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Chelsea 6-1 Nordsjaelland : for Mark

1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 It was our big adventure…
Crossing the Irish Sea, for your debut at the Bridge
just you and me – your brothers (and little Rosie), left behind

2 Leave a comment on verse 2 0 Brought up on tales of the greats,
of Ossie, Cooke, Nevin, Dixon, Zola et al
but it was the modern day lotharios that you wanted to see,
first hand, up close and personal

3 Leave a comment on verse 3 0 And it was worth all those miles – just to see your smiles,
upon first entry –
when you darted away from me, into the glare of the floodlights
down to the hoardings, joining the other starstruck wains
watching just feet away, your heroes limbering up
caressing the ball so easily, so carefully, with dextrous touch
and pre-kickoff, so carefree

4 Leave a comment on verse 4 0 You banished the cynic in me, with your wide eyed wonderment
no need to be churlish now, even though I’m no fan of ‘Mr Interim’
and I reflected that maybe that was just how I looked,
when your Grandpa
first brought me, many moons ago.

5 Leave a comment on verse 5 0 Yes, we share the same bug.

6 Leave a comment on verse 6 0 And through your eyes, the night couldn’t have been any better –
despite the chill of the night
(and frosty atmosphere, 16th minute reminder
of the manager we’d rather still have in place, the muted boos,
from die-hard Blues
towards the present incumbent).

7 Leave a comment on verse 7 0 But the game had you everything you craved –
victory,
penalties – scored, scorned and saved
and that rarity : a Torres brace!
all that was missing : defeat for Juventus in the Ukraine.

8 Leave a comment on verse 8 0 So it’s Europa League that beckons as we learn to deal with
the ignominy, of being the first defending Champions,
not to qualify through to the latter stages the next season.

9 Leave a comment on verse 9 0 But not for you, the treason, of gripe and grouch
as some of us slouch, to the challenge of the tube (decimated, by an inch of snow!)
no, for you, it was all excitable babble, as we dodge the rabble
about who skinned who, who shimmied best, who shaped right and who shipped left
about who darted free, who dipped in, and who skipped out
and then debating all the way home : who really masterminded the rout? 🙂

10 Leave a comment on verse 10 0 Aye, there was magic in your eyes, before during and after
and you radiated with laughter
at the joy of it all
and best of all
it was infectious

Notes

Champions League 2012, round 6 group qualifying stages:
Shaktar Donetsk and Juventus qualify.

Chelsea, defending Champions, slip into the Europa League.
The Danes finish bottom of the group.

For Mark Patrick (11), my own little hat-trick!

And for Grandma and Grandpa, out in the Hamptons.

And Neil & Hal (in attendance).

Neil has shared all of the ups and downs of Chelsea fandom since the 70’s!

Match details:
Chelsea scorers:
Luiz 39′ (pen),
Torres 45′, 56′,
Cahill 51′,
Mata 63′,
Oscar 71′

Nordsjaelland scorer:
John 46′

And apologies to Kev (for not arranging to meet and say hi)

Source: http://footballpoets.org/poems/chelsea-6-1-nordsjaelland-for-mark/?shared=email&msg=fail