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Motty

Crispin Thomas

Thursday, February 23rd, 2023

1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 classic shots and lines from games
there are loads I know
the freezing figure of the man
just standing in the snow
blizzard howling round his head
empty pitch and stand
the patron saint of sheepskin coats
soaking notes in hand – Motty

2 Leave a comment on verse 2 0 all the gaffes and all the quotes
tumble into one
forty years within our ears
through fog and rain and sun
love or loathe him with his tone
he drove some people potty
this national treasured nightmare
but who can challenge Motty?

3 Leave a comment on verse 3 0 At Anfield that October
back in ’71
from Hereford to Wembley
the journey had begun
with random facts from annuals
that bordered on the dotty
enthusiastic quite bombastic
no one else but Motty

4 Leave a comment on verse 4 0 diatribe or common sense ?
never one for fashion
old school comic phrases
but always with that passion
from Fulham to the Nou Camp
The Bridge to Mexico
waxing lyrics from the air
to let the nation know
and like a kid at his first game
with glasses shorts and spotty
down the years the joys and tears
we’ve all been there ….with Motty

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/motty/