Good week, bad week

"Every time I pull on the black and white shirt," said an ecstatic Carroll, "it means the world to me."

Louise Hazel
The 25-year-old won a gold medal in the heptathlon. "It's just brilliant," she said. "I'm over the moon. I said I would bring a medal home."

BAD WEEK

Republic of Ireland
Giovanni Trapattoni will have been bitterly disappointed on Sunday morning. His side was outclassed by Russia the night before, with the visitors going 3-0 up soon after the break.
Ireland nearly clawed their way back as Robbie Keane and Shane Long sparked a late revival but it eventually proved too little, too late.

Scotland
The Czechs may have been chuffed, but the Scots will have felt rough after a weekend in which they fell to a 1-0 defeat. Roman Hubnik got the goal for the Czech Republic that meant Craig Levein's men walked away with no points.

Wales
They huffed and puffed but they couldn't bring Bulgaria down. Wales' 1-0 home defeat to Bulgaria signalled a poor start to Brian Flynn's temporary tenure.

"It was a painful and disappointing result," conceded Flynn, "but I've learnt so many lessons."

Lewis Hamilton
Hamilton is far from happy. He crashed in practice, was given a five-place penalty for changing his gearbox, then he finished fifth in the Japanese Grand Prix.

"It's a bit disappointing for myself and my team," reflected a dispirited Hamilton.

Premier League strikers
Memo to all top-flight forwards: mentally prepare yourself for another demanding year of trying to score against Manchester United.

For their current glove-man, Edwin Van Der Sar, refuted claims at the weekend that he will retire at the end of the season.

"That's complete nonsense," said the Dutchman, arguably one of the finest goalkeepers in the world. "I don't know yet whether I will stop or continue after this season."