Heroes or zeroes? Give us your opinion on your team

And so, finally, the Premier League is over for another season. Manchester United confirmed what most observers had felt all along: that they were the best team in the division by some margin, winning at Wigan Athletic to deliver a tenth title in 16 seasons into the hands of Sir Alex Ferguson.

Credit to Chelsea, though, for taking their challenge down to the final day of the season, because all looked lost for the London club and their manager, Avram Grant, earlier in the campaign. Just think, had Emile Heskey not equalised for Wigan in injury time at Stamford Bridge a few weeks ago, Kevin Davies’s last-gasp goal for Bolton would have changed the destiny of the title in the last minute of the last game of the season. If only.

Most of the fun, though, came at the other end of the table. Reading looked like extricating themselves from trouble at one point as they finally remembered how to score, never the hardest feat in the world considering they were playing Derby County. Jamaica became known as the Reggae Boyz, Paul Jewell’s could be known henceforth as the Whipping Boyz if they are not careful.

Ultimately, though, Reading won 4-0 and still went down as Fulham completed a miraculous end-of-season escape act by winning 1-0 at Portsmouth courtesy of a Danny Murphy goal. That was enough to send Birmingham City and Reading down with Derby. Championship football – and uncertainty - awaits those three sides.

There were tears and jeers. Irate Birmingham supporters invaded the pitch at the end of their game, a fruitless 4-1 home victory over Blackburn Rovers, collapsing the goals and demanding that the board resign. It will be interesting to see what chairman David Gold has to say about that in the regular blog he writes for Times Online.

The tears flowed aplenty at Pride Park when Reading found out victory had not been enough, and there was, it has to be said, a resigned look on the face of the manager, Steve Coppell, as he saluted the fans at the end of the game. Will he return for another season of torment?

We would like to know your thoughts on the season. Was it dull or exciting, or somewhere in between? And what about the performance of your team? We would particularly like to hear what fans of Fulham and the three sides who went down have to say about their players, manager and board of directors.

But if you want to drop us a line paying credit to the job Martin O’Neill has done at Aston Villa or what a lucky manager Rafael Benitez is at Liverpool, then that’s quite alright too.

Comments

[PIP]

5th place team, which translates into top of the non-wealthy 'also rans', and it doesn't get a mention. What unadulterated bias ! And to think I always regarded The Times as a top world class newspaper.

[Neil]

Adam - You were not the top scorers in the League - United were. Please check your facts before mouthing off....but I guess you're used to deluding yourself. About Arsenal being the best but lacking the bottle to win - mate, having the bottle to win is part of what makes you the best - fancy passing when the going is good isn't what makes a team the best in the league

[Lucius Barbatus]

Terribly sorry for Birmingham. The instructions to "get stuck into them" before the Eduardo injury will be met by similar footballing sides in the Championship , enjoy Swansea away.

[neil]

Nigel,

I think the comment made about Liverpool scoring more goals than any other team was taking into account all competitions, not just the league.

Thanks.

[Noddy Davis]

Very upset Birmingham fan.We drew too many games. Hope the morons who abused the Directors and damaged ground get the boot.UP THE BLUES

[Arne]

I am a Chelsea fan and as such disappointed wtih the loss of the PL-title - not because I think Chelsea deserve it over Utd, but it's just the WAY it happened... A penalty that was there... A penalty that was not... An absent second yellow... I wonder wich person on the pitch was under most pressure...? Well, jokes aside: United actually deserve the title, but they did NOT deserve that last victory!
We'll give'm hell next season - come on you chels!

[Josh]

im glad sunderland had nothing to play for the last day of the season..
i would definitly be in roy keanes shoes then roy hudgson
im glad for fulham and the supporters, and i wish all the best, however sunderland are in DESPERATE need of players

[Nigel]

Sorry Lee - you weren't the "ranter" as I thought - it was Adam... My apologies - I'll get my reading glasses sorted.

[Nigel]

Lee Marklew - why did you spoil such a good rant with such a basic mistake... "We scored more than any other side this season". Not true mate - Man Utd: For 80, Against 22. You lot: For 67, Against 28. Never mind, there's always next season...

[Neil]

Why is Rafa Benitez lucky? Surely if he were as lucky as you suggest, then Liverpool would win the league, just like Manchester United - who as well as playing some brilliant football, also get the rub of the green when they need it.

Massive congrats to Fulham and Roy Hodgson, a true houdini style comeback.

[Trevor]

Big surprise, David Sullivan blames the Blues fans again. Good riddance to him, we're sick and tired of being bled dry. We have a working class fan base, it's scandalous he thinks he can justify charging Premiership (£522 for a season ticket in the Olympic Gallery) prices for Championship football; no cut in ticket prices after relegation for the SECOND time. And where does the money go? The only cash the managers have been given for players has come from selling players, where's the parachute payment, the TV money? Sunderland spent £40m and stayed up. Steve Bruce inherited a Wigan team made up of players he wanted to buy for Blues but were too expensive, and those he sold from Blues, and stayed up. There are no coincidences here. I hope and believe McLeish can get us straight back up again, but history is only going to repeat itself if his funding situation is no better than Bruce's was

[David Keen]

Lee Markew, my friend, you're crazy. Simple as that. After all your ranting and raving, you seem to have forgotten that chelsea dropped points on the final day anyways. Now I know what you're thinking, but no, I'm afraid Steve Bennett wasn't ref'ing that match as well. If you really look at any questionable calls from the United/Wigan match, at best it's still 2-1 United. Leave me your address and I'll send you a Jose Mourinho autographed box of tissue... it should get you through the week.

And yes, Rafa IS very lucky boy. Fortunate because with all the mess that's been going on behind the scenes with ownership at Anfield, everyone has been distracted to the fact that Liverpool have gone through yet another Premiership season without giving any of the other big clubs even half a worry, come home empty handed from two cup competitions and in the one competition Rafa's ridiculous rotation system is supposed to yield results in, Chelsea put on a show of stamina and ability.

In the end, the best, most consistent team won. End of story.

[Sam]

Good riddance to Birmingham. Glad to see Fulham remain in the Premier League if only for the great away days!

Shame Bolton stayed up. For that I point the finger at Tottenham Hotspur who should have beaten them a week or two ago.

[Will]

i am a true blue fulham supported. i currently am living in australia and have always and will always support this amazing team. i have only met 2 people who support fulham over here but by god i will never change teams. the manager is a bloody god in my eyes but i still think coleman should of had a second chance. stop wasting money on average players and buy one amazing up and coming player.
FULHAM U RIPPER. from your Aussie #1 fan Will

[warren sherwin]

As a Bolton fan I still cannot believe we turned it around with 10 points out of a possible 12 after being humbled by Villa 4-0.

We looked nearly as dead and buried as Fulham. My sympathies go to Reading & Birmingham supporters.
keep your squads, keep the faith & I'm sure you'll bounce straight back

[Tony]

Congrats Sir FERGIE and the boys you deserve the victory having entertained everybody the entire season. Ronaldo you are a delight to watch even thou some players wuold want to boot you off the pitch.Go on lads just one more battle and the war will be fully won.

[Peter Morris]

I have been a Reading supporter all my life. I hope that Steve Coppell is not given the sack or decides to jump. He got Reading into the Premiership with one of the best seasona a team ever had in the Championship. What he did once I believe he can do again. CHin up Reading. Keep at it Steve. We will be back.

[Anders, Norway]

Well-deserved title for the Reds!

Credits to Chelsea, for putting up a good fight. It's going to be a fierce battle in Moscow!

Lucky escape for Fulham, congrats are in order for Hangeland and Nevland, who made a difference in the final stage of the season!

[Lassie]

Well done Fulham for pulling off the very unlikely. Sad for Reading, I feel they ran out of time but fundamentally do belong in Premier League with Steve Coppell. Absolutely delighted that Birmingham have gone. Eduardo got the last laugh!

[Adam]

Unbelievable late season revival for Fulham, i thought we were dead and buried after the Sunderland match. Now living in Singapore i turned off the Man City match in disgust when we went 2-0 down and went looking for a cat to kick! Then the gods conspired to create the most remarkable comeback since Lazarus!

Unfortunately now I need to give up smoking, drinking and womanising after doing a deal with god to mend my wicked ways if he kept us up! A small price to pay!

[Lee Marklew]

Gutted. Sick. Why oh why did my belovid brummies have to go down? And me a barrister and all and deserving of some respect.

[Adam]

Are you taking the p**s?! What a lucky manager Rafael Benitez is?! And then go on to wax lyrical about Manchester United? A side that should have wrapped up the title weeks ago, and even then needed yet another mystifying Steve Bennett performance to beat the mighty Wigan? You are, arent you? Its a joke. Was he 'lucky' to sign Fernando Torres? I suppose all those years back in Istanbul, that was 'luck' right? We scored more than any other side this season, including the might United and the awesome attacking Arsenal, just by pure freak 'luck'? Sorry sorry, keep forgetting you were being tongue in cheek.

United werent the best team, Arsenal were but they lacked the bottle (and officials) to last the pace. What really blows my mind, is Steve Bennett gets such an important game, again. He's ridiculously biased towards United, again. And yet no-one is allowed to batter an eyelid, safe in the knowledge they'd be the ones punished. You cant see whats wrong here? Really? 'THE MOST EXCITING/CLOSEST TITLE RACE IN LIVING MEMORY, NOT TO BE MISSED' is what you guys in the media would like it billed as. In reality, sadly, as soon as we saw who would referee the game, we knew EXACTLY which was the title 'race' would go, no matter how Wigan, United, Chelsea or Bolton played. And I say again, you cant see anything wrong with such a poor referee playing such a big role in such big games, when this is meant to be an exciting league? Give me a break.

[Andrew]

Good bye and good riddance to Birmingham and their hatchet men. Taylor's "tackling" will I am sure be better suited to the Champoinship

[Robert]

It has been a dog fight for Manchester United this season. I knew with the squad we had that another title was a real possibility, but to have so many ups and downs this season only gave me more gray hair.
The chance to go for a double is awesome, and heres hoping Manchester United can win one more game this season.

[andreww]

Manchester City fan, dissapointed. The 8-1 defeat today and possible dissapointment of not qualifying for UEFA after a glimmer of hope towards the end of the season has turned a great season into the worst possible, potentially managerless, in the same position as 12 months ago. However, the team are still heroes, we played some great football and beat United twice, it's just a shame it had to end so badly!