Player of the Year Award?

Voting gone stale

Can Ronaldo retain his award against familiar faces?

Edwin van der Sar, Nemanja Vidic, Rio Ferdinand, Ryan Giggs, Cristiano Ronaldo…You’d be forgiven for thinking that’s the reading of the United team over the Old Trafford tannoy. But toss in Liverpool‘s Steven Gerrard and you’ve got this year’s shortlist for the PFA player of the year award.

We can’t help but feel that the list is about two months out of date. Considering their recent wobbly form, it’s quite conceivable for Manchester United to finish second best in the chase for the big trophies. In fact, Chelsea, without a single PFA nomination, still have a mathematical chance of winning the treble. Surely the swashbuckling Frank Lampard, whose heroics have saved Blue bacon time after time, deserves a vote?  What about Fernando Torres, who has hauled Liverpool to within a whisker of the title? Or Kevin Davies, who has helped Bolton secure another season in the top flight? Many other worthy candidates didn’t make the final list including the likes of Stephen Ireland, Gareth Barry, Pepe Reina, Joleon Lescott and Emmanuel Adebayor.

Getting Premiership players to vote for their fellow professionals is an excellent method of recognizing the best. No one knows these top performers better than the players who square up against them week in and week out.  But the award’s credibility suffers when the nomination process takes place so early in the season.  It’s time the voting is moved closer to the end of May, when players have had a chance to show their true mettle when it really counts.