“Tek a bow, son(s)”

With the end of the 2008/09 campaign only 24hrs away, The Spoiler takes a look back at the season’s finest goals and reveals our picks for the twenty greatest efforts. Part one documents goals 20-11…

#20: Ryan Taylor - Wigan 2-1 Newcastle, 26/12/08

The games that have made this season worth watching

Now that Manchester Utd have pretty much put the final nail in the coffin of the 2008/09 Premier League title race, it’s high time that we start peddling out some end of season lists. Accordingly, here is a top ten of the campaign’s most entertaining matches, which somehow includes a game involving West Brom…

#10: West Brom 3 - 2 West Ham, 13th September

Gianfranco Zola must have been wondering what he’d signed himself up for, watching his first West Ham game from the stands before taking over as manager. A game with a neutral-baiting mix of awful defending and open attacking play, both teams managed to lose their lead twice before an 83rd minute West Brom counter attack saw Chris Brunt sprint free of the Hammers’ defence and clinically place one inside the far post.

#9: Fulham 0 - 0 Sunderland, 18th October

Sunderland’s early visit to Craven Cottage should go down as the best goalless game of the season. Fulham’s goalmouth literally took a battering. Kieron Richardson, taking time off from his usual job of lying on a physio’s table somewhere, had his 25-yard free-kick bounce between the posts twice (before having another free-kick goal disallowed) and Djibril Cisse’s rasping long ranger was saved by the crossbar. However, the Cottagers created their own opportunities in the back-and-forth battle, with Zoltan Gera having a shot cleared off the line from Pascal Chimbonda before spurning his team’s best chance with a Carragher-esque air kick.

#8: Fulham 2 - 0 Manchester Utd, 21st March

It’s testament to how crap United were

Use your vote wisely

The scenario: You’re the manager of a Premier League team, and you’re allowed to strengthen your squad by signing just one player in the January transfer window. But you can only choose someone from Woy Hodgson’s improved squad - so who do you pick?

Your options: Woy the Boy has cannily ditched some of the journeymen so mysteriously favoured by Lawrie Sanchez. Jimmy Bullard, Brede Hangeland, Andy Johnson and Clint Dempsey should all be on your shortlist.

But there can be only one. Vote below:

The big news today is that it is officially the most meltiest hot day ever known to mankind - or, at least, it feels that way. And in other smoldering news, Ronaldo will be lining up for Real Madrid next year…

Cristiano Ronaldo to Real Madrid
The loud clamour coming from sunny Spain is that Cristiano Ronaldo has already met with Real Madrid’s Director of Football and agreed to play for the La Liga winners next season. It would, of course, be the biggest scoop of the summer, probably breaking big transfer records. You heard it here first (or second if you read the Spanish press, clever cloggs).

Thierry Henry to Absolutely Anywhere
Anyone who saw the aftershow chit-chat following last night’s Real Madrid/ Barcelona drubbing already knows that at Barca they have an enormous list of players who they don’t want any more (according to the terrifying satanic voice of Henk ten Cate). One of those is Thierry Henry. He will be off.

Dimitar Berbatov to Manchester City
Manchester City are ready to offer £32 million for Berbatov, and will be hoping to tempt him with their long winters, non-Champions League football, and eccentric owner who has a reassuringly itchy trigger finger. Good luck, guys.

Once again, our well-trained internet ferret has been thrashing around in cyberspace collating information. Today, the big transfer rumbles sound like this:

Gennaro Gattuso to Tottenham
An Italian newspaper has reported that Gattuso may wish to leave AC Milan in the summer and that Manchester United and Tottenham are leading an £8 million charge for the fiery little midfielder. Being that he talks like a Scot, this could be Sir Alex’s for the nabbing, but the whisper is that Spurs are leading the way.

Zoltan Gera to Wigan
West Brom’s Hungarian playmaker has AGAIN been linked with a move to the JJB, but Wigan’s fans are bored to death of that one – it’s so 2005.