Football Poets

WE must NEVER forget
never, ever, forget
in the same way
that we never forget
our first match
our first goal
our first victory
our favourite dink
our favourite nutmeg
our favourite skill / tackle / […]

She spoke to me, did Kamala:
“It’s OK, to feel sad and disappointed”

I’d forgotten
that we had shared ground:
each a true Blue!

But still
I imagined her woes today
seemed to Trump mine own (or maybe […]

Selling to survive is an art.
Some clubs do it exceptionally well.

They flog their star player for a princely sum,
Then unearth two nuggets that make their Ground hum.
Two young, bright prospects who […]

like them all before

I’m one more who makes their way

through this old turnstile ~

The whole week long we trained hard for this match.
We practised corners, throw-ins, penalties.
And free kicks too, from fifteen, twenty yards.
Next came an hour of dribbling around cones,
To make sure […]

Toto,
you broke our hearts
but as life departs
we can only weep and pray
and thank God that we saw you play

Football has always interjected into my life:
intervened at my lowest points
in reparative fashion, putting a smile on my face
and mapped a path, back to the rat-race;

It has capped my highest […]

Well I don’t know why we’re feeling this fright,
But it’s clear that something ain’t quite right.
And our noses feel so out of joint,
Three games played and not a single point!
Clowns in the Boardroom, […]

“football is
beautiful and cruel”
rave on Sven

far from the finished article but back for the start
still reeling from two relegation seasons
we board the coach with renewed hope

Ewan who I’ve never met before
shows me images from away games
and w […]

When I was just a little boy,
I asked my mother who I’d support.
Would it be Villa, Leeds or Man U?
Here is her proud retort:

“Que sera sera,
Whatever will be will be.
You’re gonna be a Toffee, […]

whose woods these are I do not know
but to a hilltop ground they go
and as we climb in Summer heat
this well trod path beneath our feet
will lead us high above the town
and carry us both up and down […]

Two nations went to Germany
In search of Silverware.
Now read these lines of poetry
To see how they both fared.

The Scots played with true grit and pride,
But they could not progress.
Their fans […]

even though we swear we won’t
something sucks us in
armchair managers emerge
when the games begin
once again we do it all
ev’ry time it seems
caught up in the flow and vibe
caught up in the […]

So near and yet so far….
and yet here we are
beaten finalists
beaten by a better team
who tramped all over
our burgeoning dream

Worthy winners Spain
brought pain
to our shores…
we rowed our oars
to […]

the flags have all appeared again
on buildings and on cars
except the Farmer’s Market
or posh and trendy bars
my wall chart hangs resplendent
a multi-caloured sheet
a hand-filled record of it all
of […]

We stand at the water’s edge….
shall we succumb
to Salacia’s salty stare
and drown in our sorrow?
Or will tomorrow’s
final
be the time to draw upon
our modern armada – a flotilla of faithful fans
egging […]

nights like this are special
times like these are rare
savour ev’ry moment
when you know you’re there
you can call it fortune
who cares what they say
when that moment happens
failure falls awa […]

Ollie, Ollie, Ollie
Oi, Oi, Oi!
Ollie
Oi!
Ollie
Oi!
Ollie, Ollie, Ollie…
Ploy, ploy, ploy!

Ollie, Ollie, Ollie
Oi, Oi, Oi!
Ollie
Oi!
Ollie
Oi!
Ollie, Ollie, Ollie…
JOY! JOY! JOY!