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Every Premier League campaign since its inception in the '90s has had something special and this season has been no different. It could be the compelling title race or the nerve jangling fight to avoid the dreaded drop. Even more dreaded this season with more money than ever on the line.Clubs had their targets and some managers in the league managed to achieve them, some not quite but some have been able to over achieve beyond realistic imagination.Here are the candidates who have done more than enough to make them our nominees for manager of the season in the Barclays Premier League season 2013-14.
#5 Who should win it?
Well, it’s anyone’s guess! Two years ago, when Manchester City won the league, the award for Manager of the Season and LMA Manager of the year went to Pardew for guiding Newcastle United to 5th in the PL, so maybe there is a hint in that. I personally am one who roots for the underdogs, so I will go with Steve Bruce for what he has done.
The only reason why I haven’t listed Jose Mourinho or Manuel Pellegrini is because I believe they have the squad to deliver what they are asked of. And anything they do would be nothing out of ordinary unless it’s a treble or a quadruple.
#4 Tony Pulis - Crystal Palace
Ever since starting his management career in 1992 at Bournemouth, Tony Pulis has never been relegated with any of his clubs. However, when he took over at Selhurst Park in November, the thoughts were maybe he can bring the club straight back after relegation.
Pulis though was having none of it. He has made the London side one of the toughest sides to beat in the League. Under his tutelage, only Chelsea and Manchester City have conceded fewer league goals than the Eagles’ tally and now sit comfortably in mid table with no danger of relegation.
You could have seen the difference the former Stoke Manager was going to make to the team when Palace beat Hull with 10 men with Pulis in the stands and official confirmation of his appointment awaited.
For those who don’t know or understand the financial constraints at Palace, well let me tell you they are strict. Very strict. With only Wayne Rooney’s weekly wage, you could pay almost half the Palace squad. This makes the achievement even more remarkable or at least at par with many. The transfer funds are't there either, with the club looking at bargain buys.
It wasn’t exactly 'mission impossible', but what Pulis has done is nothing short of a miracle and deserves a look at potentially being the manager of the season.
#3 Steve Bruce - Hull City
When Hull were promoted for the second time in Premier League’s history in May 2013, the manager’s brief would have been simple - “Keep us in the League”. And as things stand, the Tigers are 13th in the league with 36 points from 33 games and look set for another season at least in the Premier League.
On top of survival, the former Manchester United captain has been able to guide the Yorkshire side to the final of the FA cup for the first time in the club’s history. One can argue that the draw has been kind, which it has been to a certain extent. But as they say, you can only beat what has been in front of you.
All this has been done with a limited transfer budget and shrewd signings which only come from the manager. Of course, he has previously worked with smaller clubs like Birmingham, Wigan and Sunderland. But every club is a different challenge and Bruce has done very well.
All of this with the backdrop of the club owner Assem Allam trying to change the name of the club to Hull City Tigers which hasn’t gone down well with the natives. Clearly there has been unrest and all these positive results only add feathers to the Geordie born manager’s cap.
#2 Roberto Martinez - Everton
When Martinez first met Bill Kenwright (Everton Chairman) he told him that he will bring Champions League to Goodison Park. You may call it overconfidence given that he was previously relegated with Wigan Athletic, but not before winning the 2013 FA Cup. So you could argue he knew what he was doing.
Under David Moyes, the club had gotten a little stuck and they weren’t going anywhere. Sure, there were Europa league excursions, but few and far between and the lack of money did not help either.
Many people may not know but before Brendan Rodgers took over at Swansea it was the Spaniard Martinez who revived the Welsh side’s fortunes with his style of play and that is the same thing that he has done with the Toffees.
The 40-year-old has done so by combining the experience with the energy of youth. Players like Ross Barkley, Gerrard Deulofeu and John Stones have caught the eye and have complemented the likes of Phil Jagielka, Sylvain Distin, Gareth Barry and Leighton Baines. In fact, the whole squad has been very pleasant to watch.
One could argue that a lot of success has been built around the loan stars, but the club has played by the rules and not broken any. Not every club can be a Chelsea, PSG or Monaco and you have to cut your coat according to the cloth.
So full credit to Roberto Martinez for getting out for assembling the squad and bringing the best out of them. Still a bit of a season to go, but if he lands the 4th spot he could be a front runner for the award.
#1 Brendan Rodgers - Liverpool
At the beginning of the season, the Scousers would have been more than happy if you had offered them the 4th place and a place in UEFA Champions League. Especially given the fact that their main striker was suspended for first few games and would not have been match fit for a few more games.
As things stand Liverpool have destiny in their own hands and could win their first title since the 1991 season. You could give credit to one man and that is Brendan Rodgers. Surely Luis Suarez has been on fire along with Daniel Sturridge, Raheem Sterling and Philippe Coutinho; but Rodgers has synergized everything and has also brought youngsters into the fold at every occasion - Jon Flanagan being a perfect example.
Rodgers has also brought out the best in Jordan Henderson after it initially looked he wasn’t going to cut it at Anfield and found a new position for club captain Steven Gerrard as a deep lying play maker. Rodgers seems to have done so without major investment in the squad during last summer, many of the incomings are still adapting to the league and could be real contributors to the squad in the coming seasons.
Given what he has done with the Reds in only his second season in charge, Rodgers surely deserves to be a candidate for the manager of the season.
