TheNorthernCasual’s End of Season Awards

Here’s my season awards for 2010-11;

Best Player – I had to think long and hard about this one. It was a funny season where there wasn’t one outstanding player (e.g. Ronaldo ’08, ’09, Rooney ’10) but our team shone through. I have to try and see through the love-in for our new Mexican hero and go for Nani. I know he has his detractors amongst fans of all clubs, and even amongst United fans but without him we wouldn’t have won #19. Forget the dip he experienced in the last couple of months of the season and instead look at how he carried us as the creator and inspiration for the first 6 months of the season. He made goals, scored goals and generally gave us a threat that was lacking until the emergence of Hernandez and re-emergence of Rooney.

Best Goal this season – I can’t really look any further than Rooney’s goal vs City here. You know the one. Overhead kick? That’s it. Truly one of those ‘where were you when…’ moments. The skill it took, the setting of the derby against our noisy neighbours, the fact he’d had a pretty poor game as well all added to the mix. I especially loved the ‘taking a bow’ celebration in front of the City fans. Beautiful.

Best Moment – Javier Hernandez’ goal vs Chelsea after 35 seconds. I was going to go for Rooney’s penalty vs Blackburn, but The Little Pea’s goal so quickly versus Roman’s ‘hobby’ really put us in line for #19, and certainly settled all pre-match nerves that United fans (myself excruciatingly included) felt in the build up.

Best Match – Has to be Liverpool at Old Trafford, 3-2. Always good to beat the scousers. Honestly though when they drew back to 2-2 I felt sick, we’d heard nothing from the rabble from the other end of the M62 for 60 mins and then boom we let them back into the game. But Berbatov came back to complete his hat-trick (first of many!) to seal the win and take the three points. And did I mention the overhead kick from Berbatov? No? Let’s then. It was ace. The touch, the audacity to even go for it!? It would have easily been ‘goal of the season’ it Rooney hadn’t pulled that wonder goal out of the bag.

Special Mention award – Sir Alex. No question. Sealing the #19 and putting us ahead as the most successful domestic side in history. That’s a start. For me it was the whole Rooney incident that showed his class. Taking that interview when he was so obviously hurting really struck a chord amongst United fans, shown so well in the vociferous support and chanting of Alex’s name from the Stretford End that night in the game versus Bursaspor. It was a difficult time for all United fans but he pulled us, the team, and the club through to such an extent we won the league. Truly a phenomenal manager and human being. A true legend. A man that took a team labelled the worst in his reign and won the league and guided them to a Champions League final. Just quite simply the best.