It's been a good season for...
The Promoted Sides
Newcastle enjoyed their return to the division, finishing 10th in a fine season under Rafa Benitez. The Magpies never looked in danger this season and will be hoping to improve and possibly challenge for a Europa League place next season under their established manager. Newcomers Brighton and Huddersfield both survived, the experienced Chris Hughton guiding the Seagulls to a 15th-placed finish and David Wagner managing 16th in his debut Premier League campaign. The priority for those two next season will be to survive the tricky second season and show the Premier League that they are there to stay.
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Burnley
Sean Dyche was a strong contender to win Manager of the Season and it's easy to see why. Burnley finished 7th and will play Europa League football which is a stunning achievement. Turf Moor is now one of the toughest places to visit in the league, with the Clarets so disciplined and organised both home and away. They finished nine places higher and fourteen points better off than in 2016/17, and should be able to attract some really good players this summer with European football to offer.
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Roy Hodgson
Another Manager of the Season contender, for me. The former England manager took over at Palace after Frank de Boer was sacked after losing his first five games without scoring a single goal. Hodgson rejuvenated the likes of Wilfried Zaha and the Eagles ended up finishing 11th, eleven points clear of relegation. It's hard not to be pleased for Hodsgon, whose reputation took a knock after England's poor exit to Iceland at Euro 2016, his previous job in the game.
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But a bad one for...
The Relegated Sides
It was a surprise to the trio of West Brom, Stoke and Swansea relegated this season. West Brom finished bottom after a poor start under Tony Pulis and a dreadful run under Alan Pardew, before Darren Moore's appointment. He did well, but it was always too little too late to keep the Baggies up and their eight-year stay in the top flight is over. Stoke struggled under Mark Hughes and never really improved under Paul Lambert, finishing 19th and returning to the Championship after ten straight Premier League season. Finally, Swansea left the Premier League after seven seasons after Paul Clement and Carlos Carvahal both failed to pick up consistent results.
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Chelsea
The Blues started the season as Champions, but a 3-2 opening day defeat at home to Burnley set the tempo for the season. There was rumoured unrest between Antonio Conte and both the owners and players at Chelsea which resulted in a 5th-placed finish and a failure to qualify for the Champions League. It could be another tough season for the Stamford Bridge club with a long Europa League campaign likely, and it looks as though they will have to find themselves another manager this summer.
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Experienced British Managers
The reputation of some of Britain's journeymen managers has been tarnished this season. Sam Allardyce took over at Everton but was dismissed at the end of the season and it was the same story for David Moyes at West Ham. Alan Pardew had a shocking spell at West Brom and Paul Lambert was appointed at Stoke but failed to keep them up and subsequently lost his job. It means that more clubs are going to be looking at foreign managers, with Everton reportedly keen on Marco Silva and West Ham already appointing former Manchester City manager Manuel Pellegrini. Some of those mentioned above may have to look at jobs in the Championship next season if they want to remain in the game, like Tony Pulis has done at Middlesbrough.
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