PFA awards... Ridiculous?

The PFA awards are a complete farce in my opinion and should be scrapped.

Ryan Giggs won the PFA player of the year for the first time, and although he probably should have won it many years ago -1998/99 or 2002/03 are two years where he certainly could have, it is so obviously an award of sentiment. However, this is not the only decision this year which has made the awards look a little silly.

During the months of January and February, Manchester United put a tremendous run of results together. This resulted in six of their players being included in the PFA team of the year. However, some of these players have lost form completely since the voting was compiled at the end of February.

Two important questions have to be asked. Firstly, why are the votes compiled three months before the season is completed? Secondly, why does it take so long for the votes to be counted?

To complain about Giggs being player of the year is not the main issue. After such a dazzling career, it is amazing he has never won either this award of the Proffessional Writers’ award before. Also, his fellow professionals make the decision, so it would be unfair and churlish to moan too much. I just think the timing is unfortunate.

Surely awards are based on a performance over a whole season, not five or six months, or in Giggs’ case, five or six games.

When the voting was carried out, Manchester United were on a such a hot streak, recording clean sheet after clean sheet. The nominations are, to some extent, understandable.

However, the awards then lose their kudos for not taking place for another two months. There lies the problem. Look at the team of the year?

Edwin Van de Sar has been poor since then, and has been occasionally dropped. Nemanja Vidic looks very shaky without Rio Ferdinand, and has made high profile errors in big games. These two are excellent together, but Ferdinand has missed several games this season, and has he really been as good, over the campaign, as Fulham’s Brede Hangeland?

It’s unfortunate, because all the players who were voted in the team of the season have looked shaky since the voting was carried out, but were excellent at the time of voting.

Patrice Evra has also looked inept defensively lately, again bringing into question, why are the nominations so early and presented so late?

Consequently, the reputation of the awards has suffered. The professional writers’ awards seem to have a lot more credence.

The timing of the awards has always an issue, but especially this year.

Giggs has been a great player, and has had some excellent‘patches’ of form this season. However, before the voting was done, Manchester United had played 27 games, of which the Welshman had started eight of them. He had scored two goals and had five assists. He still contains those statistics now.

Its’ not just about statistics, of course, but, Steven Gerrard has scored 21 goals, despite being injured slightly more frequently than usual. He has also assisted in nine goals.

The Liverpool skipper must surely be a more suitable footballer of the year, mainly due to the fact that for the first five months of the season, Liverpool was probably the best team. He was, as always, their talisman, especially with Torres being absent for long spells.

Maybe Gerrard's off field problems have affected his case.

It seems that the PFA awards are being based on a five to six week period this season, and that is, to put it bluntly, a complete joke. If this is the criteria for the writers’ award as well, then Yossi Benayoun, Fernando Torres and Michael Essien must be the only contenders. They have all had a wonderful last six weeks or so.

The other names in the PFA team also have to be questioned. Frank Lampard has had a terrific season, often carrying Chelsea on his own for much of the campaign, but he is not even in the team of the year. Unfortunately the voting coincided with Chelsea’s mid season slump, and Phil Scolari’s departure.

Ashley Young was certainly in the running for player of the year until February, but he has tailed off horribly in recent weeks, and his award now looks debatable. Throughout the season, Stephen Ireland and Aaron Lennon have been far more consistent. Lennon, for example, has just got better and better, whilst Ireland has remained Manchester City’s best player.

Gabriel Ablongahor had a great start to the season, but has scored once since January, and that too makes his selection look totally out of place. In 2009 the Villa striker has had a nightmare in front of goal and his team has collapsed in the league. His nomination looks floored, again bringing the timing of voting into question.

Fernando Torres is also a strange choice in the PFA team of the year. He has been fantastic in recent weeks, but by the time voting had been counted he had only played less than a dozen league games, all be it scoring nine league goals. Is that enough playing time for him to be considered for selection?

Of course, on sheer ability, Torres should be in the team, but over the season, how about Kevin Davies? Van Persie? Even Robinho (of course not now), but up to December he was terrific. Peter Crouch has also been a shining light at Portsmouth.

Torres’ selection illustrates the floors of the awards. It also shows how inconsistent and fragmented the selection process is. It looks like a shambles now, because Nicolas Anelka is in the team of the year. This was, at the time, a correct decision as the voting is done in February and he was the top scorer in the country. However, it looks a little left field. In recent weeks, under Guus Hiddink, the Frenchman has seldom played and has not scored since February.

Finally, why is Rafael da Silva in the young player of the year catorgery? He is a great talent, but he has started 11 league games. He had started about seven or eight league games when the voting was carried out. It is ridiculous, and it brings about a major question. Do the players really make good judges?

The conclusion that I make, is that the whole awards does, in a bizarre way, equal itself out. Some strange selections have been made in terms of players like Torres, who seems to be there purely on his name alone. By February, he had hardly played. However over the season he should probably be in the team.

Van de sar, Evra and Young look like strange selections if you take the season as a whole into account. However, before March, they had all been excellent, and if the voting takes place then, what can you do?

I would like to submit an alternative team of the season, based on the whole season and on a consistency basis.

Reina (Liverpool)
Jagielka (Everton)
Vidic (Manchester United)
Hangeland (Fulham)
Johnson (Portsmouth)
Gerrard (Liverpool)
Lampard (Chelsea)
Carrick (Manchester United)
Alonso (Liverpool)
Van Persie (Arsenal)
Crouch (Portsmouth)

There may be serious argument that this team lacks width, but its on paper, not on the pitch,

Sometimes I feel players are included just because they are the best option in that position, not because they have had a great season. Ronaldo is the prime example. No one can tell me that before February, he was one of the four best midfielders in the league. Only in the last month, has he produced anywhere near his top form.

It's easy to play well in an excellent side, and when the side is winning, but that doesn’t seem to always be taken into account.

Pepe Reina has, over the season, been the most consistent goalkeeper. Yes, in the last two weeks he has been rocky, but that’s only because he is usually so consistent. He doesn’t get the credit he deserves.

Phil Jagielka – Has been brilliant this season, anywhere across the back four.

Brede Hangeland – What a steal by Hodgson! One of the success stories of the season, and probably the main reason the Cottagers are in seventh place.

Frank Lampard – The heartbeat of Chelsea’s great start, a shining light in the slump, and brilliant again in recent weeks. I’ve not always been his biggest fan, but he has had an exceptional season.

Michael Carrick – During the mid season run, Carrick, not Giggs, dictated everything Manchester United did. His passing is so deceptively accurate.

Xavi Alonso – Liverpool were top for three months, and Alonso was probably their best player. He is till playing well now, and scored a terrific goal at Hull. The Spaniard recovered brilliantly from the summer transfer speculation.

Robin Van Persie – The Dutchman has so much ability and he also has moments of madness. However, he re-ignited Arsenal’s flagging season at Chelsea and has been consistent all season, despite the odd suspension. He is maturing now and he is my choice, mainly because it hasn’t been a great season for strikers.

Peter Crouch – Along with Glen Johnson, remained consistent throughout the dark days under Tony Adams. Has had another great season, despite playing in a much weaker side.
Again, I haven’t always been his biggest fan, but he is an un-sung hero this year.
His goals will keep Pompey up.

The lanky striker is only in there due to Torres’ injury, but deserves his place, nevertheless.


Other players that are worth a mention are Matt Taylor and Kevin Davies at Bolton, Martin Lausen and Brad Friedel at Aston Villa, Yossi Benayoun and Alvaro Arbeloa at Liverpool and Mark Schwarzer and Clint Dempsey at Fulham.

Tim Cahill and Michael Arteta have also been excellent at Everton.

For the record, I do think Vidic should have just shaded the award from Gerrard, as the votes were cast in February.

My message to the PFA is please do the voting in April, or at the end of the season. It’s not a difficult concept Mr Gordon Taylor. These controversial awards are really not necessary or valid under the current process.