Midway Report: The Sam Awards

By: Sam | December 27th, 2006

At the end of 2006, it’s of course the time to look back and comment on the issues that touched the soccer world. This year, this includes headbutts, diving and the rise of the Kazakhstani soccer dynasty.

My good pal Laurie at WBC provided her readers with her proposed gifts to members of the French national team, and now I’ll do something similar with the teams of my beloved Ligue 1. And in typical award-ceremony fashion, I’ll be releasing only the candidates.

Sam’s Excellence Award for the best all-around team is a no-brainer of sorts, but you gotta respect the format.
1. Lyon, demolishing everything in their passage this year with an array of explosive players providing spectacle as well as results.
2.Lens, putting up a very decent campaign so far, are second behind Lyon and are racking up the results lately.
3. Sochaux, the team that no one expected to do anything, is turning heads, with a fantastic young team that sits in third during the break.

The Nutmeg Award, that I am giving away to the most exciting team, is closer than you would expect. Here they are:
1. Saint-Étienne, having a knack of scoring goals, and spectacular ones at that, have a well-deserved following in part because of their fast-paced, exciting play
2. Lyon, as I have said before, treat the supporter to a show of talent from everywhere in the world. One word: Juninho.
3. Marseille, one of the oldest and best-known clubs in the country, continue in their rich tradition of delivering an unequaled energy on the pitch as well as in the stands.

The Whoa. What? Award is aptly named to be given to the team that provided the biggest surprise since the beginning of the campaign.
1. Nancy, who are seventh but deserve better, are performing magic in the UEFA Cup, and are going strong against all odds.
2. Sochaux, who finished a dismal fifteenth last year, are shutting everyone up with their stellar play that has earned them Champions League status so far as third place holders.
3. Saint-Étienne, who capped off a pathetic season last time around, came back on track in dramatic fashion, and are now fourth.

The Tsk Tsk Award goes to the team that has dissapointed many a critic, and more importantly, me.
1. Monaco, seriously, should be doing better than fifteenth. When you’re a club with this much history, that’s a pretty horrible place to be.
2. Sedan, who came up from Ligue 2 after a superb season in the lower tier, sit in the basement with only two wins to their name.
3. Paris Saint-Germain, the second richest club in the country, are achieving grossly unsatisfactory results on the pitch and are in sixteenth place, and that’s ON the pitch.

And now, for the individual awards.

The Dude, you rock Award is the most talked-about thing in the country right now, so here are the worthy:
1. Mickaël Pagis, Marseille’s prized ageless striker is in the league lead for goals, most of them scored via beautiful strikes. Thirty-three years old? Whatever.
2. Juninho, Lyon’s free-kick maestro, is enjoying the best season of his career so far, and has the results to prove it. Thirty-one himself, he really doesn’t act his age.
3. Ismaël Bangoura, Le Mans’ gem, came out of nowhere to score eight goals, enough to earn him third spot in the goal-scoring table.

The Keeping it Clean Award, that I give to the best keeper, goes a little like this:
1. Cédric Carrasso, Marseille’s heir to the goal after Barthez ~~retired~~, has proven he is more than equal to the task.
2. Grégory Coupet, Lyon’s oh-so-reliable backstop, has powered his side to somewhat more than acceptable results defensively.
3. Gennaro Bracigliano, Nancy’s quiet but effective last defender, has earned the league’s second best goals against average, and is putting it to good use.

And for the last and not least, the I Can’t Hear You Award, for the best stadium France has to offer.
1. Saint-Étienne’s Stade Geoffroy-Guichard continues in it’s tradition of fun and noise-loving spectators who never dissapoint on game day.
2. Lens’ Stade Felix-Bollaert, which can accomodate all of the northern town in which RCL plays, offers atmosphere by the bucketful.
3. Marseille’s Stade Vélodrome, the biggest club stadium, never shuts up, and has gained the undisputed reputation as having the best fans and the biggest turnouts.