The BBC Sports Personalities of the year shortlist has been drawn up and thanks to the powerful Interweb I have been unable to avoid finding out who is on it and therefore being drawn into questioning some of the choices. The list is as follows:

Jenson Button (F1 World Champion and bookies favorite)
Andrew Strauss (Cricket)
Tom Daley (diving)
Jessica Ennis (heptathlon)
David Haye (boxing)
Phillips Idowu (triple jump)
Beth Tweddle (gymnastics)
Mark Cavendish (Cycling)
Andy Murray (Tennis)
Ryan Giggs (Football)

It is hard to argue with the first five on the list, they are all World Champions and I don’t know enough about Beth Tweddle to argue her place amongs the shortlist. Jenson Button is a deserving favorite and thanks to the high profile sport of F1 he probably will win and I’m pleased for Mark Cavendish who had a fantastic year, but it is the Football choice that is making me ask questions.

Maybe the committee feel it unfair to have more than one person per sport but Brad Wiggins’ forth place finish in the 2009 Tour de France (the joint highest finish by a British rider ever) was a heck of a lot more impressive than Ryan Giggs’ football season. The old timer had a solid year but he wasn’t even his teams best player and certainly not the best footballer in Britain through 2009.

Boxing fans will call for Haye but the fact is he has had one or two fights in the whole year and while he became Heavyweight Champion of the World, and deservedly so, it was hardly against a magnificent opponent.

Cycling fans will argue who should be in between Cavendish and Wiggins: Was Cavs sprint victories all through the year more impressive than a 4th place finish in the toughest sporting event on the planet from Wiggins?

This shortlist always raises debate amongst sport fans and this year will likely be no different but I think it is indeed a safe bet that Button will walk away with the big prize and that the English Cricket team will win the team prize for their Ashes effort.