still 5 games to go and i’ve a feeling we’ll end up with the best points haul for many years. it looks like we’re about to have our best attendances for more than 50 years too. there’s tons of other great things happening at villa park of which MON is an integral part.

keane spent about 40 million which looks like will be enough to avoid going back down. rumour has it he’ll be spending another 50 million this summer, let’s hope with that level of spend he’s judged a bit more objectively next time.

according to the bbc redknapp’s almost doubled the playing staff at fratton park this year sending the wage bill to more than 30 million. the club just recorded a loss of 23 million. i’m not going to mention the legal problems. still, he’s reached an FA cup and has done well in the league.

I think ferguie should be manager of the year, seeing how he has truned this United team- supposedly one in transition with the exiting (or ageing of) Giggs, Scholes, G.Nev, (Keano , RvN) being replaced by even better younger players.

I think Moyes has done an amzing job also, I can’t speak highly enough of everton.
Its too early to really read into Ramos pasricularly as there will soon be whole-sale changes (for the 10th time, Spurs will see the highest tunrover of players this summer)

And Redknapp has also done a great job in gathering points, and turning average players into a squad taht can contend

Agree that O’Neill and Moyes have probably done the most with the least. An ideal template for once big clubs trying to slowly, surely and sensibly rebuild.

Keane too has done a great job since taking the helm at the Makems, but he has made one or two suspect purchases (5M for Chopra?) so I think he comes behind Moyes and O’Neill who have made astute acquisitions.

Wenger is one of the country’s greats, no doubt about it. But he will bitterly disappointed this year, having effectively given up the title in a matter of a few weeks. His failure to buy big, proven talent has cost Arsenal. And, as he should be judged by a higher standard than the others, the barometer by which he should be judged is silverware – and Arsenal won’t win any this year.

It’s too soon to judge Ramos. Great cup win and he lifted Spurs out of the relegation zone and has shown great tactical chops, something Martin Jol apparently lacked. But Spurs’ form since the cup win has been indifferent. He’ll rebuild in the summer, so one to revisit next year.

Moyes for manager of the year. Especially if Everton nick fourth.

I’ve seen this posted over and over on this blog and others. That’s simply not true. O’Neill has spent plenty of cash…sure he’s not splashing out 17m for a single player but signings like Ashley Young and Reo-Coker were not cheap either.

I think O’Neill has done a good job but lets not turn him into a miracle worker just yet. Villa are improved slightly…let’s see how they finish the season and where they finish.

I do think Redknapp should have bumped O’Neill off the list as he has made more significant gains in the standings and point totals ( from 38 in 05-06 to 54 in 06-07 to 53 already this season) and Pompey are a spot above Villa in the table with a game in hand not to mention they have a good shot at winning the FA Cup.

My five would be:

1) Wenger – built a very competitive squad on a shoestring budget and only brought in one “high-priced” player.

2) Sir Alex – manages star players like no one else…you don’t hear the complaints about rotation and playing time that you do at other clubs

3) Redknapp – reasons stated above

4) Keane – agree with Michael’s reasoning

5) Steve Bruce for dragging Wigan out of the relegation spaces to 8 points clear of safety. If they stay there, which I think they will, he deserves some recognition for turning that squad around in such short order.

Ramos and O’Neill just miss out. O’Neill for reasons stated above. Ramos has done a decent job but Tottenham still lack consistency. Winning the league cup was nice but a squad with as much talent as they have should not get thumped 4-1 by Newcastle.

You’re spot on, as I said. Redknapp has done a very good job and not including him was tough. He’s blended a good squad out of players from different African nations, a few English players, and a couple guys from the continent. Portsmouth is still in with a shout for 5th place, and Redknapp is largely responsible for it. There are a lot of people, and a few of my friends especially, who don’t rate him at all for some reason, saying he doesn’t adjust to different formations well. Rubbish. This is a man who led Pompey out of near-certain relegation a couple years ago and has gradually moved them up the table since then. I have a lot of respect for him and what’s he done.

As for people’s arguments about Fergie having built this team, OK, that’s fine, but most managers build their teams anyway. That’s not something that I even really factor in to my decision because building a team isn’t the same thing as managing a team. You build a team over a couple years in the summer and January transfer windows. You manage a team over the course of a season; if you build a good team, great, but by itself, all that means is you have a good eye for talent.