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England in Europe.

joe morris

Friday, April 18th, 2025

1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 Oh what a Good Friday morning
For the English contingent
In European fields of
Burnished brass and
Glorious gold
Last night it was Spurs
And not forgetting Manchester United
Who now find themselves
On the threshold of that
Fabulous coronation
The stately procession
And then
Lifting UEFA’s most
Valuable trophies
Spurs in their
Europa League voyage of discovery
Frankfurt fallen from dizzy heights
Into the piranhas of hungry
North London mouths
It’s been over 40 years
Since Belgian buns were
Devoured ravenously
At White Hart Lane
Anderlecht beaten on penalties
The icing on the cake
Spurs – UEFA Cup winners
What a night that was
But nothing since then
Although the FA Cup in 1991
Did find a clearing in the Forest
And Cloughie waved the white flag
Then there was Manchester United
And the cathedral of sound
Echoing in the chambers with
Thunderous roars at Old Trafford
Last night the French revolution
Left Lyon gasping for breath
Stunned amazement
When victory seemed so assured
Even Napoleon must have
Spun in his grave
And the Champs Elysees
Ground to a halt
Macron mesmerised by the
Stirring rhythms
Of United’s Red Devils past
Returning to the here and now
Where they belong
After the most horrendous
And grotesque, tattered
Remnants of their Premier League
Season, patches of torn fabric
Blowing in the wind
The most dire, dark and dreadful
Season for Manchester United
But now United are on the verge
Of European redemption
Perhaps a European trophy
To repair the criminal damage
For either United and Spurs
To lighten the mood of
The never ending tunnel
Of domestic drudgery
Dreamlike daffodils in spring
For either North London or
Alternatively the North West
It hardly seemed possible
The unlikeliest destinations
But now two matches away from the Final
Finally the Gunners
Toppling the might of Madrid
The legendary craftsmen with
Europe’s classiest tools
Real Madrid
European Champions
In a constant repetition of decades
Is it really 15 or 16 times now?
Arsenal, now reflecting in the
Mirror of what might have been
In the Premier League
A lighthouse of
Magical magnificence
Through the ups and downs
The victories and vagaries
Of dazzling form then
Discarded as an oily rag
Slipping on the banana skin
Of second place
Not quite in the shadow of Liverpool
Who look commanding on the
Palatial verandas of football’s
Most well appointed
Olympic rostrum
But still there’s Manchester United,
Spurs it could turn out
All right on the night
Buoyant and bright
When the Premier League looked less
Than divine
And Arsenal
European Champions?
Deservedly so.

Notes

Will there be a monopoly on European trophies for Premier League Spurs, Manchester United or Arsenal?

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Source: http://footballpoets.org/poems/england-in-europe/

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