The Alternative PFA Player of the Year List – Who would you nominate?
Earlier today the PFA announced the nominations for the 2009/2010 PFA Player of the Year awards. Here they are:
PFA Player of the Year
Didier Drogba
Cesc Fabregas
Wayne Rooney
Carlos Tevez
PFA Young Player of the Year
Cesc Fabregas
Joe Hart
James Milner
Wayne Rooney
Firstly, it is rather strange to see just 4 nominations for the awards. As far back as I can remember the PFA have listed 6 nominees, so this year marks a cut down in the number of players selected. One Sunderland forum theorised that the drop from 6 to 4 nominees was all a conspiracy to avoid having to shine the spotlight on clubs and players not considered as big and grandiose as those mentioned, but… come on.
Secondly, as you’ll no doubt have noted, 2 players are up for both awards – Fabregas and Rooney. Cesc Fabregas is 22 and Rooney is 24. PFA’s rules on the Young Player of the Year state that players aged 23 and under at the start of the season are eligible for the young player award, hence Rooney and Milner’s inclusion (both are 24).
A couple of years ago I suggested the criteria for Young Player of the Year should perhaps be amended. Based on the uniformity of both categories, particularly with a reduced field this season, should what constitutes a ‘young player’ be changed to bring greater diversity into the 2 awards?
Should Fabregas, Rooney and Milner, with all their years of Premier League experience, still be shoe-horned into such a group? With players breaking through at ever younger ages (Rooney, Milner and Fabregas all made their debuts at 16) – shouldn’t the award be geared more towards breakthrough talents?
Reducing the age limit to – say – 22 and dictating that players must be in their maiden season to be eligible would be simple, easily implementable measures to achieve that. But having said that, who would be nominated from such a category this season? Not too many players spring instantly to mind.
The overlooked
Although to my mind both lists look pretty fair, what is football without a good debate? So here are a few players I think were unlucky to miss out on being nominated for the main award:
1, Nicolas Anelka
Superb for much of the season (though his performances have waned a tad of late) and statistically one of the league’s best strikers according to the Actim Index. Earlier in the season he was mentioned by many as a potentially leading candidate. Did his form drop too much to be considered in the end, or is he just unlucky?
2, Richard Dunne
Until recently Aston Villa boasted the best defensive record in the league and Richard Dunne, signed from Manchester City was a big part of that. Statistically, the Actim Index names him the best defender in the Premier League this year. Should he have been up for an award? Perhaps Dunne isn’t enough of a Hollywood name for such accolades. As Garry Cook put it, Richard Dunne won’t sell you shirts in China.
3, Patrice Evra
Left back is far from a glamour position in football, but if it was Patrice Evra would probably walk away with this award. While almost every other Manchester United player has missed at least some part of the season through injury, Evra has been virtually ever-present, turning in consistent 8.5/10 minimum performances week in week out. Evra’s complete overlooking appears to me to be largely as a victim of his position rather than through any lack of form.
4, Frank Lampard
17 goals and 14 assists. Usually I turn my nose at the media’s propensity to cram awards like this with as many English players as possible. But can you really overlook those stats? Lampard always seems to deliver, which considering he sometimes appears to drift through games is a testament to his effectiveness.
Others who might also have been involved – Florent Malouda, Luis Antonio Valencia and Craig Bellamy.
Who would make your alternative list, for both Player of the Year and Young Player of the Year? Leave us your thoughts below.
(Photo via lorrifc24 on Flickr).
Carlos Tevez, Cesc Fabregas, Didier Drogba, English Premier League, James Milner, Joe Hart, Wayne RooneyShare This Post!
About Jonathan F
The boss of this here... Creator and Editor of Just-Football.com, world football analyst, watcher, freelancer and all-round enthusiast. French football analyst for Football Radar. Write for FourFourTwo, have also written for ITV, When Saturday Comes and others.
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It should change, agreed. I think a maximum age of 22, not 24, without your suggested caveat of being in your first season would be fine.
Or you could simply introduce a rule stipulating that if a player under 24 is nominated for the main award they can’t also be nominated for the young award?
That or Rookie of the year would be good
24 is quite an old age to be handing out Young Player of the Year awards though isn’t it?
That’s almost half a career if you start out at 17/18…
A rookie of the year would be far more interesting. The added problem with the current format is if Rooney for example wins the Player of the Year it would be stupid to not also give him Young Player of the Year really, wouldn’t it?
Thanks.
Im all for Rookie of the year instead of young player of the year award. That would definetly make it a more interesting award and would actually have people talking about the emerging talent in the Premier league rather than the young established players.
Players that come to mind from this season are:
- Junior Stanislas
- Zavon Hines
- Darren Gibson
- Phil Jones
This is clearly quite difficult…anyone else got any names they want to throw in (or take out of my list!)
Jack Rodwell and Steven N’Zonzi would be 2 I’d definitely put into any Rookie of the Year category. Jordan Henderson would also probably be in there somewhere I’d imagine…
Like you say Mo, Rookie of the Year stirs up so much more debate, and is far more interesting than giving it to already well established, relatively young players.
Unfortunately, as Santiago points out, the criteria is difficult to nail.
I wouldn’t include foreign imports in the rookie category unless they were under 21/22 though, that way you’d eliminate including people like Vermaelen. In fact I think Santiago, your suggestion is just about bang on.
The rookie of the year has one problem, and is how do you define a rookie, for example is Vermaelen a rookie? this is his first season in the premier but he played for Ajax before, also if someone like Macheda who has played some games but is not considered a regular has a breakout season next year shouldn’t he be considered?.
I think the best solution is limiting the age to 21 and a max of 3 season in the premier, or maybe having played less than 38 games before the start of the season.
Good point and nice solution
Maybe make a new player of the year award, for transfers into the EPL from other leagues
24 is too old for a young player of the year award I agree, it should be changed to 22.
And, maybe they should introduce a Rookie of the year award like in american Major League Baseball.
Because, even if they lower the age to 22 you still will have people who have 3 or 4 years of senior squad play under their belts competing with people in their 1st or 2nd year in the senior squad.