The good

Sportsmail columnist and former top referee Graham Poll looks back over the season and decides who should be hearing whistles of encouragement and who deserves to be sent for an early bath.

Tottenham 3 Arsenal 3 in April was my pick of the Premier League games. Excellently handled by Martin Atkinson it was a pleasure to watch.

Spot on: Martin Atkinson gave Spurs a penalty when Arsenal keeper Wojciech Szczesny fouled Aaron Lennon

Mind you the Swansea against Nottingham Forest play-off semi-final second leg (3-1 to the Welsh outfit) was more exciting and I hope to see Brendan Rodgers Welsh outfit getting past Reading and giving it a go in the Premier League next season.

Assistant referee Mike Cairns awarding Chelsea a goal after Tottenham keeper Heurelho Gomes spilled Frank Lampard's shot before recovering to stop the whole ball crossing the line.

Not over yet: Mike Cairns awarded Chelsea a goal despite Heurelho Gomes stopping the ball on the line

It was great to see Howard Webb returning from the World Cup, still motivated and performing well but, week in week out, I felt that Mike Dean had a terrific season.

Not frightened to make the big decisions, like a second-minute dismissal in the play-off semi final between Nottingham Forest and Swansea, he continues to impress.

However, Dean needs to stop the posing when giving penalties as it creates the impression he is enjoying the limelight and nobody likes a referee like that!

Early bath: Swansea's Neil Taylor was shown the red card by Mike Dean after just two minutes against Forest

Lee Probert in the Chelsea v Everton game when he failed to dismiss Tim Howard for denial of a goal scoring opportunity, Tim Cahill for his tackle on Petr Cech and Seamus Coleman for persistent infringement. It's one thing to manage players and another to ignore serious offences.

He was excellent in his first live game between Blackburn and Aston Villa; proving that if you are good enough, you are old enough.

Peter Walton has been included in the select group list for next season meaning he will be trotting up and down the middle of Premier League pitches at 52 years of age.

While your date of birth shouldn't be an obstacle to inclusion on the list, physical and mental agility should.

Fabricio Coloccini's look of incredulity when he was shown the red card by Howard Webb after a blatant elbow on Bolton's Johan Elmander was amazing.

You don't mind a small protest from a player when the decision that goes against them is a tight one but when it is as clear as Coloccini's you expect the player to accept his punishment without a word.

Loony Toon: Fabricio Coloccini (right) saw red for his elbow on Johan Elmander (grounded)

Webb got appointed to the final and has inspired hundreds to take up officiating. When fans chanted the same at me it was fair enough but Webb did the final for goodness sake.

The big one: Howard Webb was in charge when Spain beat Holland in the World Cup final last summer

For me it has to be Alex McLeish who has taken good and bad decisions by referees exactly the same and gained a lot of respect by doing so.

Top boss: Birmingham City manager Alex McLeish gets the nod

Stuart Attwell's continued inclusion of the select group list continued to baffle and was not helped by poor decisions at Liverpool against Sunderland and Wolves v Newcastle.

However, after a lengthy break he returned looking more relaxed and capable of surviving as a professional referee.

The jury is still out but at least there are two possible verdicts – progress indeed.

Where to begin? Could it be charging Sir Alex Ferguson for praising a referee? Or allowing their own Cup Final to be tarnished by playing it alongside Premier League fixtures?

For me failing to retrospectively charge Charlie Adam for his horror tackle on Gareth Bale must rank as the worst. One thing's for sure, there will be more next season.

The good, the bad and the what on earth were you thinking as Sportsmail's Graham Poll dishes out his awards for the season