The Bear Pit TV End of Season Awards
Who needs a posh hotel, Ant and Dec, and a crowd packed with celebs when you have a blog. They’re basically the same thing, right?
Signing of the Season
The Nominees are…
Glen Johnson: The England international joined for free in the summer, and had been a mainstay of the squad up until his recent injury. Johnson has provided some much needed width and crossing ability down the right flank, and will hopefully return to the starting XI before the end of the season to cement his place for next year.
Ibrahim Afellay: After initially struggling to get to grips with English football, although he did get to grips with Gardner’s neck, Afellay spent time out of the side after his suspension. But he returned in the League Cup quarter final with a majestic display, and has continued in much the same vein up until his (everyone together now) recent injury.
Philipp Wollscheid: If these nominees were announced a month ago, I am almost certain the new fan favourite would walk to this award. But some poor performances look set to tarnish what has been a breakthrough season for the German centre half. After an average loan spell last season Hughes chose to sign the big German permanently, and he has been the man to bear the weight of an injured Ryan Shawcross.
And The Winner is… Ibrahim Afellay, a fantastic first year for a player who has left many fans mesmerized with his ability on the ball. He overcame the difficulty of settling into the Premier League to reclaim form befitting of a former Barcelona man.
Worst Press Conference Line of the Season
The Nominees are…
‘We will look to bounce back’: One that many Stokies have heard far too many times this year. There was even a movement by this very page to have it made our club motto (Nos respice ad resilient in Latin according to Google Translate). This phrase heralded a disappointing defeat, and up until recently was followed by a good performance.
‘We’re in conversation with Marko’s people’: A line that arose in December and is still one being said at press conferences today. This phrase is synonymous with the acceptance that the club are unlikely to keep hold of our strongest performer this season.
‘*insert player’s name* is out/injured’: 66 injuries in 43 games. The bane of our season. Sorry, I’m off for a cry again.
And The Winner is… ‘We’re in talks with Marko’s people’, a line that fills us with dread the more and more it is used. If Marko does actually sign a new deal I think I may just cry, a lot.
Goal of the Season
The Nominees are…
Arnautovic v Man United (h): A goal to truly summarise Arnie’s fantastic season. He gave the PFA goal keeper of the season no chance as he smacked home, after the ball rebounded off the wall from a Bojan free kick.
Shaqiri v Everton (a): Never have I heard a ground go silent in reaction to a goal. The sheer audacity of the chip shocked the whole of Goodison Park into that reaction, and thankfully it is a moment I can say I was there for.
Joselu v Watford (a): Another lovely chip, by a player who has struggled for game time this year. After a wonderful pass from Walters, Joselu took on the volley first time placing over the helpless Gomes in goal.
And the Winner is… Shaqiri, if you believe this is the wrong decision send us a message. You can do this by writing your thoughts down on a piece of paper and sending it to us by placing it in the nearest bin.
Social Media Post of the Season
The Nominees are…
Los Conejitos de Pascua: That is the Easter bunnies in Spanish. This refers to the photo of a Muni and Joselu in pink tutu’s complete with bunny ears and pink bow ties. It was certainly a post that led to some confusion.
Giannelli Imbula’s entire twitter account: A recent post on this blog looked at how good the social media game is at the squad, which lets us see into the lives of the players and interact with them in a way that has rarely been done before. Yet Mr. Imbula seems to not have the best grips with social media, and has created some comical moments since signing in January.
The flaming Cheetahs: To celebrate our record signing’s wonderful first few performances a certain fan page decided to create an homage to Imbula, which involved Cheetahs that were one fire. This has to be a heavy favourite seeing as its creator recently won the World Cup of Stoke Fans.
And the Winner is… Giannelli Imbula’s twitter account, beating of the strong competition in this category is a great achievement for a man who has only been at the club for 5 months. I definitely did not do this to try and get a follow from the man himself, certainly not.
Song of the Season
The Nominees are…
M-m-m Muniesa: An early arrival to the terraces, first being displayed at the pre-season tournament in Germany. The celebration of our former Barcelona trio has caused fantastic scenes of dancing and celebration. Although it didn’t go down to well in the Wellington pub prior to the Villa match.
Joselu Vindaloo: Another great one for fans to have a right old dance to. We have adapted the traditional England song to celebrate another Spanish talent in our side. Ironically the final line of the song couldn’t describe the season better better, as 13 of our 18 victories this season have come by one goal.
A Brimful of Potters: A personal favourite, this indie classic has been converted to probably my favourite football song ever. And to be honest everyone does need a Whelan in the middle!
And the Winner is… M-m-m Muniesa, our adaption on La Bamba is the song that accompanied our blistering mid-season form. And of course the dance at the end of the West Ham match certainly pushed it ahead of the competition.
Golden Glove
The Nominees are…
Jack Butland: An outstanding breakthrough season for the England shot stopper. He pushed Joe Hart for the number one shirt all the way until his tragic injury against Germany. His presence has been truly missed in the end of season run in, and all Stokies will be eagerly awaiting his return next season.
Jakub Haugaard: Selected because each category needs 3 nominees.
Giannelli Imbula: I’m not sure if Imbula has truly understood what he has signed himself up for by moving to the UK. If he is still wearing gloves in the baking 26 degrees he was faced with at Palace, then I am very concerned for when he faces a cold Tuesday night at the bet365 super sport arena.
And the Winner is… Giannelli Imbula, a clean sweep for the French midfielder in awards he has been nominated for. His victory of this goalkeeping award is a clear example of how he is pushing the boundaries that most Stoke fans expect.
And that is all for this year. It may not have been our favourite season under Sparky but it certainly has not been a poor one, with some new additions to the squad next year we could finally gain that European qualification we are all desperate for.
Written by Tom Thrower
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