As 2007 kicks off in fine fashion, we thought it a good time (ie. incredibly late) to look back on the year that was Two Thousand And Six – a year that had all the usual Premiership excitement, cup drama and transfer nonsense that we’ve come to expect.
But everyone had their highs and lows, and we wanted to hear from you what your Best and Worst parts of the 2006 footballing season were. It could be a particular news story, transfer, player, match result or even night out at an away match – anything really.
CaughtOffside writer Digsy has thrown down a few of his own ups and downs from the past year, feel free to follow his lead or just keep it simple:
Best Career Turnaround:
Cristiano Ronaldo – From the most hated footballer in England for daring to wink at Wayne Rooney after his Manchester United teammate had innocently crushed Carvalho’s bollocks is now looking like a strong contender for Player Of The Season. He’s finally got those crazy dancing feet under control and started producing something not just useful, but deadly. He’s also officially the best Ronaldo now after his Real Madrid namesake turned up for World Cup duty looking more like Sepp Blatter than a footballer.
Worst Career Turnaround:
Iain Dowie – Looked like the next up and coming British manager, leaving a relegated Palace for the steady ship Charlton Athletic. But then he capsized everything by spending good money on Djimi Traore, landing Charlton in relegation trouble and getting his P45. Simon Jordan must be chuckling to himself though.
Best Prediction:
Sven’s premonition that Wayne Rooney would go to the World Cup, and play seemed to go against medical (and Knighted Scottish manager) opinion. But fair play to Sven, he was right. Rooney went and Rooney played. He was half-fit and rubbish, but he played.
Worst Prediction:
Stan Collymore predicting his own glorious return to the Premiership. We’re still waiting.
Best Team Of The Year:
Tough one this, but why not France? No one backed them going into the World Cup. They were washed up and so was Zidane, but they beat Brazil on the way to the final, where they narrowly lost by the breadth of Zidane’s forehead (and also penalties).
Worst Team Of The Year:
Brazil were disappointing at the World Cup with their roly poly forwards and geriatric fullbacks, but at least they were watchable. England. England were dull and predictable AND rubbish in Germany and somehow got even worse as the year went on. In a word: boo.
Best Quotes:
“I expected abuse, but I also got a hamburger. And about £4.50 in change.”
– Gary Neville on visiting Anfield.
“I deserved more respect. Apparently I am not even part of the 30 or 40-man list. I don’t know where I am and I don’t know whether I am part of any plans in the future. So I am off to Australia for a month. I will do some canoeing among crocodiles, kangaroos and penguins.”
– Ludovic Giuly after being left out of the French World Cup squad.
“The Hoff is a big inspiration – in times of trouble I often ask myself, ‘How would the Hoff deal with this situation?”
– Moritz Volz, on his idol: The Hoff
Worst Quotes
“Sometimes I dive, sometimes I stay up.”
– Didier Drogba. Even if you do it, don’t own up to it.
“I talked to Michael Owen and said, ‘You are happy?’ He said, ‘Not really with the club, but economically I never earned that money in my life’. So they paid the salary more than Real Madrid did. He said: ‘They gave me a house, they gave me a car, it’s incredible’. They had to do it because in any other way he wouldn’t have gone there.”
– Sven Goran Eriksson, not great at keeping secrets.
“She shouldn’t be here. I know that sounds sexist but I am sexist. This is
not park football, so what are women doing here?”
– Mike Newell. Dear oh dear.
Best Signings:
Harry Redknapp took over a dreadful Portsmouth team destined for relegation. But when the January 2006 transfer window opened he brought in Pedro Mendes, Sean Davis and Noe Pamarot, Dean Kiely, Benjani Mwaruwari and Andres D’Alessandro and saved Portsmouth from Champioship football.
Worst Signings:
Shevchenko has struggled at Chelsea, but in terms of ruining an entire team you can’t look further than Tevescherano. The last thing a hard working team unit was two superstars unaccustomed to the Premiership, but someone at West Ham thought it as juts what Upton Park needed.