And finally… Headmaster Sav has been compiling his end-of-term reports for Premier League pupils, and some will be feeling the swish of his cane.
Manchester United and Southampton, see me in the detention room; Liverpool, Newcastle and Crystal Palace, go to the top of the class.
Here are my scores out of 10 for each club overall in the 2024-25 campaign, in the order they finished, with my pre-season prediction for comparison.
Thank you for all your comments and social media interaction, and have a great summer.
1 LIVERPOOL: 9/10Phenomenal first season for Arne Slot in the Premier League, winning the title at his first attempt as Jurgen Klopp’s successor, and yet it could have been even better.
I wonder if he regrets that under-strength side at Plymouth in the FA Cup, poor performance in the Carabao Cup final or the agonising Champions League penalty shoot-out with Paris Saint-Germain.
Sav predicted: 5th
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2 ARSENAL: 5/10Five years without a trophy or a cup final, fewer points than last season, and they failed to buy a centre-forward when everyone knew they were crying out for one.
A huge missed opportunity when Man City were off the pace in the title race. Massive season ahead for Mikel Arteta.
Sav predicted: 2nd
3 MANCHESTER CITY: 4/10From four titles in a row to no trophies and scrambling to finish in the top five on the last day of term.
A season best forgotten, especially the awful Champions League blow-out - but I make them favourites to be back at No.1 next year.
Sav predicted: Champions
4 CHELSEA: 9/10A trophy, a return to Champions League orbit and the Grand Slam of winning every trophy in Europe. Job done - now can Enzo Maresca build on it?
And with respect, I’m not sure you’d hear Real Madrid bragging about winning the Europa Conference League.
Sav predicted: 4th
5 NEWCASTLE: 9/10No wonder Eddie Howe has been given the freedom of the city. He ended the Toon’s 56-year wait for a trophy and he did it the hard way - beating Chelsea, Brentford, Arsenal and Liverpool. Qualifying for the Champions League was the icing on the cake.
Sav predicted: 9th
6 ASTON VILLA: 7/10Nearly an unbelievable season, but in the end Unai Emery is back in the Europa League next season - a competition he’s won four times already.
Great run in the Champions League and a poor decision at Old Trafford on the final day may have denied them an encore.
Sav predicted: 8th
7 NOTTINGHAM FOREST: 8/10They went from a points deduction and desperate relegation battle to the brink of the Champions League in 12 months.
Yes, they had to settle for the UEFA Conference League in the end, but Nuno Espirito Santo’s side gave fans a great run for their money.
Sav predicted: 15th
8 BRIGHTON: 7.5/10Missed out on European football by a whisker, and it looks like striker Joao Pedro could be leaving the Amex.
But plenty of promise in Fabian Hurzeler’s first season. And only four clubs scored more goals than the Seagulls.
Sav predicted: 14th
9 BOURNEMOUTH: 7.5/10A top-half finish and Andoni Iraola won deserved plaudits for their dynamic football, especially taking Newcastle apart on their own patch and home wins against Arsenal and Manchester City. But losing Dean Huijsen and Milos Kerkez at the back will hurt them.
Sav predicted: 16th
10 BRENTFORD: 7/10They will do well to keep arguably the best front three outside the top six - Bryan Mbeumo, Yoane Wissa and Kevin Schade - together.
But they made light of losing Ivan Toney last summer and the Bees’ recruitment is exceptional. Keeping hold of manager Thomas Frank is imperative.
Sav predicted: 13th
11 FULHAM: 6.5/10Nearly, but not quite. They threatened to break into the top six or win the FA Cup but fell short.
As long as Marco Silva stays in charge at Craven Cottage, they will be safe - but they need to break through that glass ceiling.
Sav predicted: 12th
12 CRYSTAL PALACE: 9/10
Generations of fans will always remember winning the FA Cup, the first trophy in the club’s history, a fantastic achievement.
The front three of Eberechi Eze, Jean-Philippe Mateta and Ismaila Sarr may prove too hot to handle but they will have fun in Europe.
Sav predicted: 11th
13 EVERTON: 7/10Exciting times for the Toffees, who move into their new stadium in August with the cycle of annual relegation battles broken by David Moyes’ return to the club. They will miss Goodison Park’s history but the blue half of Merseyside is ready to roar again.
Sav predicted: 10th
14 WEST HAM: 4/10A wasted season. They were never in danger of going down - but never in danger of winning a cup or getting into Europe. Spent big after appointing Julen Lopetegui last summer and had nothing to show for it. Must do better.
Sav predicted: 7th
15 MANCHESTER UNITED: 1/10Worst Premier League season in their history, no trophies, terrible performance in the Europa League final.
One of the biggest budgets in Europe but won only 11 of 38 league games. Nobody could have dreamed it would be as bad as this. Ruben Amorim needs a total rebuild.
Sav predicted: 3rd
16 WOLVES: 5/10Before Vitor Pereira came in, they were in big trouble and shipping goals for fun. But he strung together six wins in a row and won the hearts of fans by celebrating with them in the pub. Matheus Cunha is off to United, so that’s a big piece of the jigsaw to replace.
Sav predicted: 17th
17 TOTTENHAM: 6/10Absolutely dreadful in the league, where they lost 22 games, but Ange Postecoglou won Spurs’ first trophy in 17 years - even if it was in a competition where they were among the favourites from the outset. If his remit was Champions League football, he’s delivered.
Sav predicted: 6th
18 LEICESTER: 2/10I thought they would go down, so it’s no surprise they are back in the Championship. But sacking Steve Cooper made little sense and to go five months without even scoring a goal or winning a single point at home was diabolical.
Sav predicted: 18th
19 IPSWICH: 3/10
Again, no surprise that they went down - but the Tractor Boys were one of the biggest spenders in Europe last summer (£120 million) and I expected them to put up more of a fight than just six points from the last available 54.
Sav predicted: 19th
20 SOUTHAMPTON: 1/10Sorry, but Saints were pathetic. If they hadn’t beaten Derby’s record low of 11 points I would have given them a big fat zero marks, but they managed to beat the Rams’ low-water mark in 2008 by a single point.
Sav predicted: 20th
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