The Week That Was (14/01-21/01)

Our first destination in this week's roundup is the Barclays Premier League. Like most Premier League weekends, Manchester United boss Sir Alex Ferguson made headlines for bemoaning the performance of an official, which as I Spurs fan I will admit he has the right to feel aggrieved, and Fernando Torres couldn't hit a barn door for Chelsea. Most of the results also went as expected, with perhaps the biggest shock coming at St James Park where hosts Newcastle became Reading's first away victims away from home. The winter of discontent deepens for the Toon Army, who now just sit two points above the drop zone. The biggest news in the Premier League this week though is the sacking of Southampton boss Nigel Adkins. Rewind three months and this wouldn't have been such a shock as the Saints were struggling for points despite their enterprising style. Since then though, their style of play has won them both points and fans leading many to question the motives behind the decision to replace Adkins with Argentine Mauricio Pochettino. The Southampton board claim the move was to help the club progress long-term, but there is every chance this ridiculous sacking could see Southampton return to the Championship come May.

In tennis, the Australian Open began and is now in its second week. The top four seeds in both the male and female draws are all still in contention, but for some its been easier than others. Two-time defending champion Novak Djokovic came through a gruelling five hour five-setter against Switzerland's Stanislas Wawrinka whilst second and third seeds Roger Federer and Andy Murray are yet to drop a set. In the woman's draw, the only top four seed to have dropped a set is the top seed Victoria Azarenka, but rather ominously for the other women left Maria Sharapova has only dropped five games in her four matches so far, double bageling her first two opponents. With that in mind, I believe Sharapova will go on to win the title after beating Serena Williams in the final. For the men, I really hope Andy Murray can become the first man in the Open era to win his first two Grand Slams consecutively. For me, the mark of a champion is when you win whilst not playing at your best. The Scot is yet to drop a set but is nowhere near his majestical best. Playing against tougher opponents in the second week may just be the catalyst needed for Murray to bring his best game and blow his competitors off the court.

The start of rugby's Six Nations is just under two weeks away and the big news this week is that Brian O'Driscoll has been replaced as Ireland's captain by Leinster team-mate Jamie Heaslip. Heaslip was captain for the Autumn Internationals which O'Driscoll missed but the continuation of the forward's captaincy despite the return of the talismanic centre has come as a bit of a surprise. This, for me at least, seems to signal coach Declan Kidney moving towards creating a side for the 2015 World Cup. O'Driscoll is unlikely to be there, so Kidney must be hoping the two-and-a-half years Heaslip will have had permanently in the role will help in grow into the captaincy. If this is the case, Irish fans should be very happy. The Irish squad during the previous Six Nations was ageing but there may now be a youthful vibrancy about the squad. 21-year-old Craig Gilroy played superbly on his début in the autumn and there are other talented youngsters such as Paddy Jackson and Iain Henderson who are both looking to break into the squad. For too long, I feel Kidney was afraid to experiment with youth but now he feels his job hinges on his ability to replace the old guard.

The year ahead (July-December)

The second of these two posts covers the huge number of major sporting events in the second half of 2013. July alone sees the culmination world's toughest cycle race, the final of Wimbledon and the beginning of the first of two Ashes series this year.

Bradley Wiggins will be spending the majority of July trying to defend his yellow jersey in the Tour de France but many observers believe the this year's course is too mountainous for the Olympic time-trial champion. Many believe Britain's best chance of victory in the forthcoming edition lies with Chris Froome, the man who marshalled Wiggins through the mountains last year so magnificently. There is strong evidence to prove Froome is a talented climber, but with the return of distinguished climber Andy Schleck and all-rounder Alberto Contador after a drugs ban to the Tour this year, the Brit will have a struggle on his hands to keep the maillot jaune in the UK. Given it will also be the 100th staging of cycling's most famous race, don't discount a Frenchman from putting in a good performance, with the young Pierre Rolland or the ageing Thomas Voeckler representing the best chance.

The men's Wimbledon final takes place on July 7 and British tennis fans will be hoping Andy Murray can go one step better than his runner-up finish last year. In my post yesterday, I stated my belief the Scot would win the Australian Open at the start of the year but the form both Murray and other top players are in throughout the season will affect my choice of winner hugely, and as such I don't want to state a player to win now for fear of ridicule later.

The Ashes begins at Trent Bridge on July 10 with England looking for three-in-a-row over the Aussies. It will be a tough series for both sides but I think the hosts will nick the series 2-1 with perhaps a supreme performance from Joe Root throughout the series. This is the first of two Ashes series this year, and performances in this series are likely to impact on the winner of the series Down Under, which start in November. If England dominate, Australia may likely crumble at home. However, if the Baggy Greens put in a good performance, be it in victory or defeat, I reckon they will win the Ashes at home.

Moving on to August, the World Athletics Championships take place in Moscow. Olympic heroes Jess Ennis and Mo Farah will be under pressure to repeat their golden moments from 2012 in the Russian capital, but they are not the only medal hopes for Great Britain. Look out for Katarina Johnson-Thompson who will compete in the heptathlon alongside Ennis. Johnson-Thompson finished in an admirable 15th place at London 2012 aged just 19. She has a bright future ahead of her and if she is in the right form, she could well challenge for a place on the podium. Robbie Grabarz won bronze in the high jump at the Olympics and can use the confidence gained from that performance to secure a higher finish on the podium. Discuss thrower Lawrence Okoye has been hailed as the future by incumbent Olympic and World champion Robert Harting, and the 21-year-old Brit will be looking to trouble the German for supremacy come August.

September sees the final of the US Open which Andy Murray will hope to retain, but my focus will move on to October which sees the Rugby League World Cup come to these shores. Arguably there are only three teams that could conceivably win the tournament: England, Australia and New Zealand. At the last World Cup, New Zealand won their first title and will put up a strong fight to keep a hold of the trophy. 2008 runners-up Australia will be looking to regain the title and add to their current haul of 9 titles, which is the record. England will also be determined to put on a good show in front of their home support after flattering to deceive at the previous tournament. The Aussies are the odds-on favourites to win and I have to say I agree with the bookies.

Whatever the case, whilst there are no Olympics this year there is still enough sport to quench the thirst built up after London 2012 in the year ahead. Happy 2013!

The year ahead (January-June)

2013 is upon us, and what with it being the start of the year I thought there would be no better time previewing the next 12 months of the sporting calendar. This year might not be likely to reach the golden highs of 2012, but there are still some amazing highlights to look forward to with this post covering the first six months.

Later on this month, the first tennis Grand Slam event of the year takes place as Andy Murray seeks to add an Australian Open title to his US title he won in September 2012. The winner of the previous two Australian Opens has been Serbian Novak Djokovic and will be looking the make it a three-in-a-row this time around whilst Roger Federer will be looking to add to his record haul of 17 Grand Slam single titles. Missing from the party though is the clay expert Rafael Nadal, who won the Australian title in 2009, after the Spaniard withdrew due to a stomach virus. Defending champion Djokovic is the bookie's favourite to win another Australian Open, but I believe in the Scot. Murray has always been there or there abouts in Melbourne and the confidence he took from his Olympic success to go on to win his first Grand Slam in New York is still present.

February sees the beginning of rugby's Six Nations, with this year's tournament carrying extra importance for players of the home nations with Lions tour to Australia later in the year. Last year's Grand Slam champions Wales haven't won a game since the tournament, a slump which saw them slip to 9th in the world. Fly-half Rhys Priestland has been ruled out of the tournament already, which could hit Wales' hopes of defending their title but they have been boosted by news that influential flanker Dan Lydiate, who broke his ankle in September, may be able to feature in the tournament after making a remarkable recovery. Under Stuart Lancaster, England have been improving over the last 12 months and their victory over New Zealand last time out will give them confidence going into a competition they could well win, with perhaps France being their biggest rivals. Scotland may surprise a few people,as they are playing without much expectation after a horrible end to 2012 and may be inclined to throw the ball around a bit more than they do. After a much improved performance against Argentina, there are many thinking Ireland could do something in the tournament, but I for one am not part of that group. Coach Declan Kidney made one change for the team, and granted Craig Gilroy done well, but he will think that after beating a fatigued Argentinian side everything is now rosy. It could be a tough spring for the boys from the Emerald Isle.

Arguably the biggest events in March and April are both to do with horse racing, with the Cheltenham Festival taking place in the third month of the year and Grand National less than a month later. Unfortunately my horse racing knowledge isn't the best, and for fear of embarrassing myself I'll leave the previewing of these events to those more in the know. The only thing is for certain is that I will, more than likely, be severely out of pocket by May.

May is also the month where the football season comes to a head. Manchester United, currently seven points clear at the top of the Premier League, will more than certainly still be involved in the title race and for my money will probably be crowned league champions of England for the 20th time. The month will also see two cup finals played at Wembley, the FA Cup final and the Champions League final. The FA Cup is often unpredictable and many fancied teams can be swiftly knocked out by opposition who have been touched by the magic of the cup so I feel there would be little use in trying to predict the winner. For the Champions League, however, I really fancy Borussia Dortmund. Already a fair distance of top spot in the German League, that should allow them to focus most of their energy on winning Europe's top prize and with a talented squad at Jurgen Klopp's disposal, many are tipping them to challenge Europe's best.

June sees the start of the aforementioned Lions tour, and I think there is a solid chance the world's most famous tourists can win their first series for 16 years. I know it's a long way off and a lot can change, but here's my starting XV if the first game against Australia was tomorrow:
1)   Cian Healy (c)
2)   Dylan Hartley
3)   Dan Cole
4)   Geoff Parling
5)   Richie Gray
6)   Dan Lydiate
7)   Steffon Armitage
8)   Toby Faletau
9)   Mike Phillips
10) Jonny Sexton
11) George North
12) Jamie Roberts
13) Manu Tuilagi
14) Tommy Bowe
15) Rob Kearney
Some would say this is a physical XV, but I would use the term "dynamic". Some may also question the choice of Healy as captain, but in my opinion he has come so far over the past two seasons and has become a leader at both club and international level, and his performances are of such a quality that they should inspire those around him to similar heights.