Moments to forget from the Premier League season
Things which did not go to plan.
For every record-breaking achievement by Premier League champions Manchester City there have been many occurrences at the other end of the scale.
Here are some of the moments to forget in 2017/18.
De Boer debacle
Dutchman Frank De Boer was brought in to replace Sam Allardyce at Crystal Palace and bring a different style of football to Selhurst Park. What the Eagles were not expecting was for it to be a losing style as De Boer lost his first four Premier League matches without scoring a goal and his 77-day reign was brought to a swift end.
The Baggies’ appointment of Alan Pardew was both predictable and uninspiring. He won just one of 19 league matches and during his four-month tenure his lack of leadership was highlighted by ‘Taxigate’, when senior players Jonny Evans, Gareth Barry, Jake Livermore and Boaz Myhill allegedly stole a cab on a late-night trip to McDonalds while at a training camp in Barcelona.
Swansea’s loan signing of Bayern Munich’s highly-rated Portugal midfielder Renato Sanches was hailed as a major coup but his stay in south Wales has turned into a nightmare. The 20-year-old’s lowest point came when he passed straight to an advertising hoarding in November’s match against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge and was subsequently hauled off at half-time.
With the score at 1-1 Stoke were awarded a 90th-minute penalty when Jese Rodriguez was adjudged to have been fouled by Brighton’s Dale Stephens. Charlie Adam picked up the ball, prompting a frustrated Jese to kick up a fuss about not being allowed to take it, with his anger not being helped when Adam’s spot-kick was saved by Brighton goalkeeper Mat Ryan.
The West Ham front man’s head is arguably his biggest weapon but he lost it in just over a minute of madness against Burnley at Turf Moor. Carroll was booked in the 26th minute after referee Stuart Attwell judged he led with his elbow in a challenge with James Tarkowski and the game had barely resumed when the former England international launched himself into another aerial challenge with Ben Mee, earning a second yellow in the space of 99 seconds. To compound his misdemeanours West Ham, leading 1-0 at the time, conceded a late equaliser after playing for more than an hour with 10 men.
It is one thing for home fans to chant obscenities at their opponents but when they direct it at their own manager you know things are toxic. Sam Allardyce was a divisive appointment to replace Ronald Koeman at Everton in November and as the season progressed more began to turn against him. At the club’s final home game, against Southampton, supporters in the Gwladys Street End launched into an F-word invective midway through the second half to leave the Toffees boss in no doubt about their feelings.
