Source: Daily_Mail
Well done Stevie; you've been brilliant for Liverpool, but the wrong man won
Steven Gerrard will be crowned Footballer of the Year later this month at a gala dinner in London, but Sportsmail's Chief Football Correspondent insists his fellow writers should instead be honouring Wayne Rooney, the outstanding force in Manchester United's pursuit of four major trophies.
Congratulations to Steven Gerrard for winning the prestigious football writers' Footballer of the Year award. Congratulations for again performing so consistently well for a Liverpool team that has provided the only serious challenge to Manchester United this season.
And congratulations for remaining the driving force in Rafa Benitez's side when thelast few months have been overshadowed by an incident in a Southport bar that willalmost certainly result in his appearance in court, albeit on the lesser charge of affrayafter the initial assault charge was dropped.
Gerrard is a terrific footballer and a terrific lad: someone Sir Alex Ferguson once described as 'the most influential player in English football' and someone who remained loyal to Liverpool even when Jose Mourinho and Chelsea came calling.
Charming, courteous and intelligent, he deserves recognition and it was heartening to hear yesterday how he regards the Football Writers' Association (FWA) award as the ultimate accolade.
Certainly more prestigious than the PFA award that, because of a ludicrous voting system which forces players to select their choices midway through the season, has been so heavily criticised by John Terry and Rio Ferdinand. How, argues Terry, can Frank Lampard not secure a place in the PFA's top 10? How indeed.
