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| Gareth Bale succeeds Wayne Rooney as PFA Player of the Year |
This happens every year. Unfortunately, not every player who has had a good season can be recognised as there simply isn't enough time to do it and there are obviously only 11 players who can be named in a team of the year.
The awards are voted for by the players and therefore it is very difficult to argue with the results.
The players play against each other week in, week out and so there is no-one better qualified than them to judge on this.
However, the fact that votes are cast in March makes a bit of a mockery of the whole process.
The defining moments in every season come in April and May, and these awards do not recognise that.
Votes should go in at the end of the season with an awards dinner held as soon as they are counted, and then the awards will carry true meaning.
Gareth Bale scooped the PFA Player of the Year award yet has hardly played since January.
Yes, he had a superb half-season up to Christmas, but that is not truly reflective of the season as a whole.
If votes had been cast at the end of the season, it is unlikely he would have won the award as his performances, particularly against Inter Milan, would not have been as fresh in players' memories.
He definitely deserved recognition for his play in 2010, but he missed between two and three months of the season and it is therefore hard to say he warranted the ultimate prize.
Another issue that has cropped up is that if Bale won the Player of the Year, he should have won the Young Player award as well as he was nominated for that category too.
However, the fact is these awards are voted for by the players and it is just the way things worked out that he didn't win both awards.
Players may not have voted for him in the young category because he is recognised as a senior player, whereas Jack Wilshere has only just broken through and wasn't up for the main award.
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| Jack Wilshere has won the PFA Young Player of the Year in his breakthrough season at Arsenal |
The pint-sized midfielder has got so much talent and everyone recognises that, and it was therefore something of a no-brainer for him to scoop the Young Player award.
The Team of the Year was: Edwin van der Sar, Ashley Cole, Bacary Sagna, Nemanja Vidic, Vincent Kompany, Gareth Bale, Nani, Jack Wilshere, Samir Nasri, Dimitar Berbatov, Carlos Tevez.
A number of unsung players were mentioned in the awards, with Scott Parker and Charlie Adam two of the main examples.
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| Without Scott Parker, West Ham may have already been relegated this season |
That seems strange as Jack Wilshere did make it into that team, despite not being nominated for Player of the Year.
Parker deserves a lot more recognition than he has got because West Ham are almost a one-man team when he plays.
He has driven them to many victories this season, for example the home win against Liverpool, and without him the Hammers would have been dead and buried by now.
He should be a Premier League player next season whether West Ham are relegated or not and he is possibly the most under-rated player in the Premier League.
It would have been strange to see him win Player of the Year, though, as his side look like they may be relegated this season, so the fact he was nominated for the award shows how well he has done despite West Ham's plight.
If West Ham are a one-man team with Scott Parker, exactly the same sentiment is true of Blackpool with Charlie Adam.
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| Charlie Adam almost left Blackpool in January |
Ian Holloway wanted in excess of £10million for Adam in January and that was fair enough because he is that important to them.
He will be in the Premier League next season, possibly with Liverpool, although it will be harder for him to make a mark in a 'bigger' team as he will no longer be a big fish in a small pond.
He has been one of the revelations of the season and deserves enormous credit for what he has done for Blackpool, although to win Player of the Year may have been too much as his side may also go down this season.
Nemanja Vidic, Samir Nasri, Rafael van der Vaart and Carlos Tevez were the other players nominated for the main award and they have all been key to their sides' campaigns.
However, all have had dips in form during the season and it would therefore have been difficult to see them winning the award.
Nani has also had a good season but some of his antics cost him a place on the shortlist.
He hardly endears himself to his fellow professionals with some of his diving and theatrics, and didn't deserve to be considered because of this.
There are a number of unsung heroes in the Premier League and it would have been nice for them to be recognised.
Ask most Manchester City fans who their player of the season is and they will say Vincent Kompany.
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| City signed Vincent Kompany from Hamburg for around £6million in 2008 |
Kompany does not get as much credit as some of his team-mates largely due to the fact he was not bought for a huge amount of money, but City would be hard-pressed to find a better defender however much money they spent.
On a similar note, many Tottenham fans do not see Gareth Bale as even their Player of the Year.
Luka Modric has had a typically excellent season. He is the jewel in Tottenham's crown and his passing ability has been as important to Spurs as Bale's lung-busting runs.
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| Luka Modric has been linked with a move to Manchester United |
It is a shame Modric wasn't recognised in the awards by being on either the shortlist or Team of the Year, as his form has barely dipped all season and it is clear to see how important he is to his team-mates.
While Modric is one of the key players for Tottenham going forward, similar praise should be given to Michael Dawson for his magnificent efforts at the back.
He has been a vital member of the team all season and was key in their Champions League win over AC Milan.
Spurs do concede a lot of goals but without Dawson it is a fair bet they would concede a lot more.
He has come a long way from his days at Nottingham Forest and his form has led many to suggest he should be in England's first-choice 11, and he certainly deserved some sort of mention in the awards.
He missed out on a place in the Team of the Year due to the excellent campaigns of Nemanja Vidic and Vincent Kompany but he can't have been far away from a place on the team.
Bolton have had a superb season and a lot of that has been down to captain Kevin Davies.
Davies has been fantastic for the Trotters for a number of years now and is only just starting to get the praise he deserves, with his style of play often looked down on during his career.
It is a shame he is 34 now as if he was younger he would be assured a place in England squads, but it is a credit to him he is turning out these sort of performances at this stage of his career.
Bolton team-mate Gary Cahill can't have been far away from Team of the Year, either, as his form has seen him catapulted into the England squad and linked with big-money moves.
With defenders like Cahill and Dawson relatively young, England look well-served in the centre-back department for years to come. Bolton will do well to keep hold of Cahill in the summer.
He was never likely to make it into the league's best 11 due to the excellent form of some of his fellow defenders but he certainly deserves a lot of praise for his brilliant campaign.
Ashley Cole took the left-back slot in the Team of the Year but Everton's Leighton Baines may have been a better choice.
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| Leighton Baines missed out on a place in England's World Cup squad last year |
Cole has had a good season but has not hit the heights of last season, where he was excellent, but Baines has pretty much been Everton's best player this season.
He is a good defender but it is going forward where he stands out, with his crossing ability arguably even better than that of Cole's.
It was something of a surprise he didn't fill the left-back position in the team as he certainly deserved that sort of recognition.
One of the key members of most modern-day teams is the defensive midfielder.
The Team of the Year does not have an orthodox defensive midfielder, although Jack Wilshere has played there in the past, and it would be hard to argue against Newcastle's Cheik Tiote filling that position.
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| Cheik Tiote, who recently signed a new long-term deal at Newcastle, joined the Magpies last summer from FC Twente |
The Ivorian has been linked with a summer move to the likes of Chelsea and Arsenal and his value is sure to have rocketed in the year since he joined Newcastle, with his all-action displays helping to break up opposition attacks.
Players with 'smaller' clubs have been largely overlooked in the Team of the Year but Tiote's inclusion would have been a fair reward for an excellent season.
Newcastle need to keep hold of him in the summer as they will never be able to find someone to do his job more effectively.
Javier Hernandez was nominated for the Young Player of the Year award but the timing of the voting scuppered his chances for the main award.
Votes are likely to have been cast before his displays against Chelsea in the Champions League and prior to his excellent current run of form, but he has shown enough this season to suggest he will be a major contender for the Player of the Year award next season.
He has also proved to be a real bargain at around £7million and he will probably battle it out with Tiote for bargain signing of the season, as his value will also have gone up dramatically since joining Manchester United.
In contrast, Manchester City's £24million capture of Yaya Toure accompanied with around £220,000 a week in wages was condemned last summer.
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| Yaya Toure scored the winner for City in the FA Cup semi-final against Manchester United |
He will be a key player for City for years to come but will get little credit due to his obscene wages, but his performances this season have been top-drawer and he deserves a little more recognition because of this.
There are many other unsung players fans would have liked to have been recognised in the awards, for instance Benoit Assou-Ekotto and Matt Jarvis, but in truth no-one is going to agree completely with the results as football is a game of opinions and it would be very boring if everyone carried the same opinions all the time.
Jack Wilshere deserved to win the young category but several others should be mentioned.
If Gareth Bale can win the Player of the Year award despite being injured for much of 2011, then Andy Carroll should have been considered too.
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| Carroll was not among the nominations for either the Player or Young Player award |
He deserved at the very least to be nominated for the young award as he is truly one of the top talents in the country. It is a major surprise he wasn't even considered.
At Sunderland, Jordan Henderson and Danny Welbeck have had good seasons yet neither of those were up for the young award.
Both seem to have 'hit the wall' recently with their form but were key members of a Sunderland side who were competing for a top-six place earlier in the season and both earned their first England cap as a result of their form.
They deserved some sort of mention as, on the whole, they have had very good seasons when most other players their age are nowhere near Premier League starting 11s.
Seamus Coleman has developed into a right-winger this season and has been instrumental in Everton's turnaround in fortunes.
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| Coleman helped Blackpool win promotion to the Premier League in a loan spell last season |
He has shown an ability to both score and make goals and is only going to get better. He has boundless energy levels and it was nice to see him recognised with his nomination.
Joe Hart was also nominated for the young award, despite making a number of errors this season.
However, he deserved his recognition as most goalkeepers his age are not regular first-team players for their clubs, never mind their country.
He has made the England number one jersey his own after a number of assured displays, and it would not be a surprise to see him win a place in the Team of the Year next season once Edwin van der Sar has retired.
A final player who may have deserved a bit more credit and recognition is Manchester United's Chris Smalling.
He is not a regular starter but has been solid when called upon in both the league and the Champions League.
He has come a long way from his days with non-league Maidstone United and his story offers hope to any young player hoping to reach the top level.
His role will become more and more key for United with Rio Ferdinand's fitness an increasing worry, so expect to see him in a Team of the Year in the not too distant future.
I agree mostly with the nominations and winners of the awards, although this is how I would have ranked the players:
Player of the Year: 1. Luka Modric. 2. Scott Parker. 3. Gareth Bale.
Young Player of the Year: 1. Jack Wilshere. 2. Andy Carroll. 3. Javier Hernandez.
Team of the Year: Edwin van der Sar, Leighton Baines, Vincent Kompany, Nemanja Vidic, Bacary Sagna, Gareth Bale, Nani, Scott Parker, Luka Modric, Carlos Tevez, Andy Carroll. Bench: Joe Hart, Ashley Cole, Michael Dawson, Rafael van der Vaart, Samir Nasri, Charlie Adam, Jack Wilshere, Dimitar Berbatov, Javier Hernandez. (9 subs)
The beauty of these awards are that they provoke debate.
They may be voted for too soon but it must be a tremendous thrill for a player to be recognised by his fellow professionals.
There can be no better personal accolade.
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