2015-16 Barclay's Premier League Recap

Well the 2015-16 Barclay's Preimer League has come to a wrap today and is already being considered one of the most memorable seasons in the league's history. The biggest highlight was of course the improbable Leicester City winning the title. At 5000 to 1 odds, they defied the expectations of being relegated to go on to win it's first ever Premier Championship. Tottenham also made a very impressive run yet finished 3rd behind Arsenal. Many of the usual dominant teams such as Chelsea and Liverpool struggled to reach the top. Newcastle, Norwhich, and Aston Villa are all to be relegated.

This was the 3rd season that I have followed closely and can gladly say it continues to remain one of my favorite sports league (2nd only to the NFL). I'm sad to see the season come to an end. Watching the games on Saturday or Sunday morning from August onto May has become one of my great joys. I'm also disappointed that my team Manchester United will not make the Champions League. However they still will be in Europa and have a chance at an FA Cup title.

The offseason will last for about 3 months, which isn't too long compared to other sports. Thankfully there's also the international Euro Cup to look forward to this summer which will start in a month. The offseason trades, new hires, and transitions will be exciting to follow. I can only hope my team will aquire some new talent and part ways with their manager, Louis Van Gaal. However in this post I'm not going to focus solely on Manchester United, yet rather give a recap on the memorable moments from the season as a whole.

1. Leicester City (23-12-3)

I'll never forget the time Leicester City destroyed my Man United last season in a 5-3 upset. It was in that moment I became aware that this team had heart and was backed by a very passionate fanbase at the King Power Stadium. They later went on to barely survive relegation yet finished their season on a winning note. Their headcoach Nigel Pearson was sacked after the season and the Italian coach Claudio Ranieri was brought on.

And so their season got off to a rocking start, win after win, they quicky began to gather attention with their counter-attacking style of play. This quick attack was lead by their star scorers Jamie Vardy and Riyad Mahrez. During a mid season stretch Jamie Vardy went on to score in 11 consecutive games which broke Ruud van Nistelroy's long standing record.

By springtime their fantasy run was looking more and more like a reality as they sat on top of the table. Only Tottenham was in striking distance yet Leciester continued to win games. On May 2nd they sealed their title when Tottenham drew to Chelsea. The most shocking sports upset was complete and Leicester had become the most improbable of champions. Next season it will be very interesting to see if they can remain at the top while competing in Champions League.

Star Players: Jamie Vardy (24 goals), Riyad Mahrez, Christian Fuchs, Kasper Schmeichel, Robert Huth, N'golo Kante, Danny Drinkwater, Leonardo Ulloa, Wes Morgan

2. Arsenal (20-11-7)

This top notch team yet again failed to hit consistency as they struggled with injuries and losing games that should have been won. With the same star studded squad as last year and the addition of Peter Cech as goalkeeper this team had all the makings of a championship. They made it out of the group stage in the champions league losing to the hands of Barcelona. Yet their race for the title was always behind Leicester and Tottenham. The criticism fell heaviest on their long standing French coach, Arsene Wenger, who had not brought the club a title since 2004. The team still did however secure a 2nd place finish, a birth in the champions league, and yet again finished ahead of their arch rivals, Tottenham.

Star Players: Mesut Ozil, Olivier Giroud, Alexis Sanchez, Petr Cech, Danny Welbeck, Hector Bellerin

3. Tottenham (19-13-6)

Mauricio Pochettino's club got off to a strong start and quickly became title contenders. Led by last season's top scorer, Harry Kane, they were in fine form throughout most the season. As the season came to its final few weeks, they became the last team with a chance to catch Leciester. However after a heartbreaking draw to Chelsea, the team lost its chance at the title and fell into further decline losing their remaining few games. This would have been the first time since 1995 that they finished ahead of their rivals Arsenal, yet were edged out on the last game of the season. However the team's bad finish, should not take away from their tremendous season. Harry Kane went on to win the golden boot with 25 goals in the season. They also have a birth in champions league.

Star Players: Harry Kane, Eric Lamela, Mousa Dembele, Dele Alli, Christian Eriksen, Tony Alderwiereld, Danny Rose

4. Manchester City (19-9-10)

With such a star studded squad and many new signings in the offseason Man City were favorites to win the title. However Manuel Pellegrini's team was unable to find consistency as the team floated at 3rd and 4th place most of the season. By mid season it was decided that Pellegrini would not be returning as manager and would be replaced by Pep Guardiola from Bayern Munich. With only his legacy to uphold Pellegrini was eager to finish strong. Man City was able to advance to the semi-finals of the UEFA Champions League, the first in it's history, however lost to Real Madrid. All was not lost for them, however as they were able to secure a 4th place finish and a playoff birth into next season's champions league. Man City now finds itself in a very interesting transistion stage and their offseason should be very interesting with the arrival of Pep.

Star Players: Sergio Aguero, David Silva, Kevin de Bruyne, Raheem Sterling, Yaya Toure, Joe Hart, Fernandinho, Vincent Kompany

5. Manchester United (18-9-10)

With many new signings such as Memphis Depay, Bastian Shweinsteiger, Dailey Blind, Morgan Schniderlin, Antony Martial, etc it seemed Louis Van Gaal would be able to make a significant run for the title. Yet this season was no different than the previous two seasons of dissappointment and sheer boring futbol. All season long Man United struggled to create a threatening offense and score any goals. They lost many games they should have won, merely due to the fact that they were unable to score as much.  Also many of their star players such as Rooney and Schweinsteiger struggled with injury for a good portion of the season. The team was mostly carried by their superstar goalkeeper David De Gea. They were eliminated from the group stage at the Champions League.

At the end of the season Man United still had a chance to finish within the top four, however continued to lose or draw games that should have been won. While they still have a chance to win some silverware at the FA Cup Final next week against Crystal Palace, there's still much improvement needed at this club. LVG's futbol philosophy is a failed one and has seen many of it's star players wither away. Martial and Rashford were the only two players to show consistent creativity in the team's offense. Many changes are needed next season, most especially the sacking of LVG. With a new coach such as Jose Mourinho, new players can be signed, and a winning team can return to Old Trafford.

Star Players: Antony Martial, David de Gea, Marcus Rashford, Wayne Rooney, Memphis DePay, Marouane Fellani, Juan Mata, Chris Smalling

6. West Ham (16-14-8)

This team was another of the surprise underdogs that became a formidable opponent and finished in strong standings. Under the coaching of Slaven Billic, West Ham proved to be a tough gritty team without any real superstar presence. New stars did however emerge in Dimitri Payet with the support of other strong players such as Andy Carroll. It was also a significant season for them since it was to be their last one at Upton Park. They won their last home game in dramatic fashion against Manchester United, which all but ruined Man U's top 4 hopes. Next year West Ham's home games will be played at the Olympic Stadium of London. They will also be participating in the Europa League with Man United.

Star Players: Dimitri Payet, Mark Noble, Andy Carroll, Manuel Lanzini

7. Southampton (18-9-11)

Yet another strong performance from the Southampton Saints, just nearly missing out on Europa League. Manager Ronald Koeman has established quite a formidable team in the past few years.

Star Players: Sadio Mane, Graziano Pelle, Shane Long, Dusan Tadic

8. Liverpool (16-12-10)

This team underwent a major transition mid-season with the sacking of Brendan Rodgers. Following many disappointing losses the team was stuck in the lower middle of the table. After the hiring of Jurgen Klopp the team improved significantly however still far from top competition. They continued to show grow improvement and team chemisty and went on to make it to the Europa Final against Sevilla. Although they did not qualify for European futbol next year, I think Jurgen is going to have a busy offseason for his newly aqucired team. Liverpool has so much star potential on it, and next season I predict them to finish in the top 4.

Star Players: Phillipe Coutinho, Robert Firmino, Nathaniel Clyne, James Milner, Jordan Henderson, Daniel Sturrdige, Adam Lallana, Emre Can, Christian Benteke

9. Stoke City (14-9-15)

Mark Hughes team had another average season finishing 9th overall. They were never contenders for top 4 nor relegation.

Star Players: Marko Arnautovic, Bojan Krkic, Xherdan Shaqiri, Peter Crouch

10. Chelsea (12-14-12)

This was perhaps the 2nd biggest shock of the season after Leicster's improbable championship finish. Chelsea were the defending champs and Jose Mourinho had the same team returning. However for some strange reason they got off to a terrible start and loss many games they normally would have won. For a while they were even flirting with the lower half of the relegation zone. Soon the blame fell entirely on Mourinho, for unable to get his players to mesh together. He was then sacked and replaced by an interrim coach, Gus Hiddink. Chelsea improved a bit in their 2nd half of the season and found security in the middle of the table. However this was still a very poor performance for this mega club with mega superstar talent. Next season they will be coached by the Italian's national team manager, Antonio Conte, following the Euro Cup.

Star Players: Diego Costa, Eden Hazard, John Terry, Cesc Fabregas, Eden Hazard, Oscar, Willian, Branislav Ivanovich

11. Everton (11-14-13)

The Evertonians yet again remained at the middle of the table for most of the season. This lead to much frustration throughout the organization and the eventual sacking of Roberto Martinez. His successor is yet to be decided. Other significant notes from their season was a strong performance from Romelu Lukaku finishing with 18 goals, and also the last season for American goalkeeper, Tim Howard.

Star Players: Romelu Lukaku, Ross Barkley, Kevin Mirallas

12. Swansea City (12-11-15)

The Swans finished middle of the tablet yet again, however improved as the season went on. Early in the season they beat us a third consecutive time, however we beat them on the 2nd match to end their win streak against Man United. Their African striker Gomis was always fun to watch for his hungry effort and goal celebrations.

Star Players: Bafetimbi Gomis, Andre Ayew


13. Watford (12-9-17)

The newly promoted team to the EPL did surprisingly well in finishing at the middle of the table. They were led by their star forward Odion Ighalo who had many strong performances. They even went on to defeat Manchester United. Their organization has parted ways with Quique Sanchez Flores and will have a new manager in the next season.

Star Players: Odion Ighalo, Mario Suarez, Troy Deeny

14. West Bromwich Albion (12-9-17)

Tony Pullis' team flirted with relegation for some time however managed to stay in the safe zone thanks to star performers such as Salomon Rondon.

Star Players: Salomon Rondon, Saido Berahino

15. Crystal Palace (11-9-18)

Allen Pardew's club got off to a decent start yet continued to slip downward as the season went on. They were fortunate enough to avoid the relegation zone. They did however make it to the FA Cup Final against Man United which is still to be determined.

Star Players: James MacArthur

16. AFC Bournemouth (11-9-17)

The newly promoted team, known as the Cherries, made a decent stand for their first ever season in the premier league. They stayed clear of relegation and proved to be a challenging opponent.

Star Players: Joshua King

17. Sunderland (9-12-17)

Sam Allardyce's team appeared to be sure bets for relegation towards the conclusion of the season, however several crucial wins at the end kept them just barely clear from the 18th spot.

18. Newcastle United (9-10-19)

It's a shame to see this iconic English club will not partake in the Premier League next season. This is the 2nd time, they've been relegated, the first being the 2008-2009 season. Their manager Steve McLaren was sacked in March and replaced by Rafael Benitez.

Star Players: Pappis Cisse, Mousso Sissoko, Georgino Wijnaldum

19. Norwich City (9-7-22)

Another one and down season for the Canaries as they return to the 2nd tier Championship League once again. Their season was full of disappointment however they did manage to squeak a win against Man United.

Star Players: Steve Naismith

20. Aston Villa (3-8-27)

They were without question the worse team of the season and secured a relegation spot with several games to go. The firing of two managers throughout the season could not even save them. This is the first time since 1987 the classic club has been relegated.

Top Goal Scorers

1. Harry Kane- Tottenham (25 goals)
2. Sergio Aguero- Man City (24 goals)
2. Jamie Vardy- Leicester City (24 goals)
4. Romelu Lukaku- Everton (18 goals)
5. Riyad Mahrez- Leicester City (17 goals)
6. Olivier Giroud- Arsenal (16 goals)
7. Odion Ighalo- Watford (15 goals)
7. Jermain DeFoe- Sunderland (15 goals)
9. Troy Deeny- Watford (14 goals)
9. Alexis Sanchez- Arsenal (14 goals)

TV Series: The Sopranos

This one has been on my watch list for many years now. It was created by David Chase, released in 1999 and went on for 6 seasons and 86 episodes to wrap up in 2007. I remember back in college my friend, Palmer, raving about it's quality. Having become a fan of the Italian mafia genre (Godfather and Goodfellas) I knew I would also like the premise. It's set in modern-day New Jersey (which happens to be 15 years ago) and revolves around the personal and business dealings of crime boss, Tony Soprano. After finally being able to access the series thru Amazon Prime, and watching it for the past few months, I am quite convinced that this is the best written TV series of all time.

I know I've made that claim several times before with Mad Men, Breaking Bad, and House of Cards, however that was before I had seen the Sopranos. While each of those aforementioned shows are still all critically acclaimed and at the top of my list, they are ultimately successors to what the Sopranos achieved in the early 2000s. It became a groundbreaking drama for it's mature content, complex storylines, and acclaimed production. From it's writing, it's setting, the directing, and it's actor's The Sopranos introduced the idea of a Television Drama as an art-form.

The Storyline

Tony Soprano (played by James Gandolfini) is a middle aged Italian-American who has inherited his father's organized crime family. He is the father of two children (Meadow and AJ) and married to his homemaker wife, Carmela (played by Edie Falco). He has unresolved issued with his manipulating mother, Livia (played by Nancy Merchand) and his sister Janice (played by Aida Turturro). From it's first episode the series revolves around Tony's crime dealings and the impacts it has on his personal life, his children, his wife, his sister, and his mother. He is a ruthless short-tempered crime boss, yet also has a soft-side which is depicted thru his therapy sessions with Dr. Jennifer Melfi (played by Loranne Bracco).

Throughout the 6 seasons Tony Soprano begins as the underboss and eventually takes his uncle's spot, Corrado Jr (played by Dominic Chinase) as the undisputed boss of his family. He controls most of New Jersey's organized crime with the help of his consigliere Silvio (played by Steven Van Zandt), his loyal short-tempered captain Paulie (played by Tony Sirico), his business partner Salvatore "Big Pussy"(played by Vincente Pastore), his hot-headed nephew Christopher (played by Michael Imperioli) his wise-cracking cousin Tony (played by Steve Buscemi), his hitman Vitto Spatafore (played by Joseph Gannascoli) and his brother in law Bobby Bacala (played by Steven Schirripa).

Each episode brings some sort of new growing dispute for Tony. He is constantly bombarded with issues; whether it's problems with the law, competition from other crime families, dissension in his own gang, and constant fights with his mother, wife, sister, and children. With each episode his relationship with the supporting characters grows more and more complex. Which is why I believe this show is one of the finest examples of character development. It's ultimately a in depth character driven story rather than a plotline of romance or good guy vs bad guy.

The Ending

The one flaw of the show I thought was the abrupt open ending. After the gang war had come to a close, Tony met with his wife and children at a diner. In a very suspenseful build-up it seemed he was about to get whacked in front of his family. As he sits and has some laughs with his wife and AJ, there's a suspicious man sitting at a bar. The man then goes off to the bathroom, perhaps a reference to the Godfather restaurant murder scene. As Meadow enters the diner to join her family the scene then goes to an abrupt black and the credits roll thru. The viewer is left with the question of whether Tony was killed or not.

I hate open ended finales that don't resolve a story. These abrupt endings are merely put in place to stir up debate among the viewers. I myself feel that Tony should have died at the end because of the lifestyle he had chosen. Although he was a likable protagonist he was ultimately a criminal he had killed many people. I feel it sends a bad message to viewers when they see this type of bad behavior glorified rather than terminated. I suppose this was just an example of the ingenious writers wanting to make this story immortal. They succeeded in that by creating a new cultural classic that can be regarded as the best written TV series of all time.


The characters

It's the complex characters in this TV drama that make it one of the most groundbreaking series of all time. Each character is tied to the protagonist Tony Soprano, and because of their dealings with organizing crime they are extremely flawed. Their storylines grow deeper and deeper with each episode. This unfamiliar setting of organized crime, makes the show and it's characters all the more appealing to the viewer. Here in this post I would like to make an in depth study of the show's main characters thru a psychiatric lens.

• Tony Soprano (James Gandolfini): As the main protagonist of the series, Tony Soprano is without question the show's most interesting and complex characters. As the boss of a crime family he is obviously strong, smart, short-tempered, ruthless, and always n control. However we also discover from the get-go that he is troubled with inner weakness thru his panic attacks and therapy sessions. Much of this conflict has to do with his upbringing into the crime world and his unsupportive mother, who goes as far as attempting to kill him in the first season. He continuously shows strong resolve as part of his persona, and considers everyone around him as inferior. He claims to be doing good by his family, yet his actions of sleeping with other women and killing whoever disrupts his business (even family members) goes to show the contradiction of his character. Tony is the cliche likable bad-guy, strong with a humorous soft-side. He does love his family, his wife and his kids and has his genuine moments of good, yet he puts himself ahead of everything else in his life, and is driven by pride and hate.    

• Carmela Soprano (Edie Falco): She is the conflicted wife of Tony, a cliche housewife and mother of two. She is bound to him through her children yet also her religious principles. Carmela's character is always stressed out, mostly due to Tony's unfaithfulness or his dangerous business. She also notices the affects of Tony's lifestyle on her teenage children Meadow and AJ. At some points it seems Carmela is ready to break away and even has a few love interests of her own outside the marriage, however unlike Tony she is never unfaithful. She is the ultimately the rock of the Soprano family. 

• Dr. Jennifer Melfi (Lorraine Bracco): As Tony's psychiatrist she is the outlet of Tony's troubled sub-conscious. She is a central character in the story and slowly finds herself conflicts by Tony's confliction. On one side she is obligated to do her professional duty which is to listen and provide medical assistance while on the other side she is bothered by his criminal lifestyle. Tony grows a fond attraction to the Dr. which proves to be all the more complicated for her. To further complicate things she is raped by a gangster and has to deal with her own personal problems. At several points she attempts to pass Tony on to another therapist, and even has to get therapy herself because of her work with him. Despite all the red flags in their doctor-patient relationship, she stays true to her work and sees him thru to the end. She is no doubt a testament to professionalism and composure in the psychiatric business.

• Meadow Soprano (Jamie Lynn Sigler): She is Tony's elder daughter, a spoiled teenage princess, smart and outspoken, whose loyalty to her family grows with each season. At first she cannot stand her dad and his gangster lifestyle. However as she grows and begins college she becomes more grateful to him and her mother. She has several love interests throughout the series. The first of which is with a gangter, Jackie Jr that ends in tragedy. This causes Meadow to fall into a depression throughout her early college years. She is eventually able to pull through and meets a more civil person in Finn and later Patrick. Throughout the series she is bothered by her father's lifestyle yet finds a balance in showing loyalty while pursing a legitimate career path of her own. 

• AJ Soprano (Robert Iler): He is Tony's younger son, also a very spoiled teenager. His story and relationship with his father grows more and more complicated as the series goes along. In the first few seasons he displays the same rebellious, angry attitude as his father. He becomes popular at high school thanks to his involvement on the football team and the reputation of his dad. However he later loses all that due to bad behavior. His family loyalty grows the same as Meadow's does and he is ultimately driven by a desire to make his father proud. In the final season his story becomes extremely front-and-center as he deals with his father's attempted murder. As he begins college he struggles to find any career ambition and eventually drops out. For a while he becomes quite a loser, has a relationship with an older woman, yet after she breaks it off he falls into a dark depression. This is no doubt a connection to his father who is also prone to depression. At the end of the series his story ends on a good note as it seems to land a promising job at a film production company.   

• Livia Soprano (Nancy Merchand); She is the manipulative mother of Tony, and is credited as the root to all his psychological problems. At the onset of the series she is an extreme burden on Tony, as an older somewhat senile woman. She constantly uses her misery to subdue Tony with guilt trips. Having no other option, Tony decides to send her to a retirement home, which further upsets his mother. Livia comes up with a vindictive scheme with her brother in law, Corrado to kill Tony. After the scheme falls thru, Tony cuts off ties with his mother. 

• Janice Soprano (Aida Turturro): She is the elder sister of Tony, and displays his similar anger and depressive traits. She goes thru various relationships, the first with Richie Aprile, a gangster that is released from prison. After a domestic dispute in which Richie punches Janice, she responds by shooting him dead. Her 2nd relationship with the widower Bobby Bacala brings her much more joy. What's most interesting of her character is the dynamic between her and her brother. Throughout the series she goes thru major mood-swings of happiness, sadness, and anger. At times when she displays happiness her brother, Tony, grows extremely jealous and tries to get under her skin. While it's without question they love one another as any brother and sister, they are also extremely competitive, jealous, and spiteful to each other. 

• Corrado Jr Soprano (Dominic Chianese): He pis Tony's uncle and the official boss of the Soprano crime family, however it's Tony who has all the power. In the first season he feels cheated by Tony's ascension to the top and plots to have him executed. This doesn't work out for him as he planned, and he is later charged for previous crimes and put on house arrest. He once again tries to kill Tony in season 6, yet once again fails. Corrado serves as the elder wise man of the show, supportive of Tony, yet also in spite of him. 

• Christopher Moltisanti (Michael Imperioli): He is Tony's nephew, a high ranking captain in the family, and also Tony's protege. He's the hot-headed young up-and-comer of the family. However he is extremely flawed with a short temper and many insecurities. Even his devoted girlfriend, Adriana La Cerva, can't bring him stability. Throughout the first few seasons he rises up the ladder and eventually becomes a made-man. Yet the stress of his job eats away at him, and causes him to abuse his girlfriend. He later turns to drug abuse, which affects his relationship with Tony and the other high ranking members. Christopher's character is a very interesting one, as he attempts to be a tough guy only to prove himself to others. Towards the end of the series it seems he is getting his life together and controlling the drug abuse. However after having Adriana killed, he returns down the slope which eventually leads to his demise.

• Silvio Dante (Steven Van Zandt): He is Tony's loyal consigliere, very good with numbers and business decisions. He runs their headquarters at the stripclub, the Bada Bing, and is known as a bit of a womanizer. While he usually maintains a composed demeanor in most situations he also demonstrates extreme anger in various situations and his not afraid to get his hands dirty. While he always looks extremely angry, he probably has the coolest head in the gang. 

• Paulie Gaultiere (Tony Sirico): He is one of Tony's oldest friends, and most loyal of soldiers in the gang. Just like the others he demonstrates an extremely hot temper, and has a no bull-shit approach to dealing with people. He is the ultimate tough guy of the group not afraid to speak his mind and do the dirty work. He also rises the ladder to become one of Tony's captains, and especially comes to odd with the younger Christopher throughout the series. 
  

• Salvatore Big Pussy Bonpensiero (Vincent Pastore): He is another of Tony's older friends, as well a business partner. He is a high ranking member of the family, and runs a auto body shop. He's a kind-hearted person, driven by a desire to provide for his family. Throughout the first season it seems Salvatore is a loyal friend, however we later learn he is an FBI informant. He is later executed by Tony for betraying him.  

• Adriana La Cerve (Drea de Matteo): She is the long time girlfriend of Christopher, and extremely loyal to him despite his hot headed temper. She also has a business mind and gets involved in music production as well as managing a night club. However her constant fights with Christopher eat away at her. She is later approached by the FBI, and becomes their mole into the Soprano crime family. After Christopher discovers she is a mole, he throws away their love to have her executed. 

• Bobby Bacala Baccalieri (Steve Schirripa): He begins as one of Corrado's most loyal aides, yet later becomes involved with the Soprano family. He's a soft-spoken shy person, a family man, with a strong demeanor. Following Corrado's house arrest, Bobby becomes involved with the Soprano family and rises up the ranks. He also later marries Tony's sister Janice, which complicates his relationship with Tony. Tony respects Bobby, as a good father, and the husband to his sister, and also as a loyal business man. However their relationship get's tense as Tony begins to grow jealous of his sister's happiness. In one showdown of sheer egoism, the two men have a fight for respect. He is later tragically gunned down at the end of the series in a gangwar. Bobby is perhaps one of the most good-hearted people in the show, who just happened to fall into the wrong business. 

• Tony Blundetto (Steve Buscemi): He is Tony's cousin released from prison in the 5th season. We learn that the reason he is in prison is because of a job gone wrong that he took the blame for Tony. He doesn't hold any grudges towards his successful cousin, and is eager to go clean once out of prison and provide for his two kids. He tries several business ventures yet eventually he realizes he's no good at it, and returns to crime. He's an easy-going wise cracking person who often gets under Tony's skin. At one point he takes on a job that causes major upheval with an opposing crime family the Lupertazzi. Tony has no other choice but to kill his cousin in order to keep peace with the Lupertazzi family.    

• Vito Spatafore (Joseph Gannascoli): He is one of Tony's soldiers and a reliable business partner as owner of a construction company. He's a business man, yet also carries out some of the dirty work for the family. We later find out that he is a closeted homosexual and lives a secret life outside from his wife and kids. Once discovered he leaves New Jersey to get away at a rural town in New Hampshire. There he meets another man and finds a happy life for himself, yet realizes he cannot go on away from his business and his family. When he returns to New Jersey it's not long until he is killed by the Lupertazzi family, who find it disgraceful that he is a homosexual. This character makes for a very interesting sub-plot.  

• Artie Bucco (John Ventimiglia): He is one of Tony's close friends, a passionate cook and owner of an Italian restauraunt. While he doesn't engage in any crime, he is a very emotional character and often gets tied up in problems with other members of the gang. He also has marital problems which leads to depression and severe anxieties. 

• Ralph Cifaretto (Joe Pantoliano): He joins Tony's gang from another gang, and quickly proves himself to be a good earner. In the third and fourth season he quickly rises up the ladder to become a captain. He however is very outspoken, wise cracking, with a short temper that often gets him in trouble. He is later killed in an argument with Tony. 

• Johnny Sack (Vince Curatola): He is the underboss and later the boss of the Lupertazzi crime family. the Soprano's biggest rivals. He is a composed boss and works openly with Tony to keep the peace. He is later arrested by the FBI and spends his final months dying in jail. His cpatain, Phil Leotardo becomes the acting boss of the family.  

• Phil Leotardo (Frank Vincent): He is at first a captain of the Lupertazzi family, and in the sixth season becomes boss. From the get-go he has a very short temper and begins to despise the Soprano family, after Tony's cousin kills his brother. This leads to rising tension between the two families throughout the final season and eventually culminates in a gang war that take many lives. He is an extremely proud and angry character and becomes the head antagonist of the show.