Taking the long view…
“Christmas is important, but not decisive,” said Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger when his club was chasing the Premier League championship.
He meant it was too early in the season to make any predictions. In the event, the Gunners finished that season (2002/3) runners-up to Manchester United.
I feel the same way about Christmas and new year – both as a lifelong Bees fan and a Church of England minister. It’s all too early to say…
As I write this, Brentford stand 14th in the league with 19 points, having played out that bad-tempered home defeat to Aston Villa. We have a long list of injuries, and Ivan Toney suspended for a few more weeks.1
It could all look a bit gloomy – But I’m not downcast.
If the message of Christmas is around Hope, Joy and Peace, then I’m looking to all three for the rest of our third season in the top tier.
I see hope as a virtue and will be hopeful that our fortunes can improve after a run of difficult results. I’m looking forward to the joy of celebrating back-to-back home wins, and to the peace that will descend when we know our Premier League position is assured and we’re rising up the table again.
I’m with Wenger, when it comes to Christmas. It’s important, but not decisive. Christmas is – rightly – a big deal in churches, but our biggest celebration comes at Easter (nearer the end of the season) when Christians mark Christ rising from the dead to bring new life to all.
Timing is everything.
Just a few weeks back, the Football Association hosted a celebration at Wembley to mark the close ties between football and Christianity. It was one of a series, highlighting the links between faiths and the beautiful game.
Those links still remain, with most Premier League teams having club chaplains. So I’d like to pay tribute to Brentford chaplain Stuart Cashman, who sadly died in November after serving the club’s staff and players for more than seven years. Stuart, who was well liked around the club, was just 51.
May he rest in peace – and support the Bees from a distant terrace.
Rev Peter Crumpler
21.12.23
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until 11.59 pm on 16 January 2024
