Football Poets

Editor Note: I’ve been trawling though my book ‘Inner Goal’ for poems/haiku never published here on this site. The above is one.
Shameless merchandising maybe, but we have a boxful left .Grab a copy and support the site.

Taken from :Inner Goal: The Poetry of Football…
….a Journey in Rhyme by Crispin Thomas
Paperback – Illustrated, Publ. Oct 2007~Football Poets Books.
Digitally Printed by KTP Printers Ltd ~Thank you Kevin Raymond..

Was £8.99 Now available £5.91! (incl of postage)
All proceeds to Football Poets website re-build costs

Click here to purchase Inner Goal on Amazon.
Or by post/by cheque. Email: editors@footballpoets.org for details.

A rhythmic moving feast for football lovers everywhere both young and old. From rattles and rosettes to women’s football and the trenches. Fantasy salaries and racism to mobile phones for goalposts. Spanning fifty years of watching and ten years of writing, Inner Goal is an affectionate and perceptive nod to the People’s Game in verse. A long-overdue hard-copy debut from football’s maverick performance poet featuring 75 poignant poems, 65 heart-warming haikus on 100 pages and charming hand-drawn illustrations from the author.

What They’re Saying about Inner Goal ~ Reviews

“The beautiful game in all its guises in the street, in the ground, in the memory, in the heart. Poetry with balls”.
Michael Foreman (Writer & Illustrator/War Game etc))

“More tricks than Joe Cole, the man’s performances are match-winning. More and louder!”
Jim Sells~Reading The Game / National Literacy Trust

“More than a touch of the John Cooper Clarke” Big Issue

“One of those amazing people with an obsessive passion and love, who can move people!” Steve Wickham / The Waterboys

“What chance of filling a book with football poetry , much of it intended for performance, and making it a satisfying read? Chances were slim until I saw Crispin Thomas’ Inner Goal. It’s a whimsical book, swinging from nostalgia for Crispin’s footie heroes from the 50s to sharp criticism of racism to environmental issues. All the while he dresses everything in a deceptive fluffy aura and slips in some sweet subversive ideas. Simplicity is his key to writing and what makes this book a succcess. Many have been read at workshops run by Crispin at football clubs like Chelsea, getting children to write as part of the Kick it Out campaign, and the resulting quick , point making poems work well in that context. At their best , the poems have an aura of childlike awe and joy in the game and its exponents and the possibilities that such an international language of ball-kicking opens up – and when that happens , he really could be “swapping shirts with Shakespeare”. Adam Horovitz. ~ Poet/Author

“The Red Bard approves! *****
“Years of being a dedicated follower of football, coupled with an acute instinct for verse is a recipe for success. You will laugh, cry (almost), wish you were back in another time when football was less about money … in fact you will go the full distance on the old “emotional rollercoaster”. This is a great effort by Crispin and after dedicating so much of his free time to his baby, namely, The Football Poets website, he deserves all the success in the world.
No matter which team you support, you will enjoy this book. Crispin manages to stay original in his subject matter throughout. I won’t mention favourites at this point, as I am still enjoying reading and re-reading. This might even make you get your quill out and have a go yourself ..Crispin, note those five stars !” Mark Thomas

“A Celebration!
Our football offers up a love that many of us feel but can’t quite express in words. Now we can. ” S. M. Parr.