WITH THE end of year awards season in full flight, what better time than to hand out alternative gongs to recognise the good, the bad and the downright ugly of sport over the past 12 months, okay probably more of the bad and ugly than good but them's the breaks.

Having just watched Tony McCoy deservedly lift the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award and with fellow Northern Irishman Graeme McDowell likely to follow suit by claiming the RTE version 'Inside Right' will take a more sideways view at the sporting year and dish out some prizes with a difference.

THE STUBBORN OLD MULE AWARD

This one is easy - Giovanni Trapattoni wins by a country mile.

Rarely, if ever, has there been a manager so totally and utterly set in his ways.

He'll pick the same team and set them up the same way, regardless of form or talent.

Seamus Coleman and any other young talents plying their trade across the water probably already know they could be crowned Premier League player of the year and still find themselves frozen out on the sideline in the Irish setup.

If you don't suit the system, you're surplus to requirements, simple as that. THE ARROGANT ASS OF THE YEAR

There's only one contender for this crown - Mr Big Head himself, Jose Mourinho.

The self-proclaimed Special One gave himself a modest 11 out of ten for his performance as a manager over the past 12 months, having led Inter Milan to an historic treble before making the switch to the Bernabeu.

Thankfully Pep Guardiola and his Barcelona dream team wiped the smug grin off his face with a 5-0 mauling of Real Madrid recently and it's unlikely Mourinho will have the last laugh at the business end of the season, although he'll no doubt tell you otherwise. FANTASISTS OF THE YEAR

During every World Cup or European Championship year there's runaway winners in this category - the over-thetop English media.

They build up England's chances of getting their hands on the big prize to beyond boiling point, with their unrealistically high expectations having no basis whatsoever in reality.

Of course the minute there's a scapegoat to be found, they turn on him like a rabid beast.

The unfortunate Robert Green got it with both barrels this time around, following in the footsteps of Batty, Beckham, Southgate and a host of others. When will they ever learn? THE PANTOMIME VILLAIN

Luis Suarez ended the hopes of a continent with his antics in the World Cup in South Africa.

The Uruguayan cheat halted Ghana's bid to be the first African team to reach the last four of the World Cup when he blatantly handled on the line in the dying seconds of extra-time in the quarter-final.

Although on a positive note yours truly did get Uruguay in the office sweep and a top four finish in the tournament did bring the promise of filthy lucre. Every cloud and all that. DIRTIEST DEMONS OF THE YEAR

This one goes to the entire Dutch football squad for their appalling approach to the World Cup final.

Nigel de Jong and his partners in crime tried to bully their way to the game's biggest prize but thankfully the diminutive Andres Iniesta scuppered their plans and won the trophy for football artisans Spain. He's our undisputed hero of the year. THE SHOWER OF SHITES AWARD

Newcastle United football club take this one hands down. Their fanatical fans deserve so much better.

The Toon Army are undoubtedly one of the greatest and most loyal bunch of supporters out there, but the club are continually the laughing stock of the football world.

Getting rid of the affable Chris Hughton in mid-season was bad enough but to replace him with Alan bloody Pardew was just pure madness. And to top it all off they gave him a five and a half year deal - we all know they'll have at least half a dozen managers in that timeframe. GREEDY B**STARD OF THE YEAR

Rooney or Tevez? The money-grabbing strikers finish in a dead heat. THE PATTING OURSELVES ON THE BACK AWARD

All our major sporting bodies can share this one, but the media can accept the award.

When rugby and soccer was being played in Croke Park it was cringe-worthy to hear sports reporters asking visiting managers what they thought of our wonderful stadium, as if they'd never visited a state-of-the-art ground.

Visiting teams have been to the likes of the Emirates or the breathtaking Allianz Arena in Munich, so they're hardly going to be blown away by the three-sided Croke Park.

Admittedly the atmosphere at GAA headquarters on All-Ireland day is pure class, but why do we always seem to need a morale-boosting pat on the back, telling us what a great stadium we have, how friendly we all are, and what a great little country Ireland is. BIGGEST HYPOCRITES AWARD

While we're on the subject of 'outside' games in Croke Park, the GAA definitely deserve the hypocrites' tag.

It's alright when they're raking in millions from the FAI or IRFU but if a club want to make a bob out of renting out their facilities they get their knuckles rapped.

Surely sporting bodies should be helping each other out and showing goodwill in these difficult times. It's time for the GAA to grow up. OVERUSED PHRASE OF THE YEAR

It has to be the 'drive for five'. Thankfully Kilkenny were ousted by Tipp, if not we'd be now hearing that they're 'in the mix for six' of some other such tiresome tagline. Come to think of it, there's a few other things that rhyme with six that naysayers could have labelled the previously all-conquering Cats. DISAPPOINTMENT OF THE YEAR

After the Grand Slam heroics of the previous year it looked like we would at least salvage something from the 2010 Six Nations campaign with a Triple Crown success.

All we had to do was beat a limited Scotland team, after all.

However, things didn't go as planned and Dan Parks kicked Scotland to a 2320 win, which saw them avoid the wooden spoon, on a bitterly disappointing day for Ireland. THE RAY CHARLES AWARD

The award goes to a man who missed the blindingly obvious - none other than referee Martin Sludden.

The man in the middle robbed Louth of their first Leinster title in 50 years by allowing Joe Sheridan's goal to stand when he blatantly threw the ball over the goal-line. Sheer daylight robbery!

- DAVE DEVEREUX