'I actually loved it': Our writers tell us their favourite Premier League season | Premier League

1995-96

Don’t ask me when I was happiest. Ask me when I was most excited and I’ll tell you it was the mid-90s. Ah, to be a teenager again, with Britpop on the radio, TFI Friday on the telly and English football in the midst of a golden era! The birth of the Premier League had brought glamour to the game, but there was still enough of an old-school vibe to those early days to make it relatable, and that was most obviously the case in the 1995-96 season, when Tony Yeboah and Georgi Kinkladze scored. goals of the gods while West Ham wore shirts sponsored by Dagenham Motors. And then there was the drama, namely Newcastle squandering a 12-point lead involving that loss to Liverpool and that Kevin Keegan. It was a wild and heady experience, and something else came that summer with Euro 96 and Oasis playing at KnebworthAt 15, I'm telling you, honestly, I loved it. I loved it. Sachin Nakrani

1996-97

This season may seem an odd choice for a Middlesbrough fan, given that it ended with relegation and two cup final defeats, but the drama made it unforgettable. Fabrizio Ravanelli's opening-day hat-trick, Emerson's absence in Brazil, Juninho's brilliance and the loss of three points after the final. The fiasco of the postponed match with BlackburnBut the events were not limited to the Riverside. There was also the record £15m transfer of Alan Shearer to Newcastle. David Beckham's goal from midfield against WimbledonSouthampton 6 Manchester United 3 (the infamous grey shirt game) six days after Newcastle 5 Manchester United 0 (the Philippe Albert transfer game), and Liverpool 4 Newcastle 3 for the second season running. United finished as champions on a meagre 75 points, helped by some video game-induced errors from David James, but Eric Cantona’s shock retirement made it a bittersweet triumph. Rich flower

2001-02

In what could be generously described as my best years, from 17 to 27, the team I supported were Premier League champions eight times. Yet I keep thinking of a season in which Manchester United won nothing. There are a few possible reasons: the title race was uniquely two-pronged, with plenty of surprises before Christmas and an unprecedented sprint by Arsenal, Liverpool and United in the second half of the season; and life was full of potential. YouTube rabbit holes are also time portals, triggering ephemeral snapshots of my life at the time, and I suspect that is why I treasure the memory of 2001-02. I was in my twenties, a full head of hair, starting my dream job at Wisden (two days after Manchester United won). Roy Keane tried to punch Alan Shearer), I moved to London (the day before a very expensive draw at Derby), I was falling in love for the first time. I didn't even Arsenal win the league at Old Trafford It might reduce that buzz. Rob Smith

2004-05

It's simple, isn't it? Go back to the age of seven or eight, maybe nine, and that's when the pixels become high-definition, when sticker books and Match of the Day replace ice cream and cartoons, when you start to believe that you're one of them. them One day, when the game is everything. I had found my team, Manchester United, in the FA Cup final the previous season, and the Euros had introduced a magnetic quality; Wayne Rooney signs for United It was perfection. But the first hero was Ruud van Nistelrooy, who inspired many goalkeeping fans. The Dutchman's season was plagued by injuries, but he still had his roar at the corner flag after scoring against Arsenal to end their unbeaten run in the 49th minute, a redemptive goal after missing a penalty against the same team the previous season. But the The Battle of the Buffet It was not a title-deciding game, the season belonged to Chelsea and their innovative manager. The era of José had begun. Taha Hashim

2011-12

There is a risk in thinking too much about this sort of thing, so I won’t. The year was 2012 and Manchester City found themselves in a two-way battle with Manchester United as they attempted to win their first ever Premier League title. A few years earlier, the suggestion that this might be the situation would have been met with laughter and medical assessment. Admittedly, the morals surrounding ownership had to be put to one side as Vincent Kompany, Sergio Aguero and Mario Balotelli attempted to realise their dreams. With three games remaining, City and United were level heading into a crucial derby; Kompany went home To gain the upper hand and boast about it immediately, all that was needed to complete this superb campaign was to beat relegation-threatened QPR on the final day. Glory was won with euphoria When everything seemed to be falling apart, all while you were hitting the stick that ruined your childhood. He will not win

2013-14

Football loves a vacuum. The first season without Alex Ferguson as Premier League godfather produced a chaotic power struggle. Manchester United collapsed almost immediately. David Moyes dragged down by the hangover. If that wasn't dramatic enough, the title race became a four-way battle between Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester City, each having their moment. Arsenal played good football until they were beaten 5-1 at Anfield in February by Brendan Rodgers' relentless attacking side. Could Liverpool be champions for the first time in 24 years? Jose Mourinho, back at Chelsea with a charming offense, gave the psychological and conspiratorial masterclass that propagated Steven Gerrard's idea. infamous slipManuel Pellegrini's City came out, with Yaya Touré as inspiration. They did not blink when it came to taking advantage of Liverpool's pain. Juan Brewin

2015-16

Leicester's achievement in winning the Premier League title is one of the most remarkable sporting stories of all time. The team, who had no chance of winning with a 5,000-1 record, were considered relegation candidates at the start of the season, but Claudio Ranieri's side made the seemingly impossible possible, boosted by the peak performance of Jamie Vardy, the 'Dilly ding, dilly dong'One-liners, bonuses for not scoring goals and Gary Lineker's promise to present the match of the day in his pants. This was the season that had it all, A story worthy of a Hollywood movieAnd, in some ways, the beginning of the end, as the following campaign marked the start of Pep Guardiola's reign at Manchester City. Six titles later, four of them consecutive, and we are now officially in the era of state-funded dominance and with the greatly reduced prospect of another major upset. Simon's Mail

2022-23

A colleague at another newspaper once described the role of the north-east football correspondent as a “chronicler of misery”. There are many true words. Over the 17 years I have been in the job for the Guardian, I have reported on so many relegations and managerial sackings that the 2022-23 season was a relief. Newcastle finished fourth, Champions League qualificationand I was met with the welcome if strangely challenging culture shock of writing positive match reports. Then, as well as the pleasure of watching Bruno Guimarães and co in action, there was the comforting return to total normality after the pandemic, with its eerie fan-less stadiums. Not that it was a standard season. A winter World Cup in Qatar didn't please everyone, but, as far as football was concerned at least, a magnificent tournament was crowned with a End of the story. Luisa Taylor