It is a splendid choice.

True, Parker does not have the swagger of Wayne Rooney, the thrill of Cristiano Ronaldo, the grace of Thierry Henry, all former winners of the FWA award over the past decade.

He does not possess the eye-catching talent and surging pace of Tottenham's Gareth Bale, who was the players' own choice for the PFA award.

Yet if it is about influence and impact then it is difficult to disagree with the choice of Parker, who is the first West Ham player to win the accolade since England captain Bobby Moore in 1964.

Like Moore, Parker has an uncanny ability to read a football match which allows him to operate with an economy of effort and makes up for the fact that he is not blessed with natural pace.

If it was not for his tenacity and inspiration at the heart of West Ham's midfield then, almost certainly, the Hammers would already have been relegated.

He has been that influential in a struggling side. So influential that he also played his way back into the England team, coming on as a second half substitute against Denmark in February and being chosen from the start for the European Championship qualifier at the Millennium Stadium against Wales last month.

In that game he was one of the game's top players in the holding midfield position which has been something of a problem for Fabio Capello.

Parker swept aside Capello's concerns about his lack of pace to lend England a balance which will give the manager a problem when Steven Gerrard and Frank Lampard are both fit.

His goal against Liverpool in February stands out and his leadership qualities were highlighted by West Ham striker Carlton Cole, who praised his "inspirational" pep talk at half-time which saw the Hammers come back from 3-0 down to draw with West Brom.

"If you were there you would have had a tear in your eye," was how Cole described Parker's oratory.

Parker is the epitome of selflessness. Playing through injury. Playing against Tottenham a few hours after the death of his father.

Yes, there have been others whose influence for their clubs has been just as significant. Charlie Adam at Blackpool has had the season of his life, even if it was slightly soured by his dismay at not landing a big money move to one of the big clubs in the January transfer window.

Nemanja Vidic is the reason Manchester United could still do the double of Premier League and Champions League and Bale caught the eye spectacularly enough with his hat-trick against Inter Milan in the San Siro to earn the votes in the players' poll.

Carlos Tevez, too, had a sound claim, despite injury and loss of form in recent weeks. Without Tevez and his prolific scoring there is no way Manchester City would occupy a Champions League qualifying spot right now or be in next month's FA Cup final.

Parker's influence is not in trophies won or goals scored, but rather it is of a decent Premier League midfielder making the most of his talents and putting his body and soul on the line for the cause.

It has not been a vintage footballing season. But Parker's contribution has been exceptional. His award is justly deserved.