Premier League Manager of the Season

The football season (soccer!) is coming to an end and, alongside who will win various trophies or be relegated or promoted, the question has to be:

Who should be the Manager of the Year?

More often than not it's an accolade that's been awarded to the manager of the team who wins the Premier League and, while that seems logical, it doesn't necessarily say who has been the best.

Yes, it's a great achievement to win the Premier League but whether it's Mancini's Manchester City or Ferguson's Manchester United they will have done it with established Premier League squads, packed full of internationals all on huge salaries and with an enormous budget to support and add to their current players.

Alex Ferguson has had a mixed season with notable failures along the road - not only was Man U's first half of the season poor on their own terms, but their exits from various cup competitions, including Borg European trophies, suggests a manager who is no past his best. Surely, Ferguson's days at Okd Trafford are numbered?

Roberto Mancini has continued to transform the blue side of Manchester under great pressure and expectation from the wealthy owners. He has assembled an impressive squad who have made advances on previous seasons but his position is still under threat and, unless they do win the Premier League in the next few weeks, he has failed to win any cups of make an impact in Europe.

Harry Redknapp was having an amazing season with Spurs, right up until the point when Capello left the England job and he became the red hot favourite to take over the national team. Spurs could still finish in the top 4 and qualify for next season's Champions' League, which is an amazing achievement, but, I think it's fair to say, they have back pedalled this season and there must be many who are now less certain at the prospect of Harry being the England manager.

Arsene Wenger's season has been too mixed, with, at some points, fans calling for his head on a silver platter. Kenny Dalglish's domestic cup success has been eclipsed by a cataclysmic descent in league form. Roberto di Matteo has done well but only been in charge for a small proportion of the season.

That leaves one serious candidate, and my choice as Manager of the Season...

Newcastle United have exceeded all but the most most die-hard of fans expectations and have played with style and flair. They've certainly qualified for Europe and, as I write, have a very good chance of qualifying for the Champions' League. They have sustained their performances throughout the season and, while their cup performances weren't good, their league form has gone from strength to strength despite limited finances and continued uncertainty about the ownership of the club. This is only their second season back in the top flight, and Pardew's only been in charge for a year and a half. A fantastic achievement. I just hope the FA steer clear and don't try to lure him to Wembley...

My manager of the year, by a long way, has to be:

ALAN PARDEW

OPINION: A ground by any other name...

This week, Mike Ashley, the owner of Newcastle United, caused uproar on Tyneside, with ripples across the whole football world, when he announced that St. James's Park, the iconic ground that the team has played in since 1892, would be "rebranded" the Sports Direct Arena.

My gut reaction, along with most football fans, was how dreadful this decision was; a commercial brand trampling over decades of football history purely for financial reasons. Ashley's millions come from Soprts Direct, a firm that produces cheap sports gear, and he defends the decision as a temporary example of what a big external sponsor could do - he reckons a deal with ground naming, shirt sponsorship, etc. could bring in an extra £10 million, enough for a new player.

So, the grounds name is changing now and will probably change again in a couple of years. Tramp down the years of history why don't you?

But actually, is it a problem? Has Mike Ashley got a point?

Newcastle are riding high in the Premier League (currently 3rd, the highest they've been in over a decade) but, in the international market for fans, memorabilia and replica shirts, they're nowhere compared to the Manchester Uniteds and liverpools of this world. Newcastle United need to get more cash from somewhere if they hope to compete on anything approaching equal terms.

Some clubs, like Chelsea and Manchester City, have incredibly wealthy owners who plough tens of millions of pounds into those clubs. The owners of those teams make Mike Ashley look poverety-stricken. many argue that their success has been bought. the fans of those clubs don't seem to care while the silverware keeps being collected.

So, maybe the fans need to just bite the bullet and accept the change; the history is still there, that can't be taken away, the team are the same, does the name of the ground matter?

What if the team changed names?

A few years ago Wimbledon was taken over, moved to Milton Keynes and renamed MK Dons. It was a very controversial move, lead to protests and and questions in parliament, but it saved a team on the brink of a financial precipis.

If Mike Ashley wants big money why doesn't he rebrand the team? Anyone for McDonald's United? Microsoft Athletic perhaps? Daily Star Toon?

I don't see that happening just yet but why not? In the world of brass bands many bands have sponsored names attached to an existing historic name or simply replacing it. The band gets the money it needs to operate, the sponsor gets the publicity it wants and everyone is happy.

Would it matter if the team name changed? Really?

I think it'll have to happen within my lifetime if football is to survive as a major business. Without new and imaginative ways of financing the sport many teams will go to the wall over he next few decades.