Football Poets

It’s a bag of wind
Slags the naysayer
It’s a pointless pursuit
Pipes the pessimist
We can’t help it
Say the fans

It’s boring
States the sloth
It’s sinful
Says the cynic
It’ll all end in tears
Cries the […]

Given the day that was in it :
I watched Wimbledon
And looked for omens –
Would the Borg-like zen of Federer
Equate to the suave sophistication of France?
Would the Connors-like passion of Nadal
Be a forebear of f […]

Third / Fourth Place Play-off

Third?
Fourth?

Third Lanark?
Firth of Forth?

A good game.
But let’s be honest
In the annals of time
This will be but a footnote
The Germans can rightly gloat
They’ve been bri […]

There are 52 people
Who may or may not have had any interest in the World Cup
Who were denied that right to choose, on this day last year

They were just going about their normal lives
Without harmful wish or […]

France 1 0 Portugal Semi-Final

From the very first bars, of
the rousing ‘La Marseillaise’
the French had that extra oomph
that sense of purpose, of poise
and so it was no surprise, that the noise
of les Gauls, […]

The da Vinci Code
went in search
of the Holy Grail

Captivating audiences
on printed page
and silken screen

And yet
any decent fan
will know …

That the Coup du Monde
from the clever mind
of one Jules Rimet

Is t […]

Germany 0 2 Italy (aet)

Carry me down
to the waters edge
on the back of Gattuso

Dip me
in the divinty
declared by del Piero

Anoint me
in all the holy waters scooped
by the safe hands of Buffon

Bathe me
in the […]

Sunday 2nd July 2006, rest day & recriminations

Haiku

#1

Sorry seems to be
The hardest word for Elton
Too glib from Sven

#2

Beckham resigns
The good times and the bad times
Bend into history

The British […]

Saturday 1st July 2006, 3rd Quarter final match

England lose to Portugal on penalties, after a scoreless 120 minutes

United – in our sorrow
Undoubtedly – we’ll still feel this way tomorrow
We see grown men […]

Friday 30th June 2006

Germany v Argentina, first Quarter Final match, 4pm ko

Argy bargy

It’s too easy a title, but it works (unfortunately, I had to as well)

Work.
Too much on.
Jacket off.
Tie off.
Cufflinks […]

Rest Day 2

My hands are shaking
The script is scrawling
Tonight I’ll be
Both beat and bawling

My muse is spent
And my pen is stalling
Withdrawal pounces
My skin be crawling

No footy fix
The thought is […]

Der Ball ist Rund
Round, not ruined, thank God –
mein hosts, have no plans
to introduce a ball to match
the square passing that we’ll
doubtless see during

the coming festival of football.
Nor do they plan […]

Brazil 3 Ghana 0

It’s the Jules Rimet Legacy Stakes
On Greyhound Derby day
The runners are lining out
As the bets come into play

The favourite is the thoroughbred
In trap number one
Decked out in yellow and […]

England 1 Ecuador 0

David, your goals usually make the opposition feel unwell
But we know it was you, easily recognisable under all that gel
A trademark dipping free kick, a goal of wonder
But some celebration – […]

Why I missed all the action

It’s a tough ol’ job and I’m hard at it
working my fingers to the bone –
but at least I have them
not like that poor unfortunate soul,
John Paul Getty

Still, it’s a Friday evening, […]

Ukraine 0 Switzerland 0

Well here’s a first – praying for penalties –
As a neutral that cannot be right
But this was turgid, flaccid, tiresome stuff
Two teams without ambition, neither putting up a fight

Neither […]

Germany 2 Sweden 0

The Germans – like a top of the range BMW
Efficient, comfortable, on cruise control
Purring down the autobahn, signposted
To the World Cup final

Fans approach from many places
Towns and cities […]

Haiku

Poor ol’ Graham Poll
Three yellows in the one match
What a card

~~~

Topsy turvy globe
Feeling on top of the world
A land down under

~~~

Ronald / Ronaldo Haiku

Goalden gates
Big burly […]

From gloomy sunrise, to an invisible sunset
On the longest day of the year (even in Germany
it turned out wet)
I was eagerly anticipating, the most mouth watering
group tie yet
When Holland and Argentina, go […]

How many times
shall we see
THAT hand
levitate
and flick
on the flickering screen?

Now I wouldn’t wish
a swift and barbaric retribution
on those deft digits
but what I would like to see
is Shilts
coming out on stilts