FA Cup Final 2003 – a personal view
There was a time,
When I was just a spectator
A real hard-core, blinkered, no-nonsense,
Concentrated, non-distractable footy fan
A slouch
On the couch
Beer filling belly
As I kept up with tradition
In front of the telly
But this year (and for the last five)
The family came first
And the only thirst
That I got to slake
Belonged to four wee mites;
Two, that run and run
One, that bites
And the new arrival
So completely dependant on us,
For her own survival
And so I can only snatch
Snippets of the game
As well as sharp objects, lost money, discarded lego
Anything that could choke
… a bit like Southampton’s disappointing Wayne Bridge
Thus, instead of ardent, dedicated, mesmerised fan
I played the role, of besotted dad
And as for formation,
Well, I was all over the place :
And so it is, with one eye on the match
I try to catch
And control
The little blighters
Try to perform husbandry duties
Coo over my wife and daughter (the little beauties)
… Fully anticipating, Saints to the slaughter
And so I slotted,
Into my allotted roles
Nappy changer, tea-maker, telephone message taker
List maker, peace-maker, gardener
Welly washer, shoe fixer, lace tie-er
… Arsenal off to a flyer, Henry almost scores in the first minute
… Later, Pires does, and Arsenal win it
Cleaner, gofer, general dogsbody
… Poor game, passing’s shoddy
Chef, clown, spoon feeder, bribe merchant (whatever it took)
Shed rummager, bike shifter, knee graze kisser better
… an FA Cup first – roof closed, to prevent pitch from getting wetter
Nappy changer, tidy up leader, hoover man, apologist
(How was I to know that his Subbuteo team were camping out under the
couch?)
Nappy changer (yes again), medicine man, dispensing for a chesty cough
… Poor old Anti Niemi, stretchered off
Proud father,
Baby less than two weeks old
… Arsenal defence, not the same without Adams and Bould
She’s beautiful
Such a sweetie
… Yet still they manage to blank out Beattie
Nappy changer (you’ve no idea!), babysitter
… Arsenal looking fitter
Easel assembler, paint pot supplier
Brush dispenser, envelope licker
Postman, searching for a stamp
… Nice touch from Bergkamp
Disorganised, muddled, even though much practised and well prepared
… Great performance (only a week since his début), from young Chris Baird
Doorman, weatherman, coat finder, hide and seeker
… Seaman’s last game, as first choice keeper
Wrestling referee
Toppled, into inadvertent partaker
A playful horse
To a juvenile jockey
… Arsenal getting cocky
Oh, and lastly, a wannabe poet
… One – nil to the Arsenal, wouldn’t you just know it!
Not the most grammatically correct effort, but it’s meant to capture a mad
household and in fairness, a dull match.
Match details :
Date : Saturday 17th May, 2003
Venue : Millenium Stadium, Cardiff
Attendance : 73,726
Result : Arsenal 1 Southampton 0
Scorer : Pires, 38 minutes
Teams :
Arsenal :
Seaman, Lauren, Keown, Luzhny, Cole, Pires, Parlour, Gilberto, Ljungberg,
Henry, Bergkamp (Wiltord, 77 min)
Southampton Town :
Niemi (Jones, 66 min), Baird (Fernandes, 86 min), Lundekvam, M Svensson,
Telfer, A Svensson (Tessem, 75 min), Oakley, Marsden, Beattie, Ormerod
Referee : G Barber
Booked : Keown 29, Beattie 30, Telfer 60, Henry 68, Marsden 76, M
Svensson 90
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!
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Latest Poems
Richard Williams
26th April 2024
joe morris
25th April 2024
Denys E. W. Jones
25th April 2024
kevin halls
23rd April 2024
Alex Saynor
23rd April 2024
joe morris
23rd April 2024
Crispin Thomas
22nd April 2024
Denys E. W. Jones
21st April 2024
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In Memoriam
Kick It Out & Christmas Truce
Latest Comments
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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20th April 2024 at 12:04 pm
Hi Joe
Shouldn’t your title read your poem Farewell Europe England to everyone exccept Aston Villa ?
I know you mention them in your poem , but I do feel sorry for Villa re the national press .
Largely ignored. the hype was was all about Man City & Arsenal with a bit of a nod to the Hammers..but hardly a mention of Villa..
So well done to them
C
.
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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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