Sports Ladder (13th - 19th May)

UP - Arsenal - It was hard to avoid the disappointment on twitter. No more 'no trophies in nine years' jokes as Arsenal lifted the FA Cup this weekend. But whilst a significant portion of footballs more neutral fan base were disappointed, it was jubilation for Arsene's gunners, who recovered from an early slip-up to eventually beat Hull City 3-2 after extra-time. It was by no means a routine win but was certainly long over due. It's been over two days since Arsenal last won a trophy, how will their fans be coping?

UP - Rebecca Downie - It's become customary to see gymnastics success for Britain in recent years. Be it through the sterling efforts of Beth Tweddle or Louis Smith, medals have come in plenty and this week a new star arrived. Twenty-two year old Rebecca Downie this week claimed a gold medal in the uneven bars to go with her silver medal as part of the British team event. Downie is only the second after Tweddle to win a gold at a European Championships.

UP - Sir Bradley Wiggins - With the Tour de France rapidly approaching and Team Sky yet to announce who will be their leader the next few weeks will be extremely interesting. Sir Bradley Wiggins laid down his marker this week with a victory in the Tour of California. As well as becoming the first ever Brit to scoop up that particular title, Wiggins has also pushed for a place amongst the top of the Sky Team. Could be an almighty tussle between himself and Froome.

UP - Hannah Cockroft - From one speed demon to another as Hannah Cockroft climbs higher up the sporting ladder. The 21-year-old beat her own 200m T34 time with a new World Record of 30.86 to dip inside 31 seconds for the first time after taking 0.37 seconds off her last record. After success in Switzerland Hannah will now turn her attention towards August and this years European Championships as she seeks to win another gold medal. This weeks wheelie big cheese. I regret nothing.

UP - Ibrahim Hamato - If I said to you that it is possible to play a decent standard of table-tennis without any arms you would probably think I was bonkers. Ibrahim Hamato however has decided to smash this idea by playing with the paddle in his mouth! After an accident as a child resulting in a double arm amputation, Hamato has bounced back in quite incredible fashion. After years of training he can now hold a solid rally with some of the World's very best. Someone please give this man a medal!

DOWN - Plane Banners - This season has seen a lot of ups and downs in the Premier League but something which needs to go on holiday and never come back over the summer break is the introduction of plane banners. Manchester United fans are the prime culprits and this week, even after the season was over, decided to send one mocking Liverpool for losing the title. Realistically, I don't think after this season Manchester Untied fans are really in a position to mock anyone.

DOWN - Daniel Levy - I believe that Daniel Levy's ninth managerial sacking since taking charge should finally see blame directly firmly in his direction for Tottenham's shortcomings. There can be no doubt that he is a superb businessman but as Clive Allen said this week, Levy is "not a football man". This week saw Levy dismiss yet another manager in the form of Tim Sherwood and Tottenham's chairman will now be looking for another man who won't be in the job for more than two years. Change is needed.

DOWN - Stephen Lee - Sometimes the best thing is to just accept your punishment and move on. Stephen Lee didn't agree with this sentiment and this week his appeal against his twelve year professional snooker ban was turned down. This means Stephen will remain out of action until 2024 and his costs have also increased from £40,000 to £75,000 as a result of the failed appeal. Well the lesson we've all learnt from this is if you do happen to be a professional snooker player, just don't fix matches.

DOWN - Manchester City - It didn't last long did it. Just a few days after the blue half of Manchester claimed their second Premier League title it all went a bit wrong. Firstly, the Financial Fair Play committee confirmed that they will indeed suffer a $49 million fine for breaching rules as well as a reduction in the size of their Champions League squad next year. Then it emerged that they may struggle to reach their home grown player quota for next year. Louis Van Gaal must be licking his lips.

DOWN - Sepp Blatter - Qatar is in fact hot. That is the stunning revelation from Sepp Blatter this week as he finally admitted that hosting the 2022 World Cup in Qatar is in fact a terrible idea. Surprising that. Although what is perhaps more surprising is that it has taken him this long to figure that out. What this means for the World Cup we are yet to find out, although it is very likely it will still go ahead. More importantly though, is the issue of Sepp Blatter. How can we get him to just go away?

Sports Ladder 2013

UP - Andy Murray - I know it's an obvious choice, but realistically he is one of the main reasons 2013 will be remembered as a sporting year. His Sport's Personality of the Year award from earlier this year was never really in doubt following his Wimbledon title. His men's singles title was the first won by a Brit in 77 years, exception not only for the achievement, but also the way he dispatched the World number one Djokovic in just three sets. He also reached the Australian Open final and will be looking to add to his Grand Slam titles in 2014

UP - Mo Farah - I think his achievements went quietly under the radar this year but what he achieved was simply breathtaking. By winning both the 5,000 and the 10,000 metres at the World Championships in Moscow he achieved the double-double following his victory at the London Olympics. This year was more challenging as, following his Olympic golds, he became the hunted member of the field. Despite this he still managed to walk away with the golds, and also Steve Cram's European 1500m record. Let's all do the MoBot.

UP - Ben Ainslie - It is hard to find words to describe the incredible nature of the comeback orchestrated by Ben Ainslie in this years America's Cup is something that will go down in, not only Sailing legend, but sporting legend. With the American team having succumbed to an 8-1 deficit against the Kiwis, Ainslie's recent appointment as a tactician was founded to be an inspired decision.. The Cup was turned around as Ainslie guided them to a 9-8 victory overall. Certainly gives Liverpool's 2005 Champions League final a run for its money.

UP - Chris Froome - I spoke about Farah's achievements going under the radar but sadly I think Froome's went even lower. Froome suffered from the fact that Sir Bradley Wiggins won it a year before; a victory that would not have been achieved without his help. This year, not only did Chris win, but he annihilated the rest of the field, blowing them away in numerous mountain stages. What we all want to see in 2014 is Froome vs Wiggins as the Tour starts in England.

UP - Tai Woffinden  - Many people will not have heard of Tai Woffinden, but this year he became only the 8th Brit ever to win the Speedway World Championship. For many he was a surprise exclusion from the Sports Personality of the Year shortlist but sadly this highlights the decline of Speedway's popularity. Nevertheless, Tai's achievements cannot be understated, as he became the first Brit to win since 2000. Hopefully his victory will increase popularity in the sport.

DOWN - Luis Suarez - In the 2013-14 season Luis Suarez has been simply incredible. Scoring goals left, right, center and just about every other way possible. However, let us not forget that Suarez committed the downright bizarre at the tail end of last season when he took a mouthful of Branislav Ivanovic's arm leading to a ten match ban. As much as I admire Suarez for his outstanding footballing ability, he is hardly the model professional and that must not be forgotten.

DOWN - Formula One - Sebastian Vettel won this years title and he must be commended for that but the car changes for next season cannot come soon enough. Formula One really did hit a low point in terms of viewer interest this year. Vettel's dominance is fine if everyone is racing on a level field but the Pirelli tires have meant that the drivers have not been able to race. Outstanding drivers such as Hamilton have been unable to drive at their fluent best and it is damaging the sport. Roll on 2014 and an F1 shake-up.

DOWN - Stephen Lee - Match-fixing was a prominent concern throughout 2013. It struck Football, Cricket and NASCAR during this year but the most widely reported was that of Snooker player Stephen Lee. Despite still professing his innocence, Lee was found guilty and sentenced to a twelve year ban from the professional snooker circuit. It is obviously a problem throughout a number of sports, but hopefully with its increased presence in the media it will become less of an issue in the coming years.

DOWN - Lance Armstrong - The Lance Armstrong affair made my list despite largely happening last year although my interest in it stems from my current reading of Wheelman by Reed Albergotti and Vanessa O'Connell. However it is relevant to this year as it was in January when he first confessed to drug-use in an interview with Oprah Winfrey. It is one of sports greatest ever controversies and will remain so for many years to come. On a more personal note for me, it certainly ruins his 'inspirational' scene in the film Dodgeball.

DOWN - Oscar Pistorious - I don't think I will ever forget the morning I awoke to the news that Oscar Pistoroius had shot his girlfriend. Whether it was intentional or not we may never know but it was a truly shocking moment. Pistorious was a role model for a number of disabled athletes and has left a huge whole in the hearts of idolising fans. It will be really quite intersting to see what the verdict is of the 2014 trial.

Sports Ladder (23rd-29th September)

UP - Oracle Team USA - This week Sir Ben Ainslie's Oracle Team completed one of the greatest ever sporting comebacks, beating New Zealand 9-8 after recovering from an 8-1 deficit. Ainslie was drafted in when America was 4-1 down and turned it around to complete an outstanding victory. The next task for Ainslie is to get a British team in the next America's Cup.

UP - Wilson Kipsang - Kipsang ran away with a new world record this week after winning the Berlin Marathon in a new record time of 2:03:38, beating the last record by 15 seconds. This was his first marathon victory this year but his seventh in his three year marathon career. His next aim will probably be to win the Olympics but he'll have to beat our own Mo Farah amongst others.

UP - Aaron Ramsey - The butt of football jokes for the last few years, Ramsey has had an outstanding start to this season. Over the last few years he scored so infrequently that the 'Ramsey Curse' came into effect, meaning that whenever he scored a celebrity died. However, with eight goals in nine games this season, the showbiz world must be quaking in their boots.

UP - Women's Football - Women's football has had only good press this week. With Liverpool Ladies winning the League, stopping Arsenal Ladies from claiming their eight successful title and England thrashing Turkey 8-0 in a World Cup qualifier, perhaps it's time for the men to stop and take a leaf out of their female counterparts book; it seems to be working.

UP - Dominic Sibley - I don't know a lot about cricket but I can always appreciate a successful sportsman, especially one younger than myself. Dominic Sibley this week became the youngest double century scorer in the County Championship. An impressive performance from someone who had to skip school just to play. The next England opener?

DOWN - Jan Vertonghen - Vertonghen's reputation has suffered a bit of a knock this week despite his unquestionable ability. Labelled a disgrace by Mourinho after some weekend antics, he had a pretty pants start to the week when he rather bizarely 'cegged' Aston Villa's Andreas Helenius. Step it up Jan!

DOWN - Devis Licciardi - One of the strangest serious stories in sport I have ever heard. Licciardi got caught this week trying to pass a drugs test by using a fake penis filled with uncontaminated liquid but was found out when it was revealed a doctor had to watch him take the test. Doping in sport is a serious issue but at least Licciardi made us laugh whilst partaking.

DOWN - British Golfers - This doesn't apply to all, only the six golfers who pulled out of the Seve Trophy next week, the European equivalent to the President's Cup. The Cup was created by the late Seve Ballesteros and I completely agree with Paul Lawrie who said "I don't quite understand it and its extremely disappointing', when talking about their decision not to take part.

DOWN - Manchester - It's been an uninspiring start to the season for both Manchester clubs and that continued this weekend as both teams lost in the Premier League. Manchester United in particular have struggled, suffering their worst ever start to a Premier League campaign. Could the title be on it's way back to London for the first time in four years?

DOWN - Stephen Lee - A sad week for snooker as Stephan Lee is found to have committed seven counts of match fixing and has been given a 12 year ban from professional circuit, leaving the 39 year old's career in pieces. Despite continuing to plead his innocent, the reaction of the players suggests he is guilty. A tough day for Lee and his family but it's good to know the WPBSA have taken the offence seriously.