From the Vicar

Pastoral Letter June / July

Dear Friends,

FOOTBALL CRAZY

Some of you will be aware of my undying allegiance to Blackburn Rovers football club; these are dark days in the home of the dark, satanic mills; as Premiership status has been surrendered by an undistinguished campaign, bedevilled by a number of factors, some of which are pertinent away from the world of soccer.

The house-that-Jack (Walker)-built, on seemingly unlimited money from the steel industry (courtesy of Channel Island tax haven benefits) has collapsed. Money, in the long run has not success. Journeymen soccer stars, bought at values in excess of their true value, have not had the good of the club burning in their souls, or so it has seemed. There will always be another club willing to invest venture capital in a big-name signing, with wages to match; I am reminded of the parable of the Good Shepherd, and the critique of the hireling, "who cares nothing... " We might justly bemoan the inflated number of overseas players in some clubs, denying local talent the opportunity to take centre-stage at the culmination of good youth policies. This has not been a particular feature at Blackburn; it has been the attempt to buy success at an unfashionable non-metropolitan club, which worked in 1994/5, when they did win the Premiership title, but which had within it the seeds of its own decline.

Leadership is obviously a crucial area, from the team manager down, its hallmark is that of inspiration, enabling players to rise above their own self-imposed a 517-litres, and the creation of a culture of hope, even against overwhelming odds. In all this, the cult of the individual is both a blessing and a curse, selfishness on and off the field of play, often linked to aggression and a 'questionable' life-style, undoes the benefits of flair and sheer entertainment. It is a team game which demands discipline and system, which was how Sir Alf Ramsey brought us the 1966 World Cup success.

Of course, football is taken far too seriously by far too many people, in pursuit of far too little glory; but maybe that is the whole point. Bill Shankley's (Liverpool) aphorism that football was far more important than a matter of life or death' tells us something of the passion, a word that means suffering for love, and the uniting of people in a common cause, whose worst feature is the tribalism and violence, but whose best is pride and endurance.

We must salute the victors, commiserate with the losers above all, remember the referee is always right!

Yours sincerely,

Mark