewarded with a return to European football, having barely dipped a toe in the competition at the start of this campaign. Embarrassing cup exits aside, Ronald Koeman continues to get the best out of a much-changed squad. New contract, please!
The stars Virgil van Dijk cleaned up at the awards night, and rightly so. We genuinely haven’t missed Toby Alderweireld. Special mentions to Shane Long and 2016’s Dusan Tadic – back to the 2014 vintage.
The flops Things just haven’t worked out for Juanmi. The winner of the flop category, though, has to be the train wreck that was Steven Caulker’s loan spell.
Summer targets If Pellè, Mané or Wanyama leave they’ll need replacing. Other than that, some depth in wide areas. Andros Townsend would fit the bill.
Best and worst away fans Villa were full of gallows humour during their visit. Watford were worst, but then it was a horrible midweek January evening.
2016-17 title winners Not Leicester. If Liverpool lose to Sevilla and finish below us, Klopp will have them challenging, with no midweek commitments. Chelsea might recover under similar circumstances, but I reckon they need a pretty big overhaul. Arsenal will be Arsenal, Spurs will be Spurs.
Highlights montage music I Don’t Like it, I Love It – Flo Rida featuring Robin Thicke and Verdine White.
Steve Grant saintsweb.co.uk / @SteveGrant1983
Stoke: 7/10
Up until the end of March it was another great season. Since then it’s been one dramatic slump – seemingly due to a combination of injuries and several players having an eye on the beach or Euro 2016. On paper, expectations have been met: a top 10 finish looks likely and we had a league cup semi-final. But it’ll always be the season of what ifs. Questions are starting to be asked of the manager for the first time: a strong start to next season is vital.
The stars The two stand-out players were Jack Butland and Marko Arnautovic. Results have suffered whenever they’ve both been missing.
The flops Several players just haven’t performed consistently, but for me the major flop has been our record £18m signing, Giannelli Imbula. He obviously has the talent and he made a storming start, but he really fell below par in the past six weeks. Wearing gloves on one of the hottest days of the season at Crystal Palace recently didn’t do much for his image.
Summer targets The team is crying out for a natural scorer: we need to be ready to break the transfer record again to find one. We also need a commanding centre half due to concerns over Ryan Shawcross’s long-term fitness. But arguably our most important deal would be extending Arnautovic’s contract.
Best and worst away fans Villa best, Arsenal worst.
2016-17 title winners Manchester City.
Highlights montage music Crossroads – Blazin’ Squad. That’s where the manager and a large slice of his squad currently find their Stoke careers.
Rob Holloway, Observer reader
Sunderland: 7/10
Our annual production of The Great Escape was even more special this season, after a start that was worse than Villa’s. The real improvement came when Sam Allardyce had his chance to revamp the squad. Out went those who were nowhere near good enough, in came three players who changed the season. Allardyce has impressed on and off the pitch: he’s a good fit for a gritty, working class club like ours.
The stars Koné, Kirchhoff and Khazri changed the dynamic. Younès Kaboul was poor in autumn and exceptional in spring. Vito Mannone was a fine keeper and Jermain Defoe’s goals and positivity kept us up.
The flops Jeremain Lens looked a good buy in summer but turned out to be a huge disappointment. I don’t expect to be seeing him in August. Jack Rodwell epitomised the way that our game wastes talent.
Summer targets Another forward, because Defoe will not go on for ever. Maybe Ayew from Swansea? There’s a need for a stronger squad and an end to signing players who are clearly unsuited to Premier League football. I’ll leave the detail to the scouts who unearthed Koné, Kirchhoff and Khazri.
Best and worst away fans Leicester’s away crowd was noisy and clapperless. West Ham’s was boisterous. Chelsea were charmless.
2016-17 title winners Why not us? We finished on a high and have a solid squad. Lightning can strike twice. Failing that, maybe Tottenham.
Highlights montage music The Long and Winding Road – The Beatles.
Pete Sixsmith SalutSunderland.com
Swansea: 6.5/10
A season featuring three different managers tells its own story really. We were aiming for something like last season’s eighth-place finish – we never expected to be battling relegation. Alan Curtis and Francesco Guidolin have played a big part in directing us away from the bottom three, and in the end, it has turned out to be a decent finish. Wins against Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United and Arsenal have been enjoyable. I’ll lift it to a 7/10 if we beat Manchester City and finish in the top 10.
The stars Gylfi Sigurdsson has been our best, with a crucial run of nine goals in 14 games. His improved form coincided with Shelvey’s move to Newcastle.
The flops Bafetimbi Gomis has had an awful season. He scored four goals in his first four games, then just three goals in eight months. He’s the champion of being offside, though. Eder and Tabanou, meanwhile, proved to be a waste of £8m collectively – they too should be looking for other clubs.
Summer targets Guidolin has plenty to do. With Eder, Gomis and Tabanou most likely to leave, they will need replacing. We’ll also need to boost the midfield.
Best and worst away fans The best were Crystal Palace and Leicester. Worst: Everton and Liverpool.
2016-17 title winners Anyone’s guess. I doubt Leicester can retain it while also coping with European demands. Guardiola will lift Manchester City, and Spurs should give it another good go.
Highlights montage music Tubthumping – Chumbawamba, to reflect the last few months.
Kevin Elphick Swansea.VitalFootball.co.uk / @VitalSwansea
Tottenham: 8/10
Pochettino has done wonders. We now attack and defend as a team, we’re hard to beat and the players have bought into his philosophy. The only concern now is depth. We have a very good first XI and cover for the back four – but as soon as one of the midfield or Kane is out, we struggle. For example, with Alli our win percentage is 56; without him it’s 17.
The stars Alderweireld is a masterful reader of the game; Dier marshals the front of the defence; Alli makes so many dangerous runs; Dembélé has the strength and subtlety to shine in any team; and Kane just gets better. Added to that, Lamela is the most improved player: a fine blend of workrate and skill.
The flops Our midfield and forward replacements are lightweight: Mason, Carroll and Chadli are a notch or three down from the people they have to replace. Eriksen remains in the minor genius category. To borrow that old quote about Wagner, he has some great moments but some pretty awful quarter-hours. And whatever happened to Bentaleb?
Summer targets A proven deputy for Kane, two in midfield and a wide player who can go past defenders.
Best and worst away fans Nothing to distinguish any of them. They all caterwaul the same juvenile stuff about libraries.
2016-17 title winners Pochettino’s English is improving – I can’t wait to hear his articulate appraisal of our league win this time next year.
Highlights montage music (Your Love Keeps Lifting Me) Higher and Higher – Jackie Wilson.
Dave Mason, Observer reader
Watford: 8/10
A decent season. It’s fair to say it met fans’ expectations, though it probably exceeded those of folk on the outside who hadn’t been paying a lot of attention. Mid-table and a cup run is absolutely not to be sniffed at, a big tick and “job done” for Quique Flores. Insufficient to keep him in a job, though, at a club where such decisions are often made proactively.
The stars Odion Ighalo’s waning impact defined our season – a very solid side with a goal threat is a potent thing, a solid side without is not. Otherwise Gomes, Deeney and Watson have been consistent.
The flops A number of the summer imports – Ibarbo, Diamanti, Arlauskis – were shipped on pretty sharpish. In the context of our season, though, it’s difficult to label anyone a “flop”.
Summer targets Our full-backs need looking at, with the excellent Nathan Aké heading back to Chelsea. We could also do with some more attacking options: we’ve lined up the Granada forward Isaac Success (yes, really), while Abdoulaye Doucouré and Adalberto Peñaranda were signed in January, then loaned out.
Best and worst away fans Villa’s gallows humour was well-rehearsed but creative. Spurs fans were the worst, because they’re Spurs fans.
2016-17 title winners Ha. Not falling for that one, not after this season. I like the cut of that Jürgen Klopp’s jib, though.
Highlights montage music (Z)Iggy Stardust. Jamming good with Gomes and Deeney. He could lick ‘em by smiling. He could leave ‘em to hang.
Matt Rowson Bhappy.wordpress.com / @mattrowson
West Brom: 6/10
Overall, expectations were met – but only because they were so low. It’s been a frustrating season for many reasons, but we have, at least, achieved our aim of staying up. It’s just all been pretty joyless. As far as Pulis goes, he’s been Pulis.
The stars Jonny Evans has turned out to be wonderful value. Swapping him for Lescott must have been the finest bit of business anywhere. Craig Dawson is blossoming into a solid and reliable Premier League defender, and Rondón looked promising. He could do so much better with support, though.
The flops Berahino has totally wasted a season. For himself, and for us.
Summer targets Same as last summer: players with pace, who can provide some firepower and excitement.
Best and worst away fans Bristol City were excellent in the cup. Tottenham were cocky and far too interested in belittling us. Lacked class.
2016-17 title winners Chelsea.
Highlights montage music Boredom – The Buzzcocks.
Richard Jefferson wbaunofficial.org.uk / @richbaggie
West Ham: 8/10
An emotional final season at the Boleyn. No one will ever forget that final night: the crowd was the noisiest I’ve ever heard it. Slaven Bilic has done really well to achieve at least a top eight finish, and for a while it looked like our name was on the FA Cup too. To win away at Arsenal, Man City and Liverpool has been exceptional. We’ve played with flair, and the club is now united after the pragmatic years of Big Sam.
The stars No one can quite believe we have Dimitri Payet, whose tricks and free-kicks have won him the freedom of E13. Lanzini is another fantasy midfielder, while Cresswell, Kouyaté, Noble (too good for England) and Antonio have all had great seasons. Even Andy Carroll is showing signs of fitness and form.
The flops Diafra Sakho has struggled after his off-the-field issues and Valencia has suffered with injuries, but apart from loanees Song and Emenike, we’ve not really had any big underperformers.
Summer targets A 20-a-season striker would add competition up front and help finish off Payet’s work. Another right-back would solve a problem position.
Best and worst away fans Southampton impressed by responding to the standard security announcement “Mr Moon has left the stadium” with: “Mr Moon, he left ‘cos you’re shit!” And Swansea did a loud “Land of my Fathers”. Statistically the worst were FC Lusitans in the Europa League, who only brought 22.
2016-17 title winners Liverpool will give it a good go.
Highlights montage music Achy Breaky Heart (aka We’ve Got Payet) – Billy Ray Cyrus.
Pete May hammersintheheart.blogspot.co.uk
