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Never Mind The So-Called Shortlist...
At the beginning of April 1991, the shortlist for PFA Player of the Year was announced on Saint and Greavsie, ITV's Saturday lunchtime show (the only option in an era when the BBC, without league footage, had suspended Football Focus). I can't remember all the names but there were five including Alan Hansen and Vincent Jones.
The former had retired the previous May. The latter was as bad a footballer as he is an actor. When Ian St John said that for the first time the shortlist was being opened up to the public, to provide the sixth name, while Jimmy Greaves struggled to keep a straight face, it didn't take much to realise that if you rang the phone number to submit your choice you would get a recorded message reminding you that it was April 1.
Judging by the reaction to this year's shortlist, many people think that the real thing in 2007 is a bigger joke than the fake selection from 1991. One Mailbox contributor, Ronan Donnelly of Dublin, has even lost it to the extent of thinking that Micah Richards has been picked on the senior list and that the whole thing is the responsibility of the FA.
Yes, players vote too early, though not as badly as they used to. In 1995-96, Les Ferdinand got the nod on the basis of votes collected by the end of February. He had 21 goals in Newcastle's first 25 games, playing in 24; he started in the remaining 13 but scored just four more times as Kevin Keegan's side surrendered their lead at the top of the table. It was a sheepish Les who picked up his gong. That prompted a rescheduling of the votes, though it has not gone far enough.
Some may cast strange votes. Yes, there are players in the final six who shouldn't be there and ones who should be that are missing. Defenders are underappreciated, goalkeepers more so, though it's worth considering that some will vote on the basis of the best player they have faced, judged on what someone was like in a game or two. And as long as Cristiano Ronaldo and Didier Drogba are in the frame I'm not going to join in with the complaints.
Thanks to his injury, my annual demand for Petr Cech to get some recognition cannot be made so easily. So the two players that have been the key men for the two best teams in the country are on the list and my guess is that the other four names really don't matter.
I'm pleased Paul Scholes is there, even if his renaissance hasn't included learning how to tackle. But the six names are not a true shortlist, in the manner of the six called for a job interview. The decision has already been made.
Some brief research has not established whether the PFA announce a breakdown of the votes. But it seems unlikely that Cesc Fabregas, Steven Gerrard, Ryan Giggs and Scholes (listed alphabetically) will, combined, get even half the votes of whoever comes second. And very few votes may separate that quartet from the players beneath them.
Without Drogba's goals, Chelsea would be lucky to be competing on one front still, never mind three, and with a trophy in the bag to boot. Without Ronaldo, Manchester United would not be attracting the rave notices to go with their assault on the Treble.
Others have played increasingly well and I hope that Michael Essien's versatility is not held against him when it comes to the team of the season, the best player in each position. But he has not made as much contribution as Drogba to keeping his club competitive at the very highest level. Though as Drogba has scored just once in the last ten games, I'd hope that he'd have to settle for second even if he didn't play for Chelsea.
Ronaldo remains a controversial figure, but much of that has been hot air from people unwilling to accept that the laws decree it a foul if you make any contact with an opponent before the ball in a tackle. His goalscoring and goal-creation records this season have been extraordinary and it is to the player's credit that he overcame the prejudice stirred up by those who last summer sought to distract attention from Wayne Rooney's deliberate stamp on an opponent.
If we see a repeat of Andy Gray's unique feat of 1977 - victory in both the senior and junior categories - then Ronaldo will be a deserved double winner. Regardless of whether his efforts are enough to land a Treble, he's the one who's got them in a position to talk about winning it.
And as for the rest, from Michael Essien to Ben Foster, let us hope that the team of the season gives credit where it's due.
Philip Cornwall
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Anyone got any thoughts on the actual team of the year which will be announced, considering these votes were done in Feburary.
At the beginning of April 1991, the shortlist for PFA Player of the Year was announced on Saint and Greavsie, ITV's Saturday lunchtime show (the only option in an era when the BBC, without league footage, had suspended Football Focus). I can't remember all the names but there were five including Alan Hansen and Vincent Jones.
The former had retired the previous May. The latter was as bad a footballer as he is an actor. When Ian St John said that for the first time the shortlist was being opened up to the public, to provide the sixth name, while Jimmy Greaves struggled to keep a straight face, it didn't take much to realise that if you rang the phone number to submit your choice you would get a recorded message reminding you that it was April 1.
Judging by the reaction to this year's shortlist, many people think that the real thing in 2007 is a bigger joke than the fake selection from 1991. One Mailbox contributor, Ronan Donnelly of Dublin, has even lost it to the extent of thinking that Micah Richards has been picked on the senior list and that the whole thing is the responsibility of the FA.
Yes, players vote too early, though not as badly as they used to. In 1995-96, Les Ferdinand got the nod on the basis of votes collected by the end of February. He had 21 goals in Newcastle's first 25 games, playing in 24; he started in the remaining 13 but scored just four more times as Kevin Keegan's side surrendered their lead at the top of the table. It was a sheepish Les who picked up his gong. That prompted a rescheduling of the votes, though it has not gone far enough.
Some may cast strange votes. Yes, there are players in the final six who shouldn't be there and ones who should be that are missing. Defenders are underappreciated, goalkeepers more so, though it's worth considering that some will vote on the basis of the best player they have faced, judged on what someone was like in a game or two. And as long as Cristiano Ronaldo and Didier Drogba are in the frame I'm not going to join in with the complaints.
Thanks to his injury, my annual demand for Petr Cech to get some recognition cannot be made so easily. So the two players that have been the key men for the two best teams in the country are on the list and my guess is that the other four names really don't matter.
I'm pleased Paul Scholes is there, even if his renaissance hasn't included learning how to tackle. But the six names are not a true shortlist, in the manner of the six called for a job interview. The decision has already been made.
Some brief research has not established whether the PFA announce a breakdown of the votes. But it seems unlikely that Cesc Fabregas, Steven Gerrard, Ryan Giggs and Scholes (listed alphabetically) will, combined, get even half the votes of whoever comes second. And very few votes may separate that quartet from the players beneath them.
Without Drogba's goals, Chelsea would be lucky to be competing on one front still, never mind three, and with a trophy in the bag to boot. Without Ronaldo, Manchester United would not be attracting the rave notices to go with their assault on the Treble.
Others have played increasingly well and I hope that Michael Essien's versatility is not held against him when it comes to the team of the season, the best player in each position. But he has not made as much contribution as Drogba to keeping his club competitive at the very highest level. Though as Drogba has scored just once in the last ten games, I'd hope that he'd have to settle for second even if he didn't play for Chelsea.
Ronaldo remains a controversial figure, but much of that has been hot air from people unwilling to accept that the laws decree it a foul if you make any contact with an opponent before the ball in a tackle. His goalscoring and goal-creation records this season have been extraordinary and it is to the player's credit that he overcame the prejudice stirred up by those who last summer sought to distract attention from Wayne Rooney's deliberate stamp on an opponent.
If we see a repeat of Andy Gray's unique feat of 1977 - victory in both the senior and junior categories - then Ronaldo will be a deserved double winner. Regardless of whether his efforts are enough to land a Treble, he's the one who's got them in a position to talk about winning it.
And as for the rest, from Michael Essien to Ben Foster, let us hope that the team of the season gives credit where it's due.
Philip Cornwall
---------------------------------------------------------------------
Anyone got any thoughts on the actual team of the year which will be announced, considering these votes were done in Feburary.
