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Roberto Mancini and Zlatko Dalic and so what

Gacina Bozidar

Sunday, July 21st, 2024

Roberto Mancini and Zlatko Dalic
and so what ? Who would have thought about this :
Roberto Mancini once visited
Medjugorje in 2011
He made pilgrimage in that
picturesque region of Herzegovina
He prayed in Medjugorje
Italy under Roberto Mancini won the UEFA European Championship in 2021 the ten years later
and also under Roberto Mancini
failed to qualify for The 2022 FIFA World Cup
The most iritated England fan by
Chiellini in 2021
Or the most iritated Italian fan
by Italy missing The 2022 FIFA World Cup
wouldn’t implicate Roberto Mancini’s Medjugore pilgrimage in these affairs
In these campaigns
Zlatko Dalic the Croatia coach is the regular pilgrim at Medjugorje and sometimes he achieved impossible at 2018 FIFA World Cup then at 2022 FIFA World Cup and Croatia didn’t do well at UEFA European championship this year
But the hard-line communist journalist
Mr Beric from Oslobodjenje papers
proceded to account all the pilgrimages by walk of Mr Dalic over the years to point that it didn’t work at this years UEFA European Championship
The Football’s wins
The failures
The coaches
The competitions
The epic games
The results
The outcomes
The belief or prayers of the coaches
and managers
The Football and Belief
But what kind of man
would say That or That man prayed and
didn’t win accusing him for both
His belief and His result
There has been everything at this
UEFA European Championship
But in any country among 23 losers nations
is very difficult to find anyone
to say
This or this player prayed and didn’t win
It could have been any player
of any religion who prayed and had different achievement
But Oslobodjenje Papers did so
to Croatian Manager Dalic
I say again
Roberto Mancini and Zlatko Dalic and so what

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Farewell Gareth Southgate

joe morris

Tuesday, July 16th, 2024

And so the nation bids farewell
To Gareth Southgate
The one man who immortalised
Waistcoats, beards
And smart designer shirts
On Sunday at least
Quite possibly Fred Perry,
Gucci, some may already know
Southgate, the man
Who gave credibility back to
The England job
The man who didn’t do the dirty
And betrayed us so brazenly
For the Saudi desert riches
Untold,
Yes dear Don Revie
For it was you
The accusing finger
Points at you
You were the treacherous one
Who upped sticks
After that illustrious stint
At Leeds
No. Gareth Southgate
You were the one
Who trusted your
Blossoming kids
Saw them ripen
Like fresh summer
Strawberries from
A groaning red punnet
At Wimbledon
Like Sir Bobby,
Terry, Ron Greenwood
Underrated so you believe
But Gareth Southgate
We’ll never forget
Although some would
Prefer to air brush you from
History, oh no, not us
You were the respectable one,
The quiet and modest gent
Who never looked flustered
Or ruffled, crumpled
Nor stressed or agitated
You guided us gently
Down the path of success
And yes, we’ll say it
With confidence
As you did so repeatedly
Triumphant moments
Without the signature of
Trophies or cups
But who cares?
Two Euro Finals in
Succession
Both lost admittedly
But the endeavour
Was there
Plastered all over Berlin
Strasses, posters,
Advertising hoardings
Like a St George’s homage
Gareth Southgate
You were the one who
Revived flagging
Team spirits
At St George’s Park
Who invented team bonding
Camaraderie and bonhomie
In equal measure
Who brought the nation
Together when all appeared
To be lost and we were
Crestfallen since none of us
Thought we’d ever climb
Out of the hole
That Capello and Sven
Might have left wide open
Gareth Southgate
One World Cup semi final,
A World Cup quarter final
And not quite over the line
Did you cross
This was your CV,
Your positive legacy
Of course
The England job
Was always likely to
Be the poisoned chalice
But Gareth,
You were all over this one
Through that infectious fist pump
When victory was ours, but
No Bank Holidays or open topped bus
Parades and festivities
But to misquote an old song
Maybe next time
The cynics might tell us
Perhaps it’ll never happen
Doomed in the dank dungeons
Of narrow defeats and buried
In the depths of wretched
Failure and close run things
But as you clear your desk today
At the FA, today
Gareth Southgate
It was much closer than you think
To coming home
Thankyou Gareth Southgate
We wish you well

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It’s Not Coming Home

kevin halls

Monday, July 15th, 2024

So it’s not coming home
as England lose to Spain,
it just wasn’t meant to be
for Gareth Southgate and Harry Kane.
So it’s not coming home
a case of so near but so far away,
but the Spanish were the better side
and deserved their win on the day.
So it’s not coming home
another final ending in tears,
many fans sat staring into space
and some crying in their beers.
So it’s not coming home
and truth be told will it ever ?
they just can’t win a major tournament
so the answer is probably never !

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Caught Up In A Dream (It’s Over)

Crispin Thomas

Monday, July 15th, 2024

even though we swear we won’t
something sucks us in
armchair managers emerge
when the games begin
once again we do it all
ev’ry time it seems
caught up in the flow and vibe
caught up in the dream

drenched in optimism
of all that lay in store
hopes rained down like beer in cups
thrown each time we score
looking back it’s easy
saying where we failed
where the game was won and lost
where we got derailed
let’s be honest let’s be clear
for a little while
Spain were something else out there
the quality and style
one more lesson learned again
from a stunning team
who performed as one throughout
caught up in the dream

but this is not the time to rage
we’ve been here before
ifs and buts and hindsight
don’t matter any more
let’s be glad we got so far
let’s applaud our side
let’s recall the good bits
felt along the ride
let’s not pick on Gareth
let’s not pick on Kane
let’s not look for culprits
let’s acknowledge Spain
let’s remember one thing
when you love a team
all you want is just to be
caught up in the dream

but oh to have the confidence
oh to press and play
the vision flair and passion
and that winning way
in the end you realize
through all the stuff you’ve seen
that you forgot the weather here
caught up in the dream

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Football (Nearly) Came Home

Phil Brennan

Monday, July 15th, 2024

Who cares if it wasn’t a pen, against the Dutch,
When luck rolls its dice, we’ve not had much,
Maradona’s handball in ’86,
A dirty trick that history couldn’t fix,
In France 98, all our hopes were marred,
When Beckham was shown that fateful red card,
Sol Campbell’s winning goal, cruelly denied,
And another glorious victory died,
Then Lampard’s shot, over the line by a yard,
All these decisions leaving mental scars,
But through the tears and endless debate,
We’ve learned to forgive, and quell our hate,
So let the past be past, just let it be,
For we’ve always believed in destiny,
Let’s all raise a glass, as we sing and cheer,
Football (nearly) came home this year.

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The final word from Berlin

joe morris

Monday, July 15th, 2024

And so we bow our heads again
The final word from Berlin
Is Auf Wiedersehen Gareth
Or maybe not
Once again England slump
To the ground
Heads buried in silent
Incomprehension
The pain of defeat
Indescribable
It could have happened
But somebody lost the script
Now that’s simply careless
Saturated, sodden and soaked
In anonymity
The Iberian peninsula
Now laughing sadistically
In the face of English
Inadequacy
First it was Italy
And now Spain
How can we ever face
Those smug waiters
From Barcelona?
Cruel, sadistic pleasure
Carved deeply into their faces
Creases and wrinkles
On their foreheads
Grinning with sheer delight
Those English will never learn
That’ll teach them
To mock Torremolinos
And those distant holiday
Stereotypes of donkeys
In shopping bags,
Sombreros flopping
Forlornly at Customs
England, desolate
The darkest hole of
Despondency
It’ll never come home
In fact, it’s still stuck
In a Madrid department store
Gathering dust
Look at that lonely
Baggage carousel at Berlin
Airport, oh woe is an England fan
It could hardly be further away
From home
It’s marooned at a German car park
Of course we believed
Because we fondly thought
We had this one in the bag
Yamal, Williams, Ruiz,
Morata
Simply Spanish obstacles
Barring our way
World class performers
Certainly not
And yet they were
Unmistakably so
England, those cocksure peacocks
In white
Masters of hubris
Arrogant beyond reason
They only had to turn up
On the night
Simply not the case
It’s not coming home
Rather retiring to
Some desert island
Where none can bother them
A floating island of insularity
Passports lost
We’ll eventually find our way
Home but not today,
Nor tomorrow or tonight
And yet if only Cole Palmer’s
Stunning shot and equaliser
Had broken open the treasure chest
The folks back home
May well be on your side
But lightning has struck twice
And now it’s two Euro Final
Defeats in a row
It’s the Holland syndrome
When World Cups were
Snatched away from the Dutch
In 1974 and 1978
But that’s the most
Pathetic comparison
Because England could only
Have fantasised about
Total Football
Last night the tank was empty
England, soulless, desperate
Repetition again
Puffing and panting
After red Spanish shirts
Wandering around in a German wilderness
Barely able to string a sentence together
Passes destined for Munich
Bellingham, beaten into submission,
Declan Rice and Phil Foden
Out on their feet
Exhausted, gaunt and haggard
Lead them to a hotel and beach
But certainly not Majorca
Harry Kane, it’s the end of
His England road
Last night it was his swansong
Maybe one day
We’ll be pleasantly surprised
But oh sorry Sir Geoff
It’ll be 60 years and
Nowhere even remotely close
To bringing it home
But there will always
Be an England

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Euro 2024: FINAL: It’s not, you know

U Rowe

Monday, July 15th, 2024

So near and yet so far….
and yet here we are
beaten finalists
beaten by a better team
who tramped all over
our burgeoning dream

Worthy winners Spain
brought pain
to our shores…
we rowed our oars
to Southgate’s drumbeat….

But should that tattoo
have been to a more upbeat tempo?

And yet, maybe Gareth’s not to blame?
Like, who was it put into SatNav
Albion’s postcode?
Entering “Madrid” instead of “Moss Side”…..
Easily done?
Predictive text?
Or just eternally hexed?

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Not Quite Full -My Euro 24 Wall Chart (Part 2)

Crispin Thomas

Sunday, July 14th, 2024

the flags have all appeared again
on buildings and on cars
except the Farmer’s Market
or posh and trendy bars
my wall chart hangs resplendent
a multi-caloured sheet
a hand-filled record of it all
of vict’ry and defeat
it’s scribbled on and nearly full
the day has come once more
the only thing that’s missing
is just the Final score

I must be really honest
I must be very clear
throughout it all I never thought
that England would be here
there’ve been so many ups and downs
the endless moans and groans
the nearly team we’ve been so long
is all we’ve ever known

I long to run out with my mates
and play out on the street
like when i was a little kid
to make the day complete
but all those days are gone now
and just a memory
they say it’s far too dangerous
and not allowed you see

but here upon my Wall Chart
the game is hours away
there’s just two spaces on it
upon this final day
the flags in town are flying
the country waits as one
and soon so soon this tournament
will all be lost or won

who knows which way the night will go
the fave’rites Spain await
but pride belief and longing
have never felt so great
and we will watch it all unfold
we’ll stretch to kick each ball
until my Euro Wall Chart’s full
right here upon my wall

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England- your country needs you

joe morris

Sunday, July 14th, 2024

Oh, England, England
How your country needs you
To just win, nothing else
Nothing more
Picturesque, rural
Spread out like a picnic
Hamper over the fields
And timeless meadows
Across the matchless
Lake District
The Pennines,
The peak of the
Peak District
Gushing forth
An abundance
Of water, cowslips,
And richly uplifting
Yellow cornfields
Overlapping folds
Of private patchwork
Quilts of countryside
Shivering in the breeze
Of our hopes and dreams
Where the village pubs
Tonight will reveal
Gareth Southgate’s England
We are now at journey’s end
The final destination
Spain in Euro 2024 Final
A pint of your best
Barman and barmaid
A thousand glasses of
Amber celebration
For family and friends
If, after 58 years
It wends its weary home
We stand on the verge
Of history’s judgement day
It’s been far too long
Yesterday they gave us
The 1966 World Cup Final
In its colourised splendour
We salute you Channel 4
If only today’s generation
Could use yesterday as a perfect
Inspiration, a reminder
Of what can be done
It’s feasible, possible
Quite definitely
We can replicate that
Golden day yet again
And of course Labour
Were in charge on the
Day of Sir Alf Ramsey’s
Release from the chains
Of solemnity and seriousness
It has to be tonight
Because if not
Then it’ll be exactly
60 years next time around
In the USA, Canada and Mexico
Another World Cup again
Seize the day
Carpe diem England, today
No more delaying tactics
Pausing on the ball
And just waiting for
Something to happen
We have faith and trust
Of course we fear
The Holland syndrome
Of two successive defeats
In tournament Finals
For 1974 and 78
West Germany and Argentina
Dutch pass masters
Blasted out of the water
For 2021 read tonight
Let’s do it
One more time tonight
Blighty, believe in
The law of averages
It has to be England’s turn
Oh surely
Richly merited victory
Against all the odds
Even though
It was a horrific watch
Come on England

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Euro 2024: FINAL: pre-match nerves!

U Rowe

Sunday, July 14th, 2024

We stand at the water’s edge….
shall we succumb
to Salacia’s salty stare
and drown in our sorrow?
Or will tomorrow’s
final
be the time to draw upon
our modern armada – a flotilla of faithful fans
egging us beyond the Spanish Inquisition….
can we change history
and be in a position
as the “most fortunate fleet”
that tasted danger
and drew back from defeat….
can we be the crew
to create a hullaballoo – and get the scores
that steers the trophy 
to Albion’s shores?!?!?!

~ ~ # ~ ~

    Be like!

My message to the lads….
Be like our Olympians
winners one and all
grafters, fighters
who held us in our thrall

be record breakers, like Mark Cavendish
full of verve and grit
and with a lethal finish – all about timing
be like the War Poets
facing adversity and atrocity
and yet came out rhyming

be like the Queen (God rest her soul)
for whom unity and service
was her regal goal

be like me – like us!
forever full of dreams
supporting our teams – through thick and thin
never ceasing, nor unwavering….
but then be unlike us
and make it to the top of Everest…
so that we might all share
this victory
and so that our mouths, will never rest!   😉

and finally
be like Sir Winston Churchill
inspired and inspiring… especially Gareth….
get us flying down the wings
and with the clever use of subs
bring us victory to savour, forever
@ our clubs and pubs!!!!

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Source: http://footballpoets.org/poems/page/6/