A November welcome ….
This month, we welcome the following new contributor’s to the site :
Sophie Waters
Jim Russell
James Armstrong
Craig Wilson
Denys E. W. Jones
Hannah Ardley Taylor, Zahra Shaheen and Lucy Footman, all from Lister Community School
We also said a sad farewell to Emlyn Hughes.
There were many fine tributes to this much loved footballer and ex-England captain, a great role model for so many of us.
My personal favourite tribute was by Alan McKean :
Giggles in Heaven
There’ll be giggles in Heaven now,
With Emlyn there.
He’ll soon get them chuckling.
He leaves us with a mixture
Of tears and laughter.
Fond memories of a grand lad.
© Alan McKean November 2004
From the batch of new poets, I offer this month, the following :
The Beautiful Game
Silky shirts and earrings,
Hairbands and flowing locks,
We don’t care what you look like,
Just get it in the box.
© Jim Russell
I remember when there used to be linesmen
I remember when there used to be linesmen,
My Da was a linesman,
He didn’t wave a flag or call for offside,
He restored electricity when the weather was wild.
Whether there was hail or snow or wind or rain,
My Da and his crew got the power on again,
He wasn’t a middle aged man in ill fitting shorts,
Calling a foul even if there was none.
My Da didn’t raise his flag very late,
When the electricity was out he didn’t hesitate,
Now its all change, they’re called ‘referees assistants’,
But the linesmen are still there, dedicated and persistent.
© James Armstrong
This is dedicated to my late father who worked as a linesman with the E.S.B. (electricity supply board) for over 35 years. He and all the other linesmen did a fantastic job restoring power in the worst weather and still do. Referees Assistants wave little flags.
And I have to include this brilliant paean to footballer’s as poets :
The Poet On The Football Pitch
The Footballer is the poet
He plays with the ball like a word
Tumbling from the pen
To write beautiful metaphors
Precious little moments that
Are created by no other
Than this poet
Pele knew how to write
Kopa too
And the dark devil Maradona
He wrote with his left foot
His hands were too busy for pens….
© P Maguire
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
John Gilbert Ellis
28th November 2024
joe morris
26th November 2024
Denys E. W. Jones
26th November 2024
Gacina Bozidar
26th November 2024
Wynn Wheldon
26th November 2024
joe morris
17th November 2024
Crispin Thomas
17th November 2024
kevin halls
10th November 2024
joe morris
10th November 2024
Clik The Mouse
10th November 2024
Crispin’s Corner
In Memoriam
Kick It Out & Christmas Truce
Latest Comments
27th November 2024 at 5:55 am
‘You’re Supposed To Be At Home’ is an excellent and moving poem Denys.
You start off thinking it’s just about another oft-sung chant, one we personally heard a lot last season throughout our second relegation in a row here at Forest Green(FGR) ! I always love poems where you think they are saying one thing and then they suddenly pull you deeper to somewhere or something else else.
I’m currently helping in a local school for FGR in a voluntary capacity using football to help young students with reading. At an upcoming session we will tackle racism, just like we did in workshops at football schools and grounds when we first started this site 24 years ago. I’m gonna try and weave your poem into a session.
We’ve added it to the Anti- Racism/Kick It Out section under Crispin’s Corner.
Best C
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26th November 2024 at 1:59 pm
Great poem and great to see you back Wyn.
Don’t leave it so long next time my friend!
More please.
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13th September 2024 at 6:14 pm
Welcome to Football Poets Beth
Great evocative poem Beth….
More please !
Haiku always welcome.
Hope we (FGR) get to play you again soon
Best
Crispin
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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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