Premier League 2024-25 fans’ verdicts: stars, flops, and the most loved referees

Arsenal

It’s been yet another “always the bridesmaid, never the bride” season. There were times it felt we were destined for glory, but injuries and red cards cost us. We still had jaw-dropping moments, though, especially in a phenomenal Champions League campaign. As they say, it’s the hope that kills, but even this jaded old lag had begun to believe I’d finally tick that big-eared prize off my bucket list. Still, 8/10.

Stars/flops Special mentions for Rice, Merino and the Hale Enders, Lewis-Skelly and Nwaneri. As for flops – it felt like we were duped into stumping up a share of Sterling’s inflated wages. And while Martin Ødegaard certainly isn’t deserving of the label, whether it’s down to his obligations as captain to lead the press or the stress of parenthood, his form as our creator-in-chief faded in the second half of the campaign.

What we need in the summer Even my 91-year-old mum has been mithering to me about the failure to sign a striker. I’m just praying Mikel only resisted taking a punt on another club’s castoff in January because we have a more likely candidate for 20+ goals lined up for this window. It also sounds like Zubimendi will replace Jorghino, while the rest of the squad needs real bolstering, given the intensity of fixtures.

Best and worst referee? Surely it’s common knowledge by now that they’re ALL out to get us … In the past the best referees were those that went unnoticed; in this infernal age of VAR they’ve all just become more and more conspicuous.

Moment that made me smile Or grimace, anyway: the dark farce that unfolded as clubs battled it out over a gruelling 38-game marathon for the precious dream of Champions League qualification, only for Spurs and Man Utd to have their worst seasons this century and end up playing each other for the exact same prize.

• Bernard Azulay onlinegooner.com; @GoonerN5

Hale Enders: Myles Lewis-Skelly and Ethan Nwaneri. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

Aston Villa

Brilliant. Our wins records broken, an exciting style of play, plenty of drama. With Mr Emery you can always dare to dream but not many would have foreseen PSG relying on their keeper to survive at Villa Park in the Champions League last eight, an FA Cup semi-final and close to 70 points in the league. Of course there were blips, and we may still end up crestfallen, missing out of next year’s Champions League come 6pm on Sunday. But overall, one of the best seasons ever. 9/10

Stars/flops Konsa and Tielemans were magnificent week in, week out, surely playing through pain and fatigue but never turning in less than 8/10. Rogers made incredible progress, becoming almost impossible to play at times, Maatsen finished the season strongly, and it would be inappropriate, for a fan brought up on Withe and Shaw, not to mention the boy from Wythenshawe: Rashford’s short cameo was exciting and highly effective. People made errors and form fluctuated, but nobody flopped.

What we need in the summer It all depends on the final day. If it goes our way then I’d expect horse-trading of some very high quality playing assets. If it doesn’t then some may see the grass greener elsewhere, and our lower financial clout won’t be able to prevent unwanted departures. This squad (including loanees) could be top four next season with no changes to it.

Best/worst referee? The English disease used to be hooliganism as we watched punch-ups across the globe through latticed fingers. Now it’s our officials making a European blunder or initiating a needless 10-minute VAR session which has our foreheads hitting our palms. But I don’t comment on referees and I’m not changing the habit of a lifetime for those prats (quote: Big Ron).

Moment that made me smile Unoriginal, but for pure breathless joy, the game-winners against Bayern and PSG. My watch went into meltdown with loud-environment alerts. We were seat surfing even in the crusty Witton Lane upper!

• Jonathan Pritchard

Morgan Rogers: impossible to play. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

Bournemouth

An unexpectedly record-breaking campaign full of memorable moments, spectacular goals and last-minute euphoria. A top-10 finish, a record points total and a best points tally against the big six, including a first ever double over Arsenal. We even flirted with winning a European place. And we’ve achieved all of this with aggressive, high-energy, front-foot football that the fans love. With a new performance centre and ground redevelopment plans, we’re moving forwards and excited for more. 9/10

Stars/flops Too many stars to mention them all. Filling the boots of Dom Solanke was set to be one of our biggest challenges, but Evanilson more than made the No 9 shirt his own. Opponents found Kluivert and Semenyo unplayable at times, while Cook and Ouattara showed exceptional versatility when needed. Huijsen and Kerkez were consistently great, but the star man, and how badly we missed him in the final run-in, was Ryan Christie. Flops – we needed to see more of the too-often-injured Sinisterra. He could have made a big difference.

What we need in the summer Huijsen to Real Madrid and the likely sale of Kerkez to Liverpool are departures we could do nothing about. We’re expecting a few changes, with several players who are out on loan moving on permanently, and Andoni Iraola bringing in plenty of new talent, players who fit the way we play, to create a deeper squad that will make us less vulnerable to injuries and player fatigue.

Best/worst referee Best: no one. The standard has been universally poor. We’ve been on the end of numerous iffy penalty calls, disallowed goals and poor decisions. Worst: take your pick, but I’d go with Peter Bankes, who enabled Manchester United to gain a point by wrongly sending off Evanilson then finding imaginary minutes at the end. A particular lowlight.

Moment that made me smile Our podcast TikToker, Ben Phillips, capturing the limbs at Goodison Park as we recovered from 2-0 down to win 3-2 in the last minute of stoppage time, complete with Ben squawking like a deranged seagull.

• Jeff Hayward Back of the Net, the AFC Bournemouth Fan’s Podcast.

Luis Sinisterra scores Bournemouth’s third at Everton in August. Photograph: Peter Byrne/PA

Brentford

What a great season. Not what I expected at all. To be going into our final game of the season with a chance (albeit faint) of European football is unbelievable. We’re in the top six highest scorers with over 60 goals, and we also conceded 35 goals at home, making Brentford’s stadium the most entertaining and bonkers place to watch football in the Premier League. We had big injury problems – Igor Thiago, Rico Henry and Aaron Hickey played less than five hours of Premier League football between them all season – but it’s given other players the opportunity to step up and stake a claim on a first-team spot, which will make us stronger next season. Best result: 2-0 away win at Forest. Best awayday: 1-0 win at Ipswich. 8.5/10.

Stars/flops Attacking midfielder Mikkel Damsgaard was by far the biggest star of the season. And that’s a big claim to fame with Mbeumo and Wissa both one short of 20 goals and Flekken making the most saves in the division. Damsgaard had already won the weekly voted Beesotted podcast player of the year in February and cleaned up at the Brentford player of the year awards, winning both POTY and players’ POTY. Nathan Collins has also been a rock this season. Carvalho hasn’t quite lived up to expectations since coming in from Liverpool, though – but Brentford is super-patient with its players and gives them plenty of time to develop. Damsgaard admits other teams would have got rid of him based on his early Brentford form.

What we need in the summer I hope he stays but it is highly likely that Mbeumo will go. Someone will meet his valuation, but Brentford being Brentford there will be some unknown lined up to replace him. We also need someone who can seamlessly slot into Christian Nørgaard’s shoes for any games he is not playing. Big shoes to fill.

Best/worst referees Jarred Gillet seems to get it wrong every time he takes charge of our matches. What’s more, you know when a referee upsets both sets of fans, as he did in the Fulham game, then he must be on some sort of stinker. Anthony Taylor seems to be hated by Forest and Chelsea fans but he seems to do fine in our matches.

Moment that made me smile At the POTY awards, when the DJs from Kurupt FM from the BBC show People Just Do Nothing critiqued (OK they absolutely shredded) each of the Brentford player’s fashion sense, with one player’s no-doubt very expensive designer outfit equated to a toddler’s costume.

• Billy Grant Beesotted podcast and blog; @Beesotted; @BillyTheBee99

Brentford fans at the GTech in April. Photograph: Peter Cziborra/Action Images/Reuters

Brighton

It’s fantastic that in Fabian Hürzeler’s first season and with such a young squad we’re still in with a slim chance of Europe. We’ve had crazy highs and crushing lows: frustrating draws that should have been victories, horrible defeats (7-0 at Forest, ouch), outstanding wins at Old Trafford and St James’ Park. And beating Liverpool was just perfect. We’re playing entertaining, flowing football and there’s never a dull moment. Hürzeler is smart and passionate, and seems to be loving life in the city. Roll on next season when he’ll be a year older and everyone can stop banging on about his age. 8/10.

Stars/flops Our recruitment is so good we don’t bring in flops. But there are so many standouts: Carlos Baleba, still only 21, is now world class and his celebratory backflips are a joy; Georginio was sorely missed after he got injured in March; Kaoru Mitoma’s stunner against Chelsea must be the best goal ever scored at the Amex; it’s 15 years since the captain, Lewis Dunk, signed his first contract for his hometown team; Dutch defender Jan Paul van Hecke, the club’s and players’ player of the season, is often watched by a noisy contingent from his home town of Arnemuiden; Mats Wieffer, Brajan Gruda and Matt O’Riley are showing their class after taking time to settle; and Danny Welbeck has made it to double figures for the first time in his career – aged 34.

What we need this summer To keep everyone and buy a left-back.

Best/worst referee Tough one to answer – a bit like choosing your favourite tax inspector. But Craig Pawson was truly awful in the draw with Newcastle the Amex, awarding them three penalties, of which two were overturned by VAR, and missing a blatant foul on Matt O’Riley in the box.

Moment that made me smile At the risk of becoming the most hated person in Brighton, it was impossible not to smile seeing Manchester City get beaten in the FA Cup final, despite who beat them.

• Steph Fincham

Carlos Baleba: world class. Photograph: Peter Cziborra/Action Images/Reuters

Chelsea

It’s been a strange and, at times, frustrating season. We started in fine form and, up to the Everton game in December, everything was rosy; it felt like we were comfortably on for a third-place finish. But since Christmas the quality fell away: we’ve struggled week after week to find our rhythm and dropped points against poor opposition. Injuries haven’t helped but Maresca has chosen a style that he won’t move from regardless of the outcome. Given all that, it’s amazing we could still finish third (though it could also be seventh) and that we’re in a European final. I guess we should be happy, but the dull football has put a real dampener on it. Spoilt? Maybe! 6.5/10.

Stars/flops Cucurella and Caicedo have been our two outstanding players, with Enzo Fernández a close third. Palmer started brilliantly but hit a wall – he’ll bounce back, though. And Reece James is slowly getting back to fitness: he should be a starter every week. I wouldn’t say we had any classic flops, but Robert Sánchez has a mistake in him while Sancho and Madueke often fail to deliver, but they have their moments. Ultimately we have a good squad but tactically we’ve been let down.

What we need this summer Every season for the last three or four years we’ve struggle with the same issues: we are short of a top-class keeper, we need an experienced centre-back who will dominate the defence and stay fit, and we need a world-class striker who will challenge Jackson and give him the competition he needs to improve. We can’t keep buying potential; we need some experience in this team.

Best/worst referee Try to find a Chelsea fan who is a fan of Anthony Taylor. He shouldn’t be anywhere near a Chelsea fixture. As for a favourite … a tough one, but Michael Oliver is the most competent of the current lot.

Moment that made me smile Arsenal bottling the Champions League semi-final: it put a huge smile on my face. Chelsea remain “London’s first, London’s finest”.

• Paul Baker in memory of Trizia Fiorellino

Marc Cucurella: outstanding. Photograph: Paul Childs/Action Images/Reuters

Crystal Palace

FA Cup winners and qualification for Europe, a record Premier League points tally, the double over Brighton for the first time in 92 years, and buying Millwall’s best player in the January transfer window. No number can describe what cloud Palace fans are on right now. It has been an astonishing campaign from (almost) start to finish. The players have once again gone to another level under the best manager in our history. We even made the Carabao Cup quarter-finals too … 10/10

Stars/flops There were no flops. Daichi Kamada had a difficult start but grew into it and cemented himself as a first choice in the last three months of the season, making huge contributions to our success. Maxence Lacroix and Ismaïla Sarr were brilliant signings at bargain prices, and Eddie Nketiah increasingly showed his promise as the campaign unfolded. Daniel Muñoz’s energy was limitless, and of course Adam Wharton, Eberechi Eze, and JP Mateta grew into even better players. Chris Richards stepped up to the plate when Trevoh Chalobah was recalled by Chelsea, and Will Hughes elevated himself to Blond Messi status. Everyone played their part.

What we need in the summer If we can somehow keep hold of our best players for our European tour then I really think great things are possible. Marc Guéhi does look likely to leave so we would need to replace him effectively. A quality number-two keeper wouldn’t go amiss and we do need more depth up front, though perhaps Hindolo Mustapha from the academy may get his chance. The hope is also that Glasner signs an extension to his contract taking him beyond 2026.

Best/worst referee Sam Barrott disallowing Eze’s perfectly legitimate goal at Brentford in the first game of the season by blowing the whistle before it even went in, and giving Chris Richards two laughable yellow cards against Bournemouth, will never be forgiven. David Webb in just his second Premier League game let the match flow in the recent 4-2 win over Wolves.

Moment that made me smile Winning our first ever major trophy was one of the best moment in every Palace fans’ lives. Everywhere I looked after the match, people were crying with the pure joy, the overwhelming emotion of the moment – sharing in this incredible experience with everyone around them and remembering all the Palace friends and family who came before them. It is a day none of us will ever forget.

• Chris Waters @Clapham_Grand

Palace’s golden moment. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

Everton

Nothing at Everton (at least recently) goes as expected. From the depths of Dyche-driven despair to Moshiri-free, mid-table Moyes in a few short months. Not only that but the club has found its soul once more. The change of ownership heralds a new beginning, truly the end of a tumultuous era. New stadium, new board, new executive, new footballing management. The one constant? The fans, the true custodians of our beloved club.

Stars/flops Ndiaye gets fans out of their seats and Beto, while ungainly at times, is full-hearted and has scored regularly – one goal every 180 minutes. Sadly Jack Harrison has failed to deliver more often than not.

What we need in the summer With an incredible 13 players out of contract, major change is guaranteed. Moyes faces his busiest close season ever. Apart from Pickford, Branthwaite, O’Brien, Tarkowski, Ndiaye and Beto, everything else is up for grabs.

Best/worst referee It’s a toss-up between Pawson and Oliver for least favourite. Statistically, Darren Bond was the most accommodating.

Moment that made me smile The sendoff for Goodison. A whole day of celebrating being an Evertonian. It was tinged with sadness obviously, but the fans who packed Goodison and the narrow streets around it for hours before the game demonstrated the true values of football: the community, the history, the generations of supporters, those no longer with us and those yet to come. It signalled what a special fanbase we have, but also, in Moyes’s words, a determination to return to the top of the game: “This club felt like, to me, one which was a big family, but looked broken, felt broken – and it doesn’t feel like that any more … We need to get back to where we belong and where we believe we should be.” Oh, and special mention too in this category for the Evertonian who managed to rebadge blue flares as red and sell them to our gullible neighbours – a reminder of who the original and senior club of the city truly is.

Paul Quinn @theesk, www.theesk.org

Young fans at Goodison’s final Premier League match. Photograph: Tom Jenkins/The Guardian

Fulham

With a game to go our heroes have taken a club-record haul of Premier League points, spent virtually the whole campaign in the top half (even flirting with the upper echelons) and will finish way above Manchester United and Spurs. Marco’s lads have demonstrated togetherness, quality and belief; they belonged. Got to be happy, right? Well, yes and no. Us fans traditionally yearn for the best but our expectations are generally tempered. However, given this topsy-turvy campaign, it could have been us “doing a Forest”. We’ve been consistently inconsistent, with more ups and downs than a yo-yo convention. Had we retained even a fraction of the 28 points dropped from winning positions, our passports wouldn’t be gathering dust on the top shelf. 7.5/10

Best/worst referee The standard of officiating is going down the pan, ruining the spectacle. Specifically, it’s the implementation and interpretation of the current regime, with the multimillion-pound VAR at its heart, that’s the issue. The only “clear and obvious” aspect of the whole footballing fiasco is that, in this country at least, it’s flawed and open to question. Forensically detailed one minute, shambolically inept the next. With spectators left in the dark, naturally. It’s a mess.

Moment that made me smile Beating Liverpool was euphoric, as was winning at the Bridge. Two come-from-behind wins over Brentford raised plenty of smiles, too, not least from Harry Wilson.

• David Lloyd @DMLTOOFIF

Harry Wilson celebrates Fulham’s third goal at Brentford in their 3-2 win on 18 May. Photograph: Bradley Collyer/PA

Ipswich

We went into the season with a bit of optimism and with serious momentum after two successive promotions. But there was a quick realisation that this was, potentially, one step too far, too fast. The strength and financial clout of the (supposed) lesser teams were far too much for those coming up from the league below – although we did finish only a couple of places below Spurs and Manchester United … But the chips were stacked against us, and we couldn’t have done much more. 4/10

Stars/flops Liam Delap grabbed his opportunity with both hands, sometimes single-handedly dragging us through games while living off scraps. A real street-fighter but with some rough edges to smooth out. It’ll be intriguing to see which Premier League club he’ll move to, given 20 of them will probably make an offer. As for flops … if we were going to spend our resources on a share of Kalvin Phillips’s City wages he should have been our main man in central midfield. As it turned out he’s been a peripheral figure at best. He showed a few brief glimpses of his ability but far too infrequently. There was real hope that last season at West Ham was the anomaly for him, but after another disappointing year, it looks like it might be the norm.

What we need in the summer We’ll need to replace Delap, but George Hirst is a very capable deputy in the Championship if he can stay injury-free. If we don’t lose too many others (probably dependent on who has relegation clauses), we should be a very strong team and favourites to be at the top next term. We also need to keep hold of Kieran McKenna which, you’d think, would be easier than this time last year!

Best/worst referees We haven’t received many favours from officials or VAR all season. 50/50 decisions go against so-called smaller teams with such regularity it’s laughable. Many 70/30 decisions go against them too. Fans of previously promoted clubs told us. We laughed. Now we can pass the knowledge on.

Moment that made me smile The recent Southampton admin’s response to Ruben Dias’s complaint that they didn’t play enough football against City was a doozy.

• Craig Finbow @BlueMondayITFC; bluemondayitfc.co.uk

Liam Delap celebrates scoring against Southampton in February. Photograph: Chris Radburn/Reuters

Leicester

I knew we’d struggle, but our attempt to avoid relegation was beyond pathetic. Players, managers and, most important, the board should be disgusted with themselves. 1/10

Stars/flops Bilal El Khannous has been a rare bright spark and Luke Thomas’s renaissance has been enjoyable. On the other side of things, I’m counting down the seconds until I know for sure that Wout Faes will never wear Leicester blue again.

What we need in the summer As yet another PSR battle begins, the club needs to be completely gutted at the director level. Aiyawatt “Top” Srivaddhanaprabha, Jon Rudkin and Susan Whelan have proven to be completely out of their depth. If that doesn’t change, we’ll see League One before we see the Premier League again.

Best/worst referees A best referee? God knows, I’m sure one of them upset Nottingham Forest by correctly applying the rules, so him! Least favourite is Andy Madley for incorrectly adjudging Mateta to be onside as the VAR in our 2-2 draw at Selhurst Park in September. Those two extra points could have been the difference between relegation, and erm, relegation.

Moment that made me smile The GOAT scoring his 200th goal on his 500th appearance and 13th anniversary at the club. It was an all too welcome distraction from the sad state our great club is in.

• Chris Whiting clippings.me/chriswhiting; @ChrisRWhiting

Jamie Vardy’s 200th: a rare bright spot. Photograph: Craig Brough/Action Images/Reuters

Liverpool

It’s been a blast from start to finish. The loss to Forest at home in our fourth game was the smallest of dips and early enough not to matter. We were top by the start of November and stayed there, an incredible achievement and a “think again” for every pundit and talking head who predicted we’d do well to finish in the top four. Winning with four games still to go has turned the last few weeks of the season into a party, with the visit of FA Cup winners Palace still to come. Was it expected? By some of us, yes. 10/10

Stars/flops Arne Slot has to take every plaudit that comes his way. And Mo Salah and Van Dijk and Gravenberch, especially Gravenberch. Really the whole team and squad who have been imperious. Can’t win the title with flops.

What we need in the summer With departures on the cards, some definite, some probable, we’ll need reinforcements. We’ve seemingly already signed Frimpong, Florian Wirtz keeps being mentioned, and we need a centre-forward. We have to start planning for the next Salah and Van Dijk.

Best/worst referees Probably had a gripe about all of them at some point during a game, but Michael Oliver who was “in charge” of the derby at Goodison stands out. Apart from bad decisions, like the free-kick that led to their first goal, he lost control at the whistle and handed out a fistful of red cards. Not that any of it mattered in the long run. Can’t recall a favourite, so he must have been good not to be noticed.

Moment that made me smile Seeing Peter Mullan play Bill Shankly in a stage adaptation of Red Or Dead made me smile a whole heap. Made me cry too. Otherwise it’ll be when the whistle went against Spurs at home and number 20 was secured.

• Steph Jones

Fans celebrate Liverpool’s 20th title. Photograph: Jon Super/AP

Manchester City

It’s been a rollercoaster … and not in a good way. Whether this season is deemed “acceptable” hinges on securing Champions League football on the final day. But irrespective, it’s been a season marred by underperformance and disappointment. Our performances in November/December were embarrassing. And we lost another FA Cup final. It’s definitely been Guardiola’s worst season as City manager, he’s made some truly baffling calls (I still love him). 4/10.

Stars/flops There haven’t been many standouts. A lot of our historically most reliable players (Bernardo, Walker, Gündogan, Dias) have been the most inconsistent. Gvardiol has been our best: he’s had some poor moments, principally in November/December (like most of our team), but he’s undeniably been our most consistent player. He’s completed 90 minutes 44 times (!) this season, which is testament to his durability and availability (something most our players have struggled with). Marmoush has had a big impact since arriving in January – he will be a key player next season – while O’Reilly had a brilliant breakout campaign.

What we need in the summer The squad needs a heavy refresh. Pep allowed the core of the team to get old together. I’m expecting 9-11 senior players to leave. I think as a minimum we’ll sign two midfielders (Tijjani Reijnders and Morgan Gibbs-White, most likely), hopefully two full-backs and a new goalkeeper, as I expect Ederson will leave, unfortunately.

Best/worst referees I can’t think of a favourite, apologies. The worst? Jarred Gillet. The head VAR official for the FA Cup final. Need I say more?

Moment that made me smile De Bruyne’s sign-off at the Etihad was amazing. It triggered a strange mix of emotion: joy, nostalgia, pride and sadness. But it was incredible to witness almost the entire stadium (still in their seats at 10.30pm on Tuesday) bid farewell to the greatest midfielder in Premier League history. A mention too for Palace and Newcastle fans’ reactions on winning their cup finals too. Proper scenes.

• Lloyd Scragg 9320pod.com; @lloyd_scragg

Nico O’Reilly: outstanding breakout season. Photograph: Hannah McKay/Reuters

Manchester United

A wretched league campaign that saw us fall to depths not seen since the early 1970s. A poor summer transfer window that failed to address our woeful lack of goals or mobility across the pitch, a striker who failed to strike, players struggling to adapt to the new manager’s system and a keeper who made regular inexplicable mistakes all contributed to our worst campaign since the Premier League started. The one light was the Europa League, where the matches were played at a much more sedate pace than the Premier League, which suited us down to the ground. But even then, we failed to show up against a poor Spurs side and any hope of the season ending on a high was gone. Ratcliffe brought in a new senior management team, but what have Brailsford & co done to improve standards around the club? 2/10.

Stars/flops Bruno has been our saviour so many times, he has been outstanding, but failed to shine in the Europa final. Harry Maguire continues to be a leader in defence and Amad has shown flashes of real brilliance. But our centre-forward and keeper have been woeful.

What we need in the summer A change of ownership. We’ve had 20 years of greed and mismanagement. Højlund and Onana have been woeful and both need to be moved on, along with anyone who no longer wants to play for this club – there are a whole load of bluffers in this squad. Other needs include a proven scorer, some legs in midfield and a replacement keeper – easier said than done.

Best/worst referees My least favourite has to be David Coote, after he gave that penalty for De Ligt’s challenge on Jarrod Bowen. Favourite? The ref in the Lyon match who gave Tolisso a second yellow for an innocuous challenge on Yoro.

Moment that made me smile The second leg against Lyon – what a rollercoaster. I sit near the away fans and will never forget them going from euphoria to bewilderment, dismay and desolation in the space of a few short minutes.

• Shaun O’Donnell

Harry Maguire celebrates scoring United’s fifth against Lyon in April. Photograph: Jon Super/AP

Newcastle

After PSR constricted us last summer – and forced us to sell two promising young players in Elliott Anderson and Yankuba Minteh – we approached this campaign with some trepidation. Many fans asked if the post-takeover momentum had gone. But this group of committed, passionate and talented players – shaped by Eddie Howe’s incredible coaching – proved the doubters wrong. The unforgettable Carabao Cup win ended 55 years of hurt in spectacular fashion and we’ve been a formidable force in the league too. What a season. 9/10.

Stars/flops We knew Alexander Isak was one of Europe’s finest strikers before this season. Now everyone else does too. But the colossus of Blyth, Dan Burn, runs the Swede close for player of the season: his contribution has been immense, especially in the absence of Sven Botman. Sadly, it looks like Callum Wilson and Sean Longstaff, both fine servants to the club, are fading out, and Joe Willock’s impact has been negligible, compared to previous seasons.

What we need in the summer First we need to hold on to A-listers such as Guimarães, Isak, Tonali and Gordon. Then it’s a case of bringing in an international-class striker who can support and rotate with Isak and, as Burn and Fabian Schär are both in their 30s, a young centre-back with pace should be a priority – though we would balk at paying the £70m mooted for Marc Guéhi.

Best/worst referees Our favourite has to be League Cup final ref John Brookes, more for what he didn’t do: there were no controversies to mar the occasion. Least favourite: Peter Bankes, whose performance in our home Premier League loss against Brighton intensified the afternoon’s frustrations.

Moment that made me smile Jason Tindall’s Wham hoodie – featuring a mocked-up Eddie and Mad Dog – being mentioned in Villa’s complaint to the FA after a tunnel bust-up.

• David and Richard Holmes

Dan Burn: the colossus of Blyth. Photograph: Tolga Akmen/EPA

Nottingham Forest

Back in August I said I’d be happy with lower mid-table, but then the Reds made such a blistering start, followed by a strong mid-season, that I predicted Champions League in the half-term verdict. That may still happen, though seems to be unlikely as injuries and fatigue have hit our form, but you cannot say that this season has been anything other than a roaring success overall; to be heading to Europe for the first time in 30 years is nothing short of incredible. 9/10

Stars/flops Isn’t it a great season when it’s really hard to choose a player of the year? Wood and Elanga for their goal contributions, the gifts and graft of Morgan Gibbs-White, Aina and Williams at full-back. Last season’s award winner, Murillo, has moved up another level, ably assisted by Serbinator Nikola Milenkovic, and bargain basement Premier League keeper of the year Matz Sels. And what about unsung hero Nico Domínguez?

What we need in the summer It’s an obvious point but the squad just isn’t deep enough, especially with a European campaign next season. We at least need another centre-forward, cover at full-back and centre-half, and another decent goalkeeper.

Best/worst referees As a broad rule of thumb, I would say that PL ref + bald = trouble.

Moment that made me smile Winning at Anfield for the first time in nearly 60 years, leading to chant of the season to the Liverpool manager, to the tune of the Cranberries’ Zombie: “We’re in your head, Arne Arne Arne”.

• Rich Ferraro 1865: The Nottingham Forest Podcast: eighteensixtyfive.football

Winning at Anfield in September. Photograph: Molly Darlington/Reuters

Southampton

I expected a struggle and for us to probably go straight back down, but I don’t think anybody expected it to go quite as badly as this. Performances at various stages of the season weren’t anywhere near as bad as the points return would suggest, but an ultimate lack of quality in both boxes has done for us. The only saving grace is they managed to avoid the ignominy of equalling or beating the Derby 2008 record, but that’s a pretty grim set of straws to clutch at. 0/10

Stars/flops I assume Aaron Ramsdale just wanted to be busy when he agreed to sign for us in August, and without him we would certainly have fewer points than the paltry total we have mustered. Oh and Mateus Fernandes has been terrible and no remaining Premier League side should be looking at him as an option for this summer, absolutely not. Elsewhere, Kyle Walker-Peters has been steady and Tyler Dibling has flickered in moments. In terms of flops, pretty much everyone else, I guess. Top of the list would be Ben Brereton-Díaz, £7m to get Fabian Schär sent off 20 minutes into the season and then absolutely nothing else, an absolute waste of space.

What we need in the summer A lot to do. First job for technical director Johannes Spors is to appoint a manager. After that, he’ll likely be fielding numerous calls from clubs and agents regarding our players somehow having earned the right to stay in the Premier League despite the largely pathetic job they made of doing so this season. He’ll need to squeeze as much out of the likely sales as he can, so that a refreshed and largely untainted squad gets a fresh start next season – we found that many of those who remained from our relegation in 2023 still bore the same scars second time around. We can’t afford to have that next time, if we get the opportunity.

Best/worst referees Our experience with supposed top-level referees has not been a pleasant one, where we seemed to receive more posthumous PGMOL apologies than points in the first half of the season. This lot seem to be in awe of the top players and clubs, every 50-50 goes their way and VAR – which many (including me) thought would redress the balance – has if anything reinforced the unintended but very evident bias.

Moment that made me smile Being able to continue to laugh at Robbie Savage, the face of that Derby team we eventually stumbled past.

• Steve Grant Total Saints Podcast, @TotalSaintsPod

Ben Brereton-Díaz: £7m to get Fabian Schär sent off. Photograph: Scott Heppell/Reuters

Tottenham

• Spooky @dearmrlevy.com; @dearmrlevy.com (Bluesky)

Tottenham celebrate Europa League glory. Photograph: Alex Morton/Tottenham Hotspur FC/Shutterstock

West Ham

It’s been a largely wasted season and a big disappointment after the summer expenditure of £130m. Replacing David Moyes with a downgrade in Julen Lopetegui, who never seemed at ease in the job, and then sacking both Loppy and technical director Tim Steidten smacks of major dysfunction at board level. David Sullivan has let the club drift after a first trophy in 43 years. If the bottom three weren’t so bad we could have gone down. Graham Potter seems a decent man and communicates much better than Lopetegui but hasn’t improved results. Though he has stopped us shipping so many goals. With his own squad and calm manner he’ll surely do better next season. 4/10.

Stars/flops Jarrod Bowen has carried the side for much of the season, Aaron Wan-Bissaka was a revelation with his attacking play and Soucek scored lots of important goals. The flops included just about everyone else, though Füllkrug, Todibo and Summerville were unlucky with injuries.

What we need in the summer To make West Ham great again we probably need to do more deals than Trump and impose a tariff on conceding late goals. The Hammers urgently need to sign some pace and running power in midfield. We require a leader at the back and a young striker. Paquetá’s gambling case has dragged on longer than Jarndyce and Jarndyce, and a verdict would benefit everyone. Potter must decide where to play Mo Kudus, keep Summerville and Füllkrug fully fit and get the crowd engaged again.

Best/worst referees The best was David Coote, who listened to VAR and awarded a not-quite stonewall penalty for a “vicious assault” on Danny Ings against Man United. The worst were all the other refs who didn’t stop our games after 85 minutes to prevent the Irons conceding late goals.

Moment that made me smile Füllkrug’s “very angry” rant after the Southampton game was inadvertently comic, sounding like an irate fan on a radio phone-in. Niclas, post-match interviews aren’t supposed to be interesting.

• Pete May Author, Massive: The Miracle of Prague; hammersintheheart.blogspot.co.uk

Jarrod Bowen scores against Forest. Photograph: Matthew Childs/Action Images/Reuters

Wolves

Our season started terribly, ended well and we’re probably finishing about par against pre-season expectations. When Gary O’Neil walked the plank in December after losing at home to Ipswich I was seriously worried. But Vitor’s magic act and some superb January business saved the day in style. I never thought I’d see us win six Premier League games in a row. For that alone, it has to be viewed as a decent campaign. 6.5/10.

Stars/flops Matheus Cunha starred and flopped. The Brazilian carried us until Christmas, but seemed to down tools in January with the whiff of a megabucks move in the air. He picked up again after with more superb moments, but also got himself sent off for a second time to miss another chunk of the season and has conducted himself poorly in the media as he pushes for the inevitable exit. Hero and villain.

What we need in the summer Cunha will be dust in the wind, along with a few other attackers who are coming to the end of their contracts, so the priority will be getting those forward players in to support Strand Larsen. We must retain the quartet of Agbadou, Toti, André and João Gomes. With those four at the heart of defence and midfield, I’m confident we can build another competitive team.

Best/worst referees Favourite would be Michael Oliver for sending off Myles Lewis-Skelly in our home defeat by Arsenal. I was in the minority but thought it was the correct decision – a cynical, deliberate foul high up the leg, which shouldn’t have been overturned. Just my opinion. I can’t immediately recall any awful decisions, which is a pleasant change from previous seasons.

Moment that made me smile Through gritted teeth … the all-Prem FA Cup game against Bournemouth where semi-automated offsides were trialled with so-called “faster” results. Cue an eight-minute delay while we wait to see if the Cherries’ second goal would stand. It did not. Oh, and then there’s Julen Lopetegui. Threw his toys out of the pram and left us high and dry because the club supposedly wouldn’t back him. Couldn’t get a job for a year, joined West Ham, was backed to hilt with a transfer warchest and then subsequently sacked by Christmas. Adios.

• Thomas Baugh @thomasbaugh

Matheus Cunha: signing off? Photograph: Michael Zemanek/Shutterstock