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John Motson ~ The Man The Coat The Mike

Crispin Thomas

Thursday, February 23rd, 2023

1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 call him old fashioned but he had his own style
churned out facts like an old speed dial
started out way back in sixty nine*
Motty was a one off in his own time
call him quirky and say what you like
Motty was the man with the coat and the mike

2 Leave a comment on verse 2 0 first commentating that I ever heard
were big Ken Wolstenholme’s old school words
some of us began with Brian Moore
and never knew the truth about Stuart Hall
Archie McPherson’s a passionate Scot
but none of them prepared like our Johnny Mott
Peter Jones had a fabulous style
and David Coleman by a country mile
Bob Wilson kept it thoughtful and mild
Hoddle drove would-be psychics wild
Barry Davies had a powerful throat
but John had a beautiful sheepskin coat

3 Leave a comment on verse 3 0 in between the passion and the attitude
some found Alan Green feisty and rude
Jimmy Armfield had depth and soul
and brave Jacqui Oatley really broke the mould
Jimmy Hill drove me totally potty
but for stats on acid you couldn’t beat Motty

4 Leave a comment on verse 4 0 Motty was the one for the real classic lines
one of them’ll last til the end of time :
“For all of you watching in black and white
Spurs are in yellow ” he said one night
and here’s another one that was really well meant:
“The World Cup’s a truly international event!”
Motty!

5 Leave a comment on verse 5 0 but I think of Motty wherever I go
standing in a blizzard knee deep in snow
notes in his hand cap on his head
looking like ‘Del Boy’ longing for his bed
serious expression -standing all alone
telling us “It’s off!”…..as if we didn’t know
that was Motty

6 Leave a comment on verse 6 0 call him old fashioned he had his own style
churned out facts like an old speed dial
started out way back in sixty nine
Motty was a one off in his own time
call him quirky say what you like
but Motty was the man with the coat and the mike

Notes

John Motson OBE RIP 1945-2023.
(This poem adapted and first written/and published here 2017 )

John Motson, the legendary football commentator, worked for 50 years for the BBC and commentated on more than 2,500 games on television and radio, becoming one of the most recognisable voices in English football.

Motson, known for his trademark sheepskin coat and affectionately nicknamed “Motty”, covered 10 World Cups, 10 European Championships and 29 FA Cup finals for the BBC before retiring from the broadcaster in 2018. His final game for Match of the Day was that year, when he was behind the microphone for Crystal Palace’s 2-0 home win against West Brom before being invited on to the pitch and given a standing ovation by supporters. He later came out of retirement for a stint at TalkSport.
(Info courtesy of The Guardian)

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Source: http://footballpoets.org/poems/john-motson-the-man-the-coat-the-mike/