December review
For the first nine days of December, it didn’t look as if there were going to be any new contributors to the site – but now we can announce almost a whole first XI ;
Steve Linstead
Ian Beesley
Andrew Smale
D Aiken
A Cosgrove
Ken Bushnell
Richard G Nyland
Samia Iftekhar
Andrew Foan
Gerry Speed
I’ve included poems from Steve and Ian below.
Ian Beesley is a professional photographer, who has a website well worth visiting. He’s the sort of photographer who turns his lens away from the action on the pitch and focuses on the crowd instead. Certainly relevant to all Bradford City fans, but deserving of a look from all football fans everywhere.
The Blue Bus
Tuscan shrubberies trickle and scurry
Down the hillsides from monastery to fattoria.
My tapping toe flicks a dusty rock
Away, past the rear of the rumbling coach,
The colour of an Azzuri shirt,
Full of hungry Europeans
Waiting for my connection.
The network responds.
Beneath the distant hissing
The words crackle in the handset.
Birmingham 0 …Barnsley 4…
Even Harry didn’t believe 4 away goals!
In the late spring play-off evening
The rustling pines and vines of Sangiovese
Echo to the roar of the blue bus.
Avanti Rossi!
© Steve Linstead
I was outside a monastery near Siena in 2000 trying to get the result of the Division 1 playoff semi-final at St Andrews over my mobile. As the signal kept cutting in and out, I kept a bus full of people waiting to leave on a trip to a local winery, which in the event was ecstatic – I celebrated with an American Crystal Palace fan. Harry is of course Dave “Harry” Bassett. This was a great football moment, all the more poignant for there being no ball in sight. We went on to lose the the last competitive final to be played at Wembley 4-2 to Ipswich.
Team Selection
Why wasn’t I picked?
Why weren’t you picked?
I wasn’t picked cos I’m fat
Why weren’t you picked?
I wasn’t picked cos I’m crap
Why weren’t you picked?
I wasn’t picked cos I’m black
All of us, the unpicked, knew then
That a different kind of rejection
Had surfaced.
© Ian Beesley 16/12/2004
Based on an incident at school, when a new boy lined for team selection during games.
A gang of us were used to not getting picked, but we were shocked when this new boy was rejected and he knew exactly why.
I’m sure we’ve all been shocked and deeply saddened by the natural disaster that occurred in South East Asia on Boxing Day. Here are two responses.
Beach Football
There’ll be no half time in Phuket
No substitutions in Phi Phi
No team tactics in Tamil Nadhu
No beach football in Sri Lanka
Results don’t matter today
The crowds have gone.
Lost
On a tide of tears.
Game over.
© Alan McKean December 2004
When Life and Death is more important than football
The Indian Ocean
Beautiful peaceful blue jewel
Carries her dead
From the land in silence
Her rage grown quiet
Her anger subsided
Her power withdrawn
Once more beneath the
Ebb and flow of tides and waves
And life.
© The Footballer
Lest we forget.
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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