CONGRATULATIONS!!!! Kevin Raymond 1,000 Poems
CONGRATULATIONS!
One of our regular poets, Kevin Raymond, has just today – passed a magnificent personal milestone …. 1,000 poems accepted onto this website – that’s some feat Kev!
In Crispin’s words :
‘Prolific and consistent or what?…
Big up, Kev.
And yes, Kevin was not the first – Peter Goulding hit that milestone a while back, my apologies to Peter for not acknowledging it at the time. I can remember to the day when Peter first posted, and I was enthralled ever since.
Back to Kevin’s achievement :
We asked Kevin for some of his personal favourites, that we could feature here today.
He said he loved them all – and was just happy to have somewhere he could share them with like minded football fans.
I’d loved to have trawled through Kevin’s back catalogue (oo’er missus), but to shorten the search I decided that the best poems I’ve seen from almost everyone on the site – have been based on their first match – or featured their dad – often the best has in fact been the two topics combined.
And Kevin submitted one recently in just that vein – I hope it’s not too painful for Kevin to show that one again here.
It’s wonderfully poignant.
Stevenage Road, St Stephen’s Morning.
We seemed to talk of it for ever,
The pair of us, going to watch a game
So me dad bought tickets for the terraces
And suddenly a youngsters life, was never quite the same.
Jam packed double deckers
Crawling down The New Kings Road
A short walk up from Parsons Green
After strolling through a park, to Fulham’s Craven Cottage home.
Rowing crews on the river Thames
Went spurting off toward a bend
As families, fans and long time friends
Looked toward a past years end.
Snake like queues at the turnstiles
The wiff of hot chestnuts in the street
A nip of brandy to warm yer cockles
As excessed masses stamped cold feet.
“Home Fans” said a blackboard
One click, that’s it, yer in
Treasured stub stuffed in yer pocket
Midst the rattles and the singing.
“Cor don’t the pitch look lovely?”
With morning dew still on the grass
It’s Fulham, Man United and suddenly
It’s here and now the action starts.
“Keep it away from Bobby Charlton
Look out for Georgie Best
That Johnny Haynes plays with his brains
Oi ref that Denis Law’s a pest!”
I’ve absolutely no idea what year it was?
And to be straight up honest I don’t care
But I recall a St Stephens morning, Craven Cottage
And that lovely everlasting memory
Of me dad and me, stood together, cheering there!
.
© kev 008
For George Raymond R.I.P. May 26th1926 – Nov 7th 2008.
Goodnight Dad and may your God go with you.
One of the very first games me dad and me ever went to, together.
I don’t remember the year, score or whatever. What I do remember, quite vividly, however was the whole wonderful experence of the build up, the game itself and afterwards, the packed West London terraced streets as the stadium emptied, me dad and me catching the bus home to Pimlico where we lived, and not having to buy a ticket, coz me dad was a London Transport bus conductor, so him and his family got to travel for nisht!* *Yiddish for nothing.
About This Site
Welcome to Football Poets -- a club for all football poets, lovers of football and lovers of (alternative) poetry. Discover poets in every league from respected internationals at the top of their game to young hopefuls in the school playground.
Publish your football poems here and then discuss them with your team mates and fans. We're archived by The British Library, so your masterpieces are in the safe hands of a world-class keeper. What a result!
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Latest Poems
joe morris
3rd September 2024
Denys E. W. Jones
3rd September 2024
joe morris
26th August 2024
Crispin Thomas
26th August 2024
joe morris
22nd August 2024
Mike Bartram
20th August 2024
Phil Brennan
20th August 2024
joe morris
17th August 2024
Rowan Waller
17th August 2024
Alex Saynor
12th August 2024
Crispin’s Corner
In Memoriam
Kick It Out & Christmas Truce
Latest Comments
26th July 2024 at 6:25 pm
Great poem Mike Bartram. Eddie was a legend, affectionately known in Liverpool as, “the first hooligan.” Even the hoolies were well dressed in those days. The amazing thing was he was only 26 when that picture was taken. He’d played for Everton youth team and was well known to the players. He never got arrested. They threw him out and he climbed back in, just in time for Derek Temples winner.
I used the picture of him being tackled to the ground on the front cover of my book, “Once Upon a rhyme in Football.” It’s worth looking on youtube and finding the re-enactment of the Wembley scene. Frank Skinner and Baddiel went around to Eddies home in the 1990’s and acted it out on the green outside. It’s hilarious, especially all the effort they put in to get Eddie sober enough to shoot the scene.
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10th July 2024 at 6:07 pm
Hi Crispin,
I don’t know if you’ve see the picture in social media today…
a picture of a teenage Lionel Messi cradling a baby in Africa as part of a photoshoot…. the family had won a lottery to have their baby pictured with him….
the photographer has just revealed that the baby is actually in fact Lamine Yamal!!!!
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26th May 2024 at 2:30 pm
Hi Denys…
Re Man City:
OK it was 20 years ago but Criag Wilson did write this and a few others on them back in 04/05.
BTW I’m more Forest Green Rover since 2014 (and Chelsea) these days . I drum and am a standing season ticket holder .
Best
Crispin
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29th April 2024 at 2:47 pm
Hi Denys,
Yes Richard Williams you’re a brilliant wordsmith, my friend. When I first saw your football poetry I thought it was the superb Guardian sports and music writer. I once had the honour of sitting next to Richard Williams while at the Independent on the sports desk. He writes about music and sport with immense knowledge and authority. I’ve read a couple of Richard’s books recently. Great writer rather like you Richard Williams the Pompey fan. Congratulations on promotion.
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28th April 2024 at 5:59 pm
Thanks Denys. Yes your replay poem was superb.
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26th April 2024 at 4:46 pm
Nice work, Joe. You were quick off the mark with that! Good one from Richard Williams too I see.
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25th April 2024 at 7:33 pm
Hi Denys,
Thanks mate. I’ll do it now.
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25th April 2024 at 1:56 pm
Thanks Joe,
you might like to write a poem yourself on the same subject…
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23rd April 2024 at 4:03 pm
Hi Denys
With you all the way on the abolition of FA Cup replays. What are they doing to the game?
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23rd April 2024 at 3:59 pm
Hi Crispin,
Yes sorry mate. Villa are still in Europe. Mistake rectified.
Cheers
Joe
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