LEEDS UNITEDPrutton a divine influence
In a season which threatened to rely on the power of divine inspiration, it is thoroughly appropriate that a caricature of the son of God has materialised at Elland Road. It was not through design that David Prutton modelled himself on traditional portraits of Jesus, but the striking likeness was pointed out to him last month by supporters who believed the saviour was among the ranks of their club. They were only half joking. Omnipotent Prutton may not be, but the power behind Leeds United's season has stemmed in part from the midfielder's hand. In one area at least, Prutton and God share a similar trait – they are better for you than they are against you. After his recent inclusion in the shortlist for the Professional Footballers' Association player of the year trophy, Portsmouth goalkeeper David James commented that award ceremonies are largely the domain of strikers.
"No-one ever votes for goalkeepers these days," he said. "Not even me."The same, presumably, could be said of midfielders. It is undoubtedly easier to judge a forward on the goals by his name than it is to value a midfielder on the quiet industry he completes in midfield. But Prutton dismissed the stereotype of strikers-only ballots by claiming the Yorkshire Evening Post readers'player of the year award yesterday, edging a neck-and-neck vote ahead of Jermaine Beckford. Beckford had the clout of 20 league goals behind him – enough to deserve the stream of votes that flooded in behind him – but it was Prutton's contribution over 45 league games that turned the poll in his favour. Aside from Casper Ankergren, no player has been more consistently involved in an enthralling year which is now boiling down to League One's play-offs.
"It's been a season like no other I've ever had," said Prutton. "A year like this feels really special because you've been part of something that's pretty unique in football. It's always wise to expect the unexpected, but you don't join a club expecting them to get a 15-point deduction or to start a mile away from everyone else at the bottom of the division. It's not very often either that you go through a season producing wins and results at the rate that we have. You look for challenges in football and I found one here. You can't ask for much more than to be in a squad where everybody is focused, united and as ambitious as we've been. There were quite a few reasons for the players to moan and complain at the start of the season, but I think we all realised that discussing our position over and over again was a pointless conversation. Personally, I'd signed for Leeds for ambitious reasons and it was pretty clear everyone else had too. I'm really pleased that the fans value my contribution, but to properly analyse this season you need to look at the squad as a whole.
