Premier League season review part five: Tottenham, West Brom, Wigan, and Wolves
talkSPORT's Premier League season review has reached the home stretch, so without further ado here's our analysis of Tottenham, West Brom, Wigan and Wolves.
TEAM: TOTTENHAM
Final position: 4th
Player of the season
Luka Modric has been breathtaking at times, and Emmanuel Adebayor's goals and assists have helped the cause, but if there's one man to call Mr Tottenham this season, then it's Scott Parker. With 34 appearances in all competitions the midfielder has barely missed a game, and his performances have been consistently good even when Tottenham's form has dipped.
High point
Spurs have had a few special nights this season, but beating rivals Arsenal is always something to be savoured. A 2-1 victory at White Hart Lane was marked by Rafael van der Vaart's opener, the 10,000th goal in Spurs history. Kyle Walker's spectacular 25-yard strike proved to be the winner, however, as it completely fooled Wojciech Szczesny in the Arsenal goal, and it was a fitting end to a dogged Spurs performance.
Verdict
Given Spurs were at one point considered title contenders this year, finishing fourth could be seen as a disappointment. Realistically, though, finishing in a Champions League spot is right on the money when it comes to Tottenham's ambitions, but should they be denied Champions League football by Chelsea winning in Munich, it will be a cruel twist of fate that would dampen their evaluation of the year.
TEAM: WEST BROM
Final position: 10th
Player of the season
James Morrison has been brilliant for the Baggies, and Ben Foster has played his part in Roy Hodgson's reconstruction of the side, too, but if there's one player that has held it all together it's captain Chris Brunt. Brunt's performances this season have put him in contention for a Team GB place in the summer, and his quality left foot is always a threat. At 27, he's a player in his prime.
High point
Liverpool's eagerness to greet visitors with three points this season has been a gift for several sides, but West Brom's 1-0 victory at Anfield was particularly special. Roy Hodgson was hounded out of the Reds following his poor spell in charge, but he exacted sweet revenge when the Baggies recorded their first win at Anfield since 1967 thanks to a Peter Odemwingie strike. Together with Ben Foster's string of wonder saves to kept Andy Carroll out, the match is quite rightly one of the club's highlights of the season.
Verdict
West Brom used to be known as a yo-yo club, spending alternating years in the Premier League and Championship. In Roy Hodgson they found the ideal custodian and the new England manager was able to replicate his strengthening touch previously found at Fulham. Albion will find it difficult to replace Hodgson, but they now have the right ground work in place to build on and try and finish in the top half next season.
TEAM: WIGAN
Final position: 15th
Player of the season
Wigan's switch to three at the back has been made possible above all by sweeper Gary Caldwell. The Scotland international has adapted perfectly to the Italian libero style role, winning everything in the air and distributing the ball well when going forward. Wigan seem to think so too, with Caldwell winning the club's official Player of the Year award as voted by the fans, ahead of Ali Al Habsi and Victor Moses.
High point
With the decision to move to three at the back, Roberto Martinez transformed Wigan's form at the perfect moment. Nowhere was the new system more effective than against Arsenal at the Emirates, where Wigan rightly ran out 2-1 winners. Victor Moses was the star man on the night, while Gary Caldwell's stubbornness kept Robin van Persie quiet and the Dutchman's refusal to shake Caldwell's hand at the end summed up how shell shocked Arsenal were at being outplayed.
Verdict
Wigan's season is difficult to assess. For the majority of the year the Lactics were in real relegation danger, but with his big tactical switch Martinez played a blinder, completely transforming the club's form and results. Seasons should be judged on their entirety, however, and a failure to make any real progress from last year has to be considered a disappointment, especially when considering Martinez now looks likely to depart.
TEAM: WOLVES
Final position: 20th
Player of the season
Wolves have had a dismal season and given how truly terrible they were for the most part, Steven Fletcher's 12 goals reflect well on the striker. Wolves struggled most when he was injured, and had he been kept fit for the entire season they might have picked up a few more points.
High point
Wolves started the season with two straight wins, taking three points from Blackburn away as well as Fulham at home. Any fans thinking it might have been a sign of things to come would have been disappointed with how the season played out, but their 2-0 win over Fulham was a fine performance that in hindsight looks like a completely different team from the one that under-performed for the majority of the year.
Verdict
Dreadful, horrible, awful, terrible. There aren't enough words in the English language to describe just how bad a season it was for Wolves. Time to rebuild...
What stood out for you this season?