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He’s The Beating The Ban Man!

kevin raymond

Saturday, November 25th, 2006

1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 In a pub across the street from Ewood, we talked in quite tones
Discretion was our key word, to see the boys away from home
The ban was there in evidence, not many travelling London boys
As the Blackburn fans benevolent, made us welcome with their noise

2 Leave a comment on verse 2 0 A fair old way I must just say to catch a football match
With a fear of being blanked en masse by that squad in blue and black*
All about us, knew that we were fans up from ‘The Smoke’
Purely here to see the match, not angst or grief provoke

3 Leave a comment on verse 3 0 We kept our cool and as a rule, our profile was well low
No sense in coming all this way, to go minus seeing game back home
Pints were drunk, all minds as one, were thinking of the game
Would Speedie, Pat and Joey Jones be up for it midst pounding Northern rain?

4 Leave a comment on verse 4 0 The storm outside the boozer, was teeming down with spite
Were us Blue fans on a loser if uncovered once inside?
We knew that we trod gingerly, with away fan ban in place
But we came out instinctively in our quest for title race

5 Leave a comment on verse 5 0 All was going swimmingly, the laughs, the craic, the calls
When in to our vicinity, came this sight to warm us all
Like a clip from some old western film that John Wayne might akin
The boozer doors were blasted open wide, as this creature staggered in

6 Leave a comment on verse 6 0 Dripping wet from head to toe freezing with the cold
Looking like he hitched, the whole way north on many different roads
He stood alone, unkempt, unknown, all pub talk ceased in shock
He’d traveled far, without a car, to see our rising stock

7 Leave a comment on verse 7 0 No pack-a-mac or raincoat to keep him warm and dry
Just a sort of ordinary bloke who came to cheer the side
Must have set off early morn to get here for the match
He’d got here just in time for kick off, on the verge of near collapse

8 Leave a comment on verse 8 0 Up to the bar he sauntered with a cigarette in hand
Called a pint, then came toward us, a kinda kindred spirit man
We knew that he was one of us, we didn’t need to guess
Cos “You Can’t Ban A Chelsea Fan” was emblazoned on his chest!

© kjp raymond 2006

Notes

We, all Chelsea fans were banned from travelling to away games, but somehow still managed to get to those games, as long as you kept your head down and out of trouble, no one really bothered about it anyway.

This is a true story from John Neals days in charge (the best time ever, for me as a blues fan) we went up north to play Blackburn Rovers.

Got there early, sat in the pub across the street from the stadium, minding our own business, when in…he walked!

Rain was tipping down and all he wore was this tee shirt, with the message on, and a pair of jeans, he just came to see the game and cheer the boys on, but… he was weird man, well and truly weird!

I remember my mate saying ” No body knew where we were from until he came to sit with us, then the whole of Blackburn knew’!

Halcyon days away that forever will remain!

peace

kev

* the police, not Blackburn Rovers colours.

Source: http://footballpoets.org/poems/hes-the-beating-the-ban-man/