Poems tagged ‘Champions League’
Mission Impossible – “with hope in your hearts!”
“Your Mission – should you choose to accept it
Is to beat Barcelona 4-0
Without Mo Salah
Without Bobby Firminho
And with Andy Robertson going off at half-time
And, with old-boys Coutinho and Chewy Luis grinning and gurning
Somehow you have to introduce, pace, passion and rhyme.
Good luck with that!
This tape, just like your chances
Will self-destruct in 3 seconds”
At kick-off
There just aren’t enough Tom Cruise stunt doubles
To alleviate Liverpool’s troubles
But, as it turns out
There were 54,000 script-writers there last night
Who hoped and believed
And left Anfield, both stunned and relieved
Elated and sated
Canonising Klopp and his team
And living, the impossible dream!
Gigi loves olives but not Oliver! (Bedlam at the Bernabau)
Real Madrid v Juventus, CL Q-F. Real win 4-3 on agg, with last minute winning pen from Cristiano Ronaldo. Referee = Michael Oliver. 11/04/2018
Let’s start at the end
And just pretend
There was no emotion
That drove the commotion
Cristiano revs up
Strikes with full throttle
After such a long wait
What a lotta bottle!
Szczesny strolled on
Acting all cocky and cool
Last minute sub facing a pen
Oliver debatably brave or fool!!
The referee
Was surrounded, hounded and shoved
Many saying it shouldn’t be red
Simply because it’s retiring Gigi (beloved)
To emphasize, the referee
Was surrounded, hounded and shoved
Where it could have been one of many
The red was flashed to Gigi (be-gloved)
In all the furore
VAR gets a mention
But for such a 50/50 call
It wouldn’t have solved the tension
Benatia shoves in the back
Vasquez hits the ground
Depending on your allegiance
The ref’s whistle is unsound!
Real with last throw of the dice
Desperately, Toni Kroos he chips
Ronaldo peels and bounds
His header preceding tooted pips
The tie started out looking comfy
Real at home and ahead by three
But Juve bag a triple
To every neutral’s glee!
Nonpareil
OMG
did u c
PSG
torn to shreds
by wily heads
in Barca threads
And did we see a changing of the guard?
For ‘twas not Messi
as dribbling bard
but Neymar
as nuanced Nova
who drove them hard
it’s what we football fans call
pure magic
and the poor Parisiennes…
truly tragic!
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
7th June 2025
joe morris
7th June 2025
Denys E. W. Jones
31st May 2025
joe morris
31st May 2025
Clik The Mouse
30th May 2025
Clik The Mouse
28th May 2025
Emdad Rahman
28th May 2025
Mike Bartram
27th May 2025
joe morris
26th May 2025
steve mingle
23rd May 2025
Crispin’s Corner
In Memoriam
Kick It Out & Christmas Truce
Latest Comments
7th June 2025 at 5:57 pm
Very well put! My recent favourite came when visiting Chesterfield. They have the ‘LMD Vacuum Excavation Stand’.
May be if you’re in the vacuum excavation business, it’s a beautiful sounding name.
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24th May 2025 at 7:19 am
Hi Steve
I’ve come across you before on the live poetry circuit…something I’ve also been involved in since the late 90s at slams, gigs and festivals. Did you ever get to Glasto?
I was also at Swindon when José subbed and berated Kevin in a League Cup game for Chelsea….
Salah as you point out went the same way…
Be interesting to see Kev’s next move?
Best
Crispin
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24th April 2025 at 1:05 pm
Hey Denys..love this
“You may be a miner working down a pit.
You may be a rock star playing sold out gigs.
You may be a fireman putting out a blaze.
You may be an inmate chalking off the days. ”
Not just Dylan but maybe an unintentional nod to and shades of Ian Dury’s enigmatic ‘What A Waste’ rhythmic scanning..eg:
I could be the driver in an articulated lorry
I could be a poet I wouldn’t need to worry
I could be a teacher in a classroom full of scholars
I could be the sergeant in a squadron full of wallahs
What a waste
What a waste
Was lucky enough to meet and interview him twice.
Best wishes from Forest Green to Genoa C
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8th March 2025 at 2:34 pm
Thanks Crispin
I’ve been to FGR a couple of times in the past – great food! Barnet look like they have the NL sewn up for this season, but I wish you well for promotion next season.
Regards, Beth
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11th January 2025 at 8:13 am
TO ADD THIS TO THIS POEM’S COMMENT:WELCOME BACK DAVID MOYES!!!
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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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