The Spoiler

The Premier League Team of the Season (since February)


Because the PFA vote neglected the last three months of action

PFA Player of the Year Awards

Last night, the PFA names their team of the season, but did you know that members voted for it all the way back in January? In his BBC Sport Column, Micah Richards admits that votes were cast way back when Arsenal were on for the title and Newcastle were going down, meaning the past few months of play have not been taken into account. With that in mind, here’s our team of the season from February onwards:

Chris Kirkland
Contributed to Arsenal’s downfall with a stunning clean sheet at the JJB before stealing the spotlight again at Stamford Bridge to help Wigan to a 1-1 draw, which could prove crucial come the end of the season. Remarkably, Wigan have kept more clean sheets than any other Premier League team from February onwards.

Patrice Evra
Gael Clichy’s season went down the drain with Arsenal’s while Evra has been solid all season long at the back for Manchester United.

Nemanja Vidic
Keeps his place and, if anything, his importance to Manchester United has been magnified by their vulnerability when he has been missing.

Phil Jagielka
Dropping Ferdinand may seem harsh but a defence made up of Manchester United and Arsenal players can’t be justified when Everton have let in fewer goals in 2008 than anyone else in the country. Joleon Lescott has taken the plaudits because of his goal contribution but while he has made a few mistakes, Jagielka has grown in stature as the season’s progressed and could be close to an England call-up.

Bacary Sagna
The only one of four Arsenal

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Posted: April 28th, 2008 by Ryan Bailey

Attention Premier League stars: here’s how to get away with dissent!


The Spoiler’s guide to saying naughty things in foreign

Javier Mascherano

Reportedly, Jose Mourinho would swear at referees in Portuguese so he could deny his aggravated language if questioned (”Honestly, ‘Lambe-me os colhes’ means ‘I agree with your informed choice’”). Javier Mascherano, on the other hand, chose an English four letter word to express his dismay, instead of reverting to his native tongue. This makes the Special One ‘smart’, and the Argentinean one ‘stupid’.

The Premier League’s vast array of imports would do well to take a leaf from Mourinho’s book of sly cussing, so here’s our top ten booking-free-guaranteed foreign insults. Let’s kick it off with one that could have helped Javier safely vent his spleen on Sunday:

Argentinean
Tarado - Retard

Norweigian
G’ og sug en hest - Go suck a horse!

Portuguese
Cabe’a-de-Bagre - Catfish head

Spanish
Cago en tu leche - I sh*t in your milk

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Posted: March 25th, 2008 by Ryan Bailey