Anna's Bolton Wanderers Player of the Year

It's probably no surprise to any of you that I picked Tim Ream as my player of the year about....9 months ago (you think I'm kidding? Go look at my old posts). Back then, Ream hadn't won over many hearts and the general consensus was that he'd never be a vital part of our defense for many reasons, one of them being that as an MLS product, he just wasn't up to par to play in a league with his global counterparts. In his defense, he was being utilized at the wrong position and I felt, and still do feel, that it hindered his ability to play quite a lot so I stuck with him because you know, gut feeling.

I don't have to recap his performance for you (I mean, I could in one word: divine) but I'd be lying to myself if I overlooked the mistakes he did make this season. To be fair, though, I don't think that the minuscule amount of mistakes he made should overshadow the versatility he showed when we needed him after Marc Tierney's injury nor should it negate the way he's grown as a player on the pitch. His presence went from causing panic to giving reassurance and relief. With Ream in the back four, things became safe (or at least, safer). No more were the days of Zat Knight hoofing it into our own goal or aiding the other team in scoring; with Ream, our defense improved and the change was noticeable.

What's most important though is that Ream has been nothing but consistent all season long. In a season where nothing has made sense, it was so damn refreshing to know that at least something would go our way a majority of the time. I know that some of you are already thinking that I'm too biased to admit that there were some games where our defense was missing or where Ream made too many mistakes that cost us at least a point, but football is never 100%, is it?

Biased? Maybe.

But how could you pick anyone OTHER than Tim Ream?!