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If only

Henry Milward

Friday, July 17th, 2009

1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 IF you can keep your head when Danny Shittu
Is losing his and blaming it on you,
If you can back yourself when even Meggy doubts you,
But make allowance for his doubting too;
If you can sit on the bench and not be tired by sitting,
Or being used as a transfer makeweight. Let no-one hear your cries
Or being abused, don’t give way to abusing,
And yet don’t look too good, nor seek to emulate Dennis Wise.

2 Leave a comment on verse 2 0 If you can pass – and not make the pass your master;
If you can tackle – and not make injury your aim;
If you can take on Leadbitter and Arca
And treat those two impostors just the same.
If you can bear to hear the youth lads bad mouth you
Words twisted by the press, to give a bad impression.
Or watch the talents you gave your time to, loaned to Crewe,
And return to build ’em up with another lesson.

3 Leave a comment on verse 3 0 If you can give the missus of all your winnings
And see them blown in one turn at the Trafford Centre
And forgive, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word to the lads about the cash you’d lent ‘er.
If you can improve your training and get the gaffer to renew
Your contract, long after your footballing life has expired,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
When it’s clear to see big Kevin Nolan has hardly perspired.

4 Leave a comment on verse 4 0 If you can impress the crowds with your work rate,
Or control a long-ball and not lose your touch,
If neither Vaz Te nor Al Habsi can affect your fate,
If all men are with you, but you are out of Matt Taylor’s clutch.
If you can, just once more, pull on that England kit
With only sixty seconds’ worth of distance run,
Yours is the Reebok and everything that’s in it,
And – which is more – you’re Gavin McCann, my son!

© Henry Milward 17 Jul 2009

Notes

Just Gavin a laugh.

Source: http://footballpoets.org/poems/if-only-4/