Football Poets

The Boot Room up in Heaven

¶ 1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 Saint Pete went up to Gods room,
and told him there’s a prob,
“all our football coaches,
are in bad need of a job.
They get restless every Saturday,
especially coming up to three,
and some pace up and down the clouds,
looking very jittery.
Down on earth they start a war,
when active men are bored,
but that’s not the way, we do it here,”
said Peter to the Lord.

¶ 2 Leave a comment on verse 2 0 God listened sympathetically,
and swore to lift their gloom,
and said to Peter “here’s the keys,
let ’em use the ‘Old Boot Room.’
They can sit and talk of tactics,
which on earth they did excel,
and let them conjure up a squad,
and I’ll arrange a game with hell.”

¶ 3 Leave a comment on verse 3 0 So Saint Peter told the managers,
of the room supplied by God,
and asked them to work in unison,
and try and build a squad.

¶ 4 Leave a comment on verse 4 0 “I believe they called you gaffers,
in your past lives down below,
and you liked to moan at referees,
and at each other have a go.
Now remember you’re in heaven,
where all are kind and caring,
so when you’re in the Boot Room,
please be careful with the swearing.”

¶ 5 Leave a comment on verse 5 0 The managers they all agreed ,
their excitement showing through,
as they sat down to talk of football,
a subject they all knew.

¶ 6 Leave a comment on verse 6 0 Cloughie sat with Taylor,
a friendship now renewed,
and Sir Alf Ramsay sat all alone,
though he wasn’t being rude.
Sir Matt he sat with Mercer,
two great men of Manc’s,
and across from them,
the originals, Fagin, Paisley, Shanks.

¶ 7 Leave a comment on verse 7 0 Bill Nicholson spoke with Bertie Mee,
of past great games they’d seen,
while Don Revie and Stan Cullis,
swapped tales with old Jock Stein.

¶ 8 Leave a comment on verse 8 0 Herbert Chapman from the Thirties,
spun yarns of long ago,
while Harry Catterick and Joe Harvey,
reminisced with Bob Stok -oe.
Bert Head of Palace and Jim Bloomfield,
had a laugh and shared a joke,
and also there in his own armchair,
was Tony Waddington of Stoke.

¶ 9 Leave a comment on verse 9 0 The small talk finally ended,
when Cloughie took the floor,
as he reminded all the managers,
what they were in the Boot Room for.

¶ 10 Leave a comment on verse 10 0 “We come from many places men,
and from different eras were our birth,
but the thing we have in common is,
we coached football down on earth.
So let’s put our football brains together,
swap ideas and have debate,
and choose a top notch squad of players,
from those who’ve walked through Heavens gate.”

¶ 11 Leave a comment on verse 11 0 It was the goal keeping position,
that caused the first managerial rift,
when Jock Stein said Ronnie Simpson,
and Herb Chapman wanted Swift.
They settled on John Thompson,
famed in song and prose,
who died in a Glasgow derby,
diving at a forwards toes.

¶ 12 Leave a comment on verse 12 0 Bill Nick chose two ex – Tottenham,
John White — to strike the goals,
and here’s a NICE ONE for you,
for full back CYRIL Knowles.
They all agreed on Dixie Dean,
Wilf Mannion and Sir Stan,
but then the room went silent,
when Sir Matt Busby raised his hand.

¶ 13 Leave a comment on verse 13 0 They listened to his every word,
like pupils to a master,
as he told them of that awful day,
the Munich Air disaster.
“There are eight young players,
who’ve been up here, since 1958,
and they’re the ones for this squad,
I’d like to nominate.
Sorry that I’m crying,
but it’s still a mournful feeling,
as I think of David Pegg,
Geoff Bent and Liam Whelan.
Duncan Edwards, Eddie Colman,
Roger Byrne and young Mark Jones,
I can still see all the wreckage.
and all the broken bones.”

¶ 14 Leave a comment on verse 14 0 The room went quiet briefly,
but then it lightened up,
when Cloughie said they’d have a break,
and get a little sup.
They downed some Mild and Bitter,
then discussions did resume,
and they all agreed that life up here,
was magic in that room.

¶ 15 Leave a comment on verse 15 0 In between the banter,
and the rehashing of old jokes,
Ted Bates of Southampton raised his hand,
and named young Bobby Stokes.
“He was a Saint, down below,
now he’s one up here as well,
his spirt will forever live,
in our old ground at ‘The Dell.”

¶ 16 Leave a comment on verse 16 0 “Raich Carter is my man,” said Clough,
“I saw him bury three past Bolton,
and for a no nonsense centre half,
who else but ‘Big Jim Holton.’
Young Jimmy Davis on the wing,
the new kid on the block,
and Keith Weller in the midfield,
with Baxter and Murdoch.”

¶ 17 Leave a comment on verse 17 0 Robin Friday and ‘ Wor Jackie,’
in some quarters got a nod,
and unanimously they all agree,
to put Davie Cooper in the squad.
Laurie Cunningham and ‘Tiger Houseman,’
are also mentioned for the wing,
and even up in Heaven,
they agreed JEFF ASTLE was ‘The King.’

¶ 18 Leave a comment on verse 18 0 The arguments really started though,
about who on the field would guide,
who’d lead the team to victory,
who would captain this great side.

¶ 19 Leave a comment on verse 19 0 “John Charles” said one,
“it has to be,
no one led like the ‘GENTLE GIANT,”
and the other coaches with their picks,
were equally defiant.

¶ 20 Leave a comment on verse 20 0 Busby called for Duncan Edwards,
“he was a boy of power and might,”
but Stan Cullis butted in,
and called for Billy Wright.

¶ 21 Leave a comment on verse 21 0 Saint Peter popped his head in,
and said lads “watch the din,
and remember that to swear up here,
puts you all in the sin – bin.”

¶ 22 Leave a comment on verse 22 0 Don Revie stroked his chin in thought,
then said, “I’ve got a winner,
even though some of you,
think on earth he was a sinner.
I vote for Billy Bremner,
he was superb for me at Leeds,
he was skillful, tough and fiery,
just what this team needs.”

¶ 23 Leave a comment on verse 23 0 “Nay — I’ve a man to lead,” growled Shanks,
“like me he hates to lose,
he’s only been up here a while,
his name is Emlyn Hughes.
He’s been galloping through the clouds,
I’ll try and rein him in,
this team needs his enthusiasm,
and his moral boosting grin.”

¶ 24 Leave a comment on verse 24 0 Sir Alf Ramsey raised his eyebrows,
said sarcastically, “Are you sure?
The only captain for this team,
goes by the name of Robert MOORE.
Bobby was a diamond,
in Mexico my jewel,
he lifted the World Cup,
and was the epitome of cool.”

¶ 25 Leave a comment on verse 25 0 They all looked around and nodded,
and agreed he was the man,
so the Captain of the Heaven squad,
was MOORO of West Ham.

¶ 26 Leave a comment on verse 26 0 THEY NEVER DID GET THEIR GAME WITH HELL.
But it didn’t cause no gloom,
cos every day the coaches met,
to talk football in that room.
Sometimes they got excited,
and the discussions could get loud,
but God was very happy,
it kept them off the corner cloud.

¶ 27 Leave a comment on verse 27 0 So as we listen to predictors,
all forecasting doom,
the boys upstairs are having a ball,
in ‘HEAVENS OLD BOOT ROOM.’