It is perhaps histrionic to call each Premier League season "the best one ever", but its hard not to draw the conclusion that more than most, this has been a special year.
With surprise champions, title challenges from other unlikely sources, collapsing giants, expensive teams going backwards and out of the league, unexpected survivors, and a wealth of new superstars, this was one for the vast majority of neutrals and fans alike to enjoy. Certainly, when one looks back, there will be plenty of stories, and while it may well be a stretch to call it the best ever, there was certainly exciting stories from one and all, and reinforced the competition's strength.
While we wait to see which one of Hull and Sheffield Wednesday will follow Burnley and Middlesbrough into the top 20 ahead of the Euro 2016 championships and the long re-set, its time for a looksie back. And in all reality, as there will be with all re-caps of this season to come, there is only one place to start...
Leicester City
Final Position: 1st (Champions)
Can they be happy with their season?: Just a tad. There is very little to add other than that in a season full of surprises, the phrase "Leicester City: Premier League Champions" and the story of how the 5,000/1 outsiders lifted the Premier League trophy will pass into football folklore. This is a side nobody gave any hope of such prizes reaping the magnificent rewards, in what will undoubtedly be a high point in the club's history, and perhaps in English football history too.
Star Players: Everyone. The headline stars are obvious - Jamie Vardy breaking Ruud van Nistelrooy's PL-era record for consecutive games scored and capping his rise from non-league to top star, Riyad Mahrez emerging as a superstar, N'Golo Kante having a great debut season after his move from France, Kasper Schemiechel, Wes Morgan and Robert Huth overcoming an initial laissez-faire defensive approach to providing a strong and imposing barrier - but everyone in the team did well to get themselves a deserved title.
Need To Improve: Its only real minor quibbles in back-up players - Gokhan Inler, Marcin Wasilewski, Mark Schwarzer - but the truth is everyone played their part in this memorable season. A few harsher critics would've liked more goals from Leonardo Ulloa and Shiniji Okazaki, although both have contributed important strikes. Saying that, the challenges of trophy defence and Champions League entrances will make next year very interesting.
Best Moments: The ultimate moment of delight is that one after the victory over Everton in the second-to-last match of the season when Wes Morgan lifted the Premier League trophy. Throughout the season, there's been plenty of high quality moments, ranging from early sublime matches like the dominant display against Sunderland on the opening day and a superb comeback win over Villa, to important victories like the quickfire away win double at Spurs and Man City in January and February. The streak of successive 1-0 wins was also a true sign of champions, with game performances by the likes of Norwich, Newcastle, Palace and Southampton seen off by the new champions.
What's Next?: Its tricky to tell. Few Leicester fans are convinced next season will bring identical rewards and the European question looms with the Foxes competing on the Champions League as well. But there is no reason for Leicester to fear the challenge - after all, to think of how far they've come since their relegation to League One in 2008 is another of the many variables to make your head spin - and they'll be determined to not just be remembered as a flash in the pan.
Arsenal
Final Position: 2nd
Can they be happy with their season?: Its a difficult one, but on the whole, probably not. Arsenal may have finished in their highest league position since 2005, and for the most part were in the title race. But it was yet more relative disappointment, as the title challenge fizzled out in an appalling February/March, and the club also suffered disappointing Champions League and FA Cup exits. The potential for great things are there, and the window was surely open with their rivals' collective brain fart, but as usual, Arsenal fell short in the hunt for the big prize.
Star Players: Petr Cech won the Golden Glove for most clean sheets, and although its not been plain sailing, he has certainly made Arsenal's defence more water-tight. Laurent Koscielny was also his usual self, while Mesut Ozil will have considered himself harshly done by to miss out on the PFA Team of the Year after a very high quality season. Hector Bellerin and Naxto Monreal have established themselves as full-backs, while the late-season emergence of Elneny and Iwobi bears promise.
Need To Improve: The curious case of Olivier Giroud fits here. With 24 goals in all competitions, he set a personal record since moving to London in 2012, yet a run of 15 games without a goal at the end of the season raises doubts. It is also not been a great season for Theo Walcott or Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, while the injury record for Danny Welbeck and Jack Wilshere has plumbed new depths of misery for the both of them.
Best Moments: The Gunners were the only team to beat Leicester home and away, with a 5-2 win in a lunatic game at the King Power coupled to an engagingly tense comeback win at home. A 3-0 win over Manchester United that seemed to launch the title platform was also impressive, while the Gunners also showed belated Champions League potential with an excellent victory over Bayern Munich, even if they then duly got stuffed in the reverse fixture.
What's Next?: As is seemingly always the case, the title, and no doubt in something of a more complex field next year with at least one of Manchester City, Manchester United, Chelsea and Liverpool unlikely to be as middling. This summer is one where the seemingly overlord Wenger will have to break the habit of a decade to make the team viable challengers again. But will he? The jury's out.
Tottenham Hotspur
Final Position: 3rd
Can they be happy with their season?: On the whole, yes, but there's a tinge of disappointment. At the start of the season, Spurs were not seen as favourites for the Champions League and the much needed top 4 finish was ultimately meeting the club's long-heralded CL ambitions, as well as representing progress. But by the turn of the year, Spurs wound up in the title race thanks to some swashbuckling football. However, they blinked first in the duel with Leicester, and the aftermath of the absurdly violent clash with Chelsea saw damaging defeats by Southampton and Newcastle, allowing Arsenal to lap them on the final day and finish above them again.
Star Players: Some thought Harry Kane would be a one-season wonder - even moreso after a quiet start - but his growth as a highly talented Premier League marksman has continued with his first Golden Boot. He also formed a great partnership with Dele Alli, who in a year has gone from League One football to being a consistently excellent Premier League professional and England regular. With the exception of the final weeks, Toby Alderweireld has provided a strong presence, while Erik Lamela's continued improvement has seen him become indispensable to Pochettino's strategy.
Need To Improve: While Alli has emerged and Josh Onomah has had promising moments, the other bright young things - Ryan Mason, Nabil Bentaleb, Tom Carroll - have had a season of arrested development. Nacer Chadli has also shown a lack of consistency, while a harsher critic might've expected more from Clinton N'Jie.
Best Moments: There have been plenty of results where Spurs have shown finesse and steel to sustain the pace. A particularly eye-catching result saw them win at Manchester City in February, while they also registered an outstanding triumph in the reverse fixture and against Manchester United. A fine display came in a comeback win at Palace - during which Alli scored the goal of the season - while the 4-0 thrashing of Stoke came from a side that, on another day, would've been the big winners.
What's Next?: A consensus among some fans has Spurs as a dark horse for next season's Premier League, even accounting for a righting of the elite clubs. Whether or not they can depends on bulking up a squad that lacks depth - particularly to Kane up-top - as well as balancing the Champions League demands. But getting the recruitment right and doubling down on the impressively demonstrated philosophy means anything is possible.
Manchester City
Final Position: 4th
Can they be happy with their season?: Not really, as a season which promised much fizzled out. A Capital One Cup victory and Champions League semi-final do represent the upturn in form finally being made by this multi-billion dollar exercise masquerading as a football team, but in the league, an excellent start gave way to a middling remainder, with only one win against the rest of the top 8 a particularly damning statistic. It seems like the coinciding of the announcement to replace Manuel Pellegrini with Pep Guardiola derailed their campaign, with no win in their last five as the Citizens held onto a top 4 spot but seemingly fell over the line spent.
Star Players: Sergio Aguero remains the main light with his usual impressive goalscoring theatrics, even despite the added perils of injury this year. The emergence of Kelechi Iheanacho also bears promise as a goalscorer both for now and the future. Fernandinho has been something of an understated workhouse, as has Bacary Sagna, while Kevin de Bruyne has been excellent and City fans will be wondering what might have been had he not been injured.
Need To Improve: The attitude of Yaya Toure has been regularly questioned and it does look as though he is finally going to get his move away. City fans will also be disappointed by most of their defenders, between Vincent Kompany's injury, Nicolas Otamendi's inconsistency, and Martin Demichelis reverting to type. Wilfried Bony has also been a massive disappointment, while Raheem Sterling has had his moments but must do better.
Best Moments: Things had looked promising for City with 5 wins from 5 to kick-off, including impressive demolition jobs on West Brom and Chelsea, and a hard-thought victory at Crystal Palace. Most of City's joy came out of the league, with the unlikely heroics of Willy Caballero at Wembley against Liverpool and a consummate performance against PSG landing a Champions League semi-final acting as a pleasant enough full-stop.
What's Next?: The arrival of Guardiola undoubtedly raises expectation. With a man who has won six league titles, two Champions Leagues, and 3 cup competitions, and given a bloat runaway oil state budget, City are already the overwhelming favourites. If they can revamp a fading squad with the calibre needed, and awake the club out of its curious holding pattern, then you would expect big things. Least that's the theory.
Manchester United
Final Position: 5th
Can they be happy with their season?: Despite winning the FA Cup, you mostly have to say no. Louis van Gaal did finally get Manchester United back to top spot in the Premier League, but that peak came in September, before an injury crisis and woeful goalscoring form over midwinter eroded any hope of the Premier League title. It also left Manchester United with a lot of work to do to make the Champions League, but despite the emergence of numerous talented young players, inconsistent form means they fell short of the top 4, and van Gaal's 3 years are set to end one early.
Star Players: The big star has to be David de Gea, who is Manchester United's sole world class super-talent, and for whom the Red Devils would've finished substantially lower than had it not been for his goal-denying antics. The rise of young talents like Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford, Cameron Borthwick-Jackson and the FA Cup winner Jesse Lingard has at the least been a success out of this campaign, while Chris Smalling has been a stronger defender than in previous campaigns.
Need To Improve: Most would say the tactics of van Gaal have held back Manchester United, with ponderous a possession-focused style and badly paced attacks, which was at its worst when team failed to win a game in the month of December. Wayne Rooney, despite good moments, had a difficult season, but the biggest disappointments were the incomers. Matteo Darmian was a reasonable if inconsistent buy, but Memphis Depay proved to be a massive disappointment, while Bastian Schweinstiger was not as good as he perhaps would've been had he moved to England 5 years ago.
Best Moments: The undisputed high point will be van Gaal's last stand at Wembley, where a Man United team reduced to ten men came from behind to win the FA Cup for the first time since 2004. As far as the league goes, a run of 3 straight wins in September that included good wins over Liverpool and Southampton send them top was the best it got by league position, while an away win at Anfield and victory over Arsenal that saw Rashford score twice on his league debut would have been very satisfying.
What's Next?: Like their city neighbours, a new face will be incoming, with it being seemingly been telegraphed from ages ago that van Gaal's one-time protege Jose Mourinho is going to be getting the gig, and that was even before the news was leaked within minutes of the FA Cup trophy being presented to Rooney. Like Manchester City, the Red Devils are hopeful this new presence can give a flagging team the necessary boost to challenge for honours. If Jose in, it will also be interesting to watch if he has exorcised the demons of Stamford Bridge.
Southampton
Final Position: 6th
Can they be happy with their season?: It was a slow-burn success, but ultimately yes. At Christmas, Southampton were in danger of being sucked into the relegation battle, with a run of one win in 10 and an FA Cup third round exit putting the Saints at risk trouble. Yet the return of Fraser Forster and a stabilising of the defensive unit lead to a strong upturn, as 12 wins in 17, including four consecutive to end the season, swept Southampton into European football and a record high Premier League points total.
Star Players: Virgil van Dijk was crowned the club's Player of the Year and after a brief period, proved an excellent acquisition. His centre-back partner Jose Fonte and left-back Ryan Bertrand were also high quality, while Forster's return in early January proved to be decisive. Up top, Sadio Mane and Shane Long had good campaigns, while Steven Davis, Dusan Tadic and Graziano Pelle all provided their moments of menace.
Need To Improve: While Forster was injured, Saints turned to loanee Maarten Stekelenburg but he proved nothing like as effective a barrier. Juanmi has failed to live up to the hype, while Steven Caulker was a non-event on loan. Victor Wanyama's discipline is a sticking point - the Saints' best CM was shown three red cards and six yellows - while Charlie Austin and Jay Rodriguez had flashes but had injury trouble.
Best Moments: Southampton's biggest win of the campaign was perhaps their most unexpected, as a team with no win in five thrashed an Arsenal side that would've gone top. A second consecutive win at Old Trafford and handsome victories over Norwich, West Brom, Manchester City and Aston Villa were further highlights, but the most thrilling saw the Saints come from 2-0 down and missing a penalty to beat Liverpool.
What's Next?: A must is holding down to Ronald Koeman, who has been linked with Everton and a couple of other gigs. It will also be a case of retaining key individuals to the playing squad for further. Southampton have had 6 years of near-constant progression from League One to the Premier League top six, and they now have to find a way to push on further.
West Ham United
Final Position: 7th
Can they be happy with their season?: Mostly, despite it nearly being better. The Hammers' last ever campaign at Upton Park saw them pick up a record points total in the Premier League era, and a team combining an almost ludicrously strong mix of attacking talents very quickly became one of the league's most enterprising units. But a mix of bad refereeing decisions, a proneness at accumulating reds - several rescinds or not - and a late throwing away of points hamstrung the dream of the Champions League, and worse followed in a final day defeat by Stoke.
Star Players: Dimitri Payet is the headline star. Even with injuries in mid-season, he has proven himself to be an adept Premier League presence with plenty of goals and assists. The relatively unheralded arrivals of Manuel Lanzini and Michael Antonio have also proven to be excellent signings, while the existing likes of Adrian, Aaron Cresswell, Mark Noble and Cheikhou Kouyate have also had great seasons. There are also signs Andy Carroll is finding the fitness and form.
Need To Improve: After an excellent first half-year, Diafra Sakho has gone backwards, while Enner Valencia and Emmanuel Emineke have proven to be not the high quality forward options billed. A big concern is dropping points from winning positions - with 21 dropped in such circumstances, West Ham lost more than anyone else, and one feels that retaining several of them would've kept them in the Champions League places they almost crept into.
Best Moments: It initially looked like the final Upton Park year yielded better away form, as the Hammers began the campaign with away victories at Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester City. West Ham also beat Liverpool at home, as well as getting 3 points over Spurs, and a special award goes to a scintiliating final few minutes at Everton to come from 2-0 down to win 3-2. But the biggest and most emotional game has to be the Upton Park finale, with two late goals seeing Manchester United beaten in the final game at the Hammers home of 112 years.
What's Next?: Its the dawning of a new era for West Ham as they moved to the 2012 Olympic Stadium - at the taxpayer's expense - and hope to establish themselves in the Premier League elite squad. There will be undoubted increased competition, as well as both the adjustment period and the need for both a new striker and a firmer defence, but the building blocks are there for great things.
Liverpool
Final Position: 8th
Can they be happy with their season?: A mixed bag. Jurgen Klopp's appointment in October was designed to rejuvenate a team flagging under Brendan Rodgers' imploding leadership, and got them into the Europa League and Capital One Cup Finals. But Klopp's recent poor form in cup finals continued with defeats in both, while in the Prem, some great results have been interwoven with some shockers and some underwheming returns - particularly when Simon Mignolet has his usual leave of senses. In truth, the biggest heroes of the year for Liverpool were the fans who forced the club to abandon insane pricing structures with an effective protest, and the campaigners for the truth surrounding Hillsborough getting the victims the justice they were withheld for far too long.
Star Players: Roberto Firmino has had an mostly good first campaign in England, and his Brazilian compatriot Phillipe Coutinho has shone too. Emre Can looks much more proficient and competent than in his first year, while until his UEFA-imposed ban, Mamadou Sakho had looked promising. Divorck Origi has also looked good in his first English season, while Lucas has had more good than bad. The emergence of numerous talented kids also bears promise.
Need To Improve: Most Liverpool fan's favourite complaint subject is Simon Mignolet, who has produced a cavalcade of bizarre errors that have cost Liverpool precious points. Back-up goalkeeper Adam Bogdan has been, if anything, worse. There is also major disappointment in Sakho, after his strongest patch since joining ended in news he'd failed a UEFA drug test. As for the rest, Martin Skrtel has been erratic, Christian Benteke has failed to work out after his big-big budget move from Aston Villa, and Jordan Henderson has had an awkward first year as Liverpool's post-Gerrard captain.
Best Moments: The strongest successes came in Europe, with a satisfying pair of wins over Manchester United, tremendous comeback over Borussia Dortmund, and handsome home win over Villarreal to get them to the Europa League Final providing plenty of high points. From a domestic scale, the craziest win was a 5-4 injury time win at Norwich City which saw Klopp break his glasses in the celebrations. Promise has also been borne by comfortable home and away wins over Manchester City, as well as thrashing neighbours Everton and a comfortable win at Stamford Bridge, while the team also had a good victory over Leicester - one of only 3 defeats the champions would sustain all season.
What's Next?: A few fancy Klopp's men as outside tips for the title, a la 2013/14, but a busy summer is needed for that with a new keeper, defenders and strikers required, or failing that, sorting out Mignolet and keeping Daniel Sturridge fit. A more concrete goal has to be a return to the Champions League. Since their days in the "big four" lead them to 2nd in 2009, Liverpool have only finished in the top four once since - that being the 2nd place in 2013/14. They at the very least should aim for that.
Stoke City
Final Position: 9th
Can they be happy with their season?: Mostly, but Stoke will feel they could've got more. On the surface, its been a good season for a club on the up - a third straight top 10 finish, a cup semi-final, and some lovely football played by some high quality players. But the team took a month and a half to win its first league match. Then, March saw things go awry before the ensuing quickfire loss of first choice goalkeeper Jack Butland to a severe injury and a collapse in Stoke's defensive unit meant the walls caved in. 2 wins in the final 10 derailed Stoke's hope of Europe, and left the side wondering if they should've got more than they did.
Star Players: The emergence of Butland as a regular for both Stoke and England has been one of the major stories of the season. He has regularly been impeccable between the posts, and it was no coincidence Stoke's season fell off the end of the cliff when he picked up a season-ending injury during a friendly in Germany. Ryan Shawcross' presence elevates Stoke's defence, while up top, Marko Arnautovic has been the undisputed key star in a season where many of his fellow attackers shone in fits and starts.
Need To Improve: There's been a fair few disappointments for the Potters this season. Xherdan Shaqiri was signed amid huge fanfare but has been inconsistent, while Bojan hasn't hit the heights hit in his first campaign. A few are critical of Gianelli Imbua, who started well after his club record transfer from Porto but faded badly. Quality back-up options have to be sought to Butland and Shawcross, as Stoke's defence fell off the cliff with both out.
Best Moments: Handsome home victories over Chelsea and both Manchester clubs were the undisputed high points of the season. The one over Manchester City will have been particularly pleasing, with the "Stokealona" football deserving of even more than the registered 2-0 scoreline on a day when they tore Man City apart. The most thrilling victory was a topsy-turvy 4-3 win over Everton at Goodison Park, during which Shaqiri scored a splendid volley, while a more unexpected win came at Bournemouth in a game that saw Mame Biriam Diouf play at right-back.
What's Next?: This is a great time period for Stoke City, but a few are pondering if they've hit the glass ceiling, in a similar way to the boredom of consistent survival that ended Pulis' tenure in 2013, Desired to help are a new out-and-out striker, a long-term defender with Shawcross' injury record deteriorating, a new deal for Arnautovic, and getting consistent top quality performances from their myriad talents.
Chelsea
Final Position: 10th
Can they be happy with their season?: Absolutely not. The statistics that this is the worst title defence by the reigning Premier League champions, that the Blues only beat the bottom four & Arsenal at Stamford Bridge, and that its also the Blues' worst league finish since 1996 speak for themselves. This was an unprecedented display of a big Premier League name going backwards, and at one point before the December dismissal of Jose Mourinho, it looked like they were getting dragged into the relegation battle. Guus Hiddink temporarily steered the ship, but could only get midtable mediocrity, and Antonio Conte faces a big challenge to rebuild.
Star Players: Willian has been a rare performer whose performances have been of similar standards to the contemporaries that got the title last year. Asmir Begovic has at the very least been a reasonably proficient performer in his first year since moving to London, while Rueben Loftus-Cheek and Bertrand Traore have had good first team moments.
Need To Improve: There are a lot of Chelsea players who went backwards at best and full-on waste of space at worst. Eden Hazard is perhaps the headline figure of this malaise, with the PFA Player of the Year of last season taking until April to score a Premier League goal, and one super-strike that ended Spurs' hopes of the title doesn't excuse the rest. Diego Costa was stuck on his snarling worst, Oscar was regularly anonymous, Cesc Fabregas' second-half of the season slump has carried over, Nemanja Matic went backward, Thibault Courtois has seemingly taken himself out of the equation, and that is just the tip of the iceberg.
Best Moments: Home and away wins over Arsenal have provided some degree of satisfaction, while there was a sign of promise in a run of 15 straight league games unbeaten. But in a season that mostly provided a never-ending strain of disappointment for Blues fans, it was a draw that yielded the biggest satisfaction, with a 2-2 draw against Spurs at Stamford Bridge ending the London rival's hopes of the league title.
What's Next?: Conte will take office after Italy's European Championship campaign and faces a big in-tray. The John Terry question may've been resolved with a new deal, but new players are required more or less everywhere. This is a team where the almost too easy title win of last season covered up a multitude of cracks and problems, and the new team faces a work to make something from this work. Big work is required, and its probably going to be a while before a title campaign appears again.
Everton
Final Position: 11th
Can they be happy with their season?: No, as it is fairly clear Everton should have given their fans so much more. A fantastically talented side with England and Belgium internationals, high-rated veterans and a highly rated young manager looked at first like a side who would be closer to the top 5 finishing team of 2014, and the team made the semis of both cup competitions. But after a positive start, a defensive problem that would never go away soon consumed the Toffees hopes of something better. A worst home record in the 3-points-per-win era was pretty foul, and soon enough, Martinez was gone amid a near-constant squawk of protest, with Everton stuck in midtable.
Star Players: Despite failing to score in the final 2 months, Romelu Lukaku has come on leaps and bounds as a world class striker. Ross Barkley has had his moments, Gerard Deulofeu still looks promising, while despite some criticism, Aaron Lennon has been perfectly reasonable enough. There's also been a good season for Gareth Barry, who despite being something of a veteran is still a consummate performer, while Brendan Galloway showed promise early in the season.
Need To Improve: For a squad billed as Everton's best since the team who regularly won titles in the 70s and 80s, there were a lot of duffers. Tim Howard and Joel Robles took turns to be unconvincing in goal, Tom Cleverley hasn't really shown why Everton felt the need to beat Villa to signing him, while Arouna Kone has been - for the most part - been poor, and January signing Oumar Niasse hasn't done anything. But as well as the duffers were poor performers. The headliner is John Stones, who was the subject of £50million summer bids but has largely failed to be as good as his valuation, while even stalwarts like Phil Jagielka and Leighton Baines have gone backwards.
Best Moments: Everton had a very front-heavy campaign for highlights. They were excellent in an early season 3-0 triumph at Southampton, and also delivered good early season triumphs against Chelsea and West Bromwich Albion. Promise was also shown by putting six past Sunderland. But things went downhill after Christmas, with only 5 wins. One of them was a deceptively excellent 3-0 win at Stoke, but 3 of the others came against the relegated trio of Newcastle, Aston Villa and Norwich.
What's Next?: Martinez was dismissed before the season ending victory over Norwich, which was presided over by David Unsworth and Joe Royle. A new gaffer has to be sourced, and his arrival consequently requires following by someone to mould together a high quality team out of a squad that clearly isn't as good as it thought it was. The rumour exodus of certain better names will clearly not help.
Swansea City
Final Position: 12th
Can they be happy with their season?: No, but it could've been worse. Garry Monk's side that achieved Swansea's second-highest ever top-flight finish last year started with 3 wins in 4, and then collapsed, to the point where they were in a relegation battle and floundering by Christmas. Things hardly improved when Alan Curtis replaced Monk, with the true nadir being a defeat in the FA Cup to League Two Oxford, and then conceding four in a home defeat by Sunderland. Italian manager Francesco Guidolin was parachuted in, and despite illness compromising his availability, he was able to steer the Swans comfortably over the line with six wins in the final ten matches to keep Swansea afloat.
Star Players: Glyfi Sigurdsson has been the Swans' star-man once more, with several key goals in the latter stages of the campaign that kept Swansea in the top division. Despite some periods of fitting in and out, Andre Ayew has proven similarly key, and while he can be erratic, Lukas Fabianski has been a good quality barrier against opposing strikeforces.
Need To Improve: Bafetimbi Gomis started with 4 in 4 and then followed up by scoring 3 in the remainder of the entire season, and regularly putting in performances like he couldn't be bothered. Jefferson Montero similarly faded badly after a good start, while Eder proved a waste of cash, and there were cheers when Swansea managed to kick Jonjo Shelvey following a series of poor performances for the unexpectedly high cash Newcastle threw at him.
Best Moments: Swansea started well enough with a good point at Chelsea and excellent home wins over Newcastle and Manchester United. These turned out to be Monk's last hurrahs, and it took a while for Swansea to look like themselves again. But the latter period proved fruitful, with high quality performances in away triumphs at Everton, Arsenal and in particular in a 4-1 success at West Ham accompanied by a requisite smattering of home wins to stave of the demotion fears.
What's Next?: Guidolin has been handed a two year contract with Swansea City, and the cash investment from a US investment group will certainly help. This war-chest is going to be needed, with the departures of Gomis and Eder leaving Swansea short-staffed up-front, while extra bodies elsewhere are also required.
Watford
Final Position: 13th
Can they be happy with their season?: Very much so. The Hornets were a lot of people's tips for demotion, but comfortable suvival and an FA Cup semi-final were achieved, and the team very much looked like a comfortable mid-table Premier League side. Nevertheless, this was not enough to keep Quique Sanchez Flores in his job, with a second half of the campaign that never got above mediocre seeing him shown the door - seen as harsh by outsiders, and less so by supporters who have faith in their owners' philosophies.
Star Players: Odion Ighalo and Troy Deeney scored a load of goals in the lower tier and they were consistently good scorers in the Premier League too. Or least they were in the first half of the season, with Ighalo massively losing his way in the second half. Ettiene Capoue and Ben Watson have provided a nicely stable midfield, while in goal, Gomes has been consistently good.
Need To Improve: As was perhaps to be expected from a club that conducted such a high volume of transfer business, not all of it worked out. Valon Behrami, Allesandro Diamanti, Victor Ibarbo, Steven Berghuis and Obbi Oulare have been particular disappointments, while the jury is out on Mario Suarez, Jose Manuel Jurado and Nordin Amrabat. The entire team also disappointed after Christmas, with only 4 league wins as well as the familiar disappointment of being beaten by Crystal Palace at Wembley, albeit this time in the FA Cup semis.
Best Moments: The biggest and no doubt most memorable triumph came in a 3-0 trouncing of Liverpool at Vicarage Road, which was the 4th in a win streak and saw Ighalo tear Skrtel and Sakho to shreds. The Hornets also picked up memorable away wins at Newcastle, Stoke and Sunderland, while there was also Gomes saving two penalties at West Brom, and 2 exciting contests against Aston Villa that both ended in 3-2 triumphs. A further moment of satisfaction came with the excellent performance in the victory at Arsenal in the FA Cup.
What's Next?: For the first time since the 1980s, Watford are having consecutive top flight seasons. As has been the frequent case of late, they will also have a new gaffer at the helm, with former Inter Milan head coach Walter Mazzarri holding the reigns. Full-back is seen as a priority position with both right-backs hit-and-miss and Nathan Ake returning to Chelsea after a loan, while more attacking options are necessary. In truth, after a great campaign, avoiding second season syndrome and slipping back to the 2nd tier is the most important goal, with anything up from that a bonus.
West Bromwich Albion
Final Position: 14th
Can they be happy with their season?: Its difficult to know, really. A Tony Pulis season usually ends in survival, long streaks of pragmatic defence-ready football and an almost grim determination to reach 40 points as soon as possible. The expectations were that a full season of the baseball-capped one at West Bromwich Albion would end like this and sure enough, it did. It even reached a nadir with a failure to register a single shot on target at home to Aston Villa, and further in both trips to the struggling North East duo, but it yielded survival. Again.
Star Players: Salomon Rondon has been a big match-winner for the Baggies in his first season in England, albeit at times rather isolated. The defensive-ready pragmatism that defines West Bromwich Albion was proven by a rotation between two good goalkeepers in Boaz Myhill and Ben Foster, while Craig Dawson and Jonny Evans are good quality Premier League defenders. Captain Darren Fletcher has also been a firm and useful presence.
Need To Improve: Disappointments are relative things. An unsavoury incident when a fan threw a coin at the face of Chris Brunt following an FA Cup upset by Reading made wrong headlines for the club. In a sporting context, more could've been expected from new signings Rickie Lambert, James Chester, Callum McManaman and James McClean. But by the far the biggest disappointment is Saido Berahino, from his pantomime refusal to play for the club after a failure to accept a deadline day bid from Spurs, to months on the bench amidst talk of behind the scenes conflict, and ultimately leading to the nadir of missing two penalties against Watford. Now is the time for him to move on.
Best Moments: All of West Bromwich Albion's 10 Premier League victories were by a single goal. The best attacking display was in the first 45 minutes, with 3 goals against Crystal Palace, while a proficient comeback victory was also picked up at home to Arsenal. There was also an effective home triumph against Manchester United, while peak Pulis may well have been reached with a 1-0 win at an Everton side that had enough chances to win 3 matches.
What's Next?: With Pulis confirmed as maintaining his spot in the Baggies' dugout, the base expectation for West Bromwich Albion supporters is more of the same next year. What is needed is a quick end to the Berahino mess, while more creative talents and some extra strikers to ally to the Baggies' steel are a definitive must.
Crystal Palace
Final Position: 15th
Can they be happy with their season?: Broadly yes, but it comes with caveats. The positive will look at how the club has grown when compared to the dying Championship strugglers in 2010, while also pointing to the myriad talents as the club prepares for a 4th straight top flight season, and they also reached their second FA Cup Final. But the pessimists will point to a run of just 2 wins in 21 from a position of 5th at Christmas, which took Palace from European possibilities to an outside bet for the drop, while they also failed to take advantage of a Chris Smalling red card and lost the Wembley showpiece. In all, a mixed bag.
Star Players: Wilfried Zaha and Yannick Bolasie remain a pair of highly competent attackers and its not a coincidence that injuries to both severely damaged Palace's season. Scott Dann proved a solid presence at both the back and in attack, where he formed a good pairing with Damien Delaney, while James McArthur looks to have established himself as Palace's strongest midfield option.
Need To Improve: The biggest problem position is in goal, with Wayne Hennessey making several bizarre errors and Alex McCarthy looking unable to dislodge him. Attack is also a concern. Emmanuel Adebayor was a waste of money, Connor Wickham took until the late season to get going, and the likes of Fraizer Campbell, Marouane Chamakh and Patrick Bamford barely registered.
Best Moments: A very front-loaed season saw Palace's big successes come early. There were well-won early season victories away at Norwich, Chelsea and Liverpool, while the biggest victory saw them score five in a rout over Alan Pardew's old employers Newcastle. In the Cup, there were excellent wins over Southampton and Spurs en-route to the highly proficient victory against Watford in the FA Cup semis that took them to the final.
What's Next?: Avoiding the twin negative trends has to be done. As a well as the figure of 2 league wins in 5 months, Palace lost more games at Selhurst Park than they won. There are also reinforcements required to help a squad that at times looked like it had been found out. Top of the list are surely a concrete number one goalkeeper, a consistent striker, some back-up out wide, and possibly new full-backs.
Bournemouth
Final Position: 16th
Can they be happy with their season?: Absoutely. There are many for whom Bournemouth were picks for an immediate exodus in their debut Premier League season, so the fact Eddie Howe's team survived and looked comfortable in games even against those at the very top was a remarkable achievement. The Cherries deserved to stay up, and it was impressive to see them manage to succeed so well.
Star Players: Many unheralded players and newcomers to regular Premier League football have been stars. Full-backs Simon Francis and Charlie Daniels have had outstanding seasons, while big surprises were to be found as the likes of Andrew Surman and Dan Gosling adapted nicely. A surprise star was also Josh King, who was the top scorer for Bournemouth and has provided an enterprising attacking option. Harry Arter and Matt Ritchie also made great starts to the top flight, with the former deserving of high praise for carrying on after his partner's miscarriage.
Need To Improve: Bournemouth have been busy with buying strikers but not all of them have worked out. The likes of Glenn Murray and Benik Afobe did contribute valuable winners, but also had plenty of moments where they did not convince, while Lewis Grabban and Juan Iturbe did not even have those valuable goals in their favour. The big disappointment is the injury room, as Callum Wilson, Max Gradel and Tyrone Mings sustained enormous injuries and numerous others recurred during the season.
Best Moments: The one moment where Bournemouth will feel the journey from near-extinction to the top had really solidified was their remarkable first win, which saw Callum Wilson knock up a hat-trick in a 4-3 triumph at West Ham. The single biggest sequence came in December, which saw outstanding victories picked up against Chelsea and Manchester United in consecutive matchdays before a consummate performance saw off West Bromwich Albion, while there were also great wins in their bouts with fellow strugglers Villa, Sunderland, Norwich and Newcastle.
What's Next?: Like Watford, its second season syndrome that Bournemouth must be wary of. The Cherries ended on something of a downer, with six defeats in the final eight, and there is work for Eddie Howe and his team to do to their squad to get it ready for round two. Nevertheless, they've proven to have the chops and the taste for the Premier League, and they will be keen to prove they are not a one season wonder.
Sunderland
Final Position: 17th
Can they be happy with their season?: Ultimately, yes, but it took a while. Sunderland made a worse-than-usual start that saw Dick Advocaat re-consider staying on. Sam Allardyce came in and began nicely enough by beating Newcastle, but then struggled through until a late dash for freedom. The Black Cats have timed these very well in recent years, and a run of only one defeat in 11 got them over the line this time.
Star Players: The obvious key star is Jermain Defoe, who grabbed 15 goals in a relegation-threatened side - several of which were match-winners or point grabbers. January signings Lamine Kone, Wahbi Khazri and Jan Kirchcoff proved inspired, while after a rocky start, Yann M'Villa was a worthy addition, while Patrick van Aanholt provided a fair shot of being one of the league's best left backs. The emergence of youngsters like Duncan Watmore and Jordan Pickford also bears promise.
Need To Improve: Much more was expected of Jermain Lens, who turned up with the occasional flash of brilliance but was mostly a disappointment and was dropped for ages after refusing to take part in a warm-down. Steven Fletcher was his usual anonymous self, as was Danny Graham, until both got shipped away on loan in January. This season also felt like the last hurrahs of John O'Shea and Wes Brown, neither of whom were first choice long before the end following a litany of errors and bad performances.
Best Moments: The obvious moment is the twin home wins that got Sunderland over the line, as they first saw off Chelsea despite trailing with 20 minutes to go, and then walloped Everton to confirm both their survival and closing the door on Newcastle. Another 4 points off their black-and-white shirted friends will have provided satisfaction, as did the vital 3-0 win at fellow strugglers Norwich. There was also satisfaction in well worked wins against Manchester United and Swansea.
What's Next?: At some point, Sunderland's luck may well run out. But with Allardyce on board and in charge of a playing squad that mostly trusts him, that may well not be next season. A season of midtable mediocrity is the aim, although this assumes a squad full of unfit for purpose players is given the renovation it requires, but with January having worked out wonders, there is plenty of expectation this can be done.
Newcastle United
Final Position: 18th
Can they be happy with their season?: No, and it is entirely their own fault. Newcastle were at a crossroads in the summer of 2015 after John Carver almost relegated them, but Steve McClaren transpired to be a woeful appointment, and the club spent £70m-worth of stockpiled monies in a consistently poor manner. Rafa Benitez nearly provided Newcastle with redemption, but despite ending the season with six games without defeat, it was too little too late and the Magpies suffer a second drop out of the top flight in seven years.
Star Players: Goalkeepers Rob Elliot and Karl Darlow were given little hopes when injuries ruled out the one before them, but they were highly competent and kept Newcastle in several games they didn't deserve to. Jamaal Lacelles and Chancel Mbemba were pretty good in their debut Premier League campaigns and gave defence a faint air of solidity, while Andros Townsend was the pick of the January buys with a fine end of season run of form.
Need To Improve: There are several Newcastle players whose form and attitude was problematic Moussa Sissoko did not perform until it was too late, Fabricio Coloccini and Steven Taylor being washed up but not replaced, Daryl Janmaat seemed to have one eye on the exit from October on, Florian Thauvin, Henri Saivet and Seydou Doumbia proved pointless signings, and many others failed to perform far too often.
Best Moments: Newcastle's first win of the season came in a 6-2 success over Norwich was a barmy game decided by four goals from Gini Wijnaldum, There was also what turned out to be the false dawn of successive wins over Liverpool and Spurs before Christmas. Under Benitez, there were 2 competent and professional home wins over Swansea and Crystal Palace followed by an utterly insane triumph with ten men against Spurs on the final day.
What's Next?: The noises coming from the club's boardroom is that their desire is an immediate return to the top flight of English football. If Rafa Benitez and the stars who want to help Newcastle back up can be persuaded to stay - and the early onus on both is positive - and the right additions made, then Newcastle have to be considered favourites for an immediate return. If no on both, they could be in for a long second tier stay.
Norwich City
Final Position: 19th
Can they be happy with their season?: Its a familiar no. Since 2003, Norwich have had 8 promotions and relegations, and this latest one has largely been self-inflicted. There were several moments when the Canaries looked on for survival, with the team looking good for survival both after a Christmas flurry and after a seemingly significant late triumph in a six-pointer with Newcastle. That win however was one of only 3 in the Canaries' final 17 games, and a failure at both ends saw Norwich return to the second tier.
Star Players: Robbie Brady was a welcome presence in his first season after moving from Hull, while Timm Klose ultimately proved to be Norwich's best defender, despite joining in January and missing the final month of the season with a major injury. Jonny Howson proved to be his familiar lively nuisance self, while Nathan Redmond was a lively presence - when entrusted - and Dieumerci Mbokani had a reasonable debut season in England.
Need To Improve: Cameron Jerome was Norwich's main striker for most of the season, and a return of 3 goals seems to indicate the jump from 2nd to top tier may have been beyond him. Similar can be said of Patrick Bamford, who went to Carrow Road after a bad loan at Crystal Palace and proved to be similarly anonymous here too, and if one was to be harsh, one could've expected more of Matt Jarvis. Norwich had major problems at the back, too. John Ruddy was inconsistent and even dropped for several aberrations, Sebastian Bassong was poor at the back en-route to relegation yet again, and the Canaries were also prone to throwing leads away or giving opponents as many chances as possible to get back into games.
Best Moments: The victory Norwich fans will most likely savour from this endeavour was a 2-1 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford a few days before Christmas. That came in a run of 3 wins from 4, with Aston Villa and Southampton beaten at Carrow Road either side of New Year's Day. The team's final home game was a spry 4-2 win over Watford, if an ultimately fruitless one, while there'd also been seemingly key wins over Sunderland, Swansea, Bournemouth, West Brom and Newcastle collected along the way.
What's Next?: Norwich's status as a yo-yo club means some may well expect them to try for going back up, but things aren't quite as harmonious as they seem. With a boardroom exit of their chief executive, questions over Alex Neil's future, and several key names linked with the door already, there's a fair bit of chaos already. A quick resolution and top quality additions should brush this under the carpet and get the Canaries near the front of the promotion queue. If it swallows them up, however, there's plenty of examples for where it could lead.
Aston Villa
Final Position: 20th
Can they be happy with their season?: Only in a blackly comic sense, or to revel in the fact this utterly miserable season is finally and at long last over. Aston Villa have had an appallingly bleak season that has seen one of the oldest and biggest names in English football reduced to a punchline. Fans were resigned to relegation by late November, and there is an uphill task to restore this club from this rotten place.
Star Players: Jordan Ayew scored a few goals and looked like he could be bothered. Rudy Gestede provided an occasional nusiance factor up-front, and Carles Gil scored some pretty goals. Aside from that, the stars were probably the fans who could brave the carnage every week that had replaced their club.
Need To Improve: From the top down, Villa was riddled with the rotten, the woeful and the disinterested. Randy Lerner continued to write the book on terrible ownership, while none of Tim Sherwood, Remi Garde and caretaker Eric Black could get results. The worst offenders in the playing squad were Gabby Agbonlahor and Jack Grealish, who seemed more interested in off-field parties than contributing useful football. Others also contributed to the malaise, be it Joleon Lescott making a public spectacle of himself, Leandro Bacuna seeming to think of himself as Champions League material while playing like an over-promoted Championship reserve, Brad Guzan proving why Sherwood chose 39-year-old Shay Given over him for the FA Cup Final, and the remaining cast of malcontents that Villa replaced their football team with.
Best Moments: The team started the season well enough with a 1-0 win at Bournemouth. There was also the satisfaction of beating local rivals Birmingham City in the Capital One Cup, and back-to-back home wins against Crystal Palace and Norwich in January were picked up. That aside, that's more or less it, aside from when the season was finally ended.
What's Next?: Its a job to know, but very few expect it to end in promotion. The club is now under new ownership courtesy of Chinese businessman Tony Lim, who is talking about making Villa a big club once more. First, he has to find the right manager, and in turn bring in a complete overhaul of a playing squad that, for all its wages and transfer fees, would struggle to get out of League One. Frankly, its a tall order.
Monday, 23 May 2016
Saturday, 21 May 2016
Newcastle United 2015/16 Season Review
While many pundits will crow of the 2015-16 season as the Premier League's best yet, Newcastle fans will not look back on it with fondness.
It was hard to remember now, but there was something of a quiet optimism back at the start, and that was even with the reservations for the strange decision to make Steve McClaren the manager. But it very quickly became apparent this was not a wise choice, with the club needing nine games to win a Premier League match and only winning six by the time he was shown the door in March.
Many have had thoughts as to why McClaren came in - cheap, mate of the owners, trying to be positive after a toxic period, communicating with the vision of better things - but it still felt like a safe option. With Newcastle having only survived in 2014/15 by virtue of their first half of the season, and a throughly rotten run of 3 wins in 19 picked up by the clueless John Carver, there were clear failing at the club.
But it was a bold ask to try to do this with a man who had been dismissed for bottling promotion with Derby County, who went from top in February to not even making the top 6 at the end of the line. Nevertheless, the symmetry was there - Chris Hughton and Carver were promoted from within, even if one was immeasurably more succesful, while Pardew had been a radio pundit between a dismissal by then-League One Southampton after a downward career trajectory, and pitching up at St. James' Park.
There were some games when it looked like Newcastle would get it right. A 2-2 opening day tie with Southampton showed promise, while the Magpies were good for 45 minutes at Man City before a second-half collapse, came close to beating Chelsea, and kicked off with a handsome win over Norwich. But too often came a dirge as poor as the previous year.
It was a surprise that the man chosen to replace the hapless McClaren was one of more high calibre. Rafael Benitez has won the Champions League, the Europa League, La Liga and the FA Cup, and came close to winning the title with Liverpool with an excellent team in 2009.
Had he been given more than 10 games, he may well have kept the Magpies up. But ultimately the adjustment period that comprised of trips to the league leaders, fellow strugglers Norwich and perennial bogey team Southampton was a far from ideal opening, while the only home game of that opening four was the Tyne-Wear Derby. That game yielded the only point from that 4.
Newcastle did manage to tighten up to avoid losing in the final 6, including excellent wins over Swansea, Crystal Palace and Spurs, and credible points against Liverpool and Manchester City, but the margin for error had gone, and ultimately Sunderland's never proved greater.
It was a weird season in respects. After years of bare minimum investment, Newcastle spent north of £70million on players and mostly spent it badly. Florian Thauvin was a disaster, Jonjo Shelvey faded badly after a promising start - much to the delight of Swansea fans - Henri Saivet has been immediately sidelined, and Seydou Doumbia sightings have been rarer than those of Bigfoot.
Even relative successes are tinged with reservations. Gini Wijnaldum was good at home and scored a very credible 11 goals, but managed only one assist away, and threw an intense strop after being subbed at half-time in a defeat by Chelsea that lasted to the end. Alexsandr Mitrovic has had promising moments and brings a pleasing aggression, but missed lots of sitters and spent a lot of time trying to fight opponents. Chancel Mbemba was a good looking centre-back, but was still culpable in a leaky defence and it was a very poor call to only buy him for an unfit-for-purpose defence.
With the likes of Fabricio Coloccini, Steven Taylor, Papiss Cisse, Moussa Sissoko and more also showing on-pitch regression, it was a toxic combo, as the squad Graham Carr built crumbled. A crumble that is likely now to see him shown the door in a fall from grace as swift as it would have been so unexpected when it looked so smart in 2012.
Ultimately, this is the most inexplicable backwards trudge. With tens of millions of pounds thrown at the team, Newcastle should've aspired for more than this. But while external factors are there, and internal politics can also be blamed, on the pitch, it has to be said that Newcastle United were not good enough to stay in the Premier League, and it's now time for uncertainty ahead of trips to Nottingham Forest, Leeds, Huddersfield, Burton Albion and Rotherham, but a further rebuild is now required with key protagonists gone, and below the waves of the second tier.
Anyway, with all that done, a few thoughts on this campaign...
Player of the Season: Rob Elliot. Newcastle's third choice keeper in August seized his opportunity when Tim Krul and Karl Darlow were both injured in October and were it not for him, the Magpies would've been down sooner. Darlow himself deserves commendation for stepping in when Elliot had his own injury nightmare.
Most Improved: Jamaal Lascelles. Few people had hopes for him after a mixed final season at Nottingham Forest, but in the final weeks, he became an unlikely key player, and is likely to be a key presence next year.
Worst Player: Fabricio Coloccini. This is a season where any one of the players could get it, but rancid performances put Newcastle's inspiration "captain" above everyone else.
Most Regressed Player: Moussa Sissoko. Until a late season flourish, he was utterly anonymous and perfectly proved the flawed and fraudulent economics behind Newcastle in the past 4 years.
Best Signing: Andros Townsend. In a year where Newcastle frequently spent big and bad, Townsend gave the Magpies a wing presence that had been missing way too often in the season, with form that has even got him an England squad place.
Team of the Season:
Elliot - Anita, Mbemba, Lascelles, Dummett - Wijnaldum, Tiote - Townsend, Sissoko, Perez - Mitrovic
Best Individual Performance: Gini Wijnaldum against Norwich City at St. James' Park. Four goals, an assist, and a header off the line in the best of what will in most probability be the Dutchman's sole season at St. James'. If only he'd played like this more often.
Best Goal: Andros Townsend v Crystal Palace. Both as much for the occasion of a game where, for one moment, it looked like survival might be possible, as much as the actual strike, but a superb dead-ball that wrung its way around the wall and beyond Wayne Hennessey's forlorn dive. A great strike.
Best Game: The inexplicable 5-1 thrashing of Spurs on the final day, which saw 3 goals scored after Mitrovic was sent off, is one for the ages, but tinged with sadness as it came following the end of the season. Elsewhere, the 6-2 victory over Norwich was sensational entertainment that went this way, that way and all the rest was stupendous for neutrals and Mags. It also provided perhaps the nearest smidge of Newcastle's ability to control a game.
Best Moment: The full-time whistle after the victory over Crystal Palace, which ended with Newcastle outside the bottom 3 and Alan Pardew beaten on his first return to the North East. For one glorious moment, the gods did seem to be smiling. If only we all knew...
Worst Game: In a season full of lowlights, the worst offender was a 5-1 televised humiliation at Chelsea where Newcastle folded under the slightest hint of pressure from the worst defending champions in PL history, and McClaren grinned, smiled and guffawed his way through his post-match witterings to Sky. This humiliation should've seen McClaren off, and it is no exaggeration to say that this post-Blues dithering to keep him in helped contribute to Newcastle's demotion. A close second is a 3-1 home defeat by a dominant Bournemouth side 3 weeks later that actually saw him off, in one of the most abject home performances by a Newcastle United team in living memory.
Worst Moment: In the running are Adam Johnson scoring an incorrectly-awarded penalty in injury time in the Tyne-Wear Derby, Sergio Aguero's blatantly offside goal at St. James' Park to go with the 5 the hit at the Etihad, 2 gutless surrenders to the worst Everton team in living memory, failing to beat Aston Villa at home, Mike Dean ignoring 2 handballs in the build up to Norwich's winner in a six pointer and the weekly regret at having Steve McClaren as manager. But the biggest came at full time at Villa Park, as a goalless draw earned with some of the worst attacking play in Premier League history coincided with a huge result for Sunderland against Chelsea, and the realisation that time was effectively up even before the Black Cats beat Everton to rubber-stamp it.
Manager Musings: There were many for whom Steve McClaren was struck as either the cheap option or simply the only candidate his mates on the club's board wanted to put in charge. While he may well have been let down by the poor signings the board made, or the players who so frequently played like they couldn't be bothered, McClaren still had the task to motivate a squad worth tens of millions of pounds studded with internationals into something that could make the club's pre-season aims of top 8 and a trophy, and he was an abysmal failure who looked out of his depth long before his ultimate end. In his place has come Rafael Benitez, who is undoubtedly an upgrade in prestige and ability, but his adjustment to Newcastle began with a visit to the surprise champions and 2 of Newcastle's biggest games - Sunderland and Norwich. Not ideal while still adjusting. Coupled to only getting 10 games, it was not enough. Had he been installed earlier, it could well have made all the difference.
What Does The Team Need?: First and foremost, a solving of the managerial system. If Benitez stays, then great, and if not, then finding a highly capable manager who can remodel the collapsing club and get the strategy to a tee for an instant return to the top flight. With that sorted, finding players who want to play for the club - regardless of nationality - and removing both those who don't fancy the second tier and those who don't feel the black and white stripes are worth their while, and recalibrating the boardroom to help this have to follow.
What Will The Team Get?: Its early doors yet, but the talk of Benitez staying - as improbable as it looks - is getting more concrete. With players saying he's improved them, fans largely on board, and the alternatives so far including suggestions of Steve Bruce and Neil Warnock, it would certainly be an improvement, not to mention a certain tonic with such a high calibre manage in this position. Players are yet to be discussed, but there is confidence something will be adapted from these ashes.
What Is The Aim for 2016-17?: Mike Ashley and Lee Charnley have already declared their desire to get Newcastle United back to the Premier League as quickly as possible. The mood seems less bleaker than Aston Villa - or at least Villa before their recent takeover - and slightly more confident than at yo-yo-ers Norwich City, but a lot has to be done right to put Newcastle into a position ready to sufficiently challenge for the instant return like in 2009/10. It won't be easy - more of a rebuild is required than the squad demoted in 2009, while the division has become more competitive and crazy than before - but this is not necessarily a challenge to fear.
It was hard to remember now, but there was something of a quiet optimism back at the start, and that was even with the reservations for the strange decision to make Steve McClaren the manager. But it very quickly became apparent this was not a wise choice, with the club needing nine games to win a Premier League match and only winning six by the time he was shown the door in March.
Many have had thoughts as to why McClaren came in - cheap, mate of the owners, trying to be positive after a toxic period, communicating with the vision of better things - but it still felt like a safe option. With Newcastle having only survived in 2014/15 by virtue of their first half of the season, and a throughly rotten run of 3 wins in 19 picked up by the clueless John Carver, there were clear failing at the club.
But it was a bold ask to try to do this with a man who had been dismissed for bottling promotion with Derby County, who went from top in February to not even making the top 6 at the end of the line. Nevertheless, the symmetry was there - Chris Hughton and Carver were promoted from within, even if one was immeasurably more succesful, while Pardew had been a radio pundit between a dismissal by then-League One Southampton after a downward career trajectory, and pitching up at St. James' Park.
There were some games when it looked like Newcastle would get it right. A 2-2 opening day tie with Southampton showed promise, while the Magpies were good for 45 minutes at Man City before a second-half collapse, came close to beating Chelsea, and kicked off with a handsome win over Norwich. But too often came a dirge as poor as the previous year.
It was a surprise that the man chosen to replace the hapless McClaren was one of more high calibre. Rafael Benitez has won the Champions League, the Europa League, La Liga and the FA Cup, and came close to winning the title with Liverpool with an excellent team in 2009.
Had he been given more than 10 games, he may well have kept the Magpies up. But ultimately the adjustment period that comprised of trips to the league leaders, fellow strugglers Norwich and perennial bogey team Southampton was a far from ideal opening, while the only home game of that opening four was the Tyne-Wear Derby. That game yielded the only point from that 4.
Newcastle did manage to tighten up to avoid losing in the final 6, including excellent wins over Swansea, Crystal Palace and Spurs, and credible points against Liverpool and Manchester City, but the margin for error had gone, and ultimately Sunderland's never proved greater.
It was a weird season in respects. After years of bare minimum investment, Newcastle spent north of £70million on players and mostly spent it badly. Florian Thauvin was a disaster, Jonjo Shelvey faded badly after a promising start - much to the delight of Swansea fans - Henri Saivet has been immediately sidelined, and Seydou Doumbia sightings have been rarer than those of Bigfoot.
Even relative successes are tinged with reservations. Gini Wijnaldum was good at home and scored a very credible 11 goals, but managed only one assist away, and threw an intense strop after being subbed at half-time in a defeat by Chelsea that lasted to the end. Alexsandr Mitrovic has had promising moments and brings a pleasing aggression, but missed lots of sitters and spent a lot of time trying to fight opponents. Chancel Mbemba was a good looking centre-back, but was still culpable in a leaky defence and it was a very poor call to only buy him for an unfit-for-purpose defence.
With the likes of Fabricio Coloccini, Steven Taylor, Papiss Cisse, Moussa Sissoko and more also showing on-pitch regression, it was a toxic combo, as the squad Graham Carr built crumbled. A crumble that is likely now to see him shown the door in a fall from grace as swift as it would have been so unexpected when it looked so smart in 2012.
Ultimately, this is the most inexplicable backwards trudge. With tens of millions of pounds thrown at the team, Newcastle should've aspired for more than this. But while external factors are there, and internal politics can also be blamed, on the pitch, it has to be said that Newcastle United were not good enough to stay in the Premier League, and it's now time for uncertainty ahead of trips to Nottingham Forest, Leeds, Huddersfield, Burton Albion and Rotherham, but a further rebuild is now required with key protagonists gone, and below the waves of the second tier.
Anyway, with all that done, a few thoughts on this campaign...
Player of the Season: Rob Elliot. Newcastle's third choice keeper in August seized his opportunity when Tim Krul and Karl Darlow were both injured in October and were it not for him, the Magpies would've been down sooner. Darlow himself deserves commendation for stepping in when Elliot had his own injury nightmare.
Most Improved: Jamaal Lascelles. Few people had hopes for him after a mixed final season at Nottingham Forest, but in the final weeks, he became an unlikely key player, and is likely to be a key presence next year.
Worst Player: Fabricio Coloccini. This is a season where any one of the players could get it, but rancid performances put Newcastle's inspiration "captain" above everyone else.
Most Regressed Player: Moussa Sissoko. Until a late season flourish, he was utterly anonymous and perfectly proved the flawed and fraudulent economics behind Newcastle in the past 4 years.
Best Signing: Andros Townsend. In a year where Newcastle frequently spent big and bad, Townsend gave the Magpies a wing presence that had been missing way too often in the season, with form that has even got him an England squad place.
Team of the Season:
Elliot - Anita, Mbemba, Lascelles, Dummett - Wijnaldum, Tiote - Townsend, Sissoko, Perez - Mitrovic
Best Individual Performance: Gini Wijnaldum against Norwich City at St. James' Park. Four goals, an assist, and a header off the line in the best of what will in most probability be the Dutchman's sole season at St. James'. If only he'd played like this more often.
Best Goal: Andros Townsend v Crystal Palace. Both as much for the occasion of a game where, for one moment, it looked like survival might be possible, as much as the actual strike, but a superb dead-ball that wrung its way around the wall and beyond Wayne Hennessey's forlorn dive. A great strike.
Best Game: The inexplicable 5-1 thrashing of Spurs on the final day, which saw 3 goals scored after Mitrovic was sent off, is one for the ages, but tinged with sadness as it came following the end of the season. Elsewhere, the 6-2 victory over Norwich was sensational entertainment that went this way, that way and all the rest was stupendous for neutrals and Mags. It also provided perhaps the nearest smidge of Newcastle's ability to control a game.
Best Moment: The full-time whistle after the victory over Crystal Palace, which ended with Newcastle outside the bottom 3 and Alan Pardew beaten on his first return to the North East. For one glorious moment, the gods did seem to be smiling. If only we all knew...
Worst Game: In a season full of lowlights, the worst offender was a 5-1 televised humiliation at Chelsea where Newcastle folded under the slightest hint of pressure from the worst defending champions in PL history, and McClaren grinned, smiled and guffawed his way through his post-match witterings to Sky. This humiliation should've seen McClaren off, and it is no exaggeration to say that this post-Blues dithering to keep him in helped contribute to Newcastle's demotion. A close second is a 3-1 home defeat by a dominant Bournemouth side 3 weeks later that actually saw him off, in one of the most abject home performances by a Newcastle United team in living memory.
Worst Moment: In the running are Adam Johnson scoring an incorrectly-awarded penalty in injury time in the Tyne-Wear Derby, Sergio Aguero's blatantly offside goal at St. James' Park to go with the 5 the hit at the Etihad, 2 gutless surrenders to the worst Everton team in living memory, failing to beat Aston Villa at home, Mike Dean ignoring 2 handballs in the build up to Norwich's winner in a six pointer and the weekly regret at having Steve McClaren as manager. But the biggest came at full time at Villa Park, as a goalless draw earned with some of the worst attacking play in Premier League history coincided with a huge result for Sunderland against Chelsea, and the realisation that time was effectively up even before the Black Cats beat Everton to rubber-stamp it.
Manager Musings: There were many for whom Steve McClaren was struck as either the cheap option or simply the only candidate his mates on the club's board wanted to put in charge. While he may well have been let down by the poor signings the board made, or the players who so frequently played like they couldn't be bothered, McClaren still had the task to motivate a squad worth tens of millions of pounds studded with internationals into something that could make the club's pre-season aims of top 8 and a trophy, and he was an abysmal failure who looked out of his depth long before his ultimate end. In his place has come Rafael Benitez, who is undoubtedly an upgrade in prestige and ability, but his adjustment to Newcastle began with a visit to the surprise champions and 2 of Newcastle's biggest games - Sunderland and Norwich. Not ideal while still adjusting. Coupled to only getting 10 games, it was not enough. Had he been installed earlier, it could well have made all the difference.
What Does The Team Need?: First and foremost, a solving of the managerial system. If Benitez stays, then great, and if not, then finding a highly capable manager who can remodel the collapsing club and get the strategy to a tee for an instant return to the top flight. With that sorted, finding players who want to play for the club - regardless of nationality - and removing both those who don't fancy the second tier and those who don't feel the black and white stripes are worth their while, and recalibrating the boardroom to help this have to follow.
What Will The Team Get?: Its early doors yet, but the talk of Benitez staying - as improbable as it looks - is getting more concrete. With players saying he's improved them, fans largely on board, and the alternatives so far including suggestions of Steve Bruce and Neil Warnock, it would certainly be an improvement, not to mention a certain tonic with such a high calibre manage in this position. Players are yet to be discussed, but there is confidence something will be adapted from these ashes.
What Is The Aim for 2016-17?: Mike Ashley and Lee Charnley have already declared their desire to get Newcastle United back to the Premier League as quickly as possible. The mood seems less bleaker than Aston Villa - or at least Villa before their recent takeover - and slightly more confident than at yo-yo-ers Norwich City, but a lot has to be done right to put Newcastle into a position ready to sufficiently challenge for the instant return like in 2009/10. It won't be easy - more of a rebuild is required than the squad demoted in 2009, while the division has become more competitive and crazy than before - but this is not necessarily a challenge to fear.
Wednesday, 13 April 2016
Muse Drones World Tour - Live Review
A year or so ago, Muse's vision for their 7th album seemed to indicate a more stripped down tour than their recent jaunts.
In recent years, Muse have bought with them satellites, antenna, skyscrapers, pyramids, upside down revolving pyramids, mock power stations, pyro, actors, acrobats and even more to the world's stadiums and arenas.
By contrast, the campaign to back 7th album Drones began in a much more restrained fashion, to fit in with Muse's announcement this was a "back to 3-piece rock" record. So, it began with six intimate theatre concerts in the UK, then a festival tour with video screens - a production that was kept for South America & Asian touring commitments.
So, its quite a contrast to the moment about 80-90 minutes into the third of their fifth night run at the London O2 Arena. Here, as the 10 minute prog-rock nightmare of The Globalist reaches its enormous Drop A crescendo, a giant inflatable shaped like a Reaper drone - but looking a bit like Thunderbird 2 - orbits around the stage via its own AI program looking menacing.
Least that's the theory. In reality it looks a little bit silly - the moment when Muse may well have pushed their prog-rock box of tricks a bit too far - and that's before it veers off course and attempts to land either on top of Matt Bellamy, his piano and the audience.
Such moments are perhaps the unexpected side to this evening's entertainment, which sees the band take on a very ambitious production. The band's stage sits in a 360 configuration, with a circular light-studded rotating stage plonked in the middle of the O2, while a circular screen, cylindrical lighting rig, retractable projection scrims and a whoppingly huge lighting rig provide extra visual touch.
And that's before the flying centrepieces. As well as the aforementioned drone, there is also a collection of 16 spherical drones that descend from a rig above the stage. Indeed, this is just the beginning, as the drones descend to the choral refrains of the title track, and gracefully hover over the GA pit of the venue.
As the choir sing their last, the band rise onto the stage, and kick straight into Reapers. This is then followed in a Drop D one-two with Psycho, the duo of which are loud and boisterous and packed full of riffs that get the crowd bouncing immediately - almost in sync to the thuds of Dom Howard's bass drum. As a start to the gig, its top notch.
The bounce continues for a trip back to 2001 with Plug in Baby - a tune that, even with overprocessed FX pedals saturating Bellamy's guitar, still has in its corner the brute force of one of 21st century rock's most loved riffs. This may not be its best performance, but it is still delightful.
Its obviously one thing to focus on the visual aspect of the gig, which is an outstanding array of styles and tropes. A visual shows a creation of puppeteers during World War Z theme Isolated System, before morphing into visuals that depict Bellamy and bassist Chris Wolstenholme as puppets on string during The Handler. For Supermassive Black Hole, the drones orbit the centre-stage like planets orbiting a sun, while encore opener Take a Bow sees the band members lit up against the scrims in orange fire.
As a visual show, it is outstanding, even if taking a misstep with that errant inflatable Reaper, and lacking the conceptual narrative of The Wall tour that Bellamy had as inspiration. London is also at least greeted to it all working properly, as opposed to the inadvertant spectacle in Detroit when the spherical drones fell into the audience. But a high-quality visual extravaganza would be nothing without a performance to match, and Muse are more than capable of living up to it.
Yes, there are a few moments that aren't as good - Starlight maybe a pretty pop song and gets a nice singalong, but it loses something when Bellamy leaves the guitar to auxiliary musician Morgan Nicholls, and the same can also be said when it happens again for the first half of Uprising. It could also be longer, with a shorter set as far as songs played than previous tours and the dubiousness of a 45 minute gap between support and headliner - although long queues getting into the O2 and the assorted last minute checking of all manner of gear may not have helped.
But as for what is performed, there is a top drawer performance. The band give it their all throughout, and there's very little here tonight to keep people bored as far as the musicianship goes. Map of the Problematique surges with throbbing, electro-infused paranoid energy, and is followed up the earth-shaking delights of Absolution duo Hysteria & Time is Running Out.
Even the less heralded moments sparkle, with the pretty piano work of debut album opener Sunburn and throbbing electronics of politician-baiting Take a Bow sounding at home in the set despite not being regulars in the last few years.
Lack of regulars is obviously a major complaint, and while these are good old friends, it is something that Muse can afford to rotate previous big hitters like Bliss, Citizen Erased, Stockholm Syndrome and the rest.
The only other major complaint as well as length is faff - two goes of the choral Drones track, the Isolated System video link, a heavy rock drum & bass jam, a sweeping string and piano intro to Starlight, a JFK monologue - but at the very least, there's very little in the show's 1hr50+ run time that induces boredom.
It all ends in suitably ludicrous fashion, with the pop-rock Mercy surging through the speakers as a veritable hurricane of confetti and streamers rains down on the venue, before the seemingly now-traditional Knights of Cydonia finale brings the curtain down in suitably melodramatic style.
At the end of it all, what is mainly apparent is wondering if this is the culmination of many of Bellamy's prog-rock stage show fantasies, and what, if anything, he may have in mind to try and top this for future tours - indeed, in a recent Q magazine feature, some of Muse's road crew have said he has ideas prepared.
As far a the 2015/16 Drones World Tour goes, this stage production is a two-pronged and impressive attack. Muse could certainly have played for longer, but what they do put on is an excellent show backed by a visual extravaganza that justifies what is no doubt the vast expenditure spent on this undertaking.
It may well be they've reached the end of the prog-rock epic stage show capable of plenty of Spinal Tap-style moments of embarrassment, but if this is the end, then what an end.
7.5/10
Opening for Muse were New York electronic rock band Phantogram, whose set sees core duo of co-vocalists Sarah Barthel and Josh Cartel supported by a second guitarist and live drummer. The intricate mix of electronic melody, spaced out vocals and spindly guitar takes a while to really make itself home in the gargantuan surroundings of The O2, but after a little while, it adjusts, and by the closing rush of When I'm Small, the band look at home, and will have no doubt done themselves a favour in attracted extra fans outside of the States with this slot.
In recent years, Muse have bought with them satellites, antenna, skyscrapers, pyramids, upside down revolving pyramids, mock power stations, pyro, actors, acrobats and even more to the world's stadiums and arenas.
By contrast, the campaign to back 7th album Drones began in a much more restrained fashion, to fit in with Muse's announcement this was a "back to 3-piece rock" record. So, it began with six intimate theatre concerts in the UK, then a festival tour with video screens - a production that was kept for South America & Asian touring commitments.
So, its quite a contrast to the moment about 80-90 minutes into the third of their fifth night run at the London O2 Arena. Here, as the 10 minute prog-rock nightmare of The Globalist reaches its enormous Drop A crescendo, a giant inflatable shaped like a Reaper drone - but looking a bit like Thunderbird 2 - orbits around the stage via its own AI program looking menacing.
Least that's the theory. In reality it looks a little bit silly - the moment when Muse may well have pushed their prog-rock box of tricks a bit too far - and that's before it veers off course and attempts to land either on top of Matt Bellamy, his piano and the audience.
Such moments are perhaps the unexpected side to this evening's entertainment, which sees the band take on a very ambitious production. The band's stage sits in a 360 configuration, with a circular light-studded rotating stage plonked in the middle of the O2, while a circular screen, cylindrical lighting rig, retractable projection scrims and a whoppingly huge lighting rig provide extra visual touch.
And that's before the flying centrepieces. As well as the aforementioned drone, there is also a collection of 16 spherical drones that descend from a rig above the stage. Indeed, this is just the beginning, as the drones descend to the choral refrains of the title track, and gracefully hover over the GA pit of the venue.
As the choir sing their last, the band rise onto the stage, and kick straight into Reapers. This is then followed in a Drop D one-two with Psycho, the duo of which are loud and boisterous and packed full of riffs that get the crowd bouncing immediately - almost in sync to the thuds of Dom Howard's bass drum. As a start to the gig, its top notch.
The bounce continues for a trip back to 2001 with Plug in Baby - a tune that, even with overprocessed FX pedals saturating Bellamy's guitar, still has in its corner the brute force of one of 21st century rock's most loved riffs. This may not be its best performance, but it is still delightful.
Its obviously one thing to focus on the visual aspect of the gig, which is an outstanding array of styles and tropes. A visual shows a creation of puppeteers during World War Z theme Isolated System, before morphing into visuals that depict Bellamy and bassist Chris Wolstenholme as puppets on string during The Handler. For Supermassive Black Hole, the drones orbit the centre-stage like planets orbiting a sun, while encore opener Take a Bow sees the band members lit up against the scrims in orange fire.
As a visual show, it is outstanding, even if taking a misstep with that errant inflatable Reaper, and lacking the conceptual narrative of The Wall tour that Bellamy had as inspiration. London is also at least greeted to it all working properly, as opposed to the inadvertant spectacle in Detroit when the spherical drones fell into the audience. But a high-quality visual extravaganza would be nothing without a performance to match, and Muse are more than capable of living up to it.
Yes, there are a few moments that aren't as good - Starlight maybe a pretty pop song and gets a nice singalong, but it loses something when Bellamy leaves the guitar to auxiliary musician Morgan Nicholls, and the same can also be said when it happens again for the first half of Uprising. It could also be longer, with a shorter set as far as songs played than previous tours and the dubiousness of a 45 minute gap between support and headliner - although long queues getting into the O2 and the assorted last minute checking of all manner of gear may not have helped.
But as for what is performed, there is a top drawer performance. The band give it their all throughout, and there's very little here tonight to keep people bored as far as the musicianship goes. Map of the Problematique surges with throbbing, electro-infused paranoid energy, and is followed up the earth-shaking delights of Absolution duo Hysteria & Time is Running Out.
Even the less heralded moments sparkle, with the pretty piano work of debut album opener Sunburn and throbbing electronics of politician-baiting Take a Bow sounding at home in the set despite not being regulars in the last few years.
Lack of regulars is obviously a major complaint, and while these are good old friends, it is something that Muse can afford to rotate previous big hitters like Bliss, Citizen Erased, Stockholm Syndrome and the rest.
The only other major complaint as well as length is faff - two goes of the choral Drones track, the Isolated System video link, a heavy rock drum & bass jam, a sweeping string and piano intro to Starlight, a JFK monologue - but at the very least, there's very little in the show's 1hr50+ run time that induces boredom.
It all ends in suitably ludicrous fashion, with the pop-rock Mercy surging through the speakers as a veritable hurricane of confetti and streamers rains down on the venue, before the seemingly now-traditional Knights of Cydonia finale brings the curtain down in suitably melodramatic style.
At the end of it all, what is mainly apparent is wondering if this is the culmination of many of Bellamy's prog-rock stage show fantasies, and what, if anything, he may have in mind to try and top this for future tours - indeed, in a recent Q magazine feature, some of Muse's road crew have said he has ideas prepared.
As far a the 2015/16 Drones World Tour goes, this stage production is a two-pronged and impressive attack. Muse could certainly have played for longer, but what they do put on is an excellent show backed by a visual extravaganza that justifies what is no doubt the vast expenditure spent on this undertaking.
It may well be they've reached the end of the prog-rock epic stage show capable of plenty of Spinal Tap-style moments of embarrassment, but if this is the end, then what an end.
7.5/10
Opening for Muse were New York electronic rock band Phantogram, whose set sees core duo of co-vocalists Sarah Barthel and Josh Cartel supported by a second guitarist and live drummer. The intricate mix of electronic melody, spaced out vocals and spindly guitar takes a while to really make itself home in the gargantuan surroundings of The O2, but after a little while, it adjusts, and by the closing rush of When I'm Small, the band look at home, and will have no doubt done themselves a favour in attracted extra fans outside of the States with this slot.
Tuesday, 29 March 2016
Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice - Film Review
In many respects, Batman v Superman is less of a film and more of an unsinkable concept.
This film is high-concept film production in a pure form. The title itself is a high-concept pitting two of the biggest names in superhero-dom into a battle of wits, enough to inspire a frenzied debate on the merits of such a super-heavyweight bout, and sell millions of dollars in advance tickets before opening night.
Sure, the numbers aren't as big as the advance buzz for Star Wars, but such a concept is, in all-likelihood, not sinkable by negative reviews - and there's been more than a few of those - or by rival productions (both superhero & otherwise). It may well be the case this is a film that will need to make at least $625-700million to so much as break even, but the goodwill and interest means its likely to reach that.
As far as a film-plotting exercise, this has to do a lot of work. What this film is basically doing is taking the end to 2013's Man of Steel and putting it towards the creation of a two-part Justice League franchise, and in quicker time than Marvel's background work before its Avengers movies, which saw five movies put out before combining them to take down Tom Hiddleston's Loki.
There's an interesting split in opinion for this one, with some people saying the film is a colossal misfire, and others heralding it as a superb comic book movie. But in real truth, its probably neither.
The basic story of the movie is that it serves backstory to a confrontation between the two heroes, beginning with the building up of the Bat's corner. This is of course done in a more rapid-fire manner than 2005's Batman Begins, featuring the latest killing of Bruce Wayne's parents and his stumbling across the Bat Cave.
After that, which is shot in a super slow-motion style, the main film begins in the shadow of the city-dismantling Man of Steel climax, with Wayne (Ben Affleck) running around trying to save his employees.
This is a rather impressive opening scene, replete with ominous imagery of the collapse of cities similar to disasters, and the reaction to the collateral damage superheroes bring. It also sets in motion Wayne's side in his conflict with Clark Kent's world-saving alter-ego.
Eyebrows were raised when Affleck was given the cape and the cave, but he is a firm presence in the role. His role is a more murkier role than the one occupied by Christian Bale - nevermind the George Clooney one of infamy - and he's perhaps not helped by a bulky & unflattering Batsuit, but he brings a confidence to the role. In a timeframe when Bale has recently said he felt that he didn't get the character right, Affleck looks at home in the role as a bedraggled near end-of-career Bat who has gone somewhat rogue. He's also supported by a high-quality Alfred in Jeremy Irons, who brings sardonic wit in his scenes - even if he appears and disappears throughout as the plot requires.
The film mainly works to build up the Batman, with the scenes taken up by Superman (Henry Cavill) more of a concurrent, but not as resonant, pair. He does a reasonable enough job but isn't given a great deal to do, or a high-quality narrative arc, beyond habitually saving the misfortunate Lois Lane (Amy Adams), who is oddly misused in an almost habitual "damsel in distress" sequence.
Misuse of high calibre acting talent is a recurring criticism, with Laurence Fishburne given a few scenes to slag off Kent's journalism, while Holly Hunter's tough-nut Senator is a good presence but feels like it needs more depth. Indeed, for a 150-minute blockbuster, it often feels like its juggling a lot with its mechanics, and as a result, while the majority of the actors bring high quality roles for their salaries, where and when they appear is another issue.
This is as much a problem for the third wheel of the pre-emptive Justice League, which is scheduled to be launched to the screen in November next year. Gal Gadot shows potential as Wonder Woman, both in spoken voice as Diana Prince, and as the Amazonian warrior queen herself, but we're going to have to wait for her own film to see more. Even so, her role is still more than 3 over "meta-humans", who get MPEG files as their backstory ahead of the next wave of movies.
The obvious exception in performances as far as critics and a lot of fans have seen is that of the baddie. For a lot of people, Jesse Eisenberg was seen as an odd choice to play the businessman Lex Luthor, and certainly disappointed the number of people who felt the role was Bryan Cranston's.
Eisenberg is not terrible - certainly not as much as others have made out. His motivation is also explained, albeit not clearly, as an attempt to prove Man can destroy God, in one of the many quasi-religious symbols this film insists upon - a scene given a real heavy-handed touch when Superman rescues a child from a burning building in Mexico after seeing it on TV at Luthor's party.
Nevertheless, Luthor was re-cast for this from bald capitalist evil to snarky upstart - sort of like Eisenberg's Mark Zuckerberg channelled through the spectrum of Heath Ledger's Joker, and in truth, more of it doesn't work than does.
It may well be possible somewhere in the maelstrom of ideas thrown at the feature by credited screenwriters Chris Terrio & David S. Goyer is something that will give everything the depth and clarity such a film needs. But ultimately, what hinders Batman v Superman is the plotting, which often runs into never-fully explained story tropes, or messy interludes.
In essence, the film is two movies of roughly 75 minutes - one convoluted story, the other a massive elongated fight sequence, although at least unlike Transformers, its fairly clear who's fighting who. But it also feels like more was needed to give the story the strength to match its pretensions. There is plenty of reference and allusion to lofty thematic conceits such as fear, immigration, manipulation of political discourse, rich man's superiority, and dozens of religious metaphors.
However, rather than building these into a whole, it dabbles before moving on to something different. Its not helped by an episodic "let's see what everyone else is doing" approach, and there are further moments when the dialogue takes on almost unintentionally hilarious quality. There's also the sense the production could also have shed the absurd Wayne dream sequences - one of which seems to take on qualities reminiscent of Mad Max, Inception and World War 2 movies - or at the very least one of its many CGI building demolitions.
On a technical level, the biggest star is cinematographer Larry Fong, who brings a great visual palette to the production. The film certainly has an outstanding aesthetic element, even when going for CGI heavy explosions, and fully realises the colours in all of its moods. His work is certainly more nuanced than that of composers Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL, who have seemingly been told to take their usual bombast and turn it to a volume louder than it will go. Such eardrum-bursting is particularly noteworthy on Wonder Woman's theme - all processed guitar and a battering of tribal drums.
It all adds up to an unusual piece of work. The unsinkable concept means it was very unlikely to lose money or fail to attract interest. But with a reported $250million budget to throw at the screen, the writing staff behind the acclaimed Christian Bale Batman movies - all 3 of which were better, it has to be said, even the similarly convoluted CGI heavy mess that was Dark Knight Rises - an excellent Batman, and more high-calibre acting talent, and a director famed for his visual panache backed by the well-admired Christopher Nolan on production duties, it just feels... ok.
No spoilers will be discussed here of an ending that was perhaps the most affecting and interesting part of this exercise. But while it was a film with merit and decent moments, and for all the bombast, it could well have been more than what it transpired to be.
3/5
This film is high-concept film production in a pure form. The title itself is a high-concept pitting two of the biggest names in superhero-dom into a battle of wits, enough to inspire a frenzied debate on the merits of such a super-heavyweight bout, and sell millions of dollars in advance tickets before opening night.
Sure, the numbers aren't as big as the advance buzz for Star Wars, but such a concept is, in all-likelihood, not sinkable by negative reviews - and there's been more than a few of those - or by rival productions (both superhero & otherwise). It may well be the case this is a film that will need to make at least $625-700million to so much as break even, but the goodwill and interest means its likely to reach that.
As far as a film-plotting exercise, this has to do a lot of work. What this film is basically doing is taking the end to 2013's Man of Steel and putting it towards the creation of a two-part Justice League franchise, and in quicker time than Marvel's background work before its Avengers movies, which saw five movies put out before combining them to take down Tom Hiddleston's Loki.
There's an interesting split in opinion for this one, with some people saying the film is a colossal misfire, and others heralding it as a superb comic book movie. But in real truth, its probably neither.
The basic story of the movie is that it serves backstory to a confrontation between the two heroes, beginning with the building up of the Bat's corner. This is of course done in a more rapid-fire manner than 2005's Batman Begins, featuring the latest killing of Bruce Wayne's parents and his stumbling across the Bat Cave.
After that, which is shot in a super slow-motion style, the main film begins in the shadow of the city-dismantling Man of Steel climax, with Wayne (Ben Affleck) running around trying to save his employees.
This is a rather impressive opening scene, replete with ominous imagery of the collapse of cities similar to disasters, and the reaction to the collateral damage superheroes bring. It also sets in motion Wayne's side in his conflict with Clark Kent's world-saving alter-ego.
Eyebrows were raised when Affleck was given the cape and the cave, but he is a firm presence in the role. His role is a more murkier role than the one occupied by Christian Bale - nevermind the George Clooney one of infamy - and he's perhaps not helped by a bulky & unflattering Batsuit, but he brings a confidence to the role. In a timeframe when Bale has recently said he felt that he didn't get the character right, Affleck looks at home in the role as a bedraggled near end-of-career Bat who has gone somewhat rogue. He's also supported by a high-quality Alfred in Jeremy Irons, who brings sardonic wit in his scenes - even if he appears and disappears throughout as the plot requires.
The film mainly works to build up the Batman, with the scenes taken up by Superman (Henry Cavill) more of a concurrent, but not as resonant, pair. He does a reasonable enough job but isn't given a great deal to do, or a high-quality narrative arc, beyond habitually saving the misfortunate Lois Lane (Amy Adams), who is oddly misused in an almost habitual "damsel in distress" sequence.
Misuse of high calibre acting talent is a recurring criticism, with Laurence Fishburne given a few scenes to slag off Kent's journalism, while Holly Hunter's tough-nut Senator is a good presence but feels like it needs more depth. Indeed, for a 150-minute blockbuster, it often feels like its juggling a lot with its mechanics, and as a result, while the majority of the actors bring high quality roles for their salaries, where and when they appear is another issue.
This is as much a problem for the third wheel of the pre-emptive Justice League, which is scheduled to be launched to the screen in November next year. Gal Gadot shows potential as Wonder Woman, both in spoken voice as Diana Prince, and as the Amazonian warrior queen herself, but we're going to have to wait for her own film to see more. Even so, her role is still more than 3 over "meta-humans", who get MPEG files as their backstory ahead of the next wave of movies.
The obvious exception in performances as far as critics and a lot of fans have seen is that of the baddie. For a lot of people, Jesse Eisenberg was seen as an odd choice to play the businessman Lex Luthor, and certainly disappointed the number of people who felt the role was Bryan Cranston's.
Eisenberg is not terrible - certainly not as much as others have made out. His motivation is also explained, albeit not clearly, as an attempt to prove Man can destroy God, in one of the many quasi-religious symbols this film insists upon - a scene given a real heavy-handed touch when Superman rescues a child from a burning building in Mexico after seeing it on TV at Luthor's party.
Nevertheless, Luthor was re-cast for this from bald capitalist evil to snarky upstart - sort of like Eisenberg's Mark Zuckerberg channelled through the spectrum of Heath Ledger's Joker, and in truth, more of it doesn't work than does.
It may well be possible somewhere in the maelstrom of ideas thrown at the feature by credited screenwriters Chris Terrio & David S. Goyer is something that will give everything the depth and clarity such a film needs. But ultimately, what hinders Batman v Superman is the plotting, which often runs into never-fully explained story tropes, or messy interludes.
In essence, the film is two movies of roughly 75 minutes - one convoluted story, the other a massive elongated fight sequence, although at least unlike Transformers, its fairly clear who's fighting who. But it also feels like more was needed to give the story the strength to match its pretensions. There is plenty of reference and allusion to lofty thematic conceits such as fear, immigration, manipulation of political discourse, rich man's superiority, and dozens of religious metaphors.
However, rather than building these into a whole, it dabbles before moving on to something different. Its not helped by an episodic "let's see what everyone else is doing" approach, and there are further moments when the dialogue takes on almost unintentionally hilarious quality. There's also the sense the production could also have shed the absurd Wayne dream sequences - one of which seems to take on qualities reminiscent of Mad Max, Inception and World War 2 movies - or at the very least one of its many CGI building demolitions.
On a technical level, the biggest star is cinematographer Larry Fong, who brings a great visual palette to the production. The film certainly has an outstanding aesthetic element, even when going for CGI heavy explosions, and fully realises the colours in all of its moods. His work is certainly more nuanced than that of composers Hans Zimmer and Junkie XL, who have seemingly been told to take their usual bombast and turn it to a volume louder than it will go. Such eardrum-bursting is particularly noteworthy on Wonder Woman's theme - all processed guitar and a battering of tribal drums.
It all adds up to an unusual piece of work. The unsinkable concept means it was very unlikely to lose money or fail to attract interest. But with a reported $250million budget to throw at the screen, the writing staff behind the acclaimed Christian Bale Batman movies - all 3 of which were better, it has to be said, even the similarly convoluted CGI heavy mess that was Dark Knight Rises - an excellent Batman, and more high-calibre acting talent, and a director famed for his visual panache backed by the well-admired Christopher Nolan on production duties, it just feels... ok.
No spoilers will be discussed here of an ending that was perhaps the most affecting and interesting part of this exercise. But while it was a film with merit and decent moments, and for all the bombast, it could well have been more than what it transpired to be.
3/5
Thursday, 18 February 2016
Foals at Wembley Arena - Gig Review
When it was announced Foals would be headlining Reading & Leeds Festivals - or rather co-headlining with Disclosure - there were many eyebrows raised.
Sure, there were equally as many who saw the rise of the Oxford five-piece into such lofty rock real estate as overdue, and a refreshing change from the usual names who headline these events. But they were equally as many who seemed to wonder if it was still too soon, and not least given the band is still yet to get a Number One album on the UK album charts.
Nevertheless, four albums in and with a long list of sing-a-longs in their favour, the band are now breaking into the arena rock circuit. Fresh of taking their production to several other of the UK's big indoor halls, an arrival at Wembley Arena had the air of being a very big deal.
Yet while Foals make no special setlist changes just with it being Wembley - no Hummer, for one - the band look genuinely amazed to be here. Certainly, this is reflected when frontman Yannis Philippakis introduces oldie Balloons by remarking how the band went from Oxford house parties in 2006/07 to selling out 12,000+ tickets to this shindig.
The band certainly begin with confidence. Opener Snake Oil is a snarling beast that starts with just synths and syncopated percussive loops, before drummer Jack Bevan wanders onto the stage and replaces the loops with drums, and the rest of the band then join in to knock out the swaggering rock riffs.
Things keep going from there. Olympic Airways shimmers, with the high guitars and staccato drumwork that dominated the band's early work and lead to their math-rock tag, while third track My Number is the cue for moshpits, and is thrust forward on every note of Walter Gervers' throbbing bassline.
An outsider wandering in could mistake Foals for a band who have been in this circuit for longer, as their soundscape comfortably fills the arena while not compromising the intricacies of the music and the band have a tightly-knit feel. The newer Mountain At My Gates is a huge beast filled with a mix of intricate and pummeling guitars, plus a long line of choruses instead of verses, while video screens hover and monitor above the band's heads and lasers search out the back row.
There may be the odd pacing issue - while Birch Tree and Give It All are pleasant listens that translate very well live, they probably could've gone later than fourth and fifth, and after My Number - but the band for the most part get it right. Mountain... gives way to Balloons, the snarling but bouncy Providence, and the understated beauty of Spanish Sahara, and the crowd eats it up.
The morph from Spanish Sahara to the spindly Red Socks Pugie is also played with an almost sheer-effortlessness, and such coherence is also a plus point in favour of the suggestion the band is ready to do the big festival slots.
Its a compelling view, and the end of the main set brings it to primacy, with the tumbling singalong of "What Went Down" closer A Knife in the Ocean then followed up by Inhaler. The latter's surging riffs, and extended outro is the cue for bedlam in the rows immediately up front, who pogo as if their lives depend on it, while it also generates the night's biggest singalong.
For some bands, ending with such a large ending would be the cue for an exit for good, but after a brief respite, the band return for a three song encore. It begins with the subtle piano-led London Thunder, then morphs into the pummelling riffs of What Went Down itself.
An extended Two Steps Twice - during which Yannis jumps in the crowd for the sixth time of the gig, and this time with added crowdsurf - brings the curtain down on the night. For some, this might be played out, given Foals have been closing most of their gigs with this one since their first album Antidotes appeared. But it defiantly works as closer, and is seen off with a huge blast of ticket tape and streamers that (mostly) get stuck in the roof of the venue.
At the end of all, the main conclusion to be drawn is that Foals put on an excellent ride of a gig, and contrary to the negative opinion of some, the band are very much at home in the big roles. For a band on their first arena tour, they look at home and fill the space massively effectively.
As Philippakis waves goodbye by saying "we should do it again sometime" and engage in a guitar duel with the rhythm guitarist Jimmy Smith, presumably the next step is to conquer more of the shows on their tour itinerary. If the A-game comes to Reading and Leeds in August, the doubters will be very much eating their words.
4/5
Sure, there were equally as many who saw the rise of the Oxford five-piece into such lofty rock real estate as overdue, and a refreshing change from the usual names who headline these events. But they were equally as many who seemed to wonder if it was still too soon, and not least given the band is still yet to get a Number One album on the UK album charts.
Nevertheless, four albums in and with a long list of sing-a-longs in their favour, the band are now breaking into the arena rock circuit. Fresh of taking their production to several other of the UK's big indoor halls, an arrival at Wembley Arena had the air of being a very big deal.
Yet while Foals make no special setlist changes just with it being Wembley - no Hummer, for one - the band look genuinely amazed to be here. Certainly, this is reflected when frontman Yannis Philippakis introduces oldie Balloons by remarking how the band went from Oxford house parties in 2006/07 to selling out 12,000+ tickets to this shindig.
The band certainly begin with confidence. Opener Snake Oil is a snarling beast that starts with just synths and syncopated percussive loops, before drummer Jack Bevan wanders onto the stage and replaces the loops with drums, and the rest of the band then join in to knock out the swaggering rock riffs.
Things keep going from there. Olympic Airways shimmers, with the high guitars and staccato drumwork that dominated the band's early work and lead to their math-rock tag, while third track My Number is the cue for moshpits, and is thrust forward on every note of Walter Gervers' throbbing bassline.
An outsider wandering in could mistake Foals for a band who have been in this circuit for longer, as their soundscape comfortably fills the arena while not compromising the intricacies of the music and the band have a tightly-knit feel. The newer Mountain At My Gates is a huge beast filled with a mix of intricate and pummeling guitars, plus a long line of choruses instead of verses, while video screens hover and monitor above the band's heads and lasers search out the back row.
There may be the odd pacing issue - while Birch Tree and Give It All are pleasant listens that translate very well live, they probably could've gone later than fourth and fifth, and after My Number - but the band for the most part get it right. Mountain... gives way to Balloons, the snarling but bouncy Providence, and the understated beauty of Spanish Sahara, and the crowd eats it up.
The morph from Spanish Sahara to the spindly Red Socks Pugie is also played with an almost sheer-effortlessness, and such coherence is also a plus point in favour of the suggestion the band is ready to do the big festival slots.
Its a compelling view, and the end of the main set brings it to primacy, with the tumbling singalong of "What Went Down" closer A Knife in the Ocean then followed up by Inhaler. The latter's surging riffs, and extended outro is the cue for bedlam in the rows immediately up front, who pogo as if their lives depend on it, while it also generates the night's biggest singalong.
For some bands, ending with such a large ending would be the cue for an exit for good, but after a brief respite, the band return for a three song encore. It begins with the subtle piano-led London Thunder, then morphs into the pummelling riffs of What Went Down itself.
An extended Two Steps Twice - during which Yannis jumps in the crowd for the sixth time of the gig, and this time with added crowdsurf - brings the curtain down on the night. For some, this might be played out, given Foals have been closing most of their gigs with this one since their first album Antidotes appeared. But it defiantly works as closer, and is seen off with a huge blast of ticket tape and streamers that (mostly) get stuck in the roof of the venue.
At the end of all, the main conclusion to be drawn is that Foals put on an excellent ride of a gig, and contrary to the negative opinion of some, the band are very much at home in the big roles. For a band on their first arena tour, they look at home and fill the space massively effectively.
As Philippakis waves goodbye by saying "we should do it again sometime" and engage in a guitar duel with the rhythm guitarist Jimmy Smith, presumably the next step is to conquer more of the shows on their tour itinerary. If the A-game comes to Reading and Leeds in August, the doubters will be very much eating their words.
4/5
Monday, 26 October 2015
U2 at the O2 Arena - Live Review
FOR many bands, a crowd of 20,000 packing the O2 Arena for them is a sign of big things.
Indeed, when Las Vegas band Imagine Dragons turn up for a two night residency on November 4th and 5th, this will represent a big moment in their career trajectory, much as it has done for many bands to have rocked up at the tent with its inconsistent acoustics.
For the band here before the Vegassians, their first show of their current residency also represents their first visit to this corner of London. But its safe to say U2's career trajectory has taken them to bigger steps than their six night residency here.
The band's last full tour concert in the UK's capital was in August 2009, when they packed a record-breaking crowd into Wembley Stadium to gawp at their stadium-dwarfing 360 Claw. Here, the toys on display when the crowd arrives - no thanks to technical difficulties that meant people were still getting in after the show started - are seen as a two-sided video wall, and a solitary light-bulb.
A dash before 8pm, the show begins when Bono comes out the back of the venue and onto the smaller stage in the middle of the O2, where he applauds the crowd before chanting the opening "wooahoh" that opens The Miracle (of Joey Ramone) to a piano backing.
The rest of the band then pile in, but in truth, the song lacks a certain power as a concert opener. While some could call it fatigue of the band's comically hated Songs of Innocence and its controversial launch, the song doesn't exactly sparkle.
But before fears could be the band has lost their live chops, they then go for it. A rousing rendition of 1980's The Electric Co then gives way to a rousing Vertigo, and then that itself leads straight into the band's rousing early single I Will Follow.
That is certainly much more like it. But the show then takes a curious turn for the autobiographical through the new stuff. It could well be the case that for a band now some 39 years into their career, some would take them as a toilet break, but the tracks introduce an impressive dimension to the gig.
In many respects, the songs soon turn into confessional therapy for the band's frontman. The soaring Iris (Hold Me Close) sees the video wall flicker on with home movies of Bono's long-lost mother, who died when he was 14, while following track Cedarwood Road brings out the show-stopper moment, as Bono climbs inside the video wall and walks down an animated recreation of his home street.
The trend continues, with Song for Someone showing an animation of an 18-year-old Bono trying to write music. But what's more striking is the fact that despite the hit-and-miss nature of the record, the new songs sound very much alive in the gigantic canvas tent - quite an achievement given the nature of the room.
The detour to something of U2's older hits is a stripped down Sunday Bloody Sunday, which sees The Edge's guitar shorn of its usual effects pedals, and Larry Mullen Jr emerge from his kit to tap away on a lap-snare on the runway in the middle of the stadium. But the end is the most striking part, given it ends in '70s radio broadcasts and the almighty sounds of a car exploding.
This cascades into a pulsing Raised by Wolves, which end in cries to bring to justice the perpetrators of the 1974 Dublin bombing. It then heads into a titanic rendition of Until the End of the World, which sees trickery with the screen as Edge stands inside it, before it ends in cartoon waves while pages of books fall from the sky above the moshpit.
Screen trickery continues, as after an intermission video recalling the Zoo TV days synced to a remix of The Fly, the band re-emerge inside Berlin Wall styled-graphics to perform first Invisible and then the first half of Even Better Than The Real Thing.
The second half of the funked-up monster sees the band move to the smaller stage en masse, where they continue through a punchy one-two of Mysterious Ways and Elevation. The latter two see an audience member bought on stage, first to dance, and then to hold a phone to live stream the second song on Meerkat.
But much more stripped away to good affect is a very nice rendition of Every Breaking Wave, with just piano and vocals. This cascades into a section on the current crises on Europe's borders, which takes in sombre drone footage of deserted and destroyed Syrian cities during October, footage of refugees, extremists, and protests in a powerful Bullet the Blue Sky, and a sombre stripped-down Zooropa, which gives poignant synth backing to the song's lyrics of uncertainty.
While Bullet... is mainly dominated by the song's still relevant anti-war rant being replaced by an argument between 19-year-old Bono and the millionaire he grew into, the section does make some form of narrative sense. It particularly rings true when the sombre synths and cries of "what do you want?" segue into the classic Where the Streets Have No Name, and a still-enormous Pride (in the Name of Love).
In many respects, despite an initial misstep, the band's performance demonstrated that nearly some four decades on from when they first started playing music, the band's style still works. Mullen's drum work retains its tribal power, while Adam Clayton - very much U2's under-the-radar man - provides a titanic wall of bass that sweeps all before it, and the Edge's continuous attention to detail sees him ring out guitar lines with a simple but well-harnessed power.
Sure, the show ends a little anti-climactically in the form of a rendition of One used more as audience karaoke than traditional show-stopper. And there's a long long list of omissions that would've made the show better, although such is the catalogue they amassed that U2 can omit Bad, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, Running to Stand Still, Desire, Out of Control, Love is Blindness, and pretty much everything between 1991 and 2000.
But at the heart of it, U2 remain an excellent proposition live, and one that can even make a space like the O2 feel for 2 and a quarter hours like the venue its proprietors think it is. Indeed, with six nights here as part of their UK tour, the band is certainly doing well at reminding people of its powers, albeit this time with their permission.
4/5
Indeed, when Las Vegas band Imagine Dragons turn up for a two night residency on November 4th and 5th, this will represent a big moment in their career trajectory, much as it has done for many bands to have rocked up at the tent with its inconsistent acoustics.
For the band here before the Vegassians, their first show of their current residency also represents their first visit to this corner of London. But its safe to say U2's career trajectory has taken them to bigger steps than their six night residency here.
The band's last full tour concert in the UK's capital was in August 2009, when they packed a record-breaking crowd into Wembley Stadium to gawp at their stadium-dwarfing 360 Claw. Here, the toys on display when the crowd arrives - no thanks to technical difficulties that meant people were still getting in after the show started - are seen as a two-sided video wall, and a solitary light-bulb.
A dash before 8pm, the show begins when Bono comes out the back of the venue and onto the smaller stage in the middle of the O2, where he applauds the crowd before chanting the opening "wooahoh" that opens The Miracle (of Joey Ramone) to a piano backing.
The rest of the band then pile in, but in truth, the song lacks a certain power as a concert opener. While some could call it fatigue of the band's comically hated Songs of Innocence and its controversial launch, the song doesn't exactly sparkle.
But before fears could be the band has lost their live chops, they then go for it. A rousing rendition of 1980's The Electric Co then gives way to a rousing Vertigo, and then that itself leads straight into the band's rousing early single I Will Follow.
That is certainly much more like it. But the show then takes a curious turn for the autobiographical through the new stuff. It could well be the case that for a band now some 39 years into their career, some would take them as a toilet break, but the tracks introduce an impressive dimension to the gig.
In many respects, the songs soon turn into confessional therapy for the band's frontman. The soaring Iris (Hold Me Close) sees the video wall flicker on with home movies of Bono's long-lost mother, who died when he was 14, while following track Cedarwood Road brings out the show-stopper moment, as Bono climbs inside the video wall and walks down an animated recreation of his home street.
The trend continues, with Song for Someone showing an animation of an 18-year-old Bono trying to write music. But what's more striking is the fact that despite the hit-and-miss nature of the record, the new songs sound very much alive in the gigantic canvas tent - quite an achievement given the nature of the room.
The detour to something of U2's older hits is a stripped down Sunday Bloody Sunday, which sees The Edge's guitar shorn of its usual effects pedals, and Larry Mullen Jr emerge from his kit to tap away on a lap-snare on the runway in the middle of the stadium. But the end is the most striking part, given it ends in '70s radio broadcasts and the almighty sounds of a car exploding.
This cascades into a pulsing Raised by Wolves, which end in cries to bring to justice the perpetrators of the 1974 Dublin bombing. It then heads into a titanic rendition of Until the End of the World, which sees trickery with the screen as Edge stands inside it, before it ends in cartoon waves while pages of books fall from the sky above the moshpit.
Screen trickery continues, as after an intermission video recalling the Zoo TV days synced to a remix of The Fly, the band re-emerge inside Berlin Wall styled-graphics to perform first Invisible and then the first half of Even Better Than The Real Thing.
The second half of the funked-up monster sees the band move to the smaller stage en masse, where they continue through a punchy one-two of Mysterious Ways and Elevation. The latter two see an audience member bought on stage, first to dance, and then to hold a phone to live stream the second song on Meerkat.
But much more stripped away to good affect is a very nice rendition of Every Breaking Wave, with just piano and vocals. This cascades into a section on the current crises on Europe's borders, which takes in sombre drone footage of deserted and destroyed Syrian cities during October, footage of refugees, extremists, and protests in a powerful Bullet the Blue Sky, and a sombre stripped-down Zooropa, which gives poignant synth backing to the song's lyrics of uncertainty.
While Bullet... is mainly dominated by the song's still relevant anti-war rant being replaced by an argument between 19-year-old Bono and the millionaire he grew into, the section does make some form of narrative sense. It particularly rings true when the sombre synths and cries of "what do you want?" segue into the classic Where the Streets Have No Name, and a still-enormous Pride (in the Name of Love).
In many respects, despite an initial misstep, the band's performance demonstrated that nearly some four decades on from when they first started playing music, the band's style still works. Mullen's drum work retains its tribal power, while Adam Clayton - very much U2's under-the-radar man - provides a titanic wall of bass that sweeps all before it, and the Edge's continuous attention to detail sees him ring out guitar lines with a simple but well-harnessed power.
Sure, the show ends a little anti-climactically in the form of a rendition of One used more as audience karaoke than traditional show-stopper. And there's a long long list of omissions that would've made the show better, although such is the catalogue they amassed that U2 can omit Bad, I Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For, Running to Stand Still, Desire, Out of Control, Love is Blindness, and pretty much everything between 1991 and 2000.
But at the heart of it, U2 remain an excellent proposition live, and one that can even make a space like the O2 feel for 2 and a quarter hours like the venue its proprietors think it is. Indeed, with six nights here as part of their UK tour, the band is certainly doing well at reminding people of its powers, albeit this time with their permission.
4/5
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