Monday 24 February 2014

Winter Olympics 2014: Britain's finest for 90 years

SOCHI 2014 WINTER OLYMPICS

GREAT BRITAIN delivered its best Winter Olympics performance in 90 years, winning four medals over the last 17 days in the Black Sea resort of Sochi.

Lizzy Yarnold became only Team GB's 10th ever Winter Olympic champion, winning gold in the skeleton, while Jenny Jones won a first ever medal for Britain on snow in the slopestyle snowboarding.

Both of the curling teams also made it onto the podium. David Murdoch's men took silver and Eve Muirhead's women won an emotional bronze as Britain matched exactly their record in the inaugural Games in Chamonix with one gold, one silver and two bronzes.

In doing so this time, Team GB importantly exceeded the minimum medal target of three, set by UK Sport, the country's high-performance funding agency.

The investment of almost £14m over the past four years has paid off then, and now winter sports rightly looks set to receive a boost for the next Games in Pyeongchang in South Korea in 2018.

Yes, Britain is never really going to compete right at the top end of the Winter Olympics medal table against the likes of Russia, Norway, Canada and United States.

But the signs are already there that those glorious British sporting moments which seemed to come around all too sparingly at Winter Olympics may start to happen just a little more regularly.

Certainly, that has been the case for the last two-and-a-half weeks, and it began at the very beginning. The Games were officially only two days old when Britain first tasted success.

Jenny Jones, a 33-year-old from Bristol, had blazed a trail in her sport over the years, winning three gold medals at Winter X Games having learned her trade while working as a chalet maid in the French Alps.

Finally, in Sochi, her sport had received Olympic recognition, and Jones did not miss her chance.

She even held the lead following her score of 87.25 on her second run but then had to watch and wait while 10 athletes tried to beat her score.

Only two managed it, and Britain's historic first medal on snow was secured when the final contender, Austrian Anna Gasser fell.

Sadly, that moment was spoilt slightly for me by a jingoistic BBC commentary team who roundly celebrated Gasser's demise by screeching hysterically down the mike.

The incident showed the risks behind employing close friends and team mates to deliver the commentary.

And, while it was hardly the crime of the century and may have even added to the event for some, it was just as well the BBC could excuse the behaviour on this occasion by admitting "[the] excitement got the better of them".

Strangely enough, rather more measured tones greeted Lizzy Yarnold's gold though this was as much as a result of the 25-year-old's own dominance than anything else.

Yarnold led by almost half-a-second following the first two runs, and then extended this to 0.78 seconds after setting a track record in her third run.

The fourth run thus became something a procession for the former heptathlete from Sevenoaks in Kent, who was introduced to skeleton in 2008 by the UK Sport-backed programme Girls4Gold.

Hardly at her best, Yarnold actually stretched out her margin of victory still further, ultimately winning by a massive 0.97 seconds.

And, consequently, she maintained Great Britain's brilliant record of having won a women's skeleton medal in every Winter Olympics since the event was introduced in 2002.

Curling has also been a sport which has furnished Britain with a good helping of success over the years, notably in 2002 when skip Rhona Martin famously led her team to Olympic gold.

Martin is now a coach to her team's youthful successors who are themselves spearheaded by their determined skip Eve Muirhead, competing at her second Olympics at the age of just 23.

The women came into the event as reigning world champions but found the round-robin stage tough going, eventually qualifying for the semi finals in fourth with a 5-4 win-loss record.

Nevertheless, there had been some notable signs of their talent, no less than when they took a record seven from one end in a 12-3 victory over the United States.

But, having given away a 3-0 headstart after two ends, Canada were just too strong in the semis, and Muirhead's tearful team were a picture of devastation.

They showed some guts then not just to limp over the line when 3-1 down after four ends of the bronze medal match against Switzerland.

Level at half time after taking a two in the fifth, Britain began to control the match, blanking the seventh end and restricting the Swiss to one with the hammer in the ninth.

It meant Britain had the hammer, the vital last stone, going into the final end - and Muirhead used it to her full advantage with a nerveless draw into the house with her last shot for bronze.

The men's team, led by David Murdoch, also endured some torturous tussles in the Ice Cube Curling Centre, and they too finished the round-robin with a 5-4 win-loss record.

In the men's competition, though, that was not good enough for an automatic place in the semi finals with Norway finishing with an identical 5-4 ratio after a costly defeat to Denmark. 

Britain thus faced a playoff against the flamboyant Norwegians for a place in the last four, and a tight match again went down to the last end.

Norway led 5-4 going into it but Britain had the hammer. Nevertheless, the pressure was all on Murdoch who had been left with a tough double take-out to leave Britain lying two for victory, or a simpler draw shot for one to take the tie into an extra end.

Murdoch had been attacking throughout the competition, narrowly missing a similar death-or-glory shot against Canada in the round-robin. Bearing that in mind, would he stick to his principles or play it safe?

The Lockerbie man thankfully chose the former - and, this time, he made it to ensure Britain had both of its teams in the semi finals.

Arguably, given the elation from their playoff success, the men had more momentum heading into their semi final, and it showed as they beat reigning world champions Sweden.

Again, it came down to Britain needing a two with the hammer from the final end. Again, Murdoch delivered, drawing into the house and perfectly leaving his stone on the button.

Victory had guaranteed Britain a medal but, sadly, the final was a journey too far for Murdoch and his men, as Canada ruthlessly took advantage of a slow start to lead 5-1 after three ends and 8-2 after six.

There were no death-or-glory shots to be made this time - nevertheless, Murdoch could still afford a smile.

This was his third Olympics and finally he had achieved a medal after disappointments in Turin in 2006, and particularly in Vancouver in 2010.

For the rest of the team, though, this was a first Olympics experience - and, indeed, much of the Team GB squad in Sochi has youth on its side.

Teenager Katie Summerhayes finished seventh and 20-year-old James Woods was fifth in the slopestyle freestyle skiing event

Meanwhile Billy Morgan, just 24, was 10th in the final of the men's slopestyle snowboarding having come top in the semi final round.

Overall, there were 13 top-eight finishes from British athletes and teams. The spirit of London 2012 was very much present in the British camp in Sochi.

Then, of course, there was poor Elise Christie, the short track speed skater.

Understandably disqualified in a racing incident in the 500m final, the 23-year-old was bizarrely adjudged not to have completed her heat in the 1500m after skating 1cm to the left of the finish line.

An emotional interview followed, as a clearly distraught Christie tried to make sense of the ruling while she also revealed that she had been the target of cyber bullying on Twitter.

Christie subsequently deleted her account and Team GB asked for social media providers, such as Twitter and Facebook, to offer more protection to its athletes.

Overall, though, it must be said that there has been excellent support for the British team, especially on Twitter.

#YarnyArmy and #lovecurling have trended, and followers of snowboarder Jones soared from 8,453 on 8 February to over 45,000 on the day she won her bronze.

For Christie, though, these seemed destined to be the Olympics that never were - and so it proved in her favoured event, the 1000m, where she received a penalty for the third time, despite being taken out by China's Jianrou Li.

A heartbreaking series of events then, and one can only hope Christie refuses to wilt and instead comes back stronger at a future Olympics.

Time is certainly on her side too, and Britain's reputation in the Winter Olympics is growing again so it would be a crying shame if she continued to miss out.

GREAT BRITAIN AT THE WINTER OLYMPICS
YearHostsGOLDSILVERBRONZETOTAL
1924Chamonix (FRA)1124
1928St Moritz (SUI)0011
1932Lake Placid (USA)000-
1936Garmisch-Partenkirchen (GER)1113
1948St Moritz (SUI)0022
1952Oslo (NOR)1001
1956Cortina d'Ampezzo (ITA)000-
1960Squaw Valley (USA)000-
1964Innsbruck (AUT)1001
1968Grenoble (FRA)000-
1972Sapporo (JPN)000-
1976Innsbruck (AUT)1001
1980Lake Placid (USA)1001
1984Sarajevo (YUG)1001
1988Calgary (CAN)000-
1992Albertville (FRA)000-
1994Lillehammer (NOR)0022
1998Nagano (JPN)0011
2002Salt Lake City (USA)1012
2006Turin (ITA)0101
2010Vancouver (CAN)1001
2014Sochi (RUS)1124

GREAT BRITISH WINTER OLYMPIC CHAMPIONS
1924 Men's curling
1936 Men's ice hockey
1952 Jeannette Altwegg (figure skating)
1964 Tony Nash & Robin Dixon (two-man bobsleigh)
1976 John Curry (figure skating)
1980 Robin Cousins (figure skating)
1984 Jayne Torvill & Christopher Dean (figure skating)
2002 Women's curling
2010 Amy Williams (skeleton)
2014 Lizzy Yarnold (skeleton)


Away from Team GB, and Russia topped the Sochi 2014 medal table following a late rush of gold medals including the four-man bobsleigh on the final day.

To President Vladimir Putin's obvious delight at the closing ceremony, the hosts finished with 13 golds, two ahead of long-time leaders Norway.

Previous hosts Canada were third with 10 golds including all four in the men and women's hockey and curling events. That left the United States down in fourth, their worst ranking since 1998.

Beaten in both hockey tournaments by the Canadians, some of the other big American stars - like Alpine skier Bode Miller and snowboarder Shaun White - failed to shine.

The biggest medal table shock, though, was Germany being beaten to a top-five placing by their neighbours Netherlands, a result of total Dutch domination in the speed skating events.

In all, the Dutch won 23 of their 24 medals from speed skating including all eight of their golds.

By contrast, the Germans dominated the luge, winning all four events in the sport for half of their golds - but it was still not enough to beat the Dutch.

Realistically, though, all eyes in these Games were on the Russians.

And, while Putin may not have got his wish for Russian hockey gold, the hosts' overall showing was much improved on their efforts four years ago in Canada when they finished down in 11th.

The staging of the event also passed off without any major incidents, the biggest faux-pas being an embarrassing malfunctioning hydraulic Olympic ring in the opening ceremony.

Yet even this had been turned on its head with unexpected good humour at the closing ceremony as the dancers arranged themselves to replicate the error in a self-depreciating manner.

If that had raised a smile or perhaps even a chuckle, attention now turns again to Putin and the Kremlin in respect of much weightier matters following the events over the last week in Ukraine.

Already, the rhetoric from Moscow appears to be escalating as the sun sets on Sochi and life moves on...

Friday 7 February 2014

Winter Olympics 2014: Genuine Sochi hopefuls

SOCHI 2014 WINTER OLYMPICS

GREAT BRITAIN holds high hopes of achieving its best Winter Olympics result in decades at the controversial Games which officially begin today in Sochi.

The British team - or Team GB as it is better known - features genuine medal contenders in skeleton, curling, snowboarding, and short-track speed skating as well as further hopes in freestyle skiing and at a bobsleigh meet which will also feature Jamaica.

Never mind Cool Runnings, though - from a historical perspective, any British success would be a bit of a turn up for the books in a competition historically dominated by North America, Russia, and the Alpine and Scandanavian countries.

After all, Britain has only won more than one medal at three post-war Games, and has failed to win any at all on six occasions.

The last triple haul came at Garmisch-Partenkirchen in Nazi Germany in 1936 while, Britain's best performance was back in the very first Winter Olympics in 1924. In those first Games, in Chamonix, France, Britain won four medals - one gold, a silver and two bronzes.

Remarkably, that total stands a chance of being beaten - at least, according to UK Sport, the high performance funding agency, which has set a target of between three and seven podium finishes.

However, long-time readers of this blog may recall me writing of similar expectations four years ago for the Games at Whistler near Vancouver in Canada.

As it turned out, Britain came away with only one medal - though it was a gold - from Amy Williams as she became Team GB's first individual Winter Olympic champion for 30 years by winning in skeleton.

The 'tea-tray' sport again provides perhaps Britain's best chance for success this time too, with 2006 Olympic silver medallist Shelley Rudman competing as the reigning world champion and Lizzy Yarnold recently winning the season-long World Cup title.

In the more sedate - but no less competitive - sport of curling, both the women and men's teams are very much in the running.

The women, coached by 2002 Olympic champion Rhona Martin, are skippered by Eve Muirhead and head to Sochi Winter Olympics as the reigning world champions after success in Riga last year.

Meanwhile, David Murdoch skippers the men, still looking to break his Olympic duck despite having won two world and three European titles in his career.

On the slopes, Jenny Jones and Billy Morgan should be competitive in the snowboarding while, in the freestyle skiing, teenager Katie Summerhayes and 20-year-old James Woods could post incredible early career markers.

Short-track speed skater Elise Christie won European gold in the 1000m last month and the four-man bobsleighers were silver-medallists at their European Championships, as well as at a World Cup event in Lake Placid.

So, there we go, then. Plenty of chances over the next 17 days for this to be a memorable Games for Britain.

For Russia, and president Vladimir Putin, the importance of these Winter Olympics simply cannot be understated. Putin's reputation is effectively on the line, the event having come at a cost of $51bn.

Already, though, Sochi 2014 has been making the headlines for all the wrong reasons.

Anti-gays laws, brought in last summer, banned the promotion of homosexuality to children, something which seems completely out of kilter with the Olympic charter.

Principle Six of the charter reads: "Any form of discrimination with regard to a country or a person on grounds of race, religion, politics, gender or otherwise is incompatible with belonging to the Olympic Movement."

And yet, despite a shocking Channel 4 Dispatches documentary exposing the everyday persecution of gay people in Russia, the Games remain there.

Stephen Fry wrote an open letter in August calling for a boycott of Sochi 2014, stating an absolute ban was "simply essential".

It would surely be better, though, if the issue could be highlighted during the course of a Games.

The old cliche that sport and politics do not mix is certainly one of the most hackneyed in the book. Perhaps, in an ideal world, they should not - but they always have and always will.

Therefore, it must be hoped there there will be a moment just as powerful as the 'Black Power' salutes of Tommie Smith and John Carlos after they won medals in the 200m at the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico.

Demonstrations and protests, organised in 19 cities across the globe including in Downing Street, London, are a good start, and it is commendable to see a big firm like Google make its point.

But how much more remarkable would it be if there was something done in Sochi itself - and how shameful would it be if the Russian authorities clamped down on it.

Coming away from that issue, and there have also been significant fears about a terrorist attack striking at the event following three recent bombings in the city of Volgograd which killed 42.

Ex-CIA boss Mike Morrell has even described the Games as being "the most dangerous Olympics ever", though his world view can hardly be described as an unbiased one.

Instead, the athletes and spectators should be reassured by Sochi's 'ring of steel' of approximately 100,000 police, security agents and army troops. 

If anything, and without wanting to tempt fate, it seems to me as if these Games will be particularly difficult to disrupt. 

The last of the worries from the hosts is with regards to the actual performance of the Russian team.

The Soviet Union dominated the Winter Olympics to such an extent that, between 1956 and 1988, it failed to finish top of the medal table just twice - in 1968 and 1984, finishing second on both occasions.  

A Unified Team in 1992 also finished second before the Russians finished top in 1994 without the assistance of medals from the other ex-Soviet republics. 

Since then, though, performance has slipped to such an extent that only three gold medals were won at Vancouver in 2010 as the Russians ended up ranked 11th.

In the hockey, neither the men or the women's team even made it to the semis, with the men humiliated 7-3 in their quarter final against Canada. 

A similar performance level across all the sports simply will not do for Russia or Putin - though it would be only natural to expect an improvement from a host nation. 

One of the most wonderful things about the Winter Olympics, however, is that the snow and ice makes the sports so much more unpredictable than the summer event. 

Just witness how this gold medal was won by Australian speed skater Steven Bradbury in the 2002 Games in Salt Lake City. 

Hopefully, fortune will favour the British team over the next two-and-a-bit weeks and my review blog at the end of the month charts some significant success. 

In the meantime, the results of all of the events and a medal table will be recorded on this page here - except for the team sports of hockey or curling, which are here


The full list of Team GB members at Sochi 2014 is:
Alpine Skiing (m) David Ryding (w) Chemmy Alcott 
Biathlon (m) Lee Jackson (w) Amanda Lightfoot
Bobsleigh (m) Ben Simons, Stuart Benson, John Jackson, Bruce Tasker, Craig Pickering, Joel Fearon, John Baines, Lamin Deen (w) Paula Walker, Rebekah Wilson
Cross-country skiing Andrew Young, Andrew Musgrave, Callum Smith, Rosamund Musgrave
Curling (m) David Murdoch, Greg Drummond, Michael Goodfellow, Scott Andrews, Tom Brewster
Curling (w) Eve Muirhead, Anna Sloan, Claire Hamilton, Lauren Gray, Vicki Adams
Figure skating (pairs) David King, Stacey Kemp (mixed) Nick Buckland, Penny Coomes (m) Matthew Parr (w) Jenna McCorkell
Freestyle skiing Murray Buchan, James Woods, James Machon, Emma Lonsdale, Katie Summerhayes, Rowan Cheshire
Short track speed skating (m) Jack Whelbourne, Jon Eley, Richard Shoebridge (w) Elise Christie, Charlotte Gilmartin
Skeleton (m) Kristan Bromley, Dominic Parson (w) Shelley Rudman, Lizzy Yarnold
Snowboarding (m) Jamie Nicholls, Dom Harrington, Billy Morgan, Ben Kilner (w) Zoe Gillings, Aimee Fuller, Jenny Jones

Winter Olympics 2014 results

FINAL MEDAL TABLE
RankCountryGSBTotal
1RUSSIAN FEDERATION (RUS)1311933
2Norway (NOR)1151026
3Canada (CAN)1010525
4United States (USA)971228
5Netherlands (NED)87924
6Germany (GER)86519
7Switzerland (SUI)63211
8Belarus (BLR)5016
9Austria (AUT)48517
10France (FRA)44715
11Poland (POL)4116
12China (CHN)3429
13South Korea (KOR)3328
14Sweden (SWE)27615
15Czech Republic (CZE)2428
16Slovenia (SLO)2248
17Japan (JPN)1438
18Finland (FIN)1315
19Great Britain & NI (GBR)1124
20Ukraine (UKR)1012
21Slovakia (SVK)1001
22Italy (ITA)0268
23Latvia (LAT)0224
24Australia (AUS)0213
25Croatia (CRO)0101
26Kazakhstan (KAZ)0011

SKIING
ALPINE
Men
Downhill (9 Feb)
GOLDMatthias Mayer (AUT)2:06.23
SILVERChristof Innerhofer (ITA)2:06.29
BRONZEKjetil Jansrud (NOR)2:06.33
Super-G (16 Feb)
GOLDKjetil Jansrud (NOR)1:18.14
SILVERAndrew Weibrecht (USA)1:18.44
BRONZEJan Hudec (CAN)/Bode Miller (USA)1:18.67
Giant slalom (19 Feb)
GOLDTed Ligety (USA)2:45.29
SILVERSteve Missillier (FRA)2:45.77
BRONZEAlexis Pinturault (FRA)2:45.93
Slalom (22 Feb)
GOLDMario Matt (AUT)1:41.84
SILVERMarcel Hirscher (AUT)1:42.12
BRONZEHenrik Kristoffersen (NOR)1:42.67
Super Combined (14 Feb)
GOLDSandro Viletta (SUI)2:45.20
SILVERIvica Kostelic (CRO)2:45.54
BRONZEChristof Innerhofer (ITA)2:45.67
Women
Downhill (12 Feb)
GOLDTina Maze (SLO)1:41.6
GOLDDominique Gisin (SUI)1:41.6
BRONZELara Gut (SUI)1:41.7
Super-G (15 Feb)
GOLDAnna Fenninger (AUT)1:25.5
SILVERMaria Hoefl-Riesch (GER)1:26.1
BRONZENicole Hosp (AUT)1:26.2
Giant slalom (18 Feb)
GOLDTina Maze (SLO)2:36.87
SILVERAnna Fenninger (AUT)2:36.94
BRONZEViktoria Rebensburg (GER)2:37.14
Slalom (21 Feb)
GOLDMikaela Shiffrin (USA)1:44.54
SILVERMarlies Schild (AUT)1:45.07
BRONZEKathrin Zettel (AUT)1:45.35
Super Combined (10 Feb)
GOLDMaria Hoefl-Riesch (GER)2:34.62
SILVERNicole Hosp (AUT)2:35.02
BRONZEJulia Mancuso (USA)2:35.15

CROSS-COUNTRY
Men
15km classical (14 Feb)
GOLDDario Cologna (SUI)38:29.7
SILVERJohan Olsson (SWE)38:58.2
BRONZEDaniel Richardsson (SWE)39:08.5
30km skiathlon (9 Feb)
GOLDDario Cologna (SUI)1:08:15.4
SILVERMarcus Hellner (SWE)1:08:15.8
BRONZEMartin Johnsrud Sundby (NOR)1:08:16.8
50km freestyle (23 Feb)
GOLDAlexander Legkov (RUS)1:46:55.2
SILVERMaxim Vylegzhanin (RUS)1:46:55.9
BRONZEIlia Chernousov (RUS)1:46.56.0
4x10km relay (16 Feb)
GOLDSweden (SWE)1:28:42.0
SILVERRussian Federation (RUS)1:29:09.3
BRONZEFrance (FRA)1:29:13.9
Sprint (11 Feb)
GOLDOla Vigen Hattestad (NOR)3:38.4
SILVERTeodor Peterson (SWE)3:39.6
BRONZEEmil Joensson (SWE)3:58.1
Team sprint (19 Feb)
GOLDFinland (FIN)23:14.9
SILVERRussian Federation (RUS)23:15.9
BRONZESweden (SWE)23:30.0
Women
10km classical (13 Feb)
GOLDJustyna Kowalczyk (POL)28:17.8
SILVERCharlotte Kalla (SWE)28:36.2
BRONZETherese Johaug (NOR)28:46.1
15km skiathlon (8 Feb)
GOLDMarit Bjoergen (NOR)38:33.6
SILVERCharlotte Kalla (SWE)38:35.4
BRONZEHeidi Weng (NOR)38:46.8
30km freestyle (22 Feb)
GOLDMarit Bjoergen (NOR)1:11:05.2
SILVERTherese Johaug (NOR)1:11:07.8
BRONZEKristin Stoermer Steira (NOR)1:11.28.8
4x5km relay (15 Feb)
GOLDSweden (SWE)53:02.7
SILVERFinland (FIN)53:03.2
BRONZEGermany (GER)53:03.6
Sprint (11 Feb)
GOLDMaiken Caspersen Falla (NOR)2:35.5
SILVERIngvild Flugstad Oestberg (NOR)2:35.8
BRONZEVesna Fabjan (SLO)2:35.8
Team sprint (19 Feb)
GOLDNorway (NOR)16:04.0
SILVERFinland (FIN)16:13.1
BRONZESweden (SWE)16:23.8

FREESTYLE
Men
Aerials (17 Feb)
GOLDAnton Kushnir (BLR)134.5
SILVERDavid Morris (AUS)110.41
BRONZEJia Zongyang (CHN)95.06
Halfpipe (18 Feb)
GOLDDavid Wise (USA)92
SILVERMike Riddle (CAN)90.6
BRONZEKevin Rolland (FRA)88.6
Moguls (10 Feb)
GOLDAlex Bilodeau (CAN)26.31
SILVERMikael Kingsbury (CAN)24.71
BRONZEAlexandr Smyshlyaev (RUS)24.34
Slopestyle (13 Feb)
GOLDJoss Christensen (USA)95.8
SILVERGus Kenworthy (USA)93.6
BRONZENicholas Goepper (USA)92.4
Ski cross (20 Feb)
GOLDJean Frederic Chapuis (FRA)
SILVERArnaud Boloventa (FRA)
BRONZEJonathan Midol (FRA)
Women
Aerials (14 Feb)
GOLDAlla Tsuper (BLR)98.01
SILVERMengtao Xu (CHN)83.5
BRONZELydia Lassila (AUS)72.12
Halfpipe (20 Feb)
GOLDMaddie Bowman (USA)89
SILVERMarie Martinod (FRA)85.4
BRONZEAyana Onozuka (JPN)83.2
Moguls (8 Feb)
GOLDJustine Dufour-Lapointe (CAN)22.44
SILVERChloe Dufour-Lapointe (CAN)21.66
BRONZEHannah Kearney (USA)21.49
Slopestyle (11 Feb)
GOLDDara Howell (CAN)94.2
SILVERDevin Logan (USA)85.4
BRONZEKim Lamarre (CAN)85
Ski cross (21 Feb)
GOLDMarielle Thompson (CAN)
SILVERKelsey Serwa (CAN)
BRONZEAnna Holmlund (SWE)

NORDIC COMBINED
Men
Normal hill 10km (12 Feb)
GOLDEric Frenzel (GER)23:50.2
SILVERAkito Watabe (JPN)23:48.4
BRONZEMagnus Krog (NOR)22:55.3
Large hill 10km (18 Feb)
GOLDJorgen Graabak (NOR)22:45.5
SILVERMagnus Moan (NOR)22:43.1
BRONZEFabian Riessle (GER)22:33.1
Team large hill 4x5km (20 Feb)
GOLDNorway (NOR)46:48.5
SILVERGermany (GER)47:13.8
BRONZEAustria (AUT)47:09.9

SKI JUMPING
Men
Normal hill (9 Feb)
GOLDKamil Stoch (POL)278
SILVERPeter Prevc (SLO)265.3
BRONZEAnders Bardal (NOR)264.1
Large hill (15 Feb)
GOLDKamil Stoch (POL)278.7
SILVERNoriaki Kasai (JPN)277.4
BRONZEPeter Prevc (SLO)274.8
Team large hill (17 Feb)
GOLDGermany (GER)1041.1
SILVERAustria (AUT)1038.4
BRONZEJapan (JPN)1024.9
Women
Normal hill (11 Feb)
GOLDCarina Vogt (GER)247.4
SILVERDaniela Iraschko-Stolz (AUT)246.2
BRONZEColine Mattel (FRA)245.2

SNOWBOARDING
Men
Parallel slalom (22 Feb)
GOLDVic Wild (RUS)
SILVERZan Kosir (SLO)
BRONZEBenjamin Karl (AUT)
Parallel giant slalom (19 Feb)
GOLDVic Wild (RUS)
SILVERNevin Galmarini (SUI)
BRONZEZan Kosir (SLO)
Halfpipe (11 Feb)
GOLDIouri Podladtchikov (SUI)94.75
SILVERAyumu Hirano (JPN)93.5
BRONZETaku Hiraoka (JPN)92.25
Slopestyle (8 Feb)
GOLDSage Kotsenburg (USA)93.5
SILVERStaale Sandbech (NOR)91.75
BRONZEMark McMorris (CAN)88.75
Snowboard cross (18 Feb)
GOLDPierre Vaultier (FRA)
SILVERNikolay Olyunin (RUS)
BRONZEAlex Deibold (USA)
Women
Parallel slalom (22 Feb)
GOLDJulia Dujmovits (AUT)
SILVERAnke Karstens (GER)
BRONZEAmelie Kober (GER)
Parallel giant slalom (19 Feb)
GOLDPatrizia Kummer (SUI)
SILVERTomoka Takeuchi (JPN)
BRONZEAlena Zavarzina (RUS)
Halfpipe (12 Feb)
GOLDKaitlyn Farrington (USA)91.75
SILVERTorah Bright (AUS)91.5
BRONZEKelly Clark (USA)90.75
Slopestyle (9 Feb)
GOLDJamie Anderson (USA)95.25
SILVEREnni Rukajarvi (FIN)92.5
BRONZEJenny Jones (GBR)87.25
Snowboard cross (16 Feb)
GOLDEva Samkova (CZE)
SILVERDominique Maltais (CAN)
BRONZEChloe Trespeuch (FRA)

---
SKATING
FIGURE SKATING
Men's singles (14 Feb)
GOLDYuzuru Hanyu (JPN)280.09
SILVERPatrick Chan (CAN)275.62
BRONZEDenis Ten (KAZ)255.10
Ladies' singles (20 Feb)
GOLDAdelina Sotnikova (RUS)224.59
SILVERKim Yuna (KOR)219.11
BRONZECarolina Kostner (ITA)216.73
Pair skating (12 Feb)
GOLDTatiana Volosozhar/Maxim Trankov (RUS)236.86
SILVERKsenia Stolbova/Fedor Klimov (RUS)218.68
BRONZEAliona Savchenko/Robin Szolkowy (GER)215.78
Ice dancing (17 Feb)
GOLDMeryl Davis/Charlie White (USA)195.52
SILVERTessa Virtue/Scott Moir (CAN)190.99
BRONZEElena Ilinykh/Nikita Ilinykh (RUS)183.48
Team event (9 Feb)
GOLDRussian Federation (RUS)75
SILVERCanada (CAN)65
BRONZEUnited States (USA)60

SPEED SKATING
Men
500m (10 Feb)
GOLDMichel Mulder (NED)69.312
SILVERJan Smeekens (NED)69.324
BRONZERonald Mulder (NED)69.46
1000m (12 Feb)
GOLDStefan Groothuis (NED)1:08.39
SILVERDenny Morrison (CAN)1:08.43
BRONZEMichel Mulder (NED)1:08.74
1500m (15 Feb)
GOLDZbigniew Brodka (POL)1:45.006
SILVERKoen Verweij (NED)1:45.009
BRONZEDenny Morrison (CAN)1:45.22
5000m (8 Feb)
GOLDSven Kramer (NED)6:10.8 OR
SILVERJan Blokhuijsen (NED)6:15.7
BRONZEJorrit Bergsma (NED)6:16.7
10000m (18 Feb)
GOLDJorrit Bergsma (NED)12:44.45 OR
SILVERSven Kramer (NED)12:49.02
BRONZEBob De Jong (NED)13:07.19
Team pursuit (22 Feb)
GOLDNetherlands (NED)3:37.71 OR
SILVERSouth Korea (KOR)3:40.85
BRONZEPoland (POL)3:41.94
Women
500m (11 Feb)
GOLDSang Hwa Lee (KOR)74.70 OR
SILVEROlga Fatkulina (RUS)75.06
BRONZEMargot Boer (NED)75.48
1000m (13 Feb)
GOLDHong Zhang (CHN)1:14.0
SILVERIrene Wust (NED)1:14.7
BRONZEMargot Boer (NED)1:14.9
1500m (16 Feb)
GOLDJorien Ten Mors (NED)1:53.51 OR
SILVERIreen Wust (NED)1:54.09
BRONZELotte Van Beek (NED)1:54.54
3000m (9 Feb)
GOLDIrene Wust (NED)4:00.34
SILVERMartina Sablikova (CZE) 4:01.95
BRONZEOlga Graf (RUS)4:03.47
5000m (19 Feb)
GOLDMartina Sablikova (CZE)6:51.5
SILVERIrene Wust (NED)6:54.3
BRONZECarien Kleibeuker (NED)6:55.7
Team pursuit (22 Feb)
GOLDNetherlands (NED)2:58.05 OR
SILVERPoland (POL)3:05.55
BRONZERussian Federation (RUS)2:59.73 (small final)

SHORT TRACK SPEED SKATING
Men
500m (21 Feb)
GOLDVictor An (RUS)41.312
SILVERDajing Wu (CHN)41.516
BRONZECharlie Cournoyer (CAN)41.617
1000m (15 Feb)
GOLDVictor An (RUS)1:25.325
SILVERVladimir Grigorev (RUS)1:25.399
BRONZESjinkie Knegt (NED)1:25.611
1500m (10 Feb)
GOLDCharles Hamelin (CAN)2:14.985
SILVERHan Tianyu (CHN)2:15.055
BRONZEVictor An (RUS)2:15.062
5000m relay (21 Feb)
GOLDRussian Federation (RUS)6:42.10 OR
SILVERUnited States (USA)6:42.37
BRONZEChina (CHN)6:48.34
Women
500m (13 Feb)
GOLDJianrou Li (CHN)45.263
SILVERArianna Fontana (ITA)51.25
BRONZEPark Seung-Hi (KOR)54.207
1000m (21 Feb)
GOLDSeung-Hi Park (KOR)1:30.76
SILVERKexin Fan (CHN)1:30.81
BRONZEShim Suk-Hee (KOR)1:31.03
1500m (15 Feb)
GOLDZhou Yang (CHN)2:19.140
SILVERShim Suk-Hee (KOR)2:19.239
BRONZEArianna Fontana (ITA)2:19.416
3000m relay (18 Feb)
GOLDSouth Korea (KOR)4:09.5
SILVERCanada (CAN)4:10.6
BRONZEItaly (ITA)4:14.0
---
BOBSLEIGH & LUGE
BOBSLEIGH
Two-man (16-17 Feb)
GOLDRussian Federation-1 (RUS)3:45.39
SILVERSwitzerland-1 (SUI)3:46.05
BRONZEUnited States-1 (USA)3:46.27
Four-man (22-23 Feb)
GOLDRussian Federation-1 (RUS)
SILVERLatvia-1 (LAT)
BRONZEUnited States-1 (USA)
Two-woman (18-19 Feb)
GOLDCanada-1 (CAN)3:50.61
SILVERUnited States-1 (USA)3:50.71
BRONZEUnited States-2 (USA)3:51.61

SKELETON
Men's singles (14-15 Feb)
GOLDAlexander Tretiakov (RUS)3:44.29
SILVERMartins Dukurs (LAT)3:45.10
BRONZEMatthew Antoine (USA)3:47.26
Women's singles (13-14 Feb)
GOLDLizzy Yarnold (GBR)3:52.89
SILVERNoelle Pikus-Pace (USA)3:53.86
BRONZEElena Nikitina (RUS)3:54.30

LUGE
Men's singles (8-9 Feb)
GOLDFelix Loch (GER)3:27.526
SILVERAlbert Demchenko (RUS)3:28.002
BRONZEArmin Zoeggeler (ITA)3:28.797
Women's singles (10-11 Feb)
GOLDNatalie Geisenberger (GER)3:19.768
SILVERTatjana Huefner (GER)3:20.907
BRONZEErin Hamlin (USA)3:21.145
Doubles (12 Feb)
GOLDTobias Wendl/Tobias Arlt (GER)1:38.933
SILVERAndreas Linger/Wolfgang Linger (AUT)1:39.455
BRONZEAndreas Sics/Juris Sics (LAT)1:39.790
Team relay (13 Feb)
GOLDGermany (GER)2:45.649
SILVERRussian Federation (RUS)2:46.679
BRONZELatvia (LAT)2:47.295

---
BIATHLON
Mixed
Relay (19 Feb)
GOLDNorway (NOR)9:17.0
SILVERCzech Republic (CZE)9:49.6
BRONZEItaly (ITA)10:15.2
Men
Individual (13 Feb)
GOLDMartin Fourcade (FRA)49:31.7
SILVERErik Lesser (GER)49:43.9
BRONZEEvgeniy Garanichev (RUS)50:06.2
Sprint (8 Feb)
GOLDOle Einar Bjoerndalen (NOR)24:33.5
SILVERDominik Landertinger (AUT)24:34.8
BRONZEJaroslav Soukup (CZE)24:39.2
Pursuit (10 Feb)
GOLDMartin Fourcade (FRA)33:48.6
SILVEROndrej Moravec (CZE)34:02.7
BRONZEJean Guillaume Beatrix (FRA)34:12.8
Mass start (18 Feb)
GOLDEmil Hegle Svendsen (NOR)42:29.1
SILVERMartin Fourcade (FRA)42:29.1 (photo finish)
BRONZEOndrej Moravec (CZE)42:42.9
Relay (22 Feb)
GOLDRussian Federation (RUS)1:12:15.9
SILVERGermany (GER)1:12:19.4
BRONZEAustria (AUT)1:12:45.7
Women
Individual (14 Feb)
GOLDDarya Domracheva (BLR)43:19.6
SILVERSelina Gasparin (SUI)44:35.3
BRONZENadezhda Skardino (BLR)44:57.8
Sprint (9 Feb)
GOLDAnastasiya Kuzmina (SVK)21:06.8
SILVEROlga Vilukhina (RUS)21:26.7
BRONZEVita Semerenko (UKR)21:28.5
Pursuit (11 Feb)
GOLDDarya Domracheva (BLR)29:30.7
SILVERTora Berger (NOR)30:08.3
BRONZETeja Gregorin (SLO)30:12.7
Mass start (17 Feb)
GOLDDarya Domracheva (BLR)35:25.6
SILVERGabriela Soukalova (CZE)35:45.8
BRONZETiril Eckhoff (NOR)35:52.9
Relay (21 Feb)
GOLDUkraine (UKR)1:10:02.5
SILVERRussian Federation (RUS)1:10:28.9
BRONZENorway (NOR)1:10:40.1

Winter Olympics 2014 hockey/curling results


HOCKEY
Men
GROUP A
TimeDateVenue
12.30pmThu 13 FebRUSSIA 5-2 SLOVENIABolshoy
12.30pmThu 13 FebSLOVAKIA 1-7 UNITED STATESShayba
8amSat 15 FebSLOVAKIA 1-3 SLOVENIABolshoy
12.30pmSat 15 FebUNITED STATES 2-2(4-3) RUSSIABolshoy
12.30pmSun 16 FebRUSSIA 0-0(2-0) SLOVAKIABolshoy
12.30pmSun 16 FebSLOVENIA 1-5 UNITED STATESShayba

GROUP B
TimeDateVenue
8amThu 13 FebFINLAND 8-4 AUSTRIABolshoy
5pmThu 13 FebCANADA 3-1 NORWAYBolshoy
5pmFri 14 FebCANADA 6-0 AUSTRIABolshoy
5pmFri 14 FebNORWAY 1-6 FINLANDShayba
8amSun 16 FebAUSTRIA 3-1 NORWAYBolshoy
5pmSun 16 FebFINLAND 1-2(OT) CANADABolshoy

GROUP C
TimeDateVenue
5pmWed 12 FebCZECH REP 2-4 SWEDENBolshoy
5pmWed 12 FebLATVIA 0-1 SWITZERLANDShayba
8amFri 14 FebCZECH REP 4-2 LATVIABolshoy
12.30pmFri 14 FebSWEDEN 1-0 SWITZERLANDBolshoy
5pmSat 15 FebSWITZERLAND 1-0 CZECH REPBolshoy
5pmSat 15 FebSWEDEN 5-3 LATVIAShayba

QUALIFICATION ROUND
TimeDateVenue
8amTue 18 FebSLOVENIA 4-0 AUSTRIABolshoy
12.30pmTue 18 FebRUSSIA 4-0 NORWAYBolshoy
5pmTue 18 FebSWITZERLAND 1-3 LATVIABolshoy
5pmTue 18 FebCZECH REPUBLIC 5-3 SLOVAKIAShayba

QUARTER FINALS
TimeDateVenue
8amWed 19 FebSWEDEN 5-0 SLOVENIABolshoy
12.30pmWed 19 FebFINLAND 3-1 RUSSIABolshoy
5pmWed 19 FebCANADA 2-1 LATVIABolshoy
5pmWed 19 FebUNITED STATES 5-2 CZECH REPUBLICShayba

SEMI FINALS
TimeDateVenue
12pmFri 21 FebSWEDEN 2-1 FINLANDBolshoy
5pmFri 21 FebUNITED STATES 0-1 CANADABolshoy

BRONZE
TimeDateVenue
3pmSat 22 FebFINLAND 5-0 UNITED STATESBolshoy

GOLD MEDAL FINAL
TimeDateVenue
12pmSun 23 FebSWEDEN 0-3 CANADABolshoy

Women
GROUP A
TimeDateVenue
8amSat 8 FebUNITED STATES 3-1 FINLANDShayba
3pmSat 8 FebCANADA 5-0 SWITZERLANDShayba
10amMon 10 FebUNITED STATES 9-0 SWITZERLANDShayba
3pmMon 10 FebFINLAND 0-3 CANADAShayba
8amWed 12 FebSWITZERLAND 3-4(OT) FINLANDShayba
12.30pmWed 12 FebCANADA 3-2 UNITED STATESShayba

GROUP B
TimeDateVenue
8amSun 9 FebSWEDEN 1-0 JAPANShayba
3pmSun 9 FebRUSSIA 4-1 GERMANYShayba
12pmTue 11 FebGERMANY 0-4 SWEDENShayba
3pmTue 11 FebRUSSIA 2-1 JAPANShayba
8amThu 13 FebJAPAN 0-4 GERMANYShayba
5pmThu 13 FebSWEDEN 1-3 RUSSIAShayba

QUARTER FINALS
TimeDateVenue
8amSat 15 FebSWITZERLAND 2-0 RUSSIAShayba
5pmSat 15 FebFINLAND 2-4 SWEDENShayba

SEMI FINALS
TimeDateVenue
5pmMon 17 FebCANADA 3-1 SWITZERLANDShayba
12.30pmMon 17 FebUNITED STATES 6-1 SWEDENShayba

BRONZE
TimeDateVenue
12pmThu 20 FebSWITZERLAND 4-3 SWEDENBolshoy

GOLD MEDAL FINAL
TimeDateVenue
5pmThu 20 FebCANADA 3-2(OT) UNITED STATESBolshoy

---
CURLING
Men
ROUND ROBIN
TimeDate
5amMon 10 FebRUSSIA 4-7 GREAT BRITAIN


SWITZERLAND 5-7 SWEDEN


DENMARK 4-7 CHINA


GERMANY 8-11 CANADA
TimeDate
3pmMon 10 FebUNITED STATES 4-7 NORWAY


DENMARK 11-10 RUSSIA


CANADA 4-5 SWITZERLAND


SWEDEN 8-4 GREAT BRITAIN
TimeDate
10amTue 11 FebCANADA 6-7 SWEDEN


UNITED STATES 4-9 CHINA


GREAT BRITAIN 7-6 GERMANY


NORWAY 9-8 RUSSIA
TimeDate
5amWed 12 FebDENMARK 5-9 UNITED STATES


NORWAY 8-5 GERMANY


CHINA 5-4 SWITZERLAND


NONE
TimeDate
3pmWed 12 FebGERMANY 7-11 CHINA


SWITZERLAND 2-4 GREAT BRITAIN


RUSSIA 4-7 CANADA


DENMARK 8-5 SWEDEN
TimeDate
10amThu 13 FebSWITZERLAND 6-7 RUSSIA


CANADA 7-6 DENMARK


NORWAY 4-5 SWEDEN


GREAT BRITAIN 5-3 UNITED STATES
TimeDate
5amFri 14 FebSWEDEN 6-5 CHINA


UNITED STATES 8-5 GERMANY


CANADA 10-4 NORWAY


NONE
TimeDate
3pmFri 14 FebGREAT BRITAIN 8-6 DENMARK


RUSSIA 7-6 UNITED STATES


CHINA 7-5 NORWAY


SWITZERLAND 7-8 GERMANY
TimeDate
10amSat 15 FebSWEDEN 8-4 GERMANY


DENMARK 3-9 SWITZERLAND


CANADA 7-5 GREAT BRITAIN


RUSSIA 6-9 CHINA
TimeDate
5amSun 16 FebUNITED STATES 6-8 CANADA


GREAT BRITAIN 6-7 NORWAY


SWEDEN 8-4 RUSSIA


NONE
TimeDate
3pmSun 16 FebNORWAY 5-3 SWITZERLAND


CHINA 8-9 CANADA


GERMANY 3-6 DENMARK


UNITED STATES 4-6 SWEDEN
TimeDate
10amMon 17 FebCHINA 6-5 GREAT BRITAIN


GERMANY 7-8 RUSSIA


SWITZERLAND 6-3 UNITED STATES


NORWAY 3-5 DENMARK
TIEBREAK
TimeDate
5amTue 18 FebNORWAY 5-6 GREAT BRITAIN

SEMI FINAL
TimeDate
3pmWed 19 FebSWEDEN 5-6 GREAT BRITAIN


CANADA 10-6 CHINA
BRONZE
TimeDate
8.30amFri 21 FebSWEDEN 6-4 CHINA

GOLD MEDAL FINAL
TimeDate
1.30pmFri 21 FebGREAT BRITAIN 3-9 CANADA

Women
ROUND ROBIN
TimeDate
10amMon 10 FebCHINA 2-9 CANADA


SWITZERLAND 7-4 UNITED STATES


SWEDEN 6-4 GREAT BRITAIN


RUSSIA 7-4 DENMARK
TimeDate
5amTue 11 FebSWITZERLAND 7-6 DENMARK


SWEDEN 3-9 CANADA


RUSSIA 9-6 UNITED STATES


SOUTH KOREA 12-7 JAPAN
TimeDate
3pmTue 11 FebGREAT BRITAIN 12-3 UNITED STATES


SOUTH KOREA 6-8 SWITZERLAND


DENMARK 3-8 JAPAN


CHINA 7-5 RUSSIA
TimeDate
10amWed 12 FebJAPAN 8-4 RUSSIA


UNITED STATES 4-7 CHINA


SOUTH KOREA 4-7 SWEDEN


CANADA 9-6 GREAT BRITAIN
TimeDate
5amThu 13 FebCANADA 8-5 DENMARK


CHINA 7-8 GREAT BRITAIN


SWITZERLAND 8-9 SWEDEN


NONE
TimeDate
3pmThu 13 FebSWEDEN 7-6 DENMARK


RUSSIA 4-8 SOUTH KOREA


SWITZERLAND 5-8 CANADA


JAPAN 6-8 UNITED STATES
TimeDate
10amMon 14 FebSOUTH KOREA 3-11 CHINA


GREAT BRITAIN 12-3 JAPAN


UNITED STATES 2-9 DENMARK


RUSSIA 6-3 SWITZERLAND
TimeDate
5amSat 15 FebCANADA 8-6 JAPAN


CHINA 7-6 SWEDEN


GREAT BRITAIN 10-8 SOUTH KOREA


NONE
TimeDate
3pmSat 15 FebUNITED STATES 6-7 SWEDEN


CANADA 5-3 RUSSIA


GREAT BRITAIN 6-8 SWITZERLAND


DENMARK 9-6 CHINA
TimeDate
10amSun 16 FebDENMARK 7-4 SOUTH KOREA


JAPAN 9-7 SWITZERLAND


SWEDEN 5-4 RUSSIA


UNITED STATES 6-7 CANADA
TimeDate
5amMon 17 FebRUSSIA 6-9 GREAT BRITAIN


SOUTH KOREA 11-2 UNITED STATES


JAPAN 8-5 CHINA


NONE
TimeDate
3pmMon 17 FebCHINA 6-10 SWITZERLAND


DENMARK 8-7 GREAT BRITAIN


CANADA 9-4 SOUTH KOREA


SWEDEN 8-4 JAPAN
SEMI FINAL
TimeDate
10amWed 19 FebCANADA 6-4 GREAT BRITAIN


SWEDEN 7-5 SWITZERLAND
BRONZE
TimeDate
8.30amThu 20 FebGREAT BRITAIN 6-5 SWITZERLAND

GOLD MEDAL FINAL
TimeDate
1.30pmThu 20 FebCANADA 6-3 SWEDEN

Tuesday 4 February 2014

The Season 2013/14: Arsenal lead a three-horse race


1 ARSENAL (P24 W17 D4 L3 F47 A21 Pts 55)
Premier League: LWWWWWDWWWLWWWDLDWWWWWDW
FA Cup: 5R v Liverpool (H) on 16 February
League Cup: lost 0-2 v Chelsea (H) in fourth round
Europe: Last 16 v Bayern Munich (H) on 19 February/(A) on 11 March
Top scorer: Olivier Giroud (14)
Players in: Kim Kallstrom*
Players out: Chuba Akpom*, Anthony Jeffrey, Nico Yennaris, Benik Afobe*, Emmanuel Frimpong, Park Chu-Young*
Arsenal regained the lead in the Premier League, which they ceded last week, after securing a 2-0 home win over Crystal Palace. Two Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain goals proved the difference as the Gunners completed a seventh victory by that exact scoreline, six of which have come at the Emirates. Yes, being impressive without being particularly spectacular has been the story behind a first genuine Arsenal title charge since 2010. Back then, though, Arsene Wenger's men still wound up third, and there is a danger that could be their fate this time as well, given the vagaries of the fixture list. Liverpool (twice), Manchester United, and Bayern Munich are the Gunners' next four games - then, after the return match against Bayern in March, Arsenal face Tottenham Hotspur in a derby, Chelsea away, and Manchester City at home. So, while things look good in this part of North London at the moment, it will only be after all of that before a decisive judgement about their chances can be made.

2 MANCHESTER CITY (P24 W17 D2 L5 F68 A27 Pts 53)
Premier League: WLWDWLWWLWLWWWDWWWWWWWWL
FA Cup: 5R v Chelsea (H) on 15 February
League Cup: Final v Sunderland at Wembley on 2 March
Europe: Last 16 v Barcelona (H) on 18 February/(A) on 12 March
Top scorer: Sergio Agüero (26)
Players in: None
Players out: John Guidetti*, Harry Bunn, Albert Rusnak*, Abdisalam Ibrahim, Emyr Huws*
Goals, glorious goals - Manchester City's forwards have been in lethal form this season, scoring an amazing total of 115 in all competitions so far. Broken down individually, Sergio Agüero leads the standings with 26, though his strike partner Alvaro Negredo - on 23 - will have a clear month to overtake the injured Argentine. But, even to a side as talented as Man City, Agüero will be a miss, and it will be interesting to see if Manuel Pellegrini's side start dropping silly points on the road as they did early in the season, in defeats to Cardiff City, Aston Villa, and Sunderland. Of course, the very best case scenario for Man City remains a unique quadruple, beginning with victory in the League Cup Final over their bogey team, Sunderland. Chelsea lie in wait in the FA Cup having already completed a double which spoilt the 100% record at the Etihad, while Barcelona will provide an awesome test over two legs in the Champions League. A second English league title in three seasons, after none in 43 years, is very much on, however: Man City are the even-money favourites with most bookmakers.

3 CHELSEA (P24 W16 D5 L3 F44 A20 Pts 53) 
Premier League: WWDLWDWWWLDWWWLWDWWWWWDW
FA Cup: 5R v Manchester City (A) on 15 February
League Cup: lost 1-2 aet v Sunderland (A) in fifth round
Europe: Last 16 v Galatasaray (A) on 26 February/(H) on 18 March
Top scorer: Eden Hazard (10)
Players in: Bertrand Traore, Nemanja Matic, Mohamed Salah, Kurt Zouma
Players out: Gael Kakuta*, Bertrand Traore*, Patrick Bamford*, Kenneth Omeruo*, Ryan Bertrand*, Nathaniel Chalobah*, Kevin de Bruyne, Sam Walker, Josh McEachran*, Michael Essian, Juan Mata, Matej Delac*, Billy Clifford*, Jonathan Muleba, Kurt Zouma*
Jose Mourinho produced a tactical masterclass as Chelsea completed the double over Manchester City by ending their rival's 100% home record. Branislav Ivanovic hit the only goal of the match but the Londoners also hit the woodwork three times in an enterprising display rather out of keeping their efforts earlier in the season away at Arsenal and Manchester United. Both of those contests nevertheless finished 0-0, while Mourinho still has his own unbeaten home record, so it is fair to say that he can still be considered to be the Special One. For his part, the Portuguese played down Chelsea's chances of regaining the Premier League crown, referring to the title race as being "between two horses and a little horse that needs milk and needs to learn how to jump". In reality, after last night's result and performance, he is kidding nobody.

4 LIVERPOOL (P24 W14 D5 L5 F58 A29 Pts 47)
Premier League: WWWDLWWDWLWDLWWWWLLWWDWD
FA Cup: 5R v Arsenal (A) on 16 February
League Cup: lost 0-1 v Manchester United (A) in third round
Top scorer: Luis Suarez (23)
Players in: None
Players out: Adam Morgan, Craig Roddan*, Ryan McLaughlin*, Tiago Ilori*, Michael Ngoo*
Liverpool's faint hopes of a first English league title since 1990 faded further on Sunday after a soporific second half performance led to a 1-1 draw against West Bromwich Albion at the Hawthorns. Yes, Luis Suarez and Daniel Sturridge are still scoring plenty of goals - 40 and counting between them so far this season - but weaknesses at the back in the absence of injured pair Daniel Agger and Mamadou Sahko have prevented the Reds from really running up a proper head of steam. The closest the Reds got to that was just before Christmas, and Liverpool actually led the Premier League on Christmas Day for the first time since 2008 after beating Cardiff City 3-1 for a fourth consecutive win. But successive 2-1 defeats at title contenders Manchester City and Chelsea, and more dropped points against Aston Villa and West Brom, leave Liverpool still looking over their shoulder as they attempt a first top four finish in five years. Thus, it now must be accepted that, if Brendan Rodgers can keep the Reds ahead of fellow Merseysiders Everton - as well as Tottenham Hotspur and the small matter of Manchester United - to grab that last Champions League spot, then this must still be considered a good season of progress at Anfield.   

5 EVERTON (P24 W12 D9 L3 F37 A25 Pts 45)
Premier League: DDDWWWLWWDDDWWDWWLWDWDLW
FA Cup: 5R v Swansea City (H) on 16 February
League Cup: lost 1-2 v Fulham (A) in third round
Top scorer: Romelu Lukaku (9)
Players in: Aiden McGeady, Lacina Traore*, Jindrich Stanek
Players out: John Heitinga, Shane Duffy*, Hallam Hope*, Matthew Pennington*, Matthew Kennedy*, Tyias Browning*, Nikica Jelavic, Mason Springthorpe*
Generally-solid Everton have lost just three times in the Premier League this season, a record shared with Arsenal and Chelsea - but, to the horror of the Toffees' fans, one of those reverses was a 4-0 hammering against Liverpool at Anfield, their biggest derby loss since 1982. In fairness to Everton, they did not mope about it on Saturday, and instead showing a lot of spirit to overcome visitors Aston Villa having fallen behind. In doing so, Roberto Martinez's kept up the pressure on their Merseyside neighbours in the top four. Meanwhile, with a home draw in the fifth round, the Spaniard can also harbour genuine hopes of becoming the first manager to win the FA Cup in consecutive years with two different clubs.

6 TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR (P24 W13 D5 L6 F31 A32 Pts 44)
Premier League: WWLWWDLWWDLLDWWLWDWWWWLD
FA Cup: lost 0-2 v Arsenal (A) in third round
League Cup: lost 1-2 v West Ham United (H) in fifth round
Europe: Europa League last 32 v Dnipro Dnipropetrovsk (A) on 20 February/(H) on 27 February
Top scorer: Roberto Soldado, Jermain Defoe (8)
Players in: None
Players out: Simon Dawkins, Shaquile Coulthirst*, Jonathan Obika*, Ryan Fredericks*, Adam Smith, Lewis Holtby*
Tottenham Hotspur find themselves in their usual spot in recent seasons of challenging for the final Champions League place (before usually finishing just short), but this has been far from a straightforward campaign at White Hart Lane, a fact which is demonstrated best perhaps by their negative goal difference. That poor record is the result of two defeats to Manchester City (1-11 on aggregate), a shock 0-3 reverse at home to West Ham United, and an even worse 0-5 loss at home to Liverpool which brought the curtain down on the ill-fated Andre Villas-Boas era. In has come Tim Sherwood who has overseen a slight upturn in fortunes - barring the second collapse to Man City - but, following defeat to bitter rivals Arsenal in the FA Cup Third Round, Spurs' only chance of glory now is in the much-maligned Europa League. 

7 MANCHESTER UNITED (P24 W12 D4 L8 F39 A29 Pts 40)
Premier League: WDLWLLWDWWWDDLLWWWWLWLWL
FA Cup: lost 1-2 v Swansea City (H) in third round
League Cup: lost 1-2 on pens after 3-3 agg v Sunderland (1-2a, 2-1h) in semi final
Europe: Last 16 v Olympiakos (A) on 25 February/(H) on 19 March
Top scorer: Robin van Persie (12)
Players in: Juan Mata
Players out: Anderson*, Jack Barmby*, Fabio da Silva, Wilfried Zaha*, Charni Ekangamene*, Sam Byrne*, Will Keane*, Federico Macheda*, Larnell Cole, Ryan Tunnicliffe
So, the bounce of Juan Mata's transfer window signing lasted just one game before Manchester United fell to an eighth league defeat of the season at Stoke City. The Potters thus became the latest side to end their barren run of 30 years against the Red Devils after Everton, Newcastle United and Swansea City had ended similar sequences. Days after the Swansea defeat in the FA Cup, the last hope of a trophy in David Moyes's first season in charge at Old Trafford ended in defeat in a farcical penalty shootout against Sunderland in the League Cup semi finals. Now even a top four placing which the Man United support would have taken for granted looks odds against.

8 NEWCASTLE UNITED (P24 W11 D4 L9 F32 A31 Pts 37)
Premier League: LDWWLLWDLWWWWLWDWWLLLWDL
FA Cup: lost 1-2 v Cardiff City (H) in third round
League Cup: lost 0-2 aet v Manchester City (H) in fourth round
Top scorer: Loic Remy (11)
Players in: Luuk de Jong*
Players out: James Tavernier*, Haris Vuckic*, Jonas Gutierrez*, Yohan Cabaye, Curtis Good*
Newcastle United may look as if they are sitting pretty in eighth, and it was not long ago that I was singing their praises. But things now are not nearly as rosy as the league table suggests following a third straight derby defeat to Sunderland, their worst sequence in the fixture for 91 years. A second 3-0 home humiliation to the Black Cats inside 10 months came at the end of a week in which the Magpies sold and failed to replace their talented and influential midfielder Yohan Cabaye. Remember too that top scorer Loic Remy - responsible for much of Newcastle's decent autumn form - does not belong to the club and, by the summer, the Magpies will have gone 18 months without making a permanent signing. The derby capitulations and the lame surrender to Cardiff in the FA Cup simply add to the feeling of a club which is going nowhere fast under Alan Pardew and the Mike Ashley regime.

9 SOUTHAMPTON (P24 W9 D8 L7 F34 A27 Pts 35)
Premier League: WDLDWWWDWDWLLLDDLWLLWDDW
FA Cup: 5R v Sunderland (A) on 15 February
League Cup: lost 1-2 v Sunderland (A) in fourth round
Top scorer: Jay Rodriguez (12)
Players in: None
Players out: Tadanari Lee, Billy Sharp*, Lee Barnard*, Aaron Martin, Danny Fox*, Jason Puncheon, Daniel Osvaldo*
An excellent start for Southampton extended to just one defeat in their first 14 league games - but it was followed by a wobble on and off the pitch. On the pitch, Mauricio Pochettino's men then embarked on a run of just one win in nine league games, six of which ended in defeat. If anything, though, the news off the pitch was more worrying when Nicola Cortese resigned as chairman, and was replaced by the club's reclusive owner, Katharina Liebherr. Ms Liebherr had inherited the club from her late father but shown no great interest in actually running it, and Pochettino - who had a close working relationship with Cortese - had threatened to leave himself. Thankfully, for Southampton fans, the Argentinian manager had a change of heart, and the Saints' most recent form has improved again. Dominant in a 2-2 draw against Arsenal, they then thrashed Fulham 3-0 at the weekend, the three second half goals coming from the three Englishmen - Adam Lallana, Rickie Lambert, and Jay Rodriguez - who had done much to make the south coast club the flavour of the month earlier in the season. Another strong run between now and May could yet make this a real season to remember for Southampton.

10 ASTON VILLA (P24 W7 D6 L11 F27 A34 Pts 27)
Premier League: WLLLWWDLLDWDDWLLLLDWLDWL
FA Cup: lost 1-2 v Sheffield United (H) in third round
League Cup: lost 0-4 v Tottenham Hotspur (H) in third round
Top scorer: Christian Benteke (8)
Players in: Grant Holt*, Ryan Bertrand*
Players out: Shay Given*, Jordan Graham*, Stephen Ireland, Nathan Delfouneso*
Aston Villa are edging towards another season of Premier League mid-table respectability but, once again, this has hardly been a campaign to set the pulses racing at Villa Park. In particular, the Villains have continued to struggle at home with their thrilling 4-3 Midlands derby win over West Brom last Wednesday only a third success all season, following just five wins in 2012/13 and four in 2011/12. Back to this season, and seven of Villa's matches at home have ended in defeat with Paul Lambert's men struggling to score when talisman Christian Benteke is out injured.

11 STOKE CITY (P24 W6 D7 L11 F24 A38 Pts 25)
Premier League: LWWDLLLDLDDWLDWDWLLDLLLW
FA Cup: lost 0-1 v Chelsea (A) in fourth round
League Cup: lost 0-2 v Manchester United (H) in fifth round
Top scorer: Charlie Adam (8)
Players in: John Guidetti*, Stephen Ireland, Juan Agudelo, Peter Odemwingie
Players out: Juan Agudelo*, Jamie Ness*, Jermaine Pennant, Brek Shea*, Kenwyne Jones
A virtuoso display by Scottish midfielder Charlie Adam earned Stoke City a first win over Manchester United since Boxing Day 1984, and ended a more recent barren run. Before victory on Saturday at the Britannia, the Potters had taken just one point from their previous 18 and slid dangerously down the table. Still in some trouble, scoring goals has predictably been the biggest problem for Stoke City with the Potters averaging just one per game. That is, nevertheless, a better ratio than in three of the previous five seasons and they did, of course, survive in each of those.

12 SWANSEA CITY (P24 W6 D6 L12 F29 A35 Pts 24)
Premier League: LLWDWLLWDLDWLWDDLLDLLLWL
FA Cup: 5R v Everton (A) on 16 February
League Cup: lost 1-3 v Birmingham City (A) in third round
Europe: Europa League last 32 v Napoli (H) on 20 February/(A) on 27 February
Top scorer: Wilfried Bony (13)
Players in: David Ngog, Raheem Hanley, Jay Fulton, Marvin Emnes*
Players out: Daniel Alfei*, Alan Tate*, Rory Donnelly*
Swansea City swept aside any notion of second season syndrome last year with an eighth-placed finish topped off by a League Cup win but this third top-flight campaign has proved to be a lot tougher. An ankle injury to the excellent Michu has been keenly felt with the Swans' passing game often a case of much effort for little gain. Despite a noticeable improvement up front from Wilfried Bony, City are currently on a run of just one league win in 10 has also featured six defeats. A vital home derby against Cardiff City awaits on Saturday evening - and, while Michu might be back for it, the little Spaniard's return has come too late to save Michael Laudrup's job following the Dane's surprise sacking.

13 HULL CITY (P24 W6 D6 L12 F23 A30 Pts 24)
Premier League: LWLDWWDLLWLLWLDDDLWLLLLD
FA Cup: 5R v Brighton & Hove Albion (A) on 17 February
League Cup: lost 7-8 on pens (after 2-2 aet) v Tottenham Hotspur (A) in fourth round
Top scorer: Robert Brady (4)
Players in: Nikica Jelavic, Shane Long, Elliot Kebbie
Players out: Tom Cairney, Jack Hobbs, Conor Townsend*, Eldin Jakupovic*, Cameron Stewart*, Aaron McLean, Nick Proschwitz*
Hull City threatened to undo a solid start after following up their eye-catching 6-0 thrashing of Fulham by failing to score in four consecutive league defeats in January. Manager Steve Bruce has at least noticed the Tigers' biggest problem is their poor goal return, and so has shelled out some transfer window cash on Nikica Jelavic and Shane Long. Neither of them are particularly prolific, of course - though the latter repaid some of the outlay with his first goal for the club in a 1-1 draw against Tottenham Hotspur, and results like that are exactly why Bruce's men will surely retain their top-flight status.

14 SUNDERLAND (P24 W6 D6 L12 F25 A36 Pts 24)
Premier League: LDLLLLLLWLWLDLLDDWDLWDWW
FA Cup: 5R v Southampton (H) on 15 February
League Cup: Final v Manchester City at Wembley on 2 March
Top scorer: Adam Johnson (9)
Players in: Marcus Alonso*, Santiago Vergini*, Oscar Ustari, Ignacio Scocco, Liam Bridcutt
Players out: Connor Wickham*, Mikael Mandron*, Cabral*, Ji Dong-Won, Billy Knott*, Modibo Diakite*, Duncan Watmore*, Danny Graham*, David Vaughan*, Alfred N'Diaye
What a turnaround! As recently as New Year's Day, Sunderland still sat bottom of the Premier League pile but it looks more and more likely the Wearsiders will reach safety with ease. Indeed, in the four league matches since a 1-0 home defeat to Aston Villa, the Black Cats have taken 10 points from 12 and scored 10 goals including three away against their bitter rivals Newcastle United for the second successive season. Moreover, Gus Poyet's men beat Manchester United on penalties to reach the new Wembley for the first time in the League Cup Final, and they are still in the FA Cup.

15 NORWICH CITY (P24 W6 D6 L12 F19 A37 Pts 24)
Premier League: DLWLLWLLDLWLWLWDDLLDLWDL
FA Cup: lost 0-3 v Fulham (A) in third round replay, following 1-1
League Cup: lost 0-4 v Manchester United (A) in fourth round
Top scorer: Gary Hooper (7)
Players in: Jonas Gutierrez*, Joseph Yobo*
Players out: Jamar Loza*, Cameron McGeehan*, Daniel Ayala 
Goal-shy Norwich City have won just once in the last nine league games - and it does not get any easier with Manchester City and Tottenham Hotspur the next two sides to visit Carrow Road. Generally poor on the road, the onus is nevertheless on the Canaries to pick up most of their points at home - and, with Liverpool, Manchester United, Chelsea and Arsenal in their last four fixtures, Chris Hughton's men are under pressure to move towards safety by mid-April. Lacking quality up front, their big signing Ricky van Wolfswinkel - no goals since the opening day - has been the biggest failure of a squad which simply does not look as if it has enough.

16 WEST BROMWICH ALBION (P24 W4 D11 L9 F28 A34 Pts 23)
Premier League: LDLDWWDDLWDDLLLLDDDWLDLD
FA Cup: lost 0-2 v Crystal Palace (H) in third round
League Cup: lost 3-4 on pens (after 1-1 aet) v Arsenal (H) in third round
Top scorer: Saido Berahino (8)
Players in: Thievy Bifouma*
Players out: Lee Camp, Kemar Roofe*, Shane Long, George Thorne*
Draw specialists West Bromwich Albion earned their latest single-point haul on Sunday in a 1-1 draw against Liverpool at the Hawthorns following an encouraging second half performance. Victor Anichebe scored what could prove to be an absolutely vital equaliser - but the result still means it is only one win in 15 league and cup games for the Baggies. Indeed, an extended sequence going back to the second half of last season has seen West Brom win just eight of their last 44 top-flight matches. The malaise at the Midlands club is well-set then, and even a change of manager - with Pepe Mel eventually coming in for Steve Clarke - has yet been unable to break it.

17 CRYSTAL PALACE (P23 W7 D2 L14 F15 A31 Pts 23)
Premier League: LLWLLLLLLLDWLWWLLWLDLWWL
FA Cup: lost 1-2 v Wigan Athletic (A) in fourth round
League Cup: lost 1-2 v Bristol City (A) in second round
Top scorer: Marouane Chamakh (5)
Players in: Wayne Hennessey, Jason Puncheon, Scott Dann, Joe Ledley, Tom Ince*
Players out: Kevin Phillips, Jason Banton, Jimmy Kebe*, Matt Parsons, Kwesi Appiah*, Elliot Grandin, Jack Hunt*, Stephen Dobbie*, Jose Campana*
That Crystal Palace still have any chance of survival is nothing short of remarkable following defeats in nine of their first 10 Premier League games. That Palace actually look likely to stay up is almost miraculous - and it can almost entirely credited to former Stoke City manager Tony Pulis. The Welshman came in after Ian Holloway's resignation in October and, immediately, Palace tightened up at the back. While still short of goals, the south Londoners have become masters of the 1-0 win, registering five under Pulis, including a particular sweet one against his former club. Holloway resigned because he decided he could not manage all the players which had been brought in over the summer. But Pulis is now putting his own stamp on the club following a busy transfer deadline day which sees the Eagles eyeing a Premier League place beyond the end of the current season.

18 WEST HAM UNITED (P24 W5 D7 L12 F24 A33 Pts 22) 
Premier League: WDLDLLWLDDLLWLLDLLDLWLDW
FA Cup: lost 0-5 v Nottingham Forest (A) in third round
League Cup: lost 0-9 agg v Manchester City (0-6a, 0-3h) in semi final
Top scorer: Carlton Cole, Ravel Morrison (5)
Players in: Janaai Gordon, Roger Johnson*, Antonio Nocerino*, Marco Borriello*, Abdul Razak, Pablo Armero*
Players out: Blair Turgott*, Pelly Ruddock, Mladen Petric, Razvan Rat, Modibo Maiga*
West Ham United are the only club in the bottom five not to have changed their manager this season, with Sam Allardyce stubbornly remaining in the hotseat at the Boleyn Ground. Yet, despite an excellent point against Chelsea and a 2-0 win over Swansea City in the last two games, the pressure is still on Allardyce with those four points unable to take the Hammers outside of the bottom three. The two domestic cups were effectively sacrificed for the sake of Premier League safety in three embarrassing displays which were all in front of the television cameras. So it will be of considerable embarrassment to Allardyce if the Londoners fall short. The chances are that they will not - some of the clubs above them - Norwich, West Brom and Swansea - are looking vulnerable while West Ham have shown they have the guts to grind out results when required, having registered a league-high 11 clean sheets, six of which have come in 0-0 draws.

19 CARDIFF CITY (P24 W5 D6 L13 F19 A41 Pts 21)
Premier League: LWDDLWLLDWLDLDLWLLDLLLLW
FA Cup: 5R v Wigan Athletic (H) on 15 February
League Cup: lost 2-3 v West Ham United (A) in third round
Top scorer: Fraizer Campbell (7)
Players in: Jo Inge Berget, Magnus Wolff Eikrem, Mats Moeller Daehli, Kenwyne Jones, Fabio da Silva, Wilfried Zaha*
Players out: Rudy Gestede, Filip Kiss*, John Brayford*, Peter Odemwingie, Simon Moore*, Craig Conway
Will Cardiff City pay for the folly of a few weeks at the turn of the year when owner Vincent Tan dithered over dumping Malky Mackay before eventually wielding the axe on 27 December? All of the uncertainty was surely a factor in the Bluebirds' relatively encouraging start grinding to halt in a run of one win in eight before Mackay departed. Ultimately, the poisoned chalice has been picked up by former Manchester United supersub Ole Gunnar Solksjaer but the Norwegian has found it tough going so far, losing his first three in the league. Relief in the Welsh capital came on Saturday with victory over Norwich City but it is surely only a matter of time before Tan interferes again.

20 FULHAM (P24 W6 D1 L17 F22 A53 Pts 19)
Premier League: WLLDLLWWLLLLLLWLLWLWLLLL
FA Cup: lost 0-1 aet v Sheffield United (H) in fourth round replay
League Cup: lost 3-4 v Leicester City (A) in fourth round
Top scorer: Steve Sidwell (6)
Players in: Clint Dempsey*, William Kvist*, Lewis Holtby*, Konstantinos Mitroglou, John Heitinga, Larnell Cole, Ryan Tunnicliffe
Players out: Dimitar Berbatov*, Stephen Arthurworrey*, Marcus Bettinelli*, Jack Grimmer*, Bryan Ruiz*, Aaron Hughes*, Philippe Senderos
Things are looking bleak for rock-bottom Fulham who sunk to a 17th league defeat of the season in a rotten 3-0 home loss to Southampton at the weekend. The previous five sides to have lost as many of their first 24 matches have all finished bottom of the league, and the Cottagers are set to join them. Much of the blame must be pinned on the leaky defence which regularly leaves the Londoners unable to stay in the game and grind out a draw. Fulham have drawn just once all season - and all but four of the 17 defeats have come by more than a one-goal margin.

Note: Players In/Players Out refer to deals made during the January 2014 transfer window. Top scorer totals refer to goals in all competitions. *= Loan transfer.


FOOTBALL LEAGUE
Following nine successive wins in the Championship, Leicester City have stretched out a lead of 10 points ahead of Harry Redknapp's Queens Park Rangers who are in the other automatic promotion place. The London club are three points clear of third-placed Burnley with whom they shared a 3-3 draw on Saturday.
East Midlands rivals Derby County and Nottingham Forest sit fourth and fifth, the latter on the back of an unbeaten run of 13 league and cup games - and Reading round off the teams in the playoff spots having enjoyed a couple of big home wins recently over Bolton Wanderers (7-1) and Blackpool (5-1).
Yeovil Town predictably prop up the division but will not go down without a fight. Barnsley and Charlton Athletic are also in the bottom three, with the Addicks' fellow Londoners Millwall only just two points outside.
In League One, Brentford lead the table on the strength of an unbeaten league run which has now lasted 18 games. The Bees are ahead of Wolverhampton Wanderers by two points with Leyton Orient a further point behind but with a game in hand on their two title rivals. Behind the runaway trio, Preston North End, Rotherham, and Walsall complete the playoff spots with Peterborough United threatening just a point behind.
At the bottom, Stevenage have numerous games in hand on their relegation rivals but the Hertfordshire club are five points adrift of safety. The extra games may be of more assistance to second-bottom Sheffield United who are just a point away from three clubs, Notts County, Shrewsbury Town, and Bristol City. The Robins are outside of the relegation zone on goal difference alone.
In League Two, Chesterfield lead by three points from Scunthorpe United with Oxford United in third, a further two points behind. Just a single point behind the Us are Fleetwood Town, and they are also just a point ahead Southend United, Rochdale, and Burton Albion in a tight top seven, all of whom look set to make the playoffs at least.
In danger of falling out of the Football League are Northampton Town, six points adrift of Torquay United, also in a relegation place, and Wycombe Wanderers, outside on goal difference alone. One saving grace on Northampton is that they have a game in hand on the teams above them.