Poems tagged ‘France’
Spare a thought
Oh spare a thought
For poor old Gibraltar
There must have been
Something in the water
Annihilated by the French
Renaissance
It must have been a gruesome
Sight
When the French gave
Fulsome flair and
Tenacious bite
French chalk up 14
Against the Gibraltar rock
When time seemed to be out
Of their chronological clock
Oh woe for the sad and woebegone
Gibraltar, we do feel sorry
For you and your families
Kith and kin
It wasn’t a sin
But last night we discovered
The game’s brief flirtation
With cruelty and sympathy
We knew that the French
Had too much nous, elan
And street wisdom
But 14 goals against
A team still finding its feet
In the baptismal font
Dire want
Of youthful exuberance
Barely a spring chicken
Of existence
The new boys on the block
Don’t mock
International novices
Still chewing on the Farley’s
Rusk, a babe in arms
It just seems so heartless
Ruthless finality
Les Bleus
Magnifique, the
Correct bon mots
For all to admire
Kylian M’Bappe the wonder
Kid with star studded feet
Diamonds in boots of iron
A hat-trick in shades of blue
France in no mood for leniency
Charity belongs in some
Hidden corner of the Palace
Of Versailles
Goals by the pantechnicon
Load them up Kylian
Onion bags bulging with
Record breaking goals
So ridiculously one sided
That the towel of surrender
Must have been flung onto the
Green acres of fertile
Gallic soil
After a quarter of an hour
No shame though
Since France are
Well established World Cup
Winners indeed
Euro crowns to boot
But this was manslaughter
On the most criminal scale
A cataclysmic avalanche
That wiped out the Rock
But it was just football
Only football
Nothing serious,
Nobody perished
Just a game once
graced by the French
Monarchy of Platini
All silks, satins
And rich, opulent fabrics
Giresse, commander in chief
Engineer, architect
Of stunning edifices
French palaces gold and glass
Six, jinky, quicksilver, light
On his feet,
Then the archives told us
About the masterful Just Fontaine
Goals served up in huge
Silver platters, glinting
In gilt mirrors
Raymond Kopa,
The smoothest operator
Then more latterly
Thierry Henry, Patrick Vieira,
Didier Deschamps directing,
Guiding, pointing, comforting,
A player of the most upper class
What chance did Gibraltar
Stand? None whatsoever
Football was inherited
From ages ago
France, too much
Pomp and ceremony
Football in their plasma,
Their adrenal glands
Blood throbbing through
Their culture
In minds, thoughts
And emotional brew
Football far too
Advanced for Gibraltar
Understanding
So 14 goals for France
Painful
But the truth
England & Australia Next WWC ’23
~ Australia 0-0 France (AET 7-6 Pens)~
passion and belief
see Matilda semis bound
aurevoir Les Bleus
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ England 2-1 Columbia ~
in a tough affair
Lionesses fight with fire
can we now believe?
England France & Jamaica Triumph – WWC ’23
~ England 1-0 Denmark ~
stunning strike from James
sees the Lionesses home
China lie in wait ~
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ France 2-1 Brazil ~
Renard nod for France
steers them past a slick Brazil
in this mighty clash
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~ Panama 0-1 Jamaica ~
Reggae Girlz arrive
Swaby header brings first win
Panama hopes end
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Swiss Roll Magnifique! Day 16 Euro 2020 haiku
‘Swiss Roll Magnifique!’
France go out in epic style
who could forsee this?
France/Portugal/Germany’s Day 13 ~ Euro 2020 haiku
Christiano’s pens
stretches France to breaking point
on a bonkers night
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Hungary so close
Germany survive a scare
to face Southgate’s boys
Day 9 Euro 2020 haiku
stubborn Magyar pride
driven by their baying fans
make this France look weak
………………………………………….
Germany are back
in this feisty group of death
Portugal are squashed
……………………………………….
stuttering along
Spain denied and held again
by resurgent Poles
Portugal & France’s Day 5. Euro 2020 haiku
who can stop the French?
Pogba driving Les Bleus on
in the tightest fight
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Christiano’s back
silencing this wall of sound
Hungary implode
Germany v France.
Le Blues, off to a flyer
Could prove difficult to beat?
Even the added bite of Rudiger,
Fails the toothless Germans, in defeat
If there’s any genuine justice in our game?
For trying to bite (nibble?) another man?
Rudigers, done n dusted, heading for the plane
and a lengthy international ban?
WC2018 Day 25 FINAL – haiku
Parc de Triomphe
Mbappe inspires the Gauls
Allez Les Blues
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Runners up, yet
Croatia proud as can be
Gave it their all
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Got what we wanted
Six goal fitting finale
World Champions France
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Final had it all
Six goals and V.A.R. too
French profit
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Cryuff of the Balkans
Player of the Tournament
Runners up medal
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Thibaut Courtois
Magnificent net minder
Golden Gloves award
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Arise Sir Harry!
Six goals netted overall
Golden Boot award
Conspiracy Theory or VARsh Reality?
Corner kick in his mind
Eyeballs the monitor behind
Before racing back on to the field…
Vlad appears on the miniature screen
Snarling, broody like, mean,
“Right sunbeam this here’s the deal…
Your blossoming movie career
Finishes here
Unless them French boys get awarded this pen
I’m meeting McDonald in Helsinki this week
Could pull a few Hollywood strings so to speak?
Or there’s the Gulag my son, then again…”?
Said pen gets knocked in
France go on and win
Croatia’s complaints – like their hopes – disappear
In a Moscow hotel bathroom mirror
A referee takes time out to deliver
His winning speech for The Oscars next year.
Does the above make any sense?
Or am I talking absolute nonsense?
Well…no-one’s saying you have to believe me?
But this here conspiracy theory
Holds more credence, I’m sure you’ll agree,
Than yesterdays VARsical World Cup reality?
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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