Top Ten Britons
I’m transfixed
And have been for the last few months
Intensifying in the last few weeks
By a multi-media event
A BBC poll
Of the top ten greatest ever Britons
Accompanied, by an hour long documentary
Focussing on each person under the spotlight
I find myself all fired up in wonder and amazement
Uplifted even, by the subject’s achievements
And after each fascinating program
I want to vote there and then, for that individual
And it’s a bit like watching football
After a scintillating series of matches
The main performer, the central character
Becomes possibly the greatest player ever
Until the next game
The next star
And if I were to try to compile a definitive list
Of greatest British footballers
I’d have trouble –
Weeding it down to ten –
Because you just know,
There’d always be somebody missing,
from the first choice starting eleven!
For the record :-
Winston Churchill won the poll
For a footballing equivalent, surely it would have to be George Best?
But then, should his lifestyle and / or his premature retirement (such a waste of God given talent), count against him?
Surely then, it would have to be Sir Bobby Charlton?
But what about the World Cup Winning captain, Bobby Moore?
Or the hat-trick hero, Sir Geoff Hurst?
Could Gordon bank on enough votes because of the greatest ever save?
And would enough voters remember Duncan Edwards, Tommy Lawton, Sir Stanley Matthews, John Charles, Dixie Dean, Alex James?
And what about local boyhood heroes, e.g. Osgood, Cooke, Nevin (Zola, unfortunately, would have to be excluded, as would Paddy Mulligan, but hey, if Bob Geldof and Bono could Garner votes, you never know). (pun intended!)
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
joe morris
25th July 2024
John J O’Connor
22nd July 2024
Denys E. W. Jones
22nd July 2024
Mike Bartram
22nd July 2024
joe morris
22nd July 2024
Gacina Bozidar
21st July 2024
joe morris
16th July 2024
kevin halls
15th July 2024
Crispin Thomas
15th July 2024
Phil Brennan
15th July 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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