Who?

12 hours later, and it still hasn’t been changed. The article isn’t a complete disaster though, as The Spoiler now knows four of the Palacios family have turned out for the Honduran national team at some point the past - an impressive feat not even the legendary Sodje dynasty has managed to accomplish.

Sadly there’s no room for player of the year Ryan Giggs here…

It’s another end of season list, but with a twist. To stop a roundup of the 08/09 Premier League team of the season descending into a top 4 love-in, we’ve tried to limit ourselves to only one player from each club. Sticklers for punishment that we are, we’re also rigidly sticking to a classic 4-4-2. It all ended up being a lot harder than we gave it credit for:

GK - Manuel Almunia (Arsenal)
Pulled off some super saves, stopped an inordinate amount of penalties, and has been good enough to have this ridiculous nonsense about him playing for England rise to the surface again. The Spanish keeper has come a long way from Jens Lehmann’s assessment he was to rubbish to play for Arsenal.

DR - Rory Delap (Stoke)
Rory Delap made a healthy contribution to securing Stoke’s top flight status, earning priceless league (and mental) victories against the big boys at a time when Stoke were looking the unfashionable new kids while Hull cakewalked it. He spent most of the season in midfield but his position is almost irrelevent for what he brings to the team.

DL - Luke Young (Aston Villa)
Playing completely out of position, covering for a crocked Wilfred Bouma and an absolutely dreadful Nicky Shorey, isn’t an ideal way to start your first season a new club, but Young has done the job manfully, without complaint and more often than not, impressively.

DC - Phil Jagielka (Everton)
One of the most reliable performers of the season until that heartbreaking injury, Jags has had a superb campaign, reaping benefits in the form of England

The most inspired transfer activity of the season

As The Spoiler’s end of season festivities get into full swing, today we look at the best signings of the 2008/09 Premier League campaign. Sorry Wisey, Xisco and Coloccini didn’t make the cut…

Jose Bosingwa (Porto to Chelsea, £16.3m)
Whether Jose Bosingwa (or ‘Boswinga’ if you’re Jamie Redknapp) was officially a Big Phil Scolari signing is a point of contention, but considering the four other members of his inspirational clutch of signings have only racked up 22 starts and three goals between them, we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt. However, what can’t be argued against is how seamlessly the full back has slotted into Chelsea’s defence this season, in a role the Blues have previously struggled to fill.

James Beattie (Sheffield Utd to Stoke, £2.5m)
It was fair to assume Beattie’s Premier League days were numbered after a pretty woeful spell at Everton earned him a move down to the Championship with Sheffield United last season. Yet after answering Stoke’s SOS call in the January transfer window, Beatts has signaled his return to the top flight by averaging nearly a goal every other game and contributing to 13 of the 24 points Stoke have picked up since his arrival. Such season-saving form might just be the best £2.5m Tony Pulis has ever spent.

Marouane Fellaini (Standard Liege to Everton, £15m)
Fellaini’s Premier League success isn’t too surprising considering the fact that 32 foreign scouts were in the crowd to watch him play in Liege’s title-winning league match last season. Still, the lanky afro cultivator was pretty much unknown to fans over here until making his mark as the driving force behind a Liege team that by all rights should’ve beaten Liverpool to Champions League qualification at the start of the season. Clocking in with an impressive nine goals and firmly establishing himself as a midfield battler, that £15m price tag everyone laughed at now looks a bit less ridiculous.

Wilson Palacios (Wigan to Tottenham, £12m)
Harry Redknapp’s transfer market dial

Also appearing on a computer near you…

101 Great Goals alert us to the latest in South American football violence

Bad news: Georgie Thompson might be off the market
[The Sun]

Claude Makélélé is the latest footballer to suffer a robbery
[Inside World Soccer]

The ten footballers set to “boss” 2009
[FHM]

Why Burnley should bow out of the Carling Cup with pride tonight
[chickendinner]

Spurs seal the Palacios deal
[Sky Sports]

Posh and Becks want to sell us fancy pants again
[Sports Crackle Pop]

Portsmouth are eyeing up Juventus’ Christian Poulsen
[Goal.com]

Nicola McLean and her chest are back, and they want to sell you stuff
[On205th]

Also appearing on a computer near you…

Former Gunner Gilberto Silva is tragically shot in the back during a Greek Super League game last night
[101 Great Goals]

Joe Kinnear gets an earful from a Newcastle fan
[BBC]

Roman Abramovich will sue over claims he is to sell Chelsea
[Sport Network]

Man City want Hamburg star Nigel de Jong, apparently
[Football365]

Alex Ferguson believes he can hijack ‘Arry’s Wilson Palacios bid
[Daily Mail]

Victoria Beckham is literally bending over backwards to be a better underwear model than her husband
[Kickette]

The latest gossip, rumours and damned lies

After enjoying Mr Bellamy’s latest rage, why not check out the latest goings-on in Transferland…

Craig Bellamy to Manchester City
Sky Sports are reporting that West Ham have agreed a fee of £14 million to sell Craig Bellamy to Manchester City after making it clear that they wouldn’t do business with Tottenham.The Spoiler Truth-o-meter: West Ham fans will be disappointed their record signing has decided to leave after just twenty league starts but they are receiving an amazing price for the 29-year-old.

Wilson Palacios to Tottenham
Reports claim Manchester City and Tottenham have agreed a compromise whereby City will end their interest in Palacios if Spurs leave them unopposed to sign Bellamy. A potential stumbling block is Spurs Daniel Levy’s attempts to pay the £14 million fee in lengthy installments, with Steve Bruce saying “Mr Levy wants it over something like 55 years.”

The Spoiler Truth-o-meter: Levy’s determination to pay part of the Bellamy fee

Also appearing on a computer near you…

One of ten reasons it sucks to be a referee
[Big Soccer] 

Are Disney about to win the Premier League TV rights?
[The Guardian]

Manchester Utd may hijack Spurs’ Wilson Palacios bid
[Daily Mail]

Daniel Agger might be San Siro bound
[Footy Latest]

Arthur Boka turns down a move to Tottenham
[Sky Sports]

Barcelona get slapped with a huge beer fine
[Dirty Tackle]

Page Three girl Amii Grove caught Jermaine Pennant cheating on her, then agreed to marry him when he proposed in a graveyard. Their relationship has taken another tempestuous turn…
[The Mirror]

Today’s gossip, rumours and damned lies

In spite of Thaksin’s Shinawatra’s alleged financial misdemeanours, the sky blue Manchester club still have cash to splash. Having dodged the Ronaldinho bullet, Citeh are reportedly interested in making Henry a “box office” signing come January, whatever that means. The Frenchman, however, has said there is only one English club he will return to, and a non-big four move surely wouldn’t be enough to bring him back from Spain.

Anton Ferdinand to Sunderland
In a summer of painfully protracted transfer sagas, Anton Ferdinand is the latest poor soul to be left wondering where his future lies. Sunderland have been after the centre-half for weeks and assuming that they can convince him that Wearside has a better nightclub than Faces (perhaps this one), the under 21 international will be scurrying off to make friends with Roy Keane.

The Spoiler Truth-o-meter: The tabloid’s think the Black Cats’ ninth summer signing is a done deal

Wilson Palacios to Liverpool
Rafa is slowly making