I AM NOT A GREAT LOVER OF AWARD CEREMONIES. MAYBE IF I WON SOMETHING MYSELF I WOULD BE TEMPTED TO CHANGE MY MIND, BUT I DO MAKE SURE THAT EVERY SEASON I USE MY RIGHT TO VOTE FOR THE FOOTBALL WRITERS’ FOOTBALLER OF THE YEAR.

The winner for 2005 is due to be announced today with Chelsea’s John Terry and Frank Lampard said to be the favourites, as they were last Sunday for the PFA award, voted for by the players. Terry got the nod from his fellow professionals at the weekend and is my choice this year for the writers’ award.

No Hammers fan needs to be reminded that Terry was actually on the club’s books as a youngster, though the pocket-sized version was a midfielder, a couple of years behind Lampard at the West Ham youth academy. He made his Chelsea debut at 17, has survived at a club that has undergone a £300m transformation and is arguably its most important element.

Terry, still only 24, provides the heart, the passion, the shaking fist and the well-chosen four-letter word to keep his disparate collection of teammates from such far flung places as the Ivory Coast, Iceland, Cameroon and the Czech Republic all pulling together. But with the muscle, you get an eye for oncoming danger, a cool head providing a swift intervention when needed and with that same head, some vital goals, particularly in the Champions League.

I would actually have Jamie Carragher as my runner-up. The Liverpool defender has re-invented himself as a centre-back this season and has demonstrated more passion for the game than his teammates, most of whom are raking in a much bigger weekly wage. It wouldn’t surprise me to see him voted the supporters’ player of the season.

I have to admit that my favourite moment involving Frank Lampard is not one that will make his end of season highlights video. For purely personal reasons, I’d give save of the season to West Ham’s Jimmy Walker for blocking Lampard’s penalty in the Carling Cup third-round tie at Stamford Bridge back in October.

My goal of the season involves Chelsea too. Ronaldinho’s clipped shot from the edge of the penalty area was not enough to claw Barcelona back into the Champions League tie at Stamford Bridge, but his mesmeric wiggle with the ball at his feet, followed by a stabbing shot with barely no backlift left all, including goalkeeper Peter Cech, stunned into inactivity.

If we are handing out awards, there have to be some ‘funnies’. Most ridiculous sending off would be a tie. Gary Neville kicking the ball at an Everton fan at Goodison Park a couple of weeks ago was not the most intelligent thing to do two-yards away from a referee. The fact that he missed his target and hit an 11-year-old United fan in the face summed up his stupidity. Vying with him is Blackburn’s on-loan striker Jay Bothroyd, who took a dislike to the attentions of Norwich City’s Mattias Jonson at Carrow Road, but waited patiently for the ball to go out of play before turning round to volley Jonson out of play as well.

As for quotes of the season, there have been some great musings from Mourinho, fiery outbursts from Fergie, various ‘I didn’t see it’ from Wenger, but my favourite came way back in August, when Luke Chadwick was touring the United States with Manchester United. As he prepared to take the field during a 2-1 defeat by Celtic in Philadelphia, the stadium’s public address system boomed: ‘Sub-steeeee-toot for Manchester United. . . . Chad Lukewick.’