Your Team Pre-Season Poems+Memories+Hillsborough
1. Your Team Pre-Season Poems
2. Your Football Memories
3. Hillsboorugh Poems
4.Munich Poems
5. Tribute Poems.Obituaries.
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YOUR TEAM PRE SEASON POEMS
Your pre-season supposed summer-break poems on your team poems…featuring Arsenal. Chorley, Coventry City, Forest Green Rovers, Norwich City. Swindon Town and Tottenham H.
25 Jul New Lawn Dawn mark merriman
24 Jul Ode to Chorley dave jennings
13 Jul The Friendlies kevin halls
05 Jul Another Gooner Gone.? jim dolbear
03 Jul It’s Coming Home (and Away) S B Ingle
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2 Your Football Memories 2012 / 2011 and 2010
These poems have been coming in since our inception back in 2000. We’ve only been archiving them here however since 2010. So if you’d like any old favourites of yours or anyone’s revisited and included here please email us. From John Oliver’s eulogy to a sticker to Bobby Robson, Cantona, Maradona, Bill Shankly, the Spion Kop and Anfield, the wind off the Thames at the Cottage, and being carried pitch-side on the hands of fans. From Doug’s quest for an elusive Keegan card to Jools’ life of a table football player. With poignant reflections on the 50s,60s,70s and 80s plus 40 years of Motty, the Ibrox Disaster, World War 2, Sounds, smells and walking to and from games. This section is what it is. A place for football memories in verse. Roy Of The Rovers, Istanbul, Marco Tardelli, Higuita, ‘young v old’ street games, Cup Finals of yesterday and ‘Cov Kev’s’ 80s visit to QPR and the long suffering tribulations of following Fulham. These come in at at random and you’ll also find many more via the search button. More please!
June 2012
05 Jun Here’s To The Team. (For My Wyatt)
kevin raymond
01 Jun Back In The Nineteen Fifties Crispin Thomas
01 Jun Stuart Butler
May 2012
20 May El Diego Nicholas Griffiths
20 May King Eric the Red Stan Warburton
April 2012
02 Apr Looking through old Scrapbooks and Annuals kevin halls
01 Apr Ginga Bob terry oldham
March 2012
31 Mar R.I.P. Our Big Man terry oldham
26 Mar My Summer of Love (Molineux Days)
Steve Hill
24 Mar Memories of Wembley mark merriman
15 Mar He smokes cigars he drinks champagne
Lesley Palmer
13 Mar Waiting for Roy of The Rovers Crispin Thomas
05 Mar Shankly in the Sixties Dachlan Cartwright
04 Mar Roger Byrne Dachlan Cartwright
01 Mar The Bridge of the ‘Rising Sun’ Apollo Gees
01 Mar Oh for another few inches ! * chris barber
February 2012
29 Feb The Birth of Everton Dachlan Cartwright
26 Feb The Old Days Dennis swift
13 Feb Touchlines Matthew Paul
13 Feb Boro Days louis spence
12 Feb Bill ‘Dixie’ Dean Dachlan Cartwright
07 Feb The Battle of Wrexham Dachlan Cartwright
January 2012
16 Jan Chalkie mark merriman
10 Jan On being a Boro fan louis spence
09 Jan Through a child’s eyes R Kydd
03 Jan The Seventies, And Today S B Ingle
03 Jan Goalkeeper Don Mullan
December 2011
31 Dec Oi Mister. Give It A Rest kevin raymond
30 Dec Mid Morning. St Stephens Day kevin raymond
23 Dec Dunlop and Macedo Gacina Bozidar
21 Dec LUFC 1987 Jason Stevens
20 Dec Let’s Get Physical kevin raymond
07 Dec The Hand of God Matthew Paul
06 Dec That Carlos Alberto Goal Chris Barber
November 2011
25 Nov The Spion Kop Mike Bartram
17 Nov Down The Dell Philip Douch
17 Nov Southampton’s Secret Factory Philip Douch
02 Nov Giving the boots the boot S B Ingle
October 2011
29 Oct The Season We All Believed Billy Pendrill
28 Oct Jumpers 4 Goalposts 0 Clik the mouse
14 Oct Fifty years of Football kevin halls
10 Oct Knighted by a Wagstaffe Cross
Robbie Kennedy Bennett
06 Oct 40 Years Of Motty Crispin Thomas
September 2011
30 Sep Bill Shankly Emdad Rahman
28 Sep @ron ronnie ronaldo Ethan
20 Sep A Celebration kevin raymond
17 Sep Being a supporter of.. ron dixon
16 Sep Fifteen years Peter Goulding
14 Sep René “El Escorpio” Higuita Emdad Rahman
12 Sep Land Mark Darren O’Keeffe
05 Sep Can You Hear That Emily Williams
04 Sep On Tommy Burns Patrick J. Murray
04 Sep The smells of Football kevin halls
02 Sep Man of the People (Bill Shankly) mike bartram
August 2011
25 Aug Enfield Playing Fields 1989
Laurence Cotterell
25 Aug The Wind off the Thames Mike Hopkins
01 Aug Jimmy Hill kevin halls
July 2011
27 Jul In Awe Of Your Foe kevin raymond
27 Jul When Saturday came around. John Oliver
20 Jul Hooked On A Feeling kevin raymond
09 Jul My introduction to a fantastic dream.
Stuart Ashworth
07 Jul Snatched Memory: Bobby Robson
Calvin Erlington
06 Jul The Glorious Fields of Anfield Road
Mike Bartram
04 Jul Now & Then kevin raymond
01 Jul Ibrox Calvin Erlington
June 2011
23 Jun Goodbye Part XVI Nathan L
23 Jun La Mano de Dios.1986. Oops CV kevin raymond
21 Jun Paul McGrath Emdad Rahman
21 Jun McGrath Emdad Rahman
20 Jun Stan Bowles Emdad Rahman
09 Jun Upon The Hands Of The Fans Sudbourne Primary
03 Jun A Hero That Could Fly Mike Bartram
01 Jun Peter McParland Emdad Rahman
May 2011
30 May The night Villa ruled Europe Emdad Rahman
29 May Shoe shine Joe Cullen
29 May Made in London Kevin Francis
28 May There is a place Kevin Nolan
26 MayThe way it used to be Kevin Francis
25 May Blow the whistle Kevin Francis
23 May Roger Osborne broke my heart Kevin Francis
21 May The Fisherman’s Song Mike Bartram
19 May Football Collections Jools Hampton
17 May The Sound of Music kevin raymond
16 May An Ode to Walter Scott McGhee
15 May The legendary Walter Smith Emdad Rahman
09 May Two heroes Gacina Bozidar
08 May 1991-Gazza Stripped Laurence Cotterell
06 May I (almost) subbed Martin Chivers Laurence Cotterell
05 May Where the heck is Dennis Law? Robbie Kennedy Bennett
01 May Song of the Old Sweeper Laurence Cotterell
April 2011
30 Apr Laudrup The Danish Prince Emdad Rahman
30 Apr Jairzinho Emdad Rahman
25 Apr The real damned United kevin halls
19 Apr The halfwayline terry oldham
25 Apr United in grief Clik the mouse
22 Apr The Liverbird and our history Stuart Ashworth
19 Apr André the Giant Darren O’Keeffe
16 Apr Le Carré magique Emdad Rahman
06 Apr The Life of a Table Football Player
Jools Hampton
March 2011
31 Mar In Praise Of The Underdog kevin raymond
31 Mar Streets of the Boro Gordon Farrel
24 Mar Walking From Games Crispin Thomas
23 Mar The Away Game kevin halls
22 Mar Ricky Villa’s solo moment Emdad Rahman
18 Mar Everton And Neretva Gacina Bozidar
06 Mar The Sky Blue Lament Jools Hampton
06 Mar The Rovers Stuart Butler
03 Mar Nostaalja S B Ingle
February 2011
23 Feb Roy of the Rovers Jools Hampton
21 Feb Field Of Dreams Jimmy Whelan
15 FebThe Real Ronaldo Darren O’Keeffe
14 Feb Ronaldo (Luiz Nazario de Lima)
Emdad Rahman
14 Feb Young versus Old in Irwell Road Simon Icke
01 Feb The Smell of Panini Stickers Jools Hampton
January 2011
30 Jan Saturday Afternoon Heaven. Jools Hampton
28 Jan Nat Lofthouse-The Legend . Ann Madden-Walsh
21 Jan A Lion Sleeps Tonight. jim dolbear
18 Jan The Lion of Vienna Nat Lofthouse Emdad Rahman
16 Jan Tanka-1970 Tony Lewis-Jones
16 Jan Chris Lawler Lol Ross
16 Jan The Lion of Vienna kevin halls
16 Jan Sleeping Lion Alan McKean
16 Jan No More A Wandering Nat Lofthouse Crispin Thomas
12 Jan Character Building? kevin raymond
11 Jan The Once Special F.A.Cup John Oliver
11 Jan Saturday On The Somme Andy Lockett
10 Jan Early Retirement Package Emdad Rahman
10 Jan Brisbane Road Steve White
09 Jan Kevin Keegan Picture Card Doug E Harper
07 Jan Burrows’ Ballon D’Or moment Emdad Rahman
07 Jan Game of two halves Greg Freeman
06 Jan The Centre Circle of Life Kevin Yates
05 Jan Stadio Artemio Franchi1983 kevin raymond
03 Jan Ibrox disaster 1971 Emdad Rahman
December 2010
29 Dec The Future of Football Andrew Detheridge
19 Dec Loftus Road ’82 Matthew Paul
12 Dec Roger Miller Traps Higuita Emdad Rahman
12 Dec Those Were The Days kevin halls
01 Dec Proud to Wear the Shirts mark merriman
November 2010
25 Nov Swapping Garrincha Kevin Halls
22 Nov I’m A Collector Get Me Out of Here Crispin Thomas
18 Nov Any stickers to swap ? John Oliver
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3 2012 Hillsborough Poems
3 Remember The 96 15.04.89- Hillsborough Poems Slection
These are a selection of the poems we have received and sourced in the last 12 years which remember the lives of those 96 souls we lost and which comment in verse upon a day none of us will ever forget . Commemorating the 23rd anniversary on Sunday 15th April 2012 of the tragic Hillsborough disaster, a human crush which occurred during the semi-final FA Cup tie between Liverpool and Nottingham Forest football clubs on 15 April 1989 at the Hillsborough Stadium in Sheffield, England. The crush resulted in the deaths of 96 people, with a total of 766 other persons being injured. All of them were fans of Liverpool Football Club. New
poems always welcome.
2012
23 Jul What Goes On Mike Bartram
17 Jun Six Minutes Past Three in the Afternoon
Emily Williams
16 Jun Hillsborough Dads Mike Bartram
27 Apr A City United ( JFT96 ) Tony Stapo
27 Apr J F T 9 6 – Y N W A Tony Stapo
21 Apr Mirror Mirror Mike Bartram
15 Apr Don’t Go Mike Bartram
15 Apr Abandoned Clik the mouse
13 Apr The Sad Times Mike Bartram
09 Apr Hillsborough Emily Williams
03 Apr The Stench of Lies Mike Bartram
01 Apr Aprils’ Angels Mike Bartram
16 Mar Closing Ranks Mike Bartram
21 Feb Wembley (26/2/2012) l Mike Bartram
16 Feb Justice For The Ninety Six Emily williams
30 Jan Every Hillsborough Story Mike Bartram
19 Jan Establishment Curse Mike Bartram
16 Jan Time goes by Emily Williams
2011
13 Dec Justice Tonight Mike Bartram
15 Nov Liverpool v Notts Forest (Abandoned) Mike Bartram
04 Nov How about a song? Emily Williams
04 Nov Bonfire? Mike Bartram
11 Sep A Flame Emily Williams
05 Sep An Ordinary Day Emily Williams
24 Aug The 22 Year Wait Emily Williams
09 Aug Sunderland AFC (Thanks!) Mike Bartram
24 Jul How can no one hear Emily Williams
22 Jul Hillsborough Jim Bell
06 Jul The Glorious Fields of Anfield Road Mike Bartram
23 Jun Every Hillsborough Story Mike Bartram
21 Jun I Dread to Think Emily Williams
20 Jun 6 Minutes Past 3 Mike Bartram
16 Jun Count to 96 Emily Wlliams
16 Jun I was not there but I know Emily Williams
15 Jun The Legacy of Hillsborough > Mike Bartram
10 Jun Justice Cal Mike Bartram
04 May Peter Beardsley’s Shot Mike Bartram
30 Apr The scouse end Mike Bartram
19 Apr Goodnight Mike Bartram
19 Apr Victims Without A Number Mike Bartram
19 Apr The Nightmare of Hillsbrough Mike Bartram
19 Apr Hillsborough Memorial Emdad Rahman
15 Apr 96 haiku Clik the mouse
15 Apr Ninety Six William Curtis
11 Apr Gone But Never Forgotten Emdad Rahman
2010
15 Ap Why Oh Why Oh Why? Crispin Thomas
15 Apr The 96 The Bard of Burnley
15 Apr Twenty One Today. jim dolbear
15 Apr Souls Of Our Departed. Ken Bushell
2000-2009 Selection
20 Years to Yesterday S B Ingle
Just A Minute S B Ingle
Heroes mark merriman
Empty seats – the 96 legacy Clik the mouse
96 Haiku Hy Koo
Milan – Real Madrid 19/04/89 Minuto di silenzio P Maguire
The Day Truth Died P Maguire
3.06pm P Maguire
19Darren O’Keeffe
Hillsborough> Daniel McDonagh
Hillsborough P Maguire
how do you sleep? poet1978
96 poet1978
Hillsborough Justice For The 96 SB Ingle
96 Reds We’ll Never Forget P.Maguire
Hillsborough Memorial Mark Thomas
Anyone Mark Ballard
Souls Of Our Departed Ken Bushell
Do You Remember P.Maguire
Justice Part 1 Tina Bass
April 15th Hillsborough DJ Bullen
A Terrace called Leppings Lane Emsy
Hillsborough Roses Alan McKean
Remembering Hillsborough P.Maguire
The Funny Thing About Justice Mike Nicholson
Hillsborough 15 Years On Redlady
Justice For The 96 P.Maguire
At Hillsborough Stephen A Owen
Hillsborough Robert Romans
96 tears Clik the mouse
May We Never Forget Nikki Young
For the 96 Shaun Maddy
Cry me a tear mottman
96 Reasons Mark Ballard
Are You Sorry? P Maguire
96 Angels P Maguire
Justice P Maguire
Sorry Mike Nicholson
His darkest disgrace> Mike Nicholson
Why did you do it? Mike Nicholson
Wishing for their old Mum Mike Nicholson
What colour justice? Mike Nicholson
Liverpool Justice Louise Ann Lacey
Why Do I Care?Tom England
Justice for what? Chris Murphy
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4.Munich Remembered 6.2.58 – 6.2.12 Your Poems
Link: munich58.co.uk Munich 58 Tribute Site (Features
On February 6th 1958, 23 people (of the 44 passengers & crew) lost their lives when a plane crashed at Munich Airport, while attempting to take off in snowbound conditions. Among the dead, were members of Manchester United Football Club, who were returning from a European Cup match, having just played against Red Star Belgrade. Munich was a re-fuelling stopover. Listed below as many poems as we can find on the subject, that have recently, or previously been, uploaded onto this website by many of our contributors, paying their respects. Further thoughts of course welcome.
2012-2000 SELECTION
2012
04 Mar Roger Byrne Dachlan Cartwright
50 years on … – Clik the mouse
The Day We Lost A Football Team – Crispin Thomas
Like the Shirts! – Denys E. W. Jones
Standing Together – Mark Thomas
Sir Matt’s Babes – Emdad Rahman
(Just) a moment of silence – Emdad Rahman
sixty seconds of silence – Mike Garry
Munich anniversary – Clik the mouse
Munich, Feb 6th 1958 – Clik the mouse
Imagine if – Pogue Mahone
Diamonds in the Snow – Me
Belgrade: 6th February 1958 – Ted Smith-Orr
Matt Busby’s Babes Play On – Dennis Gould
Fifty Years Sixty Seconds – S B Ingle
6.2.58 – Alan McKean
8.8.3 – Alan McKean
2007
Glasnevin Cemetary – Peter Goulding
More Than A Football Club – Andy Lockett
Munich 58 – John Fisher
Who’s Gonna Fill Their Shoes – Gerry Lawrence
Lost For Words – S B Ingle
Forever & Ever – John Fisher
The Flowers of Manchester – Eric Winter
2006
Our Busby Babe – Caddy
The Day A Team Died – A.M.
2005
The Last of The Busby Babes – Poet Shot
2004
Sir Matt Busby – Parry Maguire
We Will Remember – Alan Laine
The Busby Babes – Paul Collins
Flowers of Manchester – Ben Andrew
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5 RIP. Tribute poems for those greats no loger with us:
Gary Ablett ,Socrates, Gary Speed , Nat Lofthouse
Gary Ablett – 1965-2012
02 Jan Gary Ablett – 1965-2012 Emdad Rahman
Socrates RIP 1954 – 2011
06 Dec Socrates the good Doctor Emdad Rahman
05 Dec Socrates R.I.P. Clik the mouse
06 Dec Socrates (Acrostes) Crispin Thomas
05 Dec The Playmaker kevin raymond
2004 From the archives:
Socrates Signs for Garforth Town Parry Maguire
God Speed – Gary Speed RIP 1969-2011
17 Dec Speedo Jason Stevens
01 Dec Gary Speed, a human super hero S B Ingle
30 Nov Gary Speed Emily Williams
30 Nov weeping For A Welsh Warrior Jim Dolbear
29 Nov A Simple Tribute John Oliver
29 Nov For Gary MBE Steffan Evans
28 Nov Gary Speed R.I.P kevin halls
28 Nov Spede Tomas De Faoite
28 Nov Gary Speed -The Welsh Dragon Emdad Rahman
28 Nov God Speed Crispin Thomas
27 Nov Speedy Alan McKean
Nat Lofthouse 1925-2011
28 Jan Nat Lofthouse-The Legend . Ann Madden-Walsh
21 Jan A Lion Sleeps Tonight. jim dolbear
18 Jan The Lion of Vienna – Nat Lofthouse OBE Emdad Rahman
16 Jan The Lion of Vienna kevin halls
16 Jan Sleeping Lion Alan McKean
16 Jan No More A Wandering – Nat Lofthouse Crispin Thomas
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
17th November 2024
Crispin Thomas
17th November 2024
kevin halls
10th November 2024
joe morris
10th November 2024
Clik The Mouse
10th November 2024
Clik The Mouse
6th November 2024
Alex Saynor
6th November 2024
joe morris
29th October 2024
joe morris
17th October 2024
Denys E. W. Jones
16th October 2024
Crispin’s Corner
In Memoriam
Kick It Out & Christmas Truce
Latest Comments
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
See in context
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.
See in context
25th April 2024 at 1:56 pm
Thanks Joe,
you might like to write a poem yourself on the same subject…
See in context
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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