The RTG/ALS End of season poll

The results are in and well as expected it ain't pretty reading ...

Welcome to the 2002-03 ALS/RTG Poll. You have voted in your thousands this year, making your feelings known on the players, the club and the way it is run. As is traditional, we have compiled the results starting with the biggest prize of best player. It’s taken a team of dedicated vote-counters the best part of their summer to tot up all your responses, but the results are in and here they are…

Best Player
1st Jody Craddock, 29%
2nd Sean Thornton, 21%
3rd Claudio Reyna, 11%

Worst Player
1st Tore Andre Flo, 39%
2nd Phil Babb, 27%
3rd Stephen Wright, 13%

Best Young Player
1st Sean Thornton, 68%
2nd Michael Proctor, 11%
3rd George McCartney, 4%

Favourite Player
1st Jody Craddock, 31%
2nd Julio Arca, 24%
3rd Thomas Sorensen, 11%

Least Favourite Player
1st David Bellion, 41%
2nd Kevin Kilbane, 26%
3rd Phil Babb, 9%

Most Improved Player
1st Michael Proctor, 29%
2nd Kevin Kilbane, 8%
3rd Kevin Kyle, 4%

Top Man of the Season
1st Jurgen Macho, 39%
2nd Sean Thornton, 24%
3rd Darren William, 17%

Bastard of the Season
1st Bob Murray, 35%
2nd Peter Reid, 26%
3rd Howard Wilkinson, 18%

Coolest Player
1st Sean Thornton, 37%
2nd Emerson Thome, 19%
3rd Kevin Phillips, 15%

Hardest Player
1st Gavin McCann, 29%
2nd Joachim Bjorklund, 23%
3rd Marcus Stewart, 14%

Best Haircut
1st Sean Thornton, 44%
2nd Stanislav Varga, 9%
3rd Mick McCarthy, 2%

Best Signing
1st Sean Thornton, 31%
2nd Kevin Ball (as coach), 29%
3rd Talal El Karkouri, 2%

Worst Signing
1st Tore Andre Flo, 44%
2nd Matt Piper, 23%
3rd Phil Babb, 21%

Murray – Should he stay or should he go?
Go: 87%
Stay for definite: 4%
Stay ‘cos there seems to be nobody to replace him: 9%

Phillips – Flog him or Keep him?
Flog him: 47%
Keep him:53%

Least Positive Aspect of the Season?
Too many various gripes to list as percentages, but people seem pissed off with the fact the we are the Premiership’s worst ever team, scored the fewest goals and won so few points. The appointment of Wilkinson in October figures highly, as do the derby defeats. The complete lack of commitment and desire from players. The worst Sunderland team in many people’s living memories. We are not, it is fair to say, a happy bunch right now.

Who is to blame?
1: The players: 42%
2: Bob and the Board: 38%
3: Reid: 20%

Marks out of ten for…
The Board: 1.2 (average)
Reid: 1.7
Wilkinson: 2.4
McCarthy: 3.8

Will you be renewing your season ticket?
Yes: 65%
No: 35%

Will we get promoted?
Definitely: 34%
No way: 39%
Don’t know: 27%

Goal of the Season
1st: Thornton v. Chelsea, 71%
2nd: Bellion v. Villa, 15%
3rd: McCann v. Blackburn, FA Cup, 6%

Most positive aspect of the season?
The vast majority of you were to numbed by relegation to contemplate this category, but the performance in the Scum game at the SoL was mentioned, as was the emergence of young talent like Thornton, Proctor et al. Plenty were just relieved it was all over.

Is McCarthy the man for the job?
Yes: 66%
No: 20%
Too early to tell: 14%

Another year passes and another poll is put to bed. All we can hope is that we have something a little sweeter to reflect on in nine months time.

Compiled by Andy Walker.