Sports Ladder (8th April-14th April)

UP - Liverpool - If you had said to me at the start of the season that Liverpool would win the Premier League I would probably have laughed at you. This Sunday, a 3-2 victory over Manchester City has left fate entirely in their own hands now though, as if they win their remaining four games they win their first title in the Premier League era. Not only do they thoroughly deserve it but as an Englishman nothing would please me more than to see Gerrard collect a winners medal.

UP - Bubba Watson - An emotional Bubba Watson earned himself a second green jacket this week after a marvellous Masters victory in Augusta. The big hitting American played a masterful weekend to win for the second time in three years, the first player to do this since Phil Mickelson in 2006. His all-guns-blazing approach won him yet more fans as he successfully held off the challenge of rookies Jordan Spieth and Jonas Blixt to celebrate with an eight under par victory.


UP - Sir Dave Brailsford - It comes with a heavy heart that Sir Dave Brailsford has had to step down from his position as performance director of British cycling. This decision comes after he led Team GB to sixteen medals across the last two Olympic games, a remarkable feat from the man so focused on detail. We will still see his face dotted around as he takes on a more permanent role with Team Sky where he has already won two yellow jerseys with Bradley Wiggins and Chris Froome.


UP - Manny Pacquiao - This week Manny Pacquiao fought hard to claim yet another title in his eighth different weight division. Pacquaio added his 56th victory to his illustrious career with a points victory over Timothy Bradley. The Filipino was in control throughout much of the bout and gained revenge for his controversial 2012 defeat to Bradley. His welterweight title now frees the path for a reopening of negotiation between his camp and Floyd Mayweather's for the potential fight of the century.


UP - Zoe Smith - A story that slipped quietly under the radar as weightlifter Zoe Smith became only the second British woman ever to gain a European medal as she claimed bronze in Tel Aviv. Smith's achievement is all the more impressive considering she was competing in just her first competition since London 2012 after a serious of injuries kept her out for well over a year. Smith will now turn her head towards the Commonwealth games in Glasgow next year.


DOWN - The Sunday Sun - Say what you want about the Sun, it may have a bad reputation for various reasons, but what a hilarious headline on the back page of the paper this Sunday. After Alan Pardew criticised the media for his sides disappointing form, the Sun responded by listing Pardew's defeats and also his headbutt on David Meyler and taking rather sarcastic credit for these actions. My respect levels for the Sun definitely went up after this little escapade.

DOWN - Mo Farah - So we were all going to love Mo regardless of his result in the Marathon, but after he built up his own chances so highly it was inevitable that there was a little bit of disappointment when he failed to finish in the top three. Farah crossed the line in a credible eighth place but failed to beat the British record that he desperately wanted, finishing over a minute slower than Steve Jones' record. It may be sometime before we see another MoBot.

DOWN - Chris Hughton - Another one bites the dust. Premier League managers have been dropping like flies this season and another one has met their unfortunate fate this week as Chris Hughton joined the casuality list. On Monday he was sacked by the board with just five games to go including Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal so its going to be a tough job for step-in coach Neil Adams. For me this is the right decision at completely the wrong time.

DOWN - Masters Favourites - Another fantastic Masters tournament comes to an end but this one will go down as the tournament of the outsiders. Tied in second was a pair of rookies, Jordan Spieth and Jonas Blixt and the veteran Miguel Angel Jimenez was in fourth. Hardly names we were expecting to see there and even Bubba Watson was not spoken about in the build up despite winning two years ago. Another poor tournament for Rory McIlroy, Phil Mickelson and the likes. We are definitely in the years of the underdog.

DOWN - Barcelona - Talk about the wheels coming off. After an enforced eighteen month transfer embargo last week, Barcelona proved that this was a monumental problem after effectively dropping out of two competitions. The midweek defeat to Atletico Madrid meant Barcelona failed to reach the semi-finals of the Champions League for the first time since 2007. They then followed this up with a 1-0 loss to Granada to fall four points behind Atletico Madrid. It seems that the Catalans are crumbling.

Sports Ladder (28th January - 3 February)

UP - Team GB - For the first time since 1986 Great Britain have made it through to the quarter final of the Davis Cup after an outstanding display on the clay courts of San Diego. Despite a loss in the doubles the British contingent won all three singles matches to claim an unassailable 3-1 lead. The highlight was inevitably a superb five set victory for James Ward over Sam Querrey.

UP - Seattle Seahawks - Not only did the Seahawks win this years Superbowl but they crushed the Denver Broncos 43-8 on a cold night in New Jersey. The pre-match discussion revolved largely around the Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning who once again choked in a playoffs match. He has now lost 12 of 23 post-season games. Inconsistant.

UP - Atletico Madrid - Has La Liga turned from a two-horse race to a three-horse race? It certainly seems so! Atletico Madrid are currently leading La Liga for the first time since 1996 and with both Barcelona and Real Madrid slipping up at the weekend Atletico now hold a three point lead at the top. The in form Diego Costa has arguably been the best player in Spain this year.

UP - Women's Tour de France - Good news for female cycling as they finally have an event in the Tour de France. On the final day the women will compete in a one day race to Champs Elysees. Described as a "game changer" for womens cycling who have not had a Tour de France even since 2008. Perhaps we could have a double British winner?

UP - Zac Purchase - Worth mentioning the retirement of double Olympic medalist Zac Purchase. Purchase, 27, won a silver medal during his home Olympics in 2012 as well as a gold medal four years earlier in Beijing. A fantastic rower and an outstanding Olympian I wish him well in the rest of his career.

DOWN - Kolo Toure - Oops. Not the finest game of Kolo Toure's career. A horrific moment as he single-handidly gifted West Brom a point by passing the ball straight to Victor Anichebe. A moment of madness which Liverpool cannot afford if they wish to get back into Europe. Toure has hardly set the world on fire since his move from Manchester City and will need to do a lot more to prove himself to the fans now.

DOWN - Andy Flower - Despite spending months claiming he would not step down Andy Flower has gone more or less full u-turn and resigned this week. Probably for the best after the 5-0 Ashes whitewash. The resignation came after new managing director Paul Dowton decided he wanted one coach to cover all formats instead of different coaches as it is at the moment. Looks like this flower hasn't blossomed.

DOWN - Kim Kallstrom - On Deadline Day in the summer Arsene Wenger signed Mesut Ozil to the delight of Arsenal fans. This January Deadline Day he signed Kim Kallstrom on loan to slightly less delight. This small quantity of delight completely disappeared the next day when it emerged he will be out for around a month after arriving at the club injured, even though he managed to complete his medical. Awkward.

DOWN - Barcelona and Real Madrid - It is extremely rare to find a weekend where Barcelona lose a League match. It is even more rare to find out where Real Madrid also fail to win. Yet that is exactly what happened this weekend as they collected just one point between them, leaving Atletico Madrid as the solo front runners. Could there be a new winner for the first time in ten years?

DOWN - Sebastian Vettel/Red Bull - You would be hard pressed to find anyone who would suggest Sebastian Vettel has not been the best driver in Formula One over the last few years. However, this weeks pre-season testing would suggest that perhaps his reign is coming to an end. Issues with the reliability of the car have left him and the team leaps and bounds behind their rivals before the season starts in March.

Sports Ladder (16th-22nd September)

UP - Sir Bradley Wiggins - Sir Bradley Wiggins fell a bit under the radar this year. Forced to pull of of the Giro d'Italia half-way through and with Chris Froome's victory in the Tour de France, Wiggins became a largely forgotten man. But he returned with a bang this week on our own shores, winning the Tour of Britain in style to send a warning to Froome.

UP - Manchester City - After a sketchy start to Pellegrini's reign he ignited City's title challenge, orchestrating a 4-1 victory over local rivals Manchester United. After a disappointing start this was exactly the sort of victory that the Sky Blues needed and the return of Vincent Kompany was clearly a huge boost. Is the Blue Moon rising once again?

UP - Henrik Stenson - Awkward one here as Henrik Stenson has not yet one the Tour Championship but his imperious form in recent months and lead from day one suggests that he probably will. Victory here will win him the Fed-Ex Cup and grant him an astonishing $10 million bonus. Not a bad prize fund for this years in-form golfer.

UP - Aaron Cook - It's been a rocky couple of years for poor Aaron Cook; Overlooked for the GB taekwondo team despite being World number one and a disappointing showing at the World Championships in July highlighted his rough patch. But Cook has brushed himself down and, this week, walked away with Gold in the Pan-America Open.

UP - Sebastiaan Bowier - Bowier pedaled himself into the record books this week when he broke the World Human Powered Speed record in Nevada. The Flying Dutchman recorded a speed of 133.78 kilometres an hour to claim the record by only 0.6 k/h. A pretty super-human effort from Bowier.

DOWN - Barcelona - Even the great Barcelona can have a bad day at the office, even if it does include a 4-0 victory. What was incredible about this victory was that for the first time in 317 matches that they did not win the battle for possession, having only 45% during the match. This was the first time they haven't had over 50% possession since the days of Riikjaard in 2008. Amateurs.

DOWN - Mark Webber - Poor Mark Webber really doesn't get much luck does he. Webber has been handed a 10 place grid penalty for hitching a lift with his good friend Fernando Alonso after his car broke down on the final lap. Sadly though it is illegal to go onto the race track out of a car so he was handed the penalty. Seems harsh as it was a long walk back otherwise.

DOWN - Kohei Jinno - How unlucky can you get? As Japan prepares for its second Olympics, Kohei Jinno prepares for his second Olympic eviction. Not only was Jinno unlucky enough to get evicted from his home during the 1964 Olympics, the same has happened again as he is told he has to leave in preparation for the 2020 Olympics. Something is telling me you should leave Tokyo Kohei.

DOWN - Mamadou Sakho - What is the best way to make a good impression at a new job? Probably not to break the equipment in your first few weeks. That doesn't bother Mamadou Sakho, the huge defender proving too strong for the gym equipment, ultimately breaking a machine during one of his strength tests. Nothing like laying down a marker for your teammates.

DOWN - David Haye - Boxers are known for their brutal strength and masculinity. David Haye challenged that stereotype this week by pulling out of his organised fight with Tyson Fury because of a cut on his eyebrow. Perhaps Haye should keep to verbal sparring as this is the second fight in a row he has been forced to abandon due to an injury.