English Angle: Did Ryan Giggs Deserve To Win PFA Player Of The Year?

So, Ryan Giggs is the PFA Player of the Year. That's right, Ryan Giggs. After nearly 20 years of top-flight football, he has claimed one of those precious few trophies that had thus far eluded him - and the kicker is, this is perhaps the only time where he's been up for the gong but didn't deserve it.

There were murmurs of discontent even when the nominations were announced, not least because five of the six selected stars hailed from a little club called Manchester United. And the only nominee from outside Old Trafford was the one who probably should have taken the cake.

Steven Gerrard, the irrepressible captain of Liverpool, has been in stellar form all season long. Even in those outings where he's played well below his potential, he has usually been the one to lift his team and provide a decisive contribution. But when he has brought his A-game... well, ask Newcastle United for a detailed description.

The Scouse superstar simply must have been there or thereabouts for the award this term because, in all honesty, the guys who should have been contesting it with him weren't even picked. It's a crime that Xabi Alonso wasn't considered, while Frank Lampard's impact at Chelsea has been not far short of Gerrard's at Anfield.

And yet it was Giggs who was nominated, and Giggs who took out the title.

The other key cause of consternation upon the unveiling of the nominees was the fact that Giggs, up to that point, had only started nine Premier League games. Even though he performed brilliantly in most of them, that's nowhere near enough game-time to warrant being elected the best player of the season. His currently tally is 12.

And that's the problem with having a March cut-off for voting. Firstly, it means the business end of the campaign is completely ignored - what if Giggs comes off the bench and scores an own goal in every game between now and season's close while Gerrard leads Liverpool to the title and Lampard notches up five consecutive hat-tricks? It won't happen, of course - but what if it did?

Secondly, the majority of clubs tend to get their votes in with plenty of time to spare, due to the fact the whole process is coordinated by each team's PFA representative. So, say a club has a busy set of fixtures at the end of February stretching into March, they might want to get the voting out of the way several weeks prior - and that places yet more emphasis on early-season showings.

It's not such an issue when there's a runaway favourite, as Cristiano Ronaldo was in the past two seasons, but when it's a tight pack with nobody really jumping out, then the system's flaws are exposed.

That problem shows in some of the other United nominees, too. Edwin van der Sar didn't concede a goal for over three months but has let in 13 since March; Nemanja Vidic was the most important figure in that clean-sheet streak but has followed it up with some very ordinary showings, including an absolute horror show against a Gerrard-inspired 'Pool.

Another problem is that it's the players who vote. This cannot be avoided, of course - it's the Professional Footballers' Association who run it - but the fact is that not all players are good analysts, and in this case there's an overwhelming scent of sentiment added to the mix.

For Giggs is one of the best-loved footballers in the world, a true legend whose contribution to the English game in the past two decades  is rivalled by only his manager, Sir Alex Ferguson; he is an impeccable professional in every sense. At 35, he's been revitalised in a central-midfield role (the novelty of which perhaps has also contributed to him winning the award), and this is probably his last chance to add this accolade to his collection.

Let's make no mistake: Giggs has played some excellent football this term... when he's played. The fact that he's got the nod must be a bit of a kick in the teeth to guys in the midst of 50-game seasons - even though many of those stayers probably voted for the Welsh Wizard.

So, did Ryan Giggs deserve the PFA Player of the Year crown this season? No, to be blunt. There are others - like Gerrard, Lampard, Alonso - who have played much more often and had a bigger overall impact on their team's campaigns. But there's no denying that he deserves to have one, for all the years he missed out, and for all he's given us viewers over the years.

Mike Maguire, Goal.com