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I've just been watching Sky Sports News' review of the season, in which they go around the grounds of the Premier League throughout the season and ask the fans who they think is the player of the season. Suggestions put forward were Deco, Steven Taylor and Johann Elmander. I know, ridiculous.

Even when Ryan Giggs was crowned as the Players' Player of the Year award I was surprised. He's made 15 league starts this season, and although he has been almost omnipresent in the Manchester United team since the Premier League began, surely this season's award can be attributed to be more of a Player of the Season's than for this years performances.

Steven Gerrard won Football Writer's Player of the Year and that is justifiable, but for me, there is only one man who deserves the title of Player of the Year. You can keep your sulky Ronaldo's your broody Berbatov's and your vicious Vidic's, give me fabulous Frank Lampard.

Lampard has started all 37 of Chelsea's Premier League games this season, playing 3299 minutes of football and scoring 12 goals. I was a Lampard-sceptic at the start of the season, but after covering a handful of Chelsea games I was won over by the man's class, style, grace and effort. His work-rate is second to none, his vision impeccable and his decision making exact.

He has not just starred in the league this season though, he's made ten Champions League appearances, 877 minutes worth bagging three goals and five assists in the process. He's scored a further four goals in domestic cup cometitions and also won the Chelsea Fan's Player of the Year award.

All in all, it's not been a bad year for Lampard, the only thing that was missing was a bit of silverware. There's always next year...

Phew, try saying that as fast as you can. So, as the days on the calender are ticked off, the final game of the Premier League season draws ever closer, and there is an awful lot to play for.

In a week where Sunderland collapsed against Portsmouth, Ricky Sbragia has allegedly told Niall Quinn he will step down after the game against Chelsea and Elis Short has agreed a deal that will see him take complete control of the club, Sunderland fans have had a lot on their minds.

It is likely that Sunderland will, in time honoured fashion, have to rely on results elsewhere to survive the dreaded drop. Given the performances of recent weeks, one can not see Sbragia leading his side to victory over Chelsea, despite how important the game is, so pray to the God's of football that Manchester United and Aston Villa will do the club a huge favour and send either Hull or Newcastle down.

It is widely accepted that Sunderland never do things the easy way, and at least the relegation battle is keeping fans interested in the football. Since I started supporting the Lads in 1994 us fans have been through a relegation battle, promotion, relegation, a failed play-off campaign, a record-breaking promotion to the top flight, two seasons of challenging for Europe and being top dogs in the North East, another relegation battle, a season being the worst team in Premier League History, another failed play campaign, another promotion, another season of being the worst team in Premier League history, Roy Keane guiding the club to promotion and last season finishing 16th, relatively safe with a few games to go. Life is pretty interesting at the Stadium of Light, it'd be a shame to have it any other way.

Sunderland fans had to go through a torturous Saturday afternoon as they waited to see if Hull, Newcastle of even Middlesbrough could get three points that would boost their survival hopes.

With fans tuned into radio stations, TV channels and refreshing websites all afternoon, the results turned out to be satisfactory. Hull managed to get a point away to Bolton which leaves them one point above the drop zone and one point behind Sunderland, Newcastle suffered a 1-0 defeat at the hands of Roy Hodgson's increasingly impressive Fulham side thanks to a controversial decision by Howard Webb, but you won't find us Sunderland fans moaning about that.

SO, finally Sunderland fans have a point to celebrate as we cling on to the Premier League by the finest of hairs. The 0-0 draw away at Bolton brought with it a much needed digit added on to the point total, but also a decent performance.

Lining up in a formation that was somewhere in between 4-2-3-1 and 4-5-1 Sunderland looked impressive as Leadbitter, Malbranque and Richardson linked up with lone striker Kenwyne Jones to great effect, only to squander their chances. Richardson alone had three or four opportunities to put the Black Cats ahead.

So, for the second consecutive season Danny Collins has won the Player of the Year award at the Stadium of Light, and rightly so.

Last season marked a form of "coming-of-age" for the former Chester defender when he filled in at left back, covered at centre half and was always present to fight until the end.

Once deemed as not being good enough to hold down a first team place, Collins excelled in Roy Keane's first season as a Premier League manager, adapting his game and learning to overlap and support the left winger.

This season, he reverted back to centre half with the injury to Nyron Nosworthy but since George McCartney's injury woes returned, the Welshman has had to move back out to the left.

He is the one Sunderland player this season who has shown heart, passion and commitment week-in, week-out and that is why he's won the award. Not for his skills or talents, but for his eagerness to win and desire to help his team-mates. If everyone on the pitch at the Stadium of Light played with the passion of Collins, Sunderland certainly wouldn't be fighting to survive.

So, Roy Keane has returned to management, with another Championship side in Ipswich Town. I for one am delighted to see him back in the game, despite how much it is like seeing an old girlfriend with someone new.

He takes over a team stranded in mid-table but with a decent squad, strong support and good ownership, not to mention history. Sound familiar?

Keane will have to weave his magic once more as he starts his second job as a manager, this one however, will be significantly less well-funded. 13 players are out of contract at Portman Road in the summer so the Irishman will have time to look at his men and decide who stays and who goes.

This time round Keane will get a chance to show what he learned from his time at Sunderland regarding transfers, training methods and discipline. He must have been impressed with what he saw at Ipswich but will look for an instant response from his new charges before the season is out.

Good luck Keano, and let us hope for a home cup tie against the Tractor Boys next season.

ST JAMES' PARK welcomed the return of one man on Sunday. He is a rather, erm, well built fellow, who wears a Newcastle shirt, sits with the fans and hadn't been seen around the stadium for some time.

No, I'm not talking about Mike Ashley, I'm talking about the chap who bellowed out "Blaydon Races" in front of 52,084 people on a bitterly cold January afternoon.

WHEN Roy Keane resigned as manager of Sunderland, he left a club that he himself had made fashionable once more, a club that was given great attention by the media, a club in a state of hyperactivity and restlessness. With Keane came the media circus, which was no bad thing when raising the profile of a once mighty club.

Keane had done a tremendous job at in the North East, raising the club from the doldrums of the Championship to establishing them as a Premier League side once more, attracting some high profile players in the process.

MARSEILLE midfielder Modeste M'Bami is apparently on the brink of joining us, or so says his agent.

The player is a pal of Djibril Cisse and was apparently in the stands for the Bolton game.

Agent Jean-Christophe Thouvenel says the Ccameroon international has been contacted by two Premier League clubs - Sunderland and Portsmouth

He has previously played for Paris Saint Germain and refused to sign a new deal with Marseille to pursue a fresh challenge in an overseas league.

The 26-year-old is under contract until the end of the season but is expected to be transferred during the transfer window to avoid moving for nothing in the summer.

Thouvenel said: "I can confirm to you that Sunderland are highly interested in signing Modeste. There is another Premier League club that is interested as well, Portsmouth.

SO, FA Cup third round weekend's been and gone and, for the first time in three years, we actually won.

Every year around this time, the same old question seems to be asked - has the romance of the cup gone?

It is just like GCSE and A Level results day, when we are forced to debate whether exams are getting easier or not.

As a youngster, I absolutely loved the FA Cup - I saw Sunderland get to the 1992 final and was even at Hillheads to watch Whitley Bay beat Preston to get to the fourth round.