Sports Ladder (20 December 2013 - 5 January 2014)

UP - Michael Schumacher - Sometimes sport needs to be put to one side, and the unfortunate story of Michael Schumacher's accident is one of those examples. It seems very strange that a man who spent his life racing cars at extreme speeds was most seriously injured in a skiing accident. I wish Michael all the best with his recovery .

UP - Australian Cricket Team - Let's stop criticising the England team for a minute and just acknowledge that we were dealt an absolute masterclass by Australia. The mustache-wielding Mitchell Johnson was simply phenomenal with the ball whilst Warner and Haddin blew England's bowling attack away. Congratulation Michael Clarke and co, a whitewash well deserved and well earned.

UP - Michael Van Gerwen - Could 'Mighty Mike' be the new era in darts? He's been around the top of the game for a while but this was his first World Championship victory in the PDC and moves him about Phil 'The Power' Taylor to the top of the World Rankings. If his 7-4 victory over Peter Wright in the final wasn't impressive enough, his 6-0 drubbing of Adrian Lewis in the semi-final really was something else. Is MVG going to cause a power cut in darts?

UP - Rowan Cheshire - With the Winter Olympics in Sochi approaching with pace it seems only fitting to highlight the achievements of a potential medalist. Rowan Cheshire this week became the first British female to ever win a World Cup event halfpipe gold medal. The 18 year old ran an impressive run to claim her maiden gold and will be looking to replicate this form should she qualify for Sochi.

UP - Nick Matthews - It was a disappointing year for squash last year, narrowly missing out on a spot in the Olympics. But things are looking up for it from a British perspective, with Nick Matthews moving to World number one for the first time since 2010 after his victory over Hong Kong Open. Good things for the 33 year old as he comes to the latter end of his career.

DOWN - Crawford Allen - Poor Crawford Allen. He was just out doing his job! Mr Allen was the match referee for an SFL game between Celtic and St Mirren when things went a bit wrong. Stood in the wrong place at the wrong time, Mr Allen found himself lying on his backside after Ross Draper attempted to charge down a Celtic cross. If you want to watch the video follow this link: http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/scotland/25568803

DOWN - Andy Murray - 2013 was Murray's year. AWimbledon title, an Australian Open final and an overwhelming Sports Personality of the Year victory. But 2014 hasn't exactly started with a bang. He lost to Jo-Wilfried Tsonga in the Mubadala World Tennis Championships before following up with a loss to Florian Mayer at the Qatar Open. There's little doubt that he will be back, but its been a slow start to the season.

DOWN - Scott Waites - The PDC Worlds have come and gone and now its time for the BDOs. But it didn't start well for the defending champion Scott Waites. Despite going into the match with a 6-0 record in first round World Championship, Waites was crushed by Alan 'Chuck' Norris, succumbing to a humbling 3-0 defeat. Better luck next year Scotty.

DOWN - Adnan Januzaj - Oh dear. One of the brightest young talents in the Premier League at the moment. Young Sports Personality nomination and highly coveted by a number of nations. However, this week he became the second highest scoring player to have been booked for diving in Premier League history.... with just 14 appearances. Tom Daley then offered to coach him and Ashley Young in their diving escapades. Not the sort of records he wants to be breaking.

DOWN -  Ole Gunnar Solskjaer - This story was a personal one for me as Ole was my childhood idol and one of the reasons I am a Manchester United fan. So I was so disappointed when he agreed to work under Vincent Tan after his treatment of Malky Mackay. I do understand that Solskjaer's reputation is unlikely to be damaged by this but it was just a personal disappointment.

Sports Ladder (12th-18th August)

A new weekly blog I intend to do as often as possible. The point of the blog will be to revisit the weeks top stories and see who has gone up and down in the opinion of the public. I shall try to incorporate as many sports as possible and do it every week but this shall not always be possible (For instance, next weekend I shall be at Reading Festival so I will not be able to write one). ENJOY!


UP - Mo Farah - What a week for the British athlete. Completing the Double-Double (5,000 and 10,000 metre Olympic and World titles) and being described as Britain's greatest ever athlete by Brendan Foster, Farah can relax and spend time with his ever-supportive wife and children. Watch out for Farah vs Murray at this years Sports Personality of the Year.

UP - England Cricket Team - England had already retained the Ashes but this week they won it. Outstanding bowling from Stuart Broad, gaining himself eleven wickets in the fourth test, was the main reason for the victory. Now Cook and the boys will be looking to win the fifth and final test and claim a 4-0 Test victory.

UP - Rickie Lambert - The week of his life. Not only did he score a 90th minute winner for Southampton yesterday, he also scored with his first touch on his England debut midweek. He described it as a 'dream come true' and will be looking to retain his place in the England team. The 'rags-to-riches' striker gained a lot of public support this week.

UP - Barclays Premier League - After the relentless tedium of the Bale/Suarez/Rooney transfer sagas over the last month or so, the Premier League finally regained my attention on the opening weekend. A weekend full of penalties, debut goals and a few upsets has certainly reminded us why the Premier League is the greatest League in the world.

UP - Anna Nordqvist - As Europe head towards their first Solheim Cup victory on American soil, a special mention must go to Anna Nordqvist. On the par three 17th, Nordqvist scored the first ever Solheim Cup hole-in-one to win the four ball 2&1 and give Europe momentum on a fantastic Saturday. They go into the final singles day on 10 and a half points to America's 5 and a half.


DOWN - Marion Bartoli - Only 40 days after winning her maiden Wimbledon title, Bartoli announced a shock retirement, claiming that physical pain was the reason for her decision. After troubles with the French Tennis National body over the last few years it will be a shame to lose Bartoli's unorthodox style from the sport.

DOWN - Lee Westwood - After finishing way off the pace at the PGA last weekend, Westwood went on a rather embarrassing tipsy outburst on twitter, attacking 'girly boy trolls'. A rather sad way to end what has been a relatively successful year. Come on Lee, you don't need to get sucked in by the twitter trolls, you are an excellent golfer and your time will come.

DOWN - Farnborough FC - I couldn't ignore my local team Farnborough FC. This week they took part in the most bizarre sponsorship deal I have ever seen, with all the players and managers changing their names, by deed poll, to that of a famous player. What a lesson in why not to let your club go into administration. Farnborough FC are now a national joke club.

DOWN - Arsene Wenger - Oh Arsene, don't make promises you can't keep. Despite promising to spend big this summer, he has spent less than I did in Tesco's earlier today and paid the price with a 3-1 defeat to Aston Villa yesterday. With fans restless and Wenger into the last year of his contract, are we seeing the end of Arsene's Arsenal?

DOWN - Yelena Isinbayeva - Russia's athletics sweetheart dropped considerably in the opinions of many Britons  this week after her verbal disapproval with other athletes protest against new 'anti-gay' laws in Russia. Despite saying she was misunderstood she has not apologised for her remarks and her inspirational role-model status may be dropping with many Global fans.