It's a complicated equation. Can you justify giving it to a player that's hardly made any appearances at all, i.e. Lamela? Is it fair to call him the worst?
What about Soldado? So little to show for all his appearances, but then it's a radical adjustment for him, no less in a season when he lost a unborn child.
Then there's Chadli, who was no doubt an early favorite for this award. Did little to impress in his debut season, but then he didn't do nearly so much to be considered awful as some might say.
And Andros. At the start of the season was generously considered the heir to Gareth Bale, and the answer to our attacking woes. Was a bright spot in our attacking play at first, until the realization dawned that his long-range shooting was contributing nothing apart from turning the ball over.
Vertonghen: Unambiguously a step back from last season. Put on the spot to cover for a position that was badly short-changed by our lack of options, subsequently injured, and then came back into our side under a new manager. Clearly frustrated and unsettled, there's a good shout for him to have been among our most under-performing players this season.
Sandro, for pushing himself too hard coming back from injuries, and being perpetually injured,
I could go on and on. But, I'm not interested in dwelling on negativity. More than anything, Sherwood seems to have talked himself out of the job, and Poch seems to just be angling for a better deal at South. Take another look at DeBoer - let's get the best out of Verts and Eriksen next season - and hope a new face can get a fresh Lamela and Soldado living up to their price tags.