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‘THE DON’ who ruled the Palace.

John J O’Connor

Thursday, March 27th, 2003

1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 You hear of New York mobsters,
being referred to as ‘The Don’,
but in South London and Wiltshire,
there only was just one.

2 Leave a comment on verse 2 0 His name was Donald Rogers,
and on the wing he played,
and at Selhurst Park and Swindon,
his memory it won’t fade.

3 Leave a comment on verse 3 0 Some days now at Palace,
you’ll hear some ageing codgers,
looking to the heavens,
and pleading bring back Rogers.

4 Leave a comment on verse 4 0 With his long dark hair and mustache,
he was a deadly ringer,
not for his profession,
but as a cool and calm gun-slinger.

5 Leave a comment on verse 5 0 It was 69, when the town,
famous for it’s stevedores,
played the mighty Arsenal.
before a hundred thousand roars.

6 Leave a comment on verse 6 0 Rogers got a brace that day,
remembered in folk lore,
as Swindon beat the Arsenal,
by a 3-1 score.

7 Leave a comment on verse 7 0 Top teams they took a mental note,
but no one took the leap,
as Swindon held onto their star,
and refused to sell him cheap.

8 Leave a comment on verse 8 0 But Swindon could not hold on for long,
to the man with the bag of tricks,
and he signed for Crystal Palace,
at the age of twenty-six.

9 Leave a comment on verse 9 0 A hundred and fifty thousand,
was the transfer price,
but we knew we had a bargain,
when he ran rings around Pat Rice.

10 Leave a comment on verse 10 0 Da-Da -Da-Da Don Rogers,
we sang to the conga beat,
as he waltzed around defenders,
with the ball glued to his feet.

11 Leave a comment on verse 11 0 That year of 72,
in a major shock,
Palace buried five,
past United and ‘Tom Doc’.

12 Leave a comment on verse 12 0 And like he did at Wembley,
‘The Don’ he grabbed a brace,
and at that time in England,
no one could match his pace.

13 Leave a comment on verse 13 0 ‘The Don’ from Paulton soon became,
a Palace mini god,
as he flew around defenders like,
Reaney,Smith and Todd.

14 Leave a comment on verse 14 0 Then Bert Head got the sack,
and Allison filled the spot,
but he didn’t understand,
the genius he had got.

15 Leave a comment on verse 15 0 They had a falling out,
a rift that never healed,
and Allison pulled Don from upfront,
and stuck him in midfield.

16 Leave a comment on verse 16 0 We acheived two relegation’s,
and landed in the third,
but the chant da — da Don Rogers,
was still the loudest heard.

17 Leave a comment on verse 17 0 Queens Park Rangers rescued Don,
from the sinking ship,
but he never was the same player again,
due to — a battered hip.

18 Leave a comment on verse 18 0 Allison rubbed his hands with glee,
cos he got Venables in the swap,
but like ‘The Don’ the wear and tear,
had finished him at the top.

19 Leave a comment on verse 19 0 So ‘The Don’ retired to Swindon,
to run his sporting store,
but he’s remembered on the Holmesdale Road,
where he’d run when he had scored.

20 Leave a comment on verse 20 0 So forget about John Gotti,
Gambino, ‘Sam the Bull’,
‘The Don’ clad in the claret and blue,
was the fellow who did rule.

© John J O’Connor

Notes

johpalcon@aol.com

Source: http://footballpoets.org/poems/the-don-who-ruled-the-palace/