Scott Parker: A Truly Deserving Football Writers' Footballer of the Year

It's not often that a footballer from a relegation-threatened club wins a prestigious award in the English Premier League.  

Even if the Player of the Month award went to a footballer from such a club, it would raise eyebrows—unless they performed miracles for their side in that month.

For such a player to therefore take home the Footballer of the Year award must have certainly been unthinkable to many, especially those most arduous critics of all, the football writers.

Ever since David Ginola won it with Tottenham Hotspur in the 1998/99 season, no footballer outside of the top four clubs has managed to get a sniff of the award.

However, Scott Parker’s season has been so amazing that it would have been criminal not to honor him.

In winning the award, Parker beat out the likes of Nemanja Vidic, Jack Wilshere, Nani and Gareth Bale, who I thought was an undeserving winner of the PFA Footballer of the Year award.

We all applauded the fact that Bale won the biggest accolade in the league, but tell me what he's done since November? After his notable hat-trick against Inter Milan, he’s been all hype and glamour, nothing more.

Scott Parker, on the other hand, has gone through such a topsy-turvy season, always giving his utmost even though life appeared to be cruelly unfair to him and his teammates at times. 

He had already begun imposing himself early on in the season, netting a sensational strike against Chelsea and being a huge influence in the win over another relegation candidate in Wigan.

His endeavors earned him his first England call-up in five years, and his matured performance against Denmark received praise from the demanding Fabio Capello. 

However, his West Ham teammates weren't equalling Parker’s efforts.

Later in the season, down 3-0 in a massive bottom-of-the-table clash against West Brom, Parker inspired his teammates during halftime with a rousing pep talk.

Speaking after the game, Carlton Cole said, "If you were there you would have had a tear in your eye."

West Ham cried tears of determination that afternoon, giving everything they had to pull the game back to 3-3. 

Parker's performances continued to hit newer heights, gallantly carrying the Hammers against Liverpool, putting away a deft strike and running his socks off all afternoon to ensure maximum points for the Hammers, to keep them out of the drop zone.  

Then, adversity struck.

His father passed away after a long period of illness.

Unbelievably, Scott Parker not only still made it to the game, but laced up his boots and played against Tottenham Hotspur just hours after his father’s death.

He then sparkled in England’s win over Wales in their Euro 2012 qualifying match, just four days later, in a performance lauded by many as heroic and that cemented his place in the England squad.

The journalists couldn't have made a better choice in awarding Scott Parker this honor.

He is a true champion on and off the pitch, and an inspiration to many through his never-say-die attitude and tireless play. 

Even if the Hammers get relegated this year, Scott Parker remains a triumph. 

His name is certain for go down as one of West Ham’s greats, make no mistake about that.