Team of the Season!

Congratulations are due to Adrian Walshe of Dublin, who has claimed our fabulous £120,000 first prize for finishing top of the You The Manager 2006/07 leaderboard. Adrian's team amassed an enormous 1458 points. But don't be put off entering next season's competition - the winner's score is mighty impressive but is, as usual, far from unbeatable.

What was the overall dream team for this You The Manager this season? Read on to find out!


Goalkeeper

Pepe Reina - £5.5 million - 123 points

The prematurely balding Spaniard enjoyed another remarkably consistent season between the sticks at Anfield. Though thieves recently stole his grey Porsche, among other valuables, not many Premiership strikers were able to plunder anything from him this season, as Pepe collected clean sheets in 19 of his 35 appearances.


Defenders

Matt Taylor - £5.0 million - 131 points

Portsmouth's former Luton Town man makes a habit of scoring spectacular goals, and this season has been no exception. Proving that last season's wonder-goal against Sunderland was no fluke, Taylor notched a stunning 45 yarder against Everton. Taylor scored eight Premiership goals, leading defenders in this category and easily outstripping Chelsea's £31 million striker Andrei Shevchenko. Then again, cynics may observe that Carlos Bocanegra scored more Premiership goals than did Shevchenko.

Jamie Carragher - £6.5 million - 112 points

Speaking of goalscoring superstar heroes, here's Jamie Carragher. This season's home tie against Fulham saw Jamie score his first league goal since early 1999, but, as you might expect, the Liverpool stopper led the league in clean sheets, with 19.

Daniel Agger - £3.5 million - 103 points

One of the hardest tasks facing Rafa Benitez was finding a replacement for the evergreen Sami Hyypia. In Daniel Agger, he has found a worthy successor. In 23 starts for the Reds, Agger claimed an amazing 15 clean sheets, while his cannon of a left foot brought two crucial goals. Agger has fully justified his tag as Liverpool's most expensive defensive purchase of all time.

Nickey Shorey - £2.0 million - 87 points

Few outside Reading knew his name prior to the start of this season, but the former Leyton Orient man is now on the verge of the full England squad. Shorey has appeared in all four divisions in England, but does not look out of place in the top flight. He amassed 13 clean sheets, a goal and a very impressive 7 KCs. One thing's for sure, he will not be priced at £2.0m in next season's game!

Midfielders

Cristiano Ronaldo - £7.0 million - 212 points

You The Manager's player of the season, Cristiano defied all of his critics to emerge as a true superstar of the English game. His stunning stats include 17 goals, 17 KCs and 13 clean sheets - there was just no competing with him this year, especially now that he has been given penalty taking duties at Old Trafford.

Frank Lampard - £9.0 million - 182 points

Frank Lampard junior - the only senior member of the England squad to attend private school - has had another good season in goalscoring terms, with 11 in the Premiership alone. His 13 KCs also contributed to his massive points total, and few could deny that Jodie Marsh's former classmate has shrugged off a disappointing World Cup to re-establish himself as a major Premiership force.

Mikel Arteta - £5.0 million - 156 points

The second Spaniard in our line-up, Mikel has had a stunning season under David Moyes at Everton. The former Rangers and Real Sociedad man has become the creative force that drives the blue half of Merseyside, and his 9 goals and 14 KCs pushed him ahead of Liverpool rival Steven Gerrard in the race for a spot in the You The Manager dream team.

Strikers

Didier Drogba - £7.5 million - 147 points

Ah, Didier. Overcoming all sorts of hurdles, not least his unusually low pain threshold, the powerful Ivorian has established himself as the Premiership's leading target man. Top-scoring with 20 league goals, he was voted runner-up in the Player of the Year vote. If he can avoid collecting so many yellow cards next time around, Drogba could make himself a must have for You The Manager participants next season.

Benni McCarthy - £5.0 million - 138 points

Perhaps the canniest buy of the pre-season, Benni Mac has rewarded the faith of manager Mark Hughes by converting a stunning 18 goals, trailing only Drogba in the race for the golden boot. If he remains at Ewood Park next season, he must be a real contender for that prize again next season, but rumours are circling already that some of Europe's top teams may be eyeing the Ewood Park hitman.

Gabriel Agbonlahor - £2.5 million - 121 points

A relative unknown at the start of the season, young Gabriel's nine league goals have drawn him to national attention. Born to a Nigerian father and a Scottish mother, Agbonlahor's next stop could be the full England team. At just £2.5 million, he proved terrific value for thousands of our Fantasy Managers, and should certainly be one to watch next season, as both he and his team, Aston Villa, ended the season in fine form.


The dream team came in comfortably under budget, at £58.5 million, and accrued a total of 1512 points. Without making a single transfer, this team would have topped our leaderboard by a huge margin. So, don't be daunted by the impressive form of the managers at the top of the You The Manager leaderboard - it's clear that our fabulous top prize is well within reach of any manager who is prepared to study the form, hope for that crucial luck with injuries and suspensions, and take a few well-calculated risks!