Manchester United

Frustrating. We’ve squandered leads and points, but the team is vastly improved since Mourinho took over. We’re slowly returning to the attractive football the fans yearn. At times the team can appear one-paced, and really needs the infectious, direct positivity of Mkhitaryan. Rooney and Mata shouldn’t be starting as wide attackers, at least not together, but Pogba and Zlatan have developed a good understanding and combined well at Palace. They are our star players and it’s that sort of thing we should be seeing every game. 6/10

Stars and flops Bailly has been outstanding, steadying a vulnerable defence, and Mkhitaryan has found his form after a tough start. On the other hand, Fellaini has once again shown the pace of the game is too quick for his ambling and clumsy style. Mourinho is the third manager to persevere with him but I expect he’ll go in January.

Happy with the manager? We’re still in transition: it’ll take another couple of transfer windows before he gets his team right. He has cut a forlorn figure on the sidelines at times, but most fans can see the football is better and the team is stronger now than any of the sides since Fergie retired. But our regular inability to defend a lead has to be solved. Personally, I think José will get it right. He has given players like Herrera more freedom and the team looks like it’s going to click. 7/10

2016 has been a grim year. But which football moment made you smile? Who could you forget Alan Pardew dancing at Wembley? His euphoria lasted all of two minutes, but the memory will live on for ever.

– Shaun O’Donnell Observer reader

Middlesbrough

Adam Forshaw: stepped out of the shadows. Photograph: Huw Evans/Rex/Shutterstock

It’s been a tough and testing return to the top flight. Last week’s 3-0 stuffing by Liverpool was sobering; up until then I was fairly satisfied that we were competing with everyone. Arsenal, Man City and Chelsea all found us difficult to break down. Our big problem has been scoring, and that has to be fixed. 6/10

Stars and flops Adam Forshaw has been superb, stepping out of the shadows to become our creative hub and livewire in midfield. He was even mentioned as an England prospect, and centre-half Ben Gibson can’t be far off a call-up, too. Ben, our homegrown local hero, continues to progress and now has the confidence to boss our defence and lead the team in the battle for survival.

Happy with the manager? When you’re struggling at the wrong end your manager is bound to receive some stick. There are many that knock him for his negativity and his struggle to be proactive or react to change in games. Yet we’ve achieved so much under Karanka and everyone is learning together in our first term in the top flight. You get nowhere by being trigger-happy with the manager. In Aitor we trust: he brought us back to the Premier promised land, and can keep us here. 7/10

Which 2016 football moment made you smile? It has been grim: on top of everything else we had the death of our beloved commentator and voice of the Boro, Alastair Brownlee, in February. But promotion after seven years of despair was a gift to light up this dark year.

– Robert Nichols fmttm.com, @rob_fmttm

Southampton

Virgil van Dijk: on his way? Photograph: Eddie Keogh/Reuters

It’s been hit and miss. We’ve had some excellent performances, some bloody awful ones, and a whole lot in between. The mood has veered towards the negative because of the European exit and lack of goals, but still, a solid spot in the top half isn’t necessarily something to be sniffed at. 6/10

Stars and flops Virgil van Dijk is showing why he’ll be the next one to be sold to a top club for silly money. Why nobody else seemed interested in him when we signed him 18 months ago is baffling. Sofiane Boufal is starting to offer glimpses of why we broke our transfer record to sign him, and Oriol Romeu is showing he should have been given more opportunities under Ronald Koeman. But after such a good second half of last season, Shane Long’s form has disappeared into thin air and that’s meant a reliance on former footballer Jay Rodriguez, who, bless him, can’t even score from a yard out these days.

Happy with the manager? Mostly yes. He’s got the club back into the ethos of promoting our own youth graduates into the first team, with Sam McQueen and Josh Sims being the main highlights so far, but the failure to get the best out of our attacking players (although we’ve created more than enough chances, in his defence) is a mark against. 6/10

Which 2016 football moment made you smile? The abuse Ronald Koeman got from Everton fans for daring to have red decorations on his Christmas tree. That was very amusing on many levels.

– Steve Grant saintsweb.co.uk, @SteveGrant1983

Stoke

Lee Grant: Stoke’s star so far. Photograph: Tony O'Brien/Reuters

The start was a mess – carrying on the form from the end of last season. We didn’t win until October and conceded four goals in three of four straight defeats. But since we beat Sunderland on 15 October things have pretty much stabilised and we’re back in our traditional mid-table spot. The players and Mark Hughes deserve credit for pulling it back, but the lack of season-on-season progress has to remain a concern. 6/10

Stars and flops It says a lot that Lee Grant, our 33-year-old on-loan Derby keeper, is the star so far. Joe Allen has been really solid, though, and I hope we keep Bruno Martins Indi. But too many others have been below par – and Gianelli Imbula really hasn’t made £18.3m’s worth of impact since he arrived. Maybe the biggest let down, though, is Bony. He just doesn’t look interested.

Happy with the manager? He’s settled down after that touchline meltdown early in the season, when he was everyone’s favourite to be the next manager sacked. He’s got a big month ahead because this campaign could still go either way. We particularly need a consistent striker – the Berahino links never stop – and an answer to our No1 dilemma, with Derby pricing Grant out of a move and Jack Butland still injured. 6/10

Which 2016 football moment made you smile? Steve McClaren’s Sky commentary of England v Iceland, reassuring viewers England had nothing to worry about just as Sigthorsson hit the winner. Summed the summer up neatly.

– Steven Miller, Observer reader

Sunderland

Jordan Pickford: future England keeper. Photograph: Oli Scarff/AFP/Getty Images

We’re deeply entrenched in the annual relegation battle, there’s no money to spend and the club is up for sale. Our fans are a stoical bunch but that’s really being stretched this season. David Moyes inherited a difficult situation after Allardyce took a short vacation with England, and some applaud him for his realistic approach while others criticise him for his perceived negativity. All in all, though, not a great half-season. 4/10

Stars and flops Jordan Pickford has been outstanding – a future England keeper. Victor Anichebe has done well in his few games and Jermain Defoe continues to show how a pro should look after himself. But we’re still waiting to see if Didier Ndong can live up to his record-signing status , and if Adnan Januzaj can progress. Two young men who could do better. Papy Djilobodji is improving, thank goodness, but Jack Rodwell has disappeared.

Happy with the manager? He’s been honest and made clear that there’s a lot of structural work to do, rather than just papering over cracks. That hasn’t gone down well with many fans and he’s had some severe criticism. But he’s here for the long run and if that means taking a relegation, so be it. I’d give him 6/10; others would take five off that.

Which 2016 football moment made you smile? I would say the relegation of our Tyneside friends, but that may come back and bite us – so let’s go with Iceland’s joy after beating England. On the whole, though, being a football fan in general, and a Sunderland supporter in particular, is a grim business. Smiling rarely comes into it.

– Pete Sixsmith SalutSunderland.com

Swansea

Bob Bradley: baffling changes. Photograph: Jason Cairnduff/Reuters

It’s been a disaster so far and there’s no sign that things will improve. So much has gone wrong on and off the pitch, starting with the former owners concentrating on selling their shares instead of focusing on the obvious need to strengthen the squad. Already many fans are preparing themselves for Championship football and you can’t blame them. Once we were a club known for having a strong and close link with the fans, now we feel more detached than ever before. 2/10

Stars and flops Take your pick when it comes to the flops, but the record signing of Borja Bastón from Atlético Madrid has been a particularly odd and frustrating situation. He’s barely been involved while fellow Spanish striker Fernando Llorente has scored five in 10 starts without really performing. Gylfi Sigurdsson remains the one player who is definitely Premier League quality. We simply have to keep him in January.

Happy with the manager? Bob Bradley arrived in difficult circumstances, but he’s made us worse. We’re leaking goals, far more than under Guidolin, and he’s looked void of ideas, particularly during games – failing to make changes fast enough. It seems he’s finally settled on a favoured team but he was making far too many formation and personnel changes which were baffling to say the least. 2/10

Which 2016 football moment made you smile? Wales’s Euro 2016 campaign: incredible. They actually helped us enjoy football again. The semi was a disappointment, but what an achievement overall.

– Kevin Elphick Swansea.vitalfootball.co.uk

Tottenham

Danny Rose: provided excitement. Photograph: TGSPhoto/Rex/Shutterstock

I thought we’d gone up a level when we beat Manchester City in October. We were lacking three of our “first XI” (Dembélé, Dier and Kane) and their replacements (Wanyama, Sissoko and Son) were an improvement, it seemed, on the Chadli/Mason/Carroll backup of last season. Then we went 10 games with only one win and crashed out of the Champions League. In the league, just as this time last year, we’ve been hard to beat but have won only half of our games. Puzzlingly, last year’s strong midfield pairing of Dembélé and Dier has not been used at all. 6/10

Stars and flops Rose and Walker have provided excitement; Son shone at the start but has struggled since being rested/dropped for West Brom away. Eriksen is often anaemic, Sissoko has been publicly chastised by his manager, and we’re still waiting for a goal from open play from Janssen.

Happy with the manager? Pochettino, he’s magic, you know? When he gets the selection and tactics right, he receives deserved praise, especially from me. But is he interested in, or capable of, winning a trophy? He talks of his “project”, which seems to be a yearly top-four finish. But what happens when we do qualify? We don’t make it through a not overly difficult group. He’s a failed magician if he thought the team he selected for the must-win Monaco away tie could do the job. And this obsession with “football from the back” often results in unnecessarily self‑inflicted pressure on the defence. 6/10

Which 2016 football moment made you smile? The joyous reaction on and off the pitch when our Harry Winks scored his first league goal.

– Dave Mason Observer reader

Watford

Sebastian Prödl: leader of the defence. Photograph: Dan Mullan/Getty Images

Our traditional summer overhaul inevitably results in a degree of working-out-how-it-all-fits, but despite that we’ve held our own. There have been some iffy performances among the eye-catching victories – such is the lot of a mid-table side – and our relatively elevated position shouldn’t disguise that the pack behind us is horribly congested. As it stands, however, we’re as close to the Champions’ League as we are to relegation, and our expectations aren’t yet so lofty that this isn’t a good thing in itself. 8/10

Stars and flops Two of last season’s signings have settled into more significant roles this time around. Sebastian Prödl was a solid option last term but has become the leader of the defence. Nordin Amrabat, meanwhile, was signed as a striker, tried as a wing-back and now causes havoc as an abrasive, direct winger. As for flops… Odion Ighalo has had as difficult a year as 2015 was astonishing, while Abdoulaye Doucouré, a midfielder of whom much was expected, is “not fancied” by Mazzarri.

Happy with the manager? Yes. Last year we were solid, with enough up top to win us games. Now we are flexible and can be (whisper it) expansive. It’s difficult to get to know him while he’s cautious about his use of English, and I could do without his chastising of referees, but so far, so good. 7/10

Which 2016 football moment made you smile? 2-0 down to a showboating West Ham at the London Stadium becoming 4-2 up with my daughters screaming with glee.

– Matt Rowson bhappy.wordpress.com, @mattrowson

West Brom

Tony Pulis: not a warm relationship Photograph: Reuters

I’m delighted, which is something I really didn’t expect to be saying two months ago. We had our usual difficult summer and a sluggish start, but the form of the last two months has been very good. We’ve finally found an attacking balance. Being in the top half at this stage is way above what most of us were expecting. 8/10

Stars and flops Chadli was an excellent signing – he was the one bright spot in our slow start. However, it was the return of stalwarts Brunt and Morrison that kick-started the season. Rondón has grown as a player too, playing the lone role. Seven league goals don’t tell the full story of his season. He’s a beast to play against and we may struggle to keep him at this rate. It’s harsh to call out any flops – Fletcher was having a bad time but like the rest of the team, he has bounced back well.

Happy with the manager? It’s never been a warm relationship with Pulis, but few could deny that he’s doing a good job. Fans wanted a more positive approach and we’ve had that. Some have even started singing his name … 8/10

Which 2016 football moment made you smile? Stourbridge’s FA Cup win against Northampton. Fantastic for the town.

– Richard Jefferson wbaunofficial.org.uk/forum, @richbaggie

West Ham

Michail Antonio: big contribution. Photograph: Robbie Jay Barratt/Getty Images

A perfect cocktail of bad signings, injuries and a move to a cavernous new stadium has left us heading towards the drop zone. There have been some signs of improvement with the switch to a back three, but it’s got to be better next year. It took until 27 November for a striker to score and, as ever, we’re relying on Carroll and Sakho returning to fitness. The standing-versus-sitting debate, poor stewarding, the loss of Ken’s Cafe and the herberts confronting the Chelsea fans have all added to the unease, even if the problems have been overhyped. 3/10

Stars and flops Michail Antonio has made a big goalscoring contribution and thankfully Bilic has given up trying to convert him into a right-back. Winston Reid and Kouyaté have at least been solid while the underrated Obiang has stiffened the midfield. Payet looks distracted, but still makes nearly all our goals. Most of the new signings have flopped apart from Fernandes and Fletcher. We’ve gone for popcorn rather than the full burger. Zaza has been a huge disappointment, as have Tore, Feghouli, Calleri and Nordtveit. The jury is still out on £20m Ayew.

Happy with the manager? Bilic deserves more time, but has to take the blame for the poor signings, for selling Tomkins and for playing Carroll twice in an August week which resulted in his injury. 4/10

Which 2016 football moment made you smile? That Iceland commentator after they beat England: “We are never going home … Never wake me up from this insane dream!”

– Pete May Author of Goodbye to Boleyn; blog: hammersintheheart.blogspot.co.uk