PFA Player of the Year shortlists

Sorry for being a little bit late to the party on this one, but I've only just finished laughing my arse off about the names involved. The nominations for the PFA Player and Young Player of the Year Awards were released yesterday, and provide a solid argument for the assumption that footballers are a bit stupid.

Player of the Year Nominees

• Edwin van der Sar (Manchester United)
• Ryan Giggs (Manchester United)
• Nemanja Vidic (yep, Manchester United)
• Rio Ferdinand (Manchester United)
• Cristiano Ronaldo (*sigh* Manchester United)
• Steven Gerrard (Liverpool)

Can you see a pattern? That's right, five out of six nominees play for Manchester United. If you were to read that list without knowing how the actual football was going, you'd say that United, in truth only one point clear of Liverpool, had the season done and dusted by February.

I should mention at this point that the voting (by fellow professionals) is done mid-season, so that's something to take into account.

But for my money, only Vidic deserves to be there out of the United nominees - he was, until recently, phenomenal. Ferdinand hasn't had his best season, and I think Ronaldo has been slightly disappointing.

Van der Sar's nomination is a complete joke. He broke some clean sheet records this season, but he has his defence to thank for that. Okay, that's maybe an argument for Ferdinand's inclusion, but I still don't think he should be there.

Giggs is a sentimental inclusion, and that's wrong. If the players wanted him to have this award, there were plenty of seasons when he'd have thoroughly deserved it.

Vidic will get it, but the winner, for me, has to be Steven Gerrard. But I'd say Frank Lampard could argue he's unlucky not to feature. Of course, plenty of clubs would say they have great unsung players. I think Stiliyan Petrov has been peerless this year, Kevin Davies has been stunning...plenty of players have a case.

The focus on United has flummoxed me a bit. I can't begin to imagine the motives.

Young Player of the Year Nominees

• Gabriel Agbonlahor (Aston Villa)
• Jonny Evans (Manchester United)
• Stephen Ireland (Manchester City)
• Aaron Lennon (Tottenham Hotspur)
• Rafael (Manchester United)
• Ashley Young (Aston Villa)

This list is a little more realistic, but a couple of inclusions are confusing. Jonny Evans is an above average player who features by virtue of the fact that he plays for United. Rafael is a very good player who's done little this season and, again, is in this list for one reason only.

Aaron Lennon remains hugely over-rated. His end product is still appalling, he gives the ball away like nobody's business and he's done bugger all of note this season for a team which has fallen way short of (ridiculous) expectations.

The Aston Villa duo, Ashley Young and Gabriel Agbonlahor, would not be included if the season was taken as a whole, but were in good form at the time of the vote. That could see Young win the award, but his poor form since makes a mockery of the voting system. Agbonlahor falls just short of his colleague, despite another impressive goalscoring season.

Ashley Young may well get the award, but for me it has to be given to Stephen Ireland, the best player on that list by a country mile. The kid carries a team of spineless prima-donnas every time they play well. If Manchester City have any intelligence, they'll be building their team around him.

So what do you think? Am I being too harsh on the United lads and Aaron Lennon? Who should win, and who else is missing?

(Photo: Zimbio)