TEAMtalk Soccers: Manager of the Season

Mark Holmes concludes week one of the 2014 TEAMtalk Soccers ceremony by handing out the award for the Premier League Manager of the Season.

Of the 20 Premier League clubs, only 11 stuck with one manager for the duration of the 2013-14 season.

Sunderland were the first club to panic, sacking Paolo Di Canio after just five games, but the end-of-season departures of Pepe Mel and Tim Sherwood meant that some 12 top-flight managers in total lost their jobs in the space of just 10 months.

However, of the 11 that did avoid the axe, there were only four - Jose Mourinho, Alan Pardew, Sam Allardyce and Paul Lambert - that it could be argued did not do very good jobs.

We had to narrow the list down to five, though, meaning Arsene Wenger, Mark Hughes and Steve Bruce all miss out on recognition despite hugely satisfying seasons.

Gus Poyet also deserves praise having led Sunderland to a cup final and safety but the Black Cats' late revival should not detract from the fact that they took only 37 points in 33 games in total under the Uruguayan.

The best way to judge a manager is to compare what they achieved against what was expected of them - and the following five certainly fared well in that respect.

5. Mauricio Pochettino (Southampton):

Southampton, bizarrely along with Newcastle, were the joint most improved Premier League team in 2013-14 as they finished comfortably in eighth, some six places higher than they managed in the previous season.

A number of players stood out for the Saints - Dejan Lovren, Luke Shaw, Adam Lallana and Jay Rodriguez to name but a few - but the man that deserves most credit of all is Pochettino for getting the best out of all these talents.

In fact, if it weren't for the style of football he has introduced at St Mary's, it is doubtful whether Shaw, Lallana and Rickie Lambert would have even been considered for a place in England's World Cup squad. As it is, Shaw saw off Ashley Cole, while Lallana is in with a great chance of starting the first game in Brazil. It is no coincidence that these players have come to prominence under Pochettino.

4. Roberto Martinez (Everton):

Three defeats in their last five games cost them a second ever top-four finish in the Premier League, but Everton actually accumulated 11 more points this season than they did when making the Champions League back in 2004-05.

Their tally of 72 was actually seven better than in any season since they won the First Division back in 1987 and would have been enough for a place in Europe's premier competition in 10 of the last 12 seasons.

Many felt Everton would slip into mid-table following the departure of David Moyes to Manchester United but, while the Scot struggled to build on the legacy left for him by Sir Alex Ferguson, Martinez has been able to improve on the Moyes era at Goodison Park.

The Toffees conceded one less goal this season than they did in the previous one under Moyes, silencing critics of the Spaniard's style of play, while going forward they only scored six more but were vastly more enjoyable to watch.

3. Manuel Pellegrini (Manchester City):

As manager of Manchester City, Pellegrini is never going to fare well on the achievements against expectation judgement scale. Finish second or below and he has failed. Win the league, as he did, and he has simply achieved what is expected of him.

However, the Chilean deserves enormous credit for delivering the title - and the Capital One Cup - in his first season in the Premier League. His transfer business was good, the style of football was hugely entertaining and the players were kept happy - or at least they were until Yaya Toure's birthday.

For all of those reasons, Pellegrini is worthy of far more praise than he has been given and can probably count himself a little unfortunate not to have finished even higher on our list.

1. Tony Pulis (Crystal Palace) and Brendan Rodgers (Liverpool):

It is simply impossible to choose between these two - and the split in votes we received shows you feel the same way, too.

Crystal Palace had only four points from 11 games when Pulis was appointed in November and, although it was seven from 12 by the time he took sole control from Keith Millen, few gave the Eagles much chance of surviving. There simply didn't appear to be enough quality in the squad to get them out of danger.

Pulis, however, who has never been relegated as a manager, quickly ensured an improvement in the basics, with Palace conceding just one goal in their first three goals under the Welshman's stewardship.

He had lifted them out of the bottom three by the time 2013 came to an end, and some smart signings in the January transfer window helped ensure the south Londoners were never even in remotely in danger of going down come the crunch.

They eventually finished 11th, some 12 points clear of the bottom three and only four off a place in the top half. For a team that some suggested would rival Derby for the worst in Premier League history, that was one hell of an achievement.

Liverpool, meanwhile, were not expected by many outside of Merseyside to even finish in the top four yet it took until the very last day of the season for Manchester City to pip them to top spot.

The Reds had been in pole position to win a first title since 1990 going into the final three games but dropped points against Chelsea and Palace in two of their last three games ultimately proved costly.

Rodgers was criticised for his approach towards both of those games but that same approach saw Liverpool blow teams away for much of the season as they scored a record 59 first-half goals, more than 14 teams managed in total in 2013-14.

They scored 101 in total and, if there were a award for most entertaining team of the season, Rodgers' men would win it at a canter. They have been an absolute joy to watch under the Northern Irishman.

He does not come from the Harry Redknapp 'go out and enjoy yourselves' school of management, though. The way in which he regularly changed the shape of his team to get the best out of Luis Suarez, Daniel Sturridge and co. certainly should not be forgotten because of a fall at the final hurdle.

Rodgers and Pulis exceeded expectations more than any others - and for that reason they are our joint Premier League Managers of the Season for 2013-14.

petikan dari LiverpoolTeamTalk