Sports Ladder (6th - 12th October)

Sports Ladder returns after a long period away and will now be more focused on its inital objective which was to look at who has moved up and down a ladder of public opinion. Before the break it had descended into simply finding which sportsman or woman had a good week and who had a bad week but my aim is to change it back to its original format. Enjoy!


UP - Jules Bianchi / Marussia - A touching start to this weeks ladder as the thoughts and prayers of the Formula 1 community are firmly behind a speedy recovery for Jules Bianchi. Following his accident in Japan a week ago, the Frenchman remains in a critical condition. Hamilton dedicating his Russian GP win and Marussia opting not to replace Bianchi at the weekend are just two examples of the compassion shown from the paddock this week.

UP - Roy Keane - The Irishman will have divided opinion with the release of his autobiography but no one can deny the boldness of the former Manchester United captain in voicing his concerns about Sir Alex Ferguson. Standing up to the former United manager is something few have dared to do so in that sense you have to admire his courage. That said, Keane never was one to shy away from conflict.

UP - Wade and Thornton - It's pretty rare that you get to see a nine-dart-finish in darts, especially on television. James Wade and Robert Thornton had other ideas this week though, as they both knocked down 501 with just nine darts. Wade stepped up first before Thornton replied to send the World Grand Prix crowd into raptures. Wade went on to win the match but realistically, darts was the winner.

UP - Simone Biles - Britain re-fell in love with gymnastics over the summer after the success of Claudia Fragapane and the rest of the team at the Commonwealth Games. However, it was a different teenage sweetheart who stole the show at the World Championships with America's Simone Biles sweeping up an outstanding four gold medals including the best all-rounder. British gymnasts may be the best in the Commonwealth, but the World is still yet to be conquered.

UP - Bayern Munich - The German champions have long been known to treat their fans with the utmost respect and this shows no signs of changing if this week is anything to go by. With Munich's Champions League match with CSKA held behind closed doors, 55 fans rented a room in a nearby skyscraper to watch the match. Munich refunded all 55 of these fans, much to the shock of most English fans who have never seen such generosity from their club.

DOWN - Umberto Gandini - Bitter, is the only word to describe the comments made by AC Milan Chairman Gandini this week. His suggestion that big clubs in Europe should have a wildcard if they don't qualify is quite frankly ridiculous. An alternative would be to play better football and run the club more intelligently so that then you can qualify legitimately like the rest of the teams. Unsurprisingly my opinion of him has decisively dropped this week.

DOWN - Justin Gatlin - Lord Coe this week questioned the decision to nominate Justin Gatlin for World Athlete of the Year after the sprinter has served out two seperate doping bans and I would have to agree. It is one thing letting ex-sprinters race again but to nominate them for awards is certainly a contentious decision. All this week has done though is re-highlight the ongoing drugs problem in athletics.

DOWN - Andy Murray - I think it's fair to say that 2014 has been a year to forget for Britain's number one. Murray has won just one tournament and reached just four tournament semi-finals all year. This week was no different as he tumbled out of China to David Ferrer. Murray seems to be suffering psychologically as he cannot seem to close out matches at the moment and the up-and-coming tennis stars are ready to pounce on the wayward Brit. 2015 cannot come quickly enough.

DOWN - England's Bowlers - Whether you like him or not, there is no question that Kevin Pietersen is one of England's best batsman in recent years. He has always been a bit of an outcast in the England camp though and this week's revelations about his treatment by some of England's bowlers perhaps proves why. With Steve Harmison backing up Pietersen's claims about bullying, it looks like some of the bowlers may have been knocked for six by the claims.

DOWN - Ben Flower - There is no better way to endear yourself to the public than to punch an opponent in the Grand Final of this seasons Rugby League. Flower took just two minutes to launch two punches on opponent Lance Hohaia, earn himself a red card and ultimately cost Wigan the game and the trophy. So literally an example of letting me down, letting the kids down, letting the team down, but most importantly letting himself down. At least an eight game ban awaits.

Sports Ladder (4th - 10th February)

UP - Jenny Jones - This week Jenny Jones became the first Briton in Winter Olympic history to win a medal on snow and only the 23rd ever to win a medal full stop. In fact, she won a medal quicker at the Winter Olympics than Team GB managed at the Summer Olympics two years ago. Her bronze came in the Olympics sexy new sport, Snowboard Slopestyle, in which Britain have actually turned out to be surprisingly good!


UP - Dan Evans - British tennis has been dominated in recent years by Andy Murray as well as the rise of Laura Robson and Heather Watson. But could there be a new kid on the block? At only 22, Evans has time on his side and this week rose to his highest career ranking of 123rd in the World. After upsetting Philipp Kohlschreiber and pushing Tommy Haas to three sets the Birmingham born star will be looking to push into the top 100 to cement a regular place at Grand Slams.

UP - Yulia Lipnitskaya - Sometimes sport just makes me sit and wonder what i've done with my life. Watching 15 year old Yulia Lipnitskaya produce two stunning figure skating routines was certainly one of those moments. The young Russian oozed class and maturity as she glided elegantly across the ice. Her two displays helped Russia win the team figure skating event, becoming the youngest Russian gold medalist in the history of the games in the process.

UP - Katarina Johnson-Thompson - In amongst all the Sochi madness, a new British star emerged on the athletics circuit. Johnson-Thompson made a name for herself after an enigmatic display at London 2012, finishing 15th in the Heptathlon at just 19 years of age. This week she took the British Indoor Championships by storm, collecting Gold in both the long jump and the high jump. More impressively, she broke the British high jump record, held by Debbie Marti since 1997. The next Jessica Ennis?

UP - Dama Schmieg - Now i'm sure a lot of you, like me, have got swept up by the Winter Olympic excitement. Now I doubt any of you have got quite as swept up as Dama Schmieg though. Schmieg has created an 150 yard luge course in his own back garden, which takes 45 seconds to get from start to finish. He has certainly become the coolest man in his neighbourhood after his creation, as many have flocked to have a go at the course.


DOWN - Johnny Quinn - They say lightning doesn't strike twice. Quinn would probably dispute that saying after a seriously unlucky opening few days in Sochi. First, Quinn got stuck in one of the toilets without a phone or any way of getting out. So naturally the American bobsled participant smashed his way out, breaking a hole through the door. But it gets worse, as today Quinn and his teammates got stuck in an elevator and had to be rescued. Is Sochi trying to tell him something?


DOWN - Joe Kinnear - The least surprising news in football occurred this week when Jo(k)e Kinnear left Newcastle at the start of last week. Asking people to judge him on his signings and then making not a single permanent signing wasn't a great start. Failing to pronounce the players names didn't help either. Attempting to sign one of his own players who was out on loan also wasn't a bright moment. The list of stupidity goes on. Newcastle fans will be counting their lucky stars that he is anywhere but at St James' Park.


DOWN - Anna Gasser - Poor Anna Gasser. The final woman left to run in the final of the Snowboard Slopestyle final. The only woman left who could get in the medals. Yet she managed to take all the tension out of the occasion with a seemingly unheard of false start. Tumbling down the hill before she was meant to, before comically failing to get back up it. Then when she did get going she crashed out. It just wasn't her day.


DOWN - David Moyes - Oh dear, oh dear, oh dear. The pressure is building on the United manager as they conceded a last gasp equaliser to bottom-of-the-league Fulham at the weekend. The signing of Mata looked to be the rejuvenation  that Moyes needed but it has not had the desired impact and the strange tactic of sending in cross-after-cross was extremely unsuccessful. Moyes needs time, there is no doubt about that, but regardless, beating the bottom side in the League is pretty much a must for the new United boss.


DOWN - Kevin Pietersen - The curtain closes on a wonderful England career but not how anyone would have wanted. Pietersen was told by the ECB that he is no longer wanted in the team as his teammates do not trust him. He was also criticised for some of his dismissals during the recent Ashes tour, despite being the highest run scorer in the squad. It is a shame his England career has ended in such controversy as he had the potential to go down as one of the all time greats. Hopefully he still will.

Sports Ladder (6 Jan - 12 Jan)

UP - Thomas Hitzlsperger - It shouldn't have to be a story but the fact that it is means that it must be addressed. In today's society Thomas Hitzlsperger must be commended for coming out as homosexual in the sporting environment. It's a tough world to come out in and hopefully it will encourage others to do the same.

UP - Broad and Prior - Another serious story this week as Matt Prior and Stuart Broad successfully managed to talk a man out of jumping off a bridge. In particular, Broad applauded Prior for being "pretty inspirational" in the way he successfully managed to talk the man down. It certainly puts all of the sledging that occurred over the last series into perspective after controversy surrounding the withdrawal of Jonathan Trott.

UP - Stephen Bunting - Probably the last time darts will feature on the sports ladder for a while as Christmas AKA 'Darts Season' has finished. Nevertheless, a big congratulations to first seed Stephen Bunting for winning his maiden BDO World Darts title at Lakeside. He successfully dispatched a number of top players including Robbie Greene and Alan Norris, the two in-form players of the tournament. Surely only a matter of time before he converts to the richer PDC.

UP - Bournemouth Fans - Who says the beauty of the FA Cup is dead? When rain defeated the FA Cup tie between Bournemouth and Burton it was postponed to a later date. However with Burton fans making a pointless 300 mile journey to get there, Bournemouth did not want to see them disappointed. Between the fans they managed to raise nearly £3000 for the return trip. Good on the cherries!

UP - Bayern Munich - Similar to Bournemouth with regards to tickets. The cost of a ticket for a match at the Emirates has been a topic of some controversy for a number of seasons after it has gained an accurate reputation as the most expensive football trip in England. Therefore Bayern Munich decided to subsidise their fans half the price of the ticket for the Champions League clash. This after they last year refunded all fans for League games because it was not competitive enough. Lucky fans 'ey?

DOWN - Juan Martin Del Potro - Del Potro won the Sydney International in the run-up to this week's Aussie Open and it seeded fifth with an outside chance at the title. However, a strange story emerged yesterday regarding his lack of rackets. Del Potro announced that he only has two of his preferred Wilson K-Frames left compared to the six-eight rackets his opponents will probably have. Let's hope he doesn't snap a string!

DOWN - Theo Walcott - Bad news for both Arsenal and England this week as it was announced that he is out for the remainder of the season and will miss the World Cup with ligament damage. Walcott will be gutted after already missing a large part of the season through injury. Tottenham fans will no doubt see the funny side though, after he mocked them upon departure from the pitch by holding the two fingers in the air to signify the 2-0 advantage in the game.

DOWN - Kevin Pietersen - Despite being the highest England run scorer during the Ashes calamity, Pietersen has certainly been the main 'fall-guy'. His wild shot selection and apparent attitude problems have led many to question whether he deserves to play for England again. Captain Alistair Cook also refused to back Pietersen which would certainly suggest there are problems there and the question remains to be asked whether we will see Pietersen in an England shirt again.

DOWN - Mike Jones - I never like to pick on referees as we all know they have a hard job, but it was a very strange decision to disallow Cheick Tiote's goal against Manchester City on Sunday. Ignoring the fact it was a lovely strike, it didn't actually break any rules. Unless, Gouffran getting out of the way of the shot counts as interfering with play, then there really was no reason for it to be disallowed. Hart would never have got there and his view was impeded by four City players. It could have been a very different game.

DOWN - Lindsey Vonn - The 2014 Winter Olympic games has suffered a big blow in the loss of one of its more recognisable athletes as Lindsey Vonn announced this week she would not be partaking. A persistent knee injury has meant that Vonn will be unable to compete in Sochi and defend her Downhill gold won in Vancouver four years ago. Maybe a Brit could win it instead! Or maybe not.