Stable Sports

Arsenal are one of England's biggest and most successful clubs, and have won the FA Cup for the last two seasons. Founded in 1886, Arsenal were known as Royal Arsenal then Woolwich Arsenal in their early days. They moved from South London to their home at Highbury in North London in 1913, and moved again to the Emirates Stadium in 2006.

The turning point for the Gunners came in 1925 with the appointment of Herbert Chapman as manager. Under Chapman, Arsenal won their first FA Cup in 1930 and their first League title the following year. In all, Arsenal were League champions five times in the 1930s, including three seasons in a row from 1933 to 1935. Arsenal also won the FA Cup again in 1936.

In 1947-48 and 1952-53 the Gunners were League champions again, and were FA Cup winners in 1950. But Arsenal would not win a major trophy again until they won the Fairs Cup in 1970 - Arsenal's first European trophy.

In 1970-71, Arsenal, captained by Frank McLintock, completed their first Double in their history. With Charlie George's memorable strike against Liverpool winning the FA Cup for the Gunners. Later in the 1970s Arsenal won one of the great FA Cup finals to beat Manchester United 3-2 in 1979, thanks to an Alan Sunderland goal. Arsenal's next trophy came in 1987, with their first League Cup.

Two years later Arsenal won the League in remarkable fashion. They needed to win 2-0 at Liverpool to do so - and thus deny the Reds the title. A Michael Thomas goal in injury time ensured the title ended up in the hands of impressive Gunners captain Tony Adams.

The next two decades would be highly successful for Arsenal, vastly increasing their fan base and making Arsenal Tickets a highly sought after prize, and they were League champions again in 1991 - and lost only one game all season in the process. In 1992-93 Arsenal won both the FA Cup and League Cup, and then the Cup Winners' Cup the following season. During this time Ian Wright was becoming one of the best strikers in the club's history.

In 1996 Arsene Wenger became manager, and his appointment saw a period of notable achievements, including going a whole League season unbeaten in 2003-04. It was to prove to be Wenger's third League title win with the Gunners, as they had won the Premier League also in 1997-98 and 2001-02. In both those two seasons the Gunners achieved the Double too. Arsenal also reached the Champions League final in 2006. Key players of this era included Thierry Henry, Dennis Bergkamp and Patrick Vieira.

Arsenal have won the FA Cup a record 12 times. While their 13 League titles is only bettered by Manchester United and Liverpool.

Most of the times we see that the most active staff in a game are the team doctor and first aiders but rarely do we note that as much as a player needs physical help they also need mental help. This is where sports psychology comes in.

Sport psychology is a multidisciplinary field spanning psychology, sport science and medicine. The APA proficiency recognizes sport psychology as a postgraduate focus after a doctoral degree in one of the primary areas of psychology and licensure as a psychologist. The proficiency encompasses training in the development and use of psychological skills for optimal performance of athletes, in the well-being of athletes, in the systemic issues associated with sports settings and organizations and in developmental and social aspects of sports participation.

Sourced from:http://www.apadivisions.org/division-47/

So what do sports psychologist do. These experts help the athlete with issues to do with focus when facing a game, temperament issues and even how to get along with other team mates some players may not know the best way to relax or they might be afraid of losing a game. The psychologist will teach on how to relax and even give themselves positive self-talk among other things.

Some athletes seek help from a sport psychologist or other exercise and sport psychology professional when they have a problem.

They might become anxious or lose focus during competition, for example. They might have trouble communicating with teammates, controlling their temper or even just motivating themselves to exercise. Or they might choke at key moments during a game.

Enhance performance. Various mental strategies, such as visualization, self-talk and relaxation techniques, can help athletes overcome obstacles and achieve their full potential. Cope with the pressures of competition. Sport psychologists can help athletes at all levels deal with pressure from parents, coaches or even their own expectations. Recover from injuries. After an injury, athletes may need help tolerating pain, adhering to their physical therapy regimens or adjusting to being sidelined. Keep up an exercise program. Even those who want to exercise regularly may find themselves unable to fulfill their goal. Sport psychologists can help these individuals increase their motivation and tackle any related concerns. Enjoy sports. Sports organizations for young people may hire a sport psychologist to educate coaches about how to help kids enjoy sports and how to promote healthy self-esteem in participants.

[youtube video=https://youtu.be/5LVy1iWk54o ]

Sports psychology can even help people off the playing field. The same strategies that sport psychologists teach athletes — relaxation techniques, mental rehearsals and cognitive restructuring, for example — are also useful in the workplace and other settings.

Sourced from:http://www.apa.org/helpcenter/sport-psychologists.aspx

A successful athlete is one who has the right attitude, deals well with people, has goals that are realistic, can manage anxiety among other things. Your attitude is a matter of choice. It determines how you view everything else and you handle yourself and others.

Successful Athletes:

• Choose and maintain a positive attitude.
• Maintain a high level of self-motivation.
• Set high, realistic goals.
• Deal effectively with people.
• Use positive self-talk.
• Use positive mental imagery.
• Manage anxiety effectively.
• Manage their emotions effectively.
• Maintain concentration.

Sourced from:https://www.sportpsych.org/nine-mental-skills-overview

Liverpool Football Club have had a mixed start to the 2015/16 Premier League season so far. The club sits 13th in the league as of 22nd September 2015 with eight points from two wins and two draws. The club takes on Carlisle in the Capital One Cup on the 23rd September and are in the UEFA League group stages, taking on FC Sion next in this competition in October.

The clubs star players so far in this season have been:

Christian Benteke The Belgian international moved from Aston Villa this Summer for a fee in the region of £32.5m. He has scored two goals from five matches to date. After the sale of Luis Suarez prior to the beginning of last season and the sale during this Summer of Raheem Sterling to Manchester City meant that Liverpool needed to sign a young striker with potential to score goals this season and for seasons to come too. The player is being assessed currently for a hamstring injury to see how serious it is and whether he will be missing for the Premier League game on Saturday versus his old club, Aston Villa.

Philippe Coutinho The Brazilian international has been a Liverpool player since 2013 but this has been the season so far where he has made to make the most impact and arguably live up to his reputation and use his undoubted skills fully due to the change in Liverpool's strike-force again. Linking up with Benteke in providing service to the Belgian frontman has proven early dividends so far this season as he has scored himself, late in the game in the one nil victory against Stoke City and been provider for Benteke. His performances have been praised by Barcelona's striker Neymar who has said that the player could be a potential star at the Camp Nou. The only blot on his season so far has been the sending off for two yellow cards against West Ham United in the Premier League.

The partnership between Benteke and Coutinho for Liverpool is key in their challenging for a Champions League place in the Premier League and success in the domestic and European cup competitions creating a continuing demand for tickets for Liverpool FC . The loss of Suarez and his goal scoring last season meant the club went backwards in terms of their progression in the league. The loss of Sterling has meant that Benteke must be their 20 to 30 goal man this season or they will struggle to be a top four team in England.