Football Poets

A summer’s night in Istanbul

¶ 1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 The Ataturk hosts two colossal giants of the game
Liverpool and Milan get set for universal acclaim

¶ 2 Leave a comment on verse 2 0 Typical Traore foul, arms flailing, a human windmill
Evergreen Maldini fires in from the resulting cross, blast it’s one nil

¶ 3 Leave a comment on verse 3 0 Deathly silence, the makeshift Kop are silenced
Nonsense! It’s only a temporary form of grievance

¶ 4 Leave a comment on verse 4 0 Liverpool, Liverpool is the chant
Above all other anthems can be heard this descant

¶ 5 Leave a comment on verse 5 0 Milan again thrust forward, the hapless Djimi beaten
Semi revenge for Chelsea as Crespo unlocks the dungeon
Ooh! the cups heading to Milan for certain

¶ 6 Leave a comment on verse 6 0 The groans can be heard from Toxteth to Berlin
The Red stagecoach is fast turning into a pumpkin

¶ 7 Leave a comment on verse 7 0 Kaka breaks, the killer ball as Crespo applies the coup de grace
Cruel! Istanbul Reds seek cover and pray for solace

¶ 8 Leave a comment on verse 8 0 “Game over” screams Andy Gray as my Dad, storms out in disgust
Milan are the epitome of magnificence, majestic epitome and august

¶ 9 Leave a comment on verse 9 0 The HT whistle is welcomed like a long lost brother
Dreams wrecked cruelly, lying neglected in a smother

¶ 10 Leave a comment on verse 10 0 The Rafalution is over, the Scousers are heartbroke
We need a Rafa moment of genius, a master stroke

¶ 11 Leave a comment on verse 11 0 This is not one memory the Reds will evoke
As Didi Hamann emerges in the shape of a baroque

¶ 12 Leave a comment on verse 12 0 Second half, Dudek magically defies a shevchenko free kick
This, the defining moment when proceedings become toxic

¶ 13 Leave a comment on verse 13 0 Two crosses from Riise, the second precisely onto the head of a pin
Stevie G, marauding, grandiose, masterful leaps to head in

¶ 14 Leave a comment on verse 14 0 Captain fantastic jerks his arms, “Come on!” is the scream
A banner say’s “Stevie is bigger than the Beatles!”, will they dare to blaspheme?

¶ 15 Leave a comment on verse 15 0 Didi now feeds a blood hungry Vlad the Impaler
Skimmed shot, edge of the box, demise reports a failure

¶ 16 Leave a comment on verse 16 0 It’s fever pitch now, strangers are holding each other crying
If I said my arm hairs weren’t standing I’d probably be lying

¶ 17 Leave a comment on verse 17 0 Our own Milan backheels to give Gerrard the freedom of the town
Oh the Milan agony as General Gattuso hacks him down

¶ 18 Leave a comment on verse 18 0 Alonso steps up, Dida stretches left, misses
Ecstacy though with the resultant rebound, “get in there” he hisses

¶ 19 Leave a comment on verse 19 0 It’s cardiac arrest time, football’s greatest comeback… thus far
The fans go into overdrive in this Turkish bazaar

¶ 20 Leave a comment on verse 20 0 Injury time finishes, extra time begins, Smicer suffers a cramp hit
Carra suffers the same fate, valiant stretching clearance to acquit
The trick is repeated a minute later, what price this spirit?

¶ 21 Leave a comment on verse 21 0 AC cross, Shevchenko heads, Jerzy saves a la Banks
Straight to feet though, sheva fires home, still balanced on the gangplank

¶ 22 Leave a comment on verse 22 0 Disbelief as replays show the missile being deflected over
Final whistle, I visualise Red fans tottering on the cliffs of Dover

¶ 23 Leave a comment on verse 23 0 Penalties and Liverpool have stuck a Pole in the goal
It’s our very own Jerzy, straight from the Mersey

¶ 24 Leave a comment on verse 24 0 Serginho shoots into orbit, endangering low flying birds
This is not part of the script, it’s all rather absurd

¶ 25 Leave a comment on verse 25 0 Didi puts one beyond Dida’s wave
As Pirlo’s lame effort is saved

¶ 26 Leave a comment on verse 26 0 The Lord of Frodsham sends Dida hurtling aimlessly into a canyon
Tomasson at last blasts one home in retaliation

¶ 27 Leave a comment on verse 27 0 Riise of all people misses as Kaka beats Grobelaar reincarnated
The Impaler sends Dida the wrong way as football’s breath is bated

¶ 28 Leave a comment on verse 28 0 Jerzy dives right but palms the ball back out in a moment which is sublime
Yes Liverpool are European Champions for the fifth time

¶ 29 Leave a comment on verse 29 0 I end this pome here as the party hits Sputnik
To dear Istanbul we bid Allaha Ismarladýk

¶ 30 Leave a comment on verse 30 0 © Emdad Rahman