Why Scott Parker deserved his award and Gareth Bale didn’t warrant Player of the Year

As I awoke this morning and checked Sky Sports News on my phone, it was refreshing to find the story about Scott Parker being awarded Footballer of the Year by the Football Writers Association.

The West Ham United captain has been in fine form for club this season, single handily dragging his team through games with a series of fine performances that has seen West Ham pick up points when they perhaps shouldn't have done so. Many quarters of the media feel that, without Parker in the midfield, the club would have been relegated by now rather than the two points off safety they currently find themselves in.

Granted, their position isn't the best in the league with the threat of relegation still looming over their heads but they would have been worse off had Parker left last summer or over January when a protracted move to London rivals Tottenham Hotspur was on the cards. Fortunately for the Hammers, their captain remained at Upton Park while welcoming the arrivals of Demba Ba and Robbie Keane in the process.

His award, in my opinion, is well earned for Parker who has re-established himself in the England set-up and was rewarded in the new 4-3-3 formation that Fabio Capello employed in the 2-0 victory over Wales in Cardiff last month. His nomination for PFA Player of the Year was also well worthy but, for me, the winner wasn't.

There is no denying the fact I am a Spurs but I feel that Gareth Bale didn't deserve the accolade of PFA Player of the Year. Yes, Bale is a good player and a great asset for Spurs but he wasn't the best player in the Premiership, not by a long shot. His early season form was of the highest standards but injuries have cost him dearly since Christmas. Having spent more time on the physio table than in the training pitch, it was a shock to much of the footballing world when his name was announced as the winner of the coveted award.

It shows that the nominations for the award are made far too early. Players from the twenty Premier League clubs are asked to submit their candidates for PFA Player and Young player of the Year as early as Christmas while there is still over five months of the season to play. The likes of Nani and Luka Modric, who have both been in fine form in recent months for their respective clubs, missed out on a possible nomination as a result.

It is a farce of a process that the PFA need to address. Three of the nominees, Rafael Van der Vaart, Samir Nasri and eventual winner Bale, have all been off the boil for much of the second half of the season. Charlie Adam, Nemanja Vidic, Carlos Tevez and Parker all deserve their place amongst the nominees while, for me, Nani, Modric and even Leighton Baines have all earned a nomination.

Personally, I believe Parker deserved to be nominated PFA Player of the Year ahead of the six other candidates and his FWA Footballer of the Year award was well deserved for the West Ham captain.

Anyway, got to dash.

Laters,

Macca