Football Poets

Do you recall the rusty old tin shed
that was a feature of Athlone’s old ground?
Whenever someone scored, the fists would pound
the walls, with fearsome noise to rouse the dead.

The corrugated roof which p […]

“It’s time,” she says. I gulp a little weakly.
The butterflies flap madly in their fear.
She offers me my scarf. I take it meekly.
My stomach harbours thoughts of diarrhoea.

“Tell the kids I love them very de […]

Thirst-quenching, bum-clenching,
nail-biting, wrong-righting,
head-turning, bowel-churning,
ear-popping, heart-stopping,
nerve-jangling, hope-mangling,
fag-smoking, nervous-joking,
beer-swilling, […]

Tonight we welcome Galway up to Tolka.
I’ll burst into applause when you appear.
If I wasn’t such a Red,
I might well follow you instead.
My heart will always hold you very dear
but I hope we won’t be playi […]

Oh Lord, as we complete this two-horse race,
the football season barely six months old,
deliver us, we pray, from this dark place.

We kneel before your majesty and grace,
looking for a way back in the fold
as we, […]

Bragging in the playground,
bragging in the pub.
Bragging in the workplace
who’s the better club.

Teams with wealthy chairmen
will come out on top.
Little teams are struggling.
Where’s it going to sto […]

To be content with life is your perdition –
there must be something wrong within your make-up.
Staying with one club shows no ambition.

To strive for glory has to be your mission –
the call goes out. Behold the […]

What can we do if Longford keep on winning,
save try and get three points to stay in touch?
I’m sure the City Calling cats are grinning –
I doubt they’ve ever seen them score as much.
They’re playing like the Ger […]

Way, way back in the eighties,
when we commented on praties
and mullets were the fashion of the day,
the fixture we loved best,
one step up from all the rest
was travelling up to play Finn Harps away.

We could […]

And now it’s all over.
The games have been played,
the Germans deserving
of each accolade.

But that was just fantasy.
Follow your dream.
Go out now and follow
your own local team.

The World Cup Final – for both teams the goal
of years of work. We hoped it would be played
in good spirits. Would Messi have a role?
Could the continental hoodoo be laid
to rest? In front of Brazil and the w […]

When Shels play well,
the fans all yell,
“It’s just like watching Brazil!”
(Ironic? Yes,
it is, I guess –
we’re not too blessed with skill.)

But have you heard
the latest word
on what the Brazil fan yells?
In […]

Neymar’s smashed vertebrae,
Tim Cahill’s volley,
van Persie’s speed of thought,
Casillas’ folly.
Nigerians, Algerians, fate was unkind –
all kinds of everything revolve in my mind.

Rodriguez spectacul […]

Okay, another round of toasts
and then we must be going.
You were such entertaining hosts,
the fare was fine and flowing.
To bulging nets and skinny posts!
To winds of fortune blowing!
And one more drink to […]

The night that followed the night before
was doomed before it had begun.
They beat themselves into a draw
and two were whittled down to one.

The match itself could not compare
with what went on the night […]

Stunned. We watched, transfixed in wonder. Shaking.
The hosts (Brazil!) sunk on the German reef.
Public humiliation of a nation.
Car-crash football. History in the making.

The cornerstone of football quickly […]

If you wish your life were fuller,
had a little bit more colour,
and you’re tired of seeing things in monochrome,
you could wipe away the greyness,
add a little touch of gayness –
you could make your life less hei […]

And now
we’re nearly through,
the hands are on
the World Cup curtain.
I love
this game (don’t chew?)
my country’s hopes
gone for a Burton.
His shoulder
hit my teeth
and stitched me up
in quite a thorough way
A […]

Goodbye Costa Rica, the prize was yours to clutch,
the little fish that swam out of the pool.
Most of us beforehand didn’t rate you very much
but oh, you made us all look like a fool.

Many thought the big boys w […]

Before this round, the football had inspired me
to think of this World Cup as my best friend.
Today the act of watching only tired me.

Japan, Iran, Algeria all fired me
with hope that this old game was on the […]