Comments on: Portsmouth Preview

By: Grognard

Grognard — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 21:35:52 +0000

@NicoQB: The sad thing is I can think of three or four seasons where Giggs shine greatly but it just happened to be years when Alan Shearer, Eric Cantona and Thierry Henry were just a bid better. So he did have spectacular seasons, but there was always just one name that was a little better or that the London media preferred and campaigned for.

By: Red Ranter

Red Ranter — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:50:39 +0000

Speaking of United legends, a new post is up on one of them. Who, you ask? You’ll just have to go to the front page to see.

By: NicoQB

NicoQB — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:16:31 +0000

@Redrich: The player of the year awards are necessary to reward the best player over the course of the season. I look forward to it. I was thinking about a kind of lifetime recognition award or a "Hall of Fame" if you like to honor those legends that, as Grognard rightly put it, had great careers but never shone spectacularly for any one season in particular.

By: Stephen

Stephen — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 19:12:59 +0000

@Grognard: Arise Sir Giggsy

By: Redrich

Redrich — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 18:58:59 +0000

@NicoQB: How about a "Hall of Fame" that would honor the legends of the game?? Would be a lifetime induction and would mean so much more than the POY award.

By: Grognard

Grognard — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 18:57:25 +0000

@Matt: Basically it has always been a case of one player being as good or better than him every year. Pro sports are littered with players of this nature who were constantly great and very consistent but there would be a Gretzky, an Orr, Ruth a Clemens, a Bird a Jordan, a Cantona, a Henry etc who would pop up and have great seasons. As great as Giggs has been, it’s more his consistency as opposed to a single breathtaking season that elevates him into legend status. Although Cal Ripken Jr won two MVP’s in baseball, his stats were always great but rarely were they great enough to warrant MVP awards. But what won him the MVP awards was that he was a good hitter playing a position historically known as a weak hitting position. Otherwise he would be known only for his iron man longevity and not for his bat and glove play. Giggs does so many things well but not one thing so much better than anybody else. I think his consistency and his willingness to hide in the background and be quiet and respectful of the game and his team has left him forgotten at times. For me he has been a quiet assassin that has murdered many a team with his timely goals, excellent passes, dribbling runs and free kicks. The man is a God, but back in the shadows a bit.

By: NicoQB

NicoQB — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 18:40:36 +0000

Interesting also that one year, Beckham was second in the ballon d’or only to Rivaldo (who didn’t deserve it anyway) and didn’t win the POTY himself – I guess players didn’t like his flashy lifestyle…

No Paul Gascoigne!

Scholes at his peak was also deserving of some sort of award, methinks.

I said it once, but I think its high time that the league creates some sort of Lifetime recognition award – -just like they do at the academy awards, oscars for movies – so that people like Scholes, Giggs, Schmeichel and Le Tissier get their due recognition.

By: NicoQB

NicoQB — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 18:33:53 +0000

From wikipedia

1990–91 WAL Hughes, MarkMark Hughes Manchester United [17]
1991–92 ENG Pallister, GaryGary Pallister Manchester United
1992–93 IRE McGrath, PaulPaul McGrath Aston Villa
1993–94 FRA Cantona, EricEric Cantona Manchester United [18]
1994–95 ENG Shearer, AlanAlan Shearer Blackburn Rovers
1995–96 ENG Ferdinand, LesLes Ferdinand Newcastle United
1996–97 ENG Shearer, AlanAlan Shearer Newcastle United [19]
1997–98 NED Bergkamp, DennisDennis Bergkamp Arsenal FWA
1998–99 FRA Ginola, DavidDavid Ginola Tottenham Hotspur FWA
1999–00 IRE Keane, RoyRoy Keane Manchester United FWA
2000–01 ENG Sheringham, TeddyTeddy Sheringham Manchester United FWA
2001–02 NED van Nistelrooy, RuudRuud van Nistelrooy Manchester United FPY
2002–03 FRA Henry, ThierryThierry Henry Arsenal FWA, FPY [20]
2003–04 FRA Henry, ThierryThierry Henry Arsenal FWA, FPY [21]
2004–05 ENG Terry, JohnJohn Terry Chelsea
2005–06 ENG Gerrard, StevenSteven Gerrard Liverpool
2006–07 POR Ronaldo, CristianoCristiano Ronaldo Manchester United FWA, FPY, YPY [22]
2007–08 POR Ronaldo, CristianoCristiano Ronaldo Manchester United FWA, FPY

Interesting bits: Ginola I can understand, but Les Ferdinand!
One of the years Shearer won it maybe Giggs should have won…

Most surprising was Gary Pallister winnning it once! Not that he didn’t deserve it, but its the first time I hear about that!

By: Matt

Matt — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 17:37:16 +0000

Can anyone tell me why giggs never won the PFA award ever in his career. Im a bit young to remember the early to mid 90s but surely he should have won an award when he was still a youngster. Looking back at his stats he was getting 10 odd goals a season with many assists, how come he never won the award. I know cantona won it a few times and i think shearer did but i dont know why giggs never won the award. I watch clips of him in his prime in the 90s and i just wish i was born 10 years earlier so i could have appreciated him a bit more and remembered him in his prime. I never actually saw the goal against arsenal live but yeah its a pretty amazing goal and when you were first watching it live it must have been amazing to see it go in. His best goal i remember would have to be the goal against juve in turin in 2003. I remember we were struggling and some1 got injured and i think it was him who came on. The game changed immediately and giggsy scored an amazing goal from just past the half way line. Such an amazing goal and i was happy for him cos he was getting alot of criticism at that time and was linked away apparently. I heard certain united fans even booed him, i mean what the hell is up with tht. Words just cannot describe how good a player he has been for us, and when it comes to the day he retires it will be one of the saddest days the club has ever had. Legend giggsy.

By: Grognard

Grognard — Thu, 23 Apr 2009 17:01:58 +0000

@Stephen: Zola is certainly a class act and a true gentleman on and off the filed but I would not put him in there with Giggs simply because of tenure. He just hasn’t got the years and when it comes to respect, he is loved by Chelsea but I’m sure he doesn’t get a lot of consideration from other regions because he just wasn’t been around for as long as Giggs has been. Giggs has been like a Roman emperor as the entire era that he has played in could literally be named after him. 1990-2010 is the Giggsian period of football history in England. Hail Giggsy!