Mark Brewer’s Overview: Reasons behind Arsenal’s BPL Success This Season

The Gunners have been without silverware for many seasons now. Their dismal performance last season made me (Mark Brewer) wonder: what was so wrong with the club. In Arsene Wenger, Arsenal has one of the best coaches around. He has a talented and youthful bunch of players. But somehow whatever he tried last season did not click. But, come the 2013-14 season the fortunes for the Gunners have shifted drastically. Arsene could not have asked for a better turnaround than what he has witnessed. Having played 8 games Arsenal are at the top of BPL table and their results in Europe are favorable too. So, what is the reason behind their success?

Even when the fortunes were not favoring Arsene last season, he was behind his players. There were no blame games. Arsene did not want to splash useless cash just for the sake of it in the January transfer window. He felt there was enough talent in Arsenal to win titles. He asked the critics for some time. He wanted the young bunch to gel together as a unit. Have they gelled this season! The flair of Arsenal’s playing style seems to be back. The team is again playing together, rather than going for personal glory.

The form of its key players is the second reason for Arsenal’s success this season. Aaron Ramsey is in red hot form. No one knows a way to stop him from scoring. Olivier Giroud is emerging as a solid centre forward and he is ably aided by the likes of Jack Wilshere and Santi Cazorla. Both these players have supreme skills. When it comes to the midfield holding and ball control, Michael Arteta is one of the best. He can effortlessly control play. In the defense, Par Mertesacker seems to have overcome his bad days and is controlling the opposition attacks with much more authority.

Third reason would be the quality of signing this season. Though Arsene always signs a player with a future vision, but Mesut Ozil is a grand signing for more reasons than one. He has already made a mark upon the BPL after having arrived from Real Madrid.

Though I (Mark Brewer) am a Manchester United fan, but I am quite enjoying the resurgence of Arsenal. It is hard to control the feelings of Mr. Oak though, who is an ardent Gunners fan. Even Mr. Phoenix’s childhood favorite team Liverpool is doing well this season. 

Mark Brewer’s Analysis of Ranking System in Judo

Different colors denotes different rank

My namesake Mark Brewer is one of the most talented Judo professionals hailing from New Zealand. Ever since I heard of him I have started following judo keenly. My friends Mr. Phoenix, Mr. Oak and Mr. Jones (a Forex trader) watch games with me. In this blog I am going to tell you about the judo ranking system and its details. The achievements in judo are weighed in terms of a series of systematic ranks. The ranks for judo students are known as kyu and they are differentiated from one to the other by the color of belts they wear. There are different belt colors used, in some countries there are more than 6 kyu ranks used. There are ten black belt or expert ranks which are known as dan.

Kano was the mastermind of modern judo. Before Kano there was no formal ranking system in place for judo professionals. They were awarded scrolls or certificates containing the details about their school and style. Kano thought of a new way. In 1883, Kano awarded a couple of his students with belts. But back then there was no way to differentiate between the experts (black belt holders) and the other judo practitioners. So, Kano decided to let his expert students wear black belts. These belts were not similar to the ones worn by modern practitioners. These were much wider belts. In 1903, Kano introduced modern style of belts but he included black and white belts in the ranking system. According to Kano, white belt symbolized simplicity, purity and avoidance of ego. It indicated that all the students were equal. The white and black belt represented the progression of a student from being empty to full.

Today, the ranking system is a sort of grade system. You can earn a new ranking after completing a specific syllabus. A belt denotes the proficiency, skills and functional manners of a professional. All the belts are made with a mission to instigate the practitioner to climb higher. Mark Brewer may have passed through all the belts, but there are many young judo practitioners who are still targeting the black belt and sweating out for that. 

Swansea City: Mark Brewer’s Pick for Dark Horse of the BPL Season

I am amazed every time I (Mark Brewer) switch on my television and watch the BPL. There is so much talent at display. I love Manchester United from the heart; my friend Mr. Oak loves Chelsea, while Mr. Phoenix is a Gunners fanatic. I usually do not watch the matches of lower placed teams in the BPL largely due to time constrictions. But one day last year, I was sitting idly and there was a match on television and it featured Swansea City. I watched the match and ever since then I have formed a favorable notion about this Welsh side. They are a team of fighters who do not give up a match without giving everything. They fought with heads held high against formidable opponents last season and even won the Football League Cup (their first major trophy in England).

 

Some critics felt that it was an air bubble effect, as is normal with most unheralded clubs. They do well one season and fall away the next. But given the intent of Michael Laudrup and the Swansea authorities in the transfer season, it seems they are here to make the most of their opportunities. Sealing a fresh loan deal for Jonathan De Guzman from Villareal and buying high caliber players such as Jonjo Shelvey and Wilfred Bony was definitely step ahead for the club.

Ashley Williams and Chico Flores have impressed one and all with their defensive displays last season. It was no wonder then that Ashley Williams found many suitors in the transfer market, but he decided to stay put at Swansea. Similarly, Leon Britton has been phenomenal in the holding midfield role for the Swans. Michu was a revelation last season; he seemed to be scoring goals at ease at the early part of last season. Though his effect faded away at the later parts, but he seems to have come out with new vigor this season. Nathan Dyer and Wayne Routledge are also impressive players who are ready to put in their best efforts day in and day out. 

Though this season they are still lying in the seventeenth spot just behind the Red Devils, the optimist inside Mark Brewer still believes that both these clubs can climb up and end in good positions, come the end of the 2013-14 BPL season.      

Mark Brewer’s Take: Why You Lose Judo Matches?

I have been a keen follower of judo ever since I learned to enjoy sports. Some of this love for the sport owes to the popularity of my namesake Mark Brewer. My close friends Mr. Phoenix and Mr. Oak feel Mark Brewer’s popularity is the sole reason I watch judo matches. This not a correct opinion though, I love the feel around this game. Though I may not have participated in any major judo competition but I know the basics of this sport very well. Judo is a Japanese martial art form that has been given the status of sports and there are hundreds of people in the Kiwi land dreaming of becoming a special judo practitioner just like Mark Brewer. In the latest matches and my interaction with some budding judo practitioners has forced me to write this post.

Maintain your grip on the game: Mark Brewer

Everyone wants to win when they enter into any sporting arena. But sadly only one person has to win. Even the masters of the game had to lose their odd bouts. But if you keep on losing consistently then there is a thing or two to worry about. After all, judo is not similar to Forex trading where you may lose one day and gain big the other. So, I would like to cite some reasons which may lead to your repeated losses:

• You may lose matches because you keep on practicing with the losers. Practice partners are important assets in the game. They prepare you for the tough fights. You should choose a high caliber partner to practice your judo skills with.
• The environment you practice is also important for success in judo competitions. If you practice in a casual and non-professional environment then you will not get the urge to push on that extra bit.
• If you do not review your faults and what went wrong after each match then you will not learn to overcome these flaws. It is important to review the videos or sit with the coach after the match.
• Even if you lose a match, make it a point to stay on and watch the other participants in your weight category fight it out. You may learn many new skills by watching the aces fight.
• Some people take judo as a defensive martial art form, but you should bother to think likewise. If you want to win then you should be aggressive and maintain your grip on the game.

These are my views on how to avoid losing repetitively in judo matches. They are simple to follow and I hope one day you will be as successful as Mark Brewer.