The good, the bad and the ugly – the season’s most memorable moments

An arbitrary selection from the season based mainly on games, experiences had first-hand and therefore subjective.

Player of the season
Gareth Bale
What a player. At 23 Bale has already joined an elite group from the last few decades who will still be mentioned 30 years from now. He has 30 goals for club and country and has played 51 games before tomorrow. And this is not some one-season wonder, Bale has been excelling for three years. But he has stepped up a level to the point where he could comfortably play for Barcelona or Bayern Munich.

Young foreign player
Isco
Not seen in flesh, but Isco of Malaga looks very good indeed. Said to be joining Manuel Pellegrini at Manchester City, even though they already have David Silva etcetera.

Manager
Michael Laudrup
There are always several contenders and cases to be made for each. It is Laudrup, not just because he led Swansea City to the first-ever trophy in their history, but because the expectation was that Swansea would struggle without Brendan Rodgers. Laudrup changed that view within weeks of arriving in south Wales. Swansea were very good under Rodgers, and they have developed.
Quote of the season (I)
"It might be the making of us."
– Mark Hughes after the opening game of the season at Loftus Road: QPR 0 Swansea 5.
Best goals
1 Gareth Bale v Norwich
2 Loic Remy v Wigan
3 Kevin Mirallas' first v West Ham (team goal)

Random thought (I)
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has scored one league goal this season.

Best individual performances (in the flesh)
Having not seen Oscar (Chelsea) live, in early December the 21-year-old Brazilian was superb at Sunderland, skilful, athletic and tough. Rather more dramatic was Zlatan Ibrahimovic (Sweden) against England in November. Four goals, four brilliant goals.

Quote of season (II)
"Everybody is 'interim' because after you, there is another one. But in this case, they didn't have anyone, so why put interim? It's just to say to everyone: 'Because he was in Liverpool and just in case, we will put interim and then we will wash our hands'."

– Rafa Benitez in February

Biggest circus in town award
Blackburn Rovers

Worst circus in town award
Wolverhampton Wanderers

Another circus in town award
Coventry City

Schadenfreude moment
QPR's relegation offers hope that money might not be everything in the modern game.

Most impressive managers outside Premier League
Neil Lennon (Celtic); Malky Mackay (Cardiff City); Eddie Howe (Bournemouth); Gary Johnson (Yeovil)

Hillsborough justice
The publication and acceptance of findings in the Independent Panel Report in September.

Hillsborough injustice
Sheffield Wednesday goalkeeper Chris Kirkland is pushed over by a Leeds United hooligan in October. Aaron Cawley was given a six-year banning order. He already had two when he ran on an accosted Kirkland.

Greatest night
Celtic's 2-1 defeat of Barcelona on November 7th felt historic there and then. Coinciding with Celtic's 125th anniversary, the night was momentous even before kick-off. Then Fraser Forster started to make saves, but Celtic were more than simply defensive. When Xavi and Andres Iniesta talk about the noise and atmosphere afterwards, you know you've been inside something special.

Most alarming sight
After losing at Celtic in the Champions League, Spartak Moscow fans on the train from Glasgow preaching 'White Power' loudly and aggressively.
Random thought (II)
Raheem Sterling last started a league game in January.

Most uplifting moment (I)
It will take a lot to top the Everton farewell to David Moyes at Goodison Park last Sunday. No plastic flags here, just proper football fans in a proper ground saying a fond, reluctant goodbye to a proper manager. Unforgettable.

Most uplifting moment (II)
On a farmer's field of a pitch in rural county Durham last September, in one of those unseen early rounds of the FA Cup, non-league West Auckland played Harrogate Town. It finished 2-2 with an injury-time equaliser. You'd have thought the cup was there to be won that very day such was the commitment. And it cost £8 to get in.

Least uplifting trend
Clubs' attendance figures. Arsenal started this and now a Freedom of Information request to Greater Manchester police reveals Old Trafford's gates may not be what they seem. United said there were 71,000 at the West Ham FA Cup-tie; police, who monitor turnstiles, said 51,000.

Related trend
The cost of tickets. There was outrage in January when Arsenal asked for £62 from Manchester City fans. Maybe if Arsenal lowered their prices they might get a few more in.

Least justifiable sacking
Reading's dismissal of Brian McDermott in early March came after a run of four straight Premier League defeats. That hardly tells the whole story, though, one which dates back to last season when McDermott guided Reading to automatic promotion from the Championship despite having to sell Shane Long and Matt Mills for a combined £10million.

Worst match
Reading 0-0 QPR (28/4/13)

Quote of season (III)
"Whether I will be here to oversee another decade of success remains to be seen, but I certainly don't have any plans at the moment to walk away from what I believe will be something special and worth being around to see."

– Alex Ferguson's programme notes three days before his retirement.

Random thought (III)
Where does Martin O'Neill go next?

Condensed fact of the season
Derby County finished 10th in the Championship, seven points ahead of Peterborough United, who were 22nd, and relegated.

Questionable chant (I)
"He bites who he wants."

– Liverpool fans serenade Luis Suarez.

Questionable chant (II)
"He walks in Hitler's shoes, he hates the blacks and Jews."

– Newcastle United fans hail Sunderland's new manager Paolo Di Canio.

Irish season
In the wake of the European Championships, pessimism was justified. It remained so. Outstanding moment? Germany's sixth?

Brendan Rodgers
The most high-profile Irishman in English football has endured some difficult moments in his first season at Anfield. But if Liverpool beat QPR tomorrow they will have nine points more than last season and three more than the season before. In all likelihood, though, still 12 points off the Champions League.

Bundesliga love-in
early warning
Bayern Munich are 1/4 to win the league again next season.

Team of season (3-4-3)
Cech (Chelsea); Zabaleta (Manchester City), Ferdinand (Manchester United), Baines (Everton); Bale (Tottenham) Wanyama (Celtic), Lampard (Chelsea), Fellaini (Everton); Mata (Chelsea), Michu (Swansea City), Van Persie (Manchester United).
Subs: Mignolet (Sunderland), Davies (Swansea City), Maloney (Wigan Athletic), Cazorla (Arsenal), Suarez (Liverpool), Berbatov (Fulham), Benteke (Aston Villa).

Next season predictions
Manchester United kick on under David Moyes; Chelsea do the same under Jose Mourinho; Jack Wilshere to flourish; England to not win World Cup group; Portsmouth to start the journey back successfully.

Quote (IV)
"Truth, the sweet silver song of the lark."

– Britain’s poet laureate — and Liverpool University graduate — Carol Ann Duffy.