Poems tagged ‘Kop’
Hitching To A Game At Christmas Once More
whatever happened to hitching?
and can you remember when kids would hitch home for Christmas
to waiting parents on frosty December mornings?
a different world then – hap-less map-less and sat-navless
sussing out the best lay-byes to hitch from
cardboard felt pen signs talking rubbish making conversation
listening to the hits on crackly radios
with smoking lorry drivers and flash geezers in sports cars
often going way out of their way
and – if you were lucky maybe a free coffee
but friendly and always always the spirit of freedom
and then best of all – destination achieved
the beauty of money saved
but more importantly
getting somewhere for nothing
so it was that crazy Christmas
late sixties in London and sharing a flat for £10 a week
with a rubbish gas meter
guzzling shillings like some hungry pig
we hit on a cunning but glorious plan
there in some café just off the Fulham Road
when John chirped up
“Fancy hitching to the Liverpool game – Boxing Day….we could check out The Cavern?”
“Done !” I cried unknowingly
Boxing Day ’66 dawned
cold yellow sky and deep deep frost
“what if it gets called off?” ..”It won’t” laughed John
and with no Radio 5 updates or common sense and snow forecast…we chanced it
no-one mad enough to stop for us
believed we were going to hitch up and back in a day
we certainly hadn’t thought it through
but somehow we would and we did
and the journey?
the lifts a blur – except for one
an old VW bus driven by The Chants
one of the ‘nearly’ pop groups of the time
heading back up from a gig
but one thing’s clear – that feeling of achievement
on seeing Anfield for the first time
and us – caught in the banter
cold hands and blue scarves lost in in a sea of red
and clearly the height of much derision
“hope we don’t get thrashed” I offered
“we won’t…come on you Blues!”
and then the big clock on two forty five
we found ourselves a welcome turnstile
and there we were – standing on The fabled Kop!
the only trouble was
so were thousands of red and white scarved fans
and us the only forlorn Blues fans
looking across to the opposite end
a flurry of blue balloons underlined our error
but bon-homie gladly reigned
and with the festive spirit and spirits being imbued
we had a great old time
and me – I loved the way
Liverpool fans gave our hero Peter Bonetti a great ovation
something they still do for opposing goalies
it was probably the only time I was glad we lost
two one for the record
as Yeats, St John and Hunt danced rings around us
later The Cavern shut for the holidays
with snow falling lightly and my gloves wet through
we headed off on foot to the motorway cold but happy
and somehow by the miracle of goodwill
and much cold thumbing
we found ourselves some five hours later
and close on ten back in the Earls Court Road
drinking coffee in Le Sous Sol and listening to Otis Redding
and vowing to do it all again one day
maybe
but no….sadly we never did
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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!
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Latest Poems
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
Mike Bartram
22nd May 2025
joe morris
22nd May 2025
Crispin’s Corner
In Memoriam
Kick It Out & Christmas Truce
Latest Comments
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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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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