[sheffield_fox]

The Player-Ratings.com 2008/09 Season Awards is in three parts:

Part One - Monthly Awards Review - reviewing who has won what each month
Part Two - Match & Voter Awards Review - a review of who has won the most match and voter awards during the season
Part Three - Player of the Season Awards - the big one. You find out who has done best in each category over the course of the season.

Part Three - Player of the Season Awards

Must have played 25 games or more.

Best Goalkeeper/Defender
Tunchev was no doubt instrumental in many of the results during the first half of the season. Tunchev's presence in the heart of the defence helped City along the way to having the best defence in the league. His younger defensive colleagues no doubt learned a lot from playing alongside him, with impressive seasons also for former non-league player Michael Morrison and Jack Hobbs whose performances earnt him a permanent deal at City.
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3rd – Michael Morrison
2nd – Jack Hobbs
1st – Aleksandar Tunchev

Best Midfielder
Midfield is always a difficult area of the field to play at a consistently high level and this proved to be the case this season. All of the top three had dips in form throughout the season but Matt Oakley put in good performances on a more regular basis than Gradel and Dyer and fully deserved his award.
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3rd – Max Gradel
2nd – Lloyd Dyer
1st – Matt Oakley

Best Striker
Tribute has to be given to a striker who is rated so far in front of his strike partner, yet scores 17 fewer goals. It just goes to show the respect that big Steve Howard has earned from the fans and the acknowledgement of his all round play that has been instrumental in the 47-goal partnership between the Howard and Fryatt.
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2nd – Matty Fryatt
1st – Steve Howard

Best Team Performance
It might be a bit controversial that a 4-0 win against a team who got relegated was better than a 4-0 win against a team who got promoted but that is how the City fans voted on those days. The last minute victory against Leeds that effectively sealed promotion for Leicester was also up there as well as a gutsy cup display against Fulham and a second thrashing of Cheltenham at the Walkers.
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5th – 07/03/2009 – Leicester City 4-0 Cheltenham Town – 7.05
4th – 27/08/2008 – Fulham 3-2 Leicester City – 7.12
3rd – 13/04/2009 – Leicester City 1-0 Leeds United – 7.36
2nd – 20/12/2008 – Leicester City 4-0 Peterborough United – 7.48
1st – 30/08/2008 – Cheltenham Town 0-4 Leicester City – 7.54

Worst Team Performance
There were not too many defeats during the seasons but the ones that City did pick up pretty well made up this list. The Johnstone's Paint Trophy defeat against Rotherham was the poorest and probably the most humiliating while defeat at Peterborough did not go down well. City's only home defeat against losing playoff finalists Millwall was always going to be a candidate for this category.
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5th – 11/03/2009 – Tranmere Rovers 2-0 Leicester City – 5.30
4th – 28/10/2008 – Brighton & Hove Albion 3-2 Leicester City – 5.22
3rd – 13/09/2008 – Leicester City 0-1 Millwall – 5.20
2nd – 28/03/2009 – Peterborough United 2-0 Leicester City – 5.05
1st – 04/11/2008 – Rotherham United 2-0 Leicester City – 4.50

Best Individual Performance
This was a season where many players showed their individual class. Matty Fryatt's hat-trick at home to Southend was voted the best performance of the season while Lloyd Dyer had a great time against the full backs of Cheltenham and Leeds United. Mark Davies showed his undoubted ability against Leyton Orient while Tom Cleverley's performance at Walsall was a joy to behold.
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5th – 03/02/2009 – Tom Cleverley v Walsall (A) – 8.56
4th – 10/01/2009 – Mark Davies v Leyton Orient (H) – 8.65
3rd – 13/04/2009 – Lloyd Dyer v Leeds United (H) – 8.81
2nd – 30/08/2008 – Lloyd Dyer v Cheltenham Town (A) – 8.98
1st – 06/12/2008 – Matty Fryatt v Southend United (H) – 9.04

Worst Individual Performance
A rare shocker from centre back Jack Hobbs topped this category with Andy King also having a shocker in the same defeat at Rotherham. Paul Dickov and Barry Hayles both struggled to make impacts during the season and this was epitomised by their poor performances against Peterborough, Palace and Brighton.
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5th – 27/01/2009 – Paul Dickov v Brighton & Hove Albion (H) – 3.94
3rd – 14/01/2009 – Paul Dickov v Crystal Palace (A) – 3.89
3rd – 28/03/2009 – Barry Hayles v Peterborough United (A) – 3.89
2nd – 04/11/2008 – Andy King v Rotherham United (A) – 3.84
1st – 04/11/2008 – Jack Hobbs v Rotherham United (A) – 3.53

Most Consistent Player
You can make it to the top of this category by being consistently good or consistently poor but I think we can all agree that Aleksandar Tunchev is top for all the right reasons. Everyone in the top five is a defensive player which probably shows how difficult it is to stand out in this role.
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5th – Bruno Berner
4th – Kerrea Gilbert
3rd – Joe Mattock
2nd – David Martin
1st – Aleksandar Tunchev

Most Inconsistent Player
It will probably come as no surprise to those who have read the previous parts of these awards that Lloyd Dyer has been the most inconsistent City player this season. It has been one long bad spell for Dyer sandwiched by two good ones rather than continually being up and down from game to game. Fellow winger Max Gradel also blew hot and cold throughout the season while by the nature of their positions, Steve Howard and Matty Fryatt also made the top five.
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5th – Matt Oakley
4th – Matty Fryatt
3rd – Steve Howard
2nd – Max Gradel
1st – Lloyd Dyer

Most Improved Player
Based on figures taken at various points over the season, Max Gradel has proven to have the largest increase in ratings over the course of the season. Matt Oakley also seemed to come into his own as the season went on and the improvement in Jack Hobbs proved to be enough for City to sign him on a permanent contract from Liverpool.
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3rd – Jack Hobbs
2nd – Matt Oakley
1st – Max Gradel

Most Declined Player
Bruno Berner went downhill more than anyone in the squad as the season went on. Joe Mattock's recent performances have also come under scrutiny of late and this is reflected by his position in this list while Lloyd Dyer's final month of the season was probably enough to see him only finish 3rd in this category.
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3rd – Lloyd Dyer
2nd – Joe Mattock
1st – Bruno Berner

Player-Ratings.com Player Of The Season*
*Must have played in at least half of the season’s matches.

5th – Michael Morrison – 6.43
The centre back signed from Cambridge United last summer has probably been the biggest surprise package of the season. Morrison's versatility as well as some clear raw potential has seen him improve on some early shaky performances to win over the fans acclaim as the season has gone on. Naturally a centre back, Morrison has looked impressive when deployed at right back towards the end of the season making him a useful asset to the squad.

4th – Jack Hobbs – 6.51
Hobbs was signed on a season-long loan from Liverpool and has proven to be one of Pearson's top acquisitions. After impressing early on at centre back, Hobbs had a difficult spell playing at full back before moving back to centre back and never looking back. Forming partnerships with Aleksandar Tunchev, Wayne Brown and Michael Morrison, he has never shirked responsibility and deserves his permanent contract with the club.

3rd – Matt Oakley – 6.52
Oakley has worn the captain's armband for City and has thoroughly earned it with some excellent displays throughout the season often showing a gulf in class between this division and his individual quality. Impressive on the right side and in the centre, he has generally delivered when it mattered and chipped in with the odd goal here and there to help City to the title.

2nd – Matty Fryatt – 6.55
Fryatt's goals have undoubtedly been a massive factor in winning the League One title. After struggling to make a real impact in previous seasons, Fryatt started the season with a bang and went from there. After being the first player in 42 years to claim back-to-back hat-tricks, Matty went on to score a total of 27 league goals, 32 in total and deserves another shot at the Championship with the Foxes.

1st – Steve Howard – 6.72
There isn't a lot more that can be said about this man that hasn't already been said. The players voted him their best player of the season, the official fans award was also given to him and now this has been backed up after his performances have rated him as City's best performer over the course of the season. Howard not only chipped in with 15 goals but set up roughly the same amount with his eye to pick out a man and ability to draw defenders to him. Congratulations to Steve who will hope that his performances have earned him the opportunity to regularly partner Fryatt in the Championship next season.

Honorary Player Of The Season Awards
Given to players who didn't play enough games but deserve the recognition.

Aleksandar Tunchev – 6.95
The Bulgarian international wowed the City fans with consistently solid performances at the back. Tunchev proved to be not only reliable defensively but also very comfortable on the ball, a rarity at this level. With a youthful centre back partner of either Jack Hobbs or Michael Morrison, Tunchev’s class and experience no doubt helped both players in learning the qualities needed to be an international defender.

Mark Davies – 7.35
Davies signed as an unknown quality from Championship side Wolves in a bid to regain his fitness after two years on the sidelines. No-one could predict the impact he would have. Some outstanding midfield displays that City haven’t seen the likes of since the days of Muzzy Izzet and co. saw him earn a move to Bolton Wanderers.

Best XI (min 15 appearances)
GK – David Martin
DF – Aleksandar Tunchev
DF – Jack Hobbs
DF – Michael Morrison
DF – Kerrea Gilbert
MF – Matt Oakley
MF – Lloyd Dyer
MF – Max Gradel
MF – Andy King
FW – Matty Fryatt
FW – Steve Howard

Full Ratings
1st – Mark Davies – 7.35 (9 apps)
2nd – Carl Pentney – 7.21 (1 app)
3rd – Aleksandar Tunchev – 6.95 (26 apps)
4th – Mark Bunn – 6.85 (3 apps)
5th – Steve Howard – 6.72 (50 apps)
6th – David Stockdale – 6.66 (8 apps)
7th – Wayne Brown – 6.65 (9 apps)
8th – Matty Fryatt – 6.55 (52 apps)
9th – Matt Oakley – 6.52 (48 apps)
10th – Jack Hobbs – 6.51 (46 apps)
11th – Paul Henderson – 6.50 (10 apps)
12th – Michael Morrison – 6.43 (42 apps)
13th – Tom Cleverley – 6.42 (14 apps)
14th – Luke O’Neill – 6.40 (1 app)
15th – Lloyd Dyer – 6.34 (51 apps)
16th – Kerrea Gilbert – 6.32 (39 apps)
17th – Max Gradel – 6.31 (30 apps)
18th – Tony Warner – 6.30 (4 apps)
19th – David Martin – 6.29 (30 apps)
20th – James Wesolowski – 6.29 (4 apps)
21st – Andy King – 6.27 (54 apps)
22nd – Chris Powell – 6.13 (17 apps)
23rd – Joe Mattock – 6.05 (36 apps)
24th – Marc Edworthy – 6.03 (8 apps)
25th – Levi Psssh – 6.02 (1 app)
26th – Bruno Berner – 6.00 (34 apps)
27th – Nicky Adams – 5.97 (15 apps)
28th – Radostin Kishishev – 5.96 (1 app)
29th – DJ Campbell – 5.87 (4 apps)
30th – Ashley Chambers – 5.77 (2 apps)
31st – Paul Dickov – 5.65 (18 apps)
32nd – Patrick Kisnorbo – 5.65 (8 apps)
33rd – Barry Hayles – 5.54 (10 apps)
34th – Craig King – 5.32 (1 app)
35th – Astrit Ajdarevic – 5.23 (3 apps)
* Appearance figures are based on games where enough minutes have been played to be rated.

Thanks for reading. If there is still the interest, Player-Ratings.com will be back next season hopefully with a proper web site and brand new features that should hopefully encourage more people to vote throughout the Championship 09/10 season.

[DeclanMC]

Thanks shef, you are a legend!

[Flynny]

Brilliant stuff.

[davieG]

Thanks for all the time and effort you've put into that and how excellent it has been.

Here's to an improved ratings system next season.

[dandannieldanok]

God all of this must have taken ages, well done Sheff.

[maddog]

How the fook did Andy King not get anywhere on any of the awards

Except for 2nd worse performance.

Something must have gone terribly wrong there.

Apart from that quality

Must be because he's Welsh

This post has been edited by maddog: 27 May 2009 - 09:44 PM

[Nod.E]

Our best player was rated as 6.72.

Am I the only one who thinks that's a bit low?
It either shows poor quality, or harsh voters.
I'd have to go for the latter, personally.

[Ultra]

No it's a reflection of the bad spells that all players (bar Tunchev) had during the season.

The success of the team was due to enough players being able to grind out performances when needed.

[Cobbo]

This is most fantastic Sheff. Thank you.

I think most will now think that Andy King would be in the top couple of midfielders - perhaps it shows how much he improved over the season that he was not included in the best midfielders, as he ended the season so consistently and well.

We all want the Tunch back in our lives.

[Bakey.]

Makes a good read once again.

[billyfox1]

Well done. Great work all season. Thanks

[welck12]

great reading all season Sheff

[C-man]

Top work Sheff! (and Steeeeeeve)

[General Smuts]

[Pricey]

Thats quality stuff, nice one.

[maddog]

Cobbo, on May 27 2009, 11:47 PM, said:

This is most fantastic Sheff. Thank you.

I think most will now think that Andy King would be in the top couple of midfielders - perhaps it shows how much he improved over the season that he was not included in the best midfielders, as he ended the season so consistently and well.
We all want the Tunch back in our lives.

Is it just me or does that make no fooking sense at all

[Mikey]

Good work Sheff.

Enjoyed reading that.

[lcfc_jme]

maddog, on Jun 2 2009, 01:11 PM, said:

Is it just me or does that make no fooking sense at all

In that he wasn't really setting the place alight at the beginning of the season, but as the season went on, he looked more confident and comfortable, eventually finding his feet and ending the season looking actually quite good?? Well, that's how I read it anyway.

But that's not the point.. Sheff, epic work. Well played that man.

[Munzie]

The full player ratings reveal just how poor Dickov was. Almost at the bottom of the list but played considerably more games than those around him. Just goes to show he hasn't had the impact he was bought in for. Quite why he hasn't gone over the last few weeks is beyond me.

PS: Well done for putting the stats together. Fantastic reading.

[Monk]

This has been a great little experiment and you've done really well to carry through every single game.

I still think if you made this website bigger you could get other clubs fans interested too.

The results are pretty accurate in my mind - though if I were Matty Fryatt reading this I'd be pretty gutted!