Winter turns to Spring
It’s been a good start to the New Year so far, what with the Observer’s sports magazine giving us further media recognition and then there’s Dave’s planning and Crispin’s ideas for 2002 too. Very exciting – but discretion prevents my revealing these – but we think you’ll like them. More revelations as the winter turns to snowdrops and as the snowdrops give over to the crocus. In addition, we have more and more schools pursuing us for workshops – the problem is fitting these into an already busy schedule, as the nearly Americans say. Talking of which, I am off to Vancouver in February to look at Canadian social inclusion policies; we will be taking 2 framed poems from the site as gifts – The Human Race and “Come on England”. These appeared for Refugee Week last June/July – so look for them there if you are interested or on my page. Finally, good luck everyone and thanks again for making this site the unique phenomenon that it is.
Yours in a rushed and busy Friday night housework sort of start to the week-end, Stuart x.
New Year View, 2002.
The view from the pub window was interesting –
A traditional Mrs. Miniver Cotswold village film set,
Upstaged by a technicolour turncoat house at the end of the lane,
All four walls completely covered with new money Christmas lights,
Like some festive 2 fingers to the rest of the sequestered vale.
With a scene like that, what could you do, but give in?
So I went modern mall shopping the next Sunday,
But got fed up after 5 minutes, and started reading the football scores,
While leaning against the doorway of an M and S Outlet Store,
“I hate shopping, don’t you?” said the man opposite,
On the other side of the doorway, also reading the football scores,
And I smiled my agreement, but I didn’t know what was coming,
For with the wife playing extra time, and visiting as many away grounds as possible,
I clocked up 3 hours in the mall, until I could carry not a parcel more,
And scraped out underneath the sign “Open on Boxing Day!”
I stared in disbelief and disgust, and took out my copy of “ A Christmas Carol”,
Even Bob Cratchett had Boxing Day off – has progress come to this?
Tiny Tim would be well up the creek today,
No presents, dad at work on holidays, on the lump, NHS queues for an op.,
Oh brave new world that has such billboards in it!
(But even that doleful sign was better than the mall’s opening first,
Which celebrated the closure of the Railway Works with the legend
“To the Golden Age of Shopping from the Golden Age of Steam”).
We drove home past a house whose yuletide burnished windows
Were covered with transfer pictures of Santa and “Merry Christmas” greetings,
While by the doorway was the picture of a slavering dog, labelled “I live here”;
Back in Stroud, snow was falling as I bought a copy of the Morning Star,
Before buying my wife a surprise present, a Victorian fire guard,
And I walked home along the disused railway line,
Reflecting on how Bob Cratchett’s working class hearth
Has become embourgeoisified and commodified
To the tune of £60 out of Tiny Tim’s pocket,
The parallel with football is too obvious to labour.
The Sunday before Christmas saw Basil* delivering Christmas cards,
And we walked through the churchyard, reading the names of lost sons
Killed at Ypres, one of whose dads was a member of the church choir,
Unlike my dad, who would spend Christmas Eve afternoon in the pub,
After knocking off early from his railway shift
Before coming home every year with a chain of sausages around his neck,
Drunk as a lord and loudly declaring that he was the mayor of Swindon –
It’s amazing what beer and a string of sausages can do –
And that’s the wonder of Christmas,
It gives us a glimpse of the power of ordinary women and men,
A glimpse of their power to run their own lives and turn the world upside down,
Like in a manger or with a mayor, or like giant killers in the next round of the cup.
I wish it could be Christmas every day. Don’t you?
* Editors’ note – for newcomers to the site – Basil is the official mascot of this site. The
Westie who swaps shirts with Shakespeare. See his full story and how he almost became England manager in the archive section.
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!
My Account
Latest Poems
Clik The Mouse
28th March 2024
Crispin Thomas
28th March 2024
joe morris
25th March 2024
Rowan Waller
24th March 2024
Mike Bartram
23rd March 2024
joe morris
21st March 2024
kevin halls
18th March 2024
Richard Williams
18th March 2024
joe morris
18th March 2024
Denys E. W. Jones
17th March 2024
Crispin’s Corner
In Memoriam
Kick It Out & Christmas Truce
Latest Comments
19th March 2024 at 8:00 am
Hi Crispin. Chris Sutton on the radio has gone for a Chelsea v Coventry final. As we know anything can happen in the Cup, and I reckon we can go to the final.
We’re still in with a chance of the play offs too, so lots to go for.
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19th March 2024 at 7:41 am
Hey Kev
Let the masses drool over their odds on City v Unted Final, but who knows how pressure can hit.
Cov and Chels will be rightly labelled as having no chance..but hey …stranger things have happened..
so Chelsea v Coventry…that’s the Final for us!
Best
C
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29th January 2024 at 10:03 pm
Hi Crispin,
How are you doing mate? Yes, you’re probably right but hey football is all about emotion and passion and I just love writing about the game. I try to keep my poetry to a reasonable length but there’s so much to write about the game and its literature just lends itself naturally to poetry. Sometimes I just get completely carried and I do apologise for the length of my poetry but it’s a great thrill to be associated with Football Poets.
Cheers mate
Joe
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10th January 2024 at 7:52 pm
You’re right of course Joe but…..it’s actually more of a big welcome break for everyone who is not into Premier League ..I’m talking fans of EFL National League and below…..
Btw …is this actually your longest poem ever !?
Best
Crispin
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8th January 2024 at 4:45 pm
Thanks!
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8th January 2024 at 10:42 am
There’s something so evocative and nostalgic for football fans the world over, in ‘revisiting’ old lost grounds.
Occasionally some remnants remain, with perhaps part of a wall or part or a stand or thre shape of a terrace, but often they are only still there in faded images and in our heads..
Great stuff Graham
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4th January 2024 at 10:13 am
A great idea and well executed. Thanks Graham.
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19th November 2023 at 1:45 pm
Thanks Gacina, glad you liked it, and I have just posted a new one about our points deduction…
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7th November 2023 at 6:34 pm
Today B.B.C post on F.B was titled:Premier League reduced to 18 clubs? I really think it may be interesting to see if this would be Everton’s nightmare and this poem is well suited for this concern.If there would be more difficult battle to stay if there were 18 teams.Great poem and somehow true.
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6th November 2023 at 4:43 pm
Ashington FC have launched a £50,000 Crowdfunder appeal to meet the increased costs of winning promotion last season, to pay for urgent stadium improvements, travel costs and equipment
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