Football Poets

The Half-Time Team Talk

¶ 1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 The Half-Time team talk that had to be good

¶ 2 Leave a comment on verse 2 0 to turn what looked like certain defeat around.

¶ 3 Leave a comment on verse 3 0 I was once a youth team manager of Tring Tornadoes U/16s

¶ 4 Leave a comment on verse 4 0 we had led the league the whole season undefeated

¶ 5 Leave a comment on verse 5 0 but we had another local side hot on our heels.

¶ 6 Leave a comment on verse 6 0 They had lost one match at our ground earlier in the season

¶ 7 Leave a comment on verse 7 0 and were just 2 points behind us going into the last match,

¶ 8 Leave a comment on verse 8 0 with the final game at their ground .

¶ 9 Leave a comment on verse 9 0  

¶ 10 Leave a comment on verse 10 0 They went for a 9.30 am kick off on a Sunday morning,

¶ 11 Leave a comment on verse 11 0 with a 40 minute journey and to be ready for kick off

¶ 12 Leave a comment on verse 12 0 I had to get fifteen 16 year olds up at 7 am

¶ 13 Leave a comment on verse 13 0 to be ready to go at 7.45 am, not an easy task!

¶ 14 Leave a comment on verse 14 0 But to a young man they were all ready to go.

¶ 15 Leave a comment on verse 15 0  

¶ 16 Leave a comment on verse 16 0 At half time we were 2-0 down!

¶ 17 Leave a comment on verse 17 0 So my half time talk would have to be good.

¶ 18 Leave a comment on verse 18 0 It would have to be different, exceptional and memorable!

¶ 19 Leave a comment on verse 19 0 So what do you think I said? I said:

¶ 20 Leave a comment on verse 20 0 “Lads we have had a great season,

¶ 21 Leave a comment on verse 21 0 undefeated before this match and we have been top all season.

¶ 22 Leave a comment on verse 22 0 But with Stokenchurch’s’ gamesmanship

¶ 23 Leave a comment on verse 23 0 going for an early morning kick off on a Sunday morning,

¶ 24 Leave a comment on verse 24 0 it has caught us half asleep in the first half.

¶ 25 Leave a comment on verse 25 0 We know we can play much better than this

¶ 26 Leave a comment on verse 26 0 so we have to play our hearts out

¶ 27 Leave a comment on verse 27 0 if we are going to turn this game around.

¶ 28 Leave a comment on verse 28 0 We have to wake up and start the second half running

¶ 29 Leave a comment on verse 29 0 and keep it going until the final whistle.

¶ 30 Leave a comment on verse 30 0 I believe if we play like we can we can do it.

¶ 31 Leave a comment on verse 31 0  

¶ 32 Leave a comment on verse 32 0 Put it this way, it’s like we have been to a very posh restaurant

¶ 33 Leave a comment on verse 33 0 and had a fantastic main course, but the restaurant manager

¶ 34 Leave a comment on verse 34 0 has just told there are only enough desserts/ puddings for one team

¶ 35 Leave a comment on verse 35 0 and they were going to serve them to you, as you were top of the league.

¶ 36 Leave a comment on verse 36 0 But now Stokenchurch are top of the league,

¶ 37 Leave a comment on verse 37 0 they have nicked our puddings and there are non for you, as it stands.

¶ 38 Leave a comment on verse 38 0 So are you going to let them nick your puddings

¶ 39 Leave a comment on verse 39 0 or are you going to go out there and nick them back and say

¶ 40 Leave a comment on verse 40 0 get off those puddings they are ours? “

¶ 41 Leave a comment on verse 41 0  

¶ 42 Leave a comment on verse 42 0 The team laughed as did the assistant manager and parents

¶ 43 Leave a comment on verse 43 0 listening in to my half time team talk

¶ 44 Leave a comment on verse 44 0 “So come on lads get out there and get those puddings back,

¶ 45 Leave a comment on verse 45 0 they belong to you , not our arch rivals Stokenchurch.”

¶ 46 Leave a comment on verse 46 0  

¶ 47 Leave a comment on verse 47 0 Within ten minutes of the second half we scored !

¶ 48 Leave a comment on verse 48 0 Game on!

¶ 49 Leave a comment on verse 49 0 “Come on lads I shouted,  think about the puddings”

¶ 50 Leave a comment on verse 50 0 Their team hadn’t a clue what I was talking about.

¶ 51 Leave a comment on verse 51 0 Some of our lads were smiling.

¶ 52 Leave a comment on verse 52 0 Thirty minutes in we equalise 2-2 , the comeback was on.

¶ 53 Leave a comment on verse 53 0 “Come on lads we can get those puddings they belong to us!

¶ 54 Leave a comment on verse 54 0 We are top of the league not them”

¶ 55 Leave a comment on verse 55 0  

¶ 56 Leave a comment on verse 56 0 Fifteen minutes to go, end to end stuff, a draw would be enough,

¶ 57 Leave a comment on verse 57 0 but a defeat wouldn’t.

¶ 58 Leave a comment on verse 58 0 We would end runners up after leading all season.

¶ 59 Leave a comment on verse 59 0 One last big shout from me:

¶ 60 Leave a comment on verse 60 0 “Come on Tring Tornadoes you can do it!

¶ 61 Leave a comment on verse 61 0 Let’s take this game, we have got them!

¶ 62 Leave a comment on verse 62 0 Take the puddings off them! “

¶ 63 Leave a comment on verse 63 0 And we do just that within minutes of the final whistle, we score again.

¶ 64 Leave a comment on verse 64 0 3-2 to us ! We hold on for what looked like an impossible come back.

¶ 65 Leave a comment on verse 65 0 We won the league at Stokenchurch!

¶ 66 Leave a comment on verse 66 0  

¶ 67 Leave a comment on verse 67 0 You should have seen their manager’s face and their team and parents.

¶ 68 Leave a comment on verse 68 0 They thought it was in the bag.

¶ 69 Leave a comment on verse 69 0 but they didn’t know I had one special half time team talk up my sleeve:

¶ 70 Leave a comment on verse 70 0 ‘the pudding talk’…and it worked!

¶ 71 Leave a comment on verse 71 0 That was 21 years ago now,

¶ 72 Leave a comment on verse 72 0 but I expect not one of those lads

¶ 73 Leave a comment on verse 73 0 have ever forgotten Mr Icke’s pudding talk.

¶ 74 Leave a comment on verse 74 0  

¶ 75 Leave a comment on verse 75 0 On the way home with the League Cup Winners Cup on the table,

¶ 76 Leave a comment on verse 76 0 I treated all the boys to a big ‘fry up breakfast’ at Tesco

¶ 77 Leave a comment on verse 77 0 I’m not sure how many went for the black pudding option but it didn’t matter now,

¶ 78 Leave a comment on verse 78 0 that the Half Time team talk had made such a difference

¶ 79 Leave a comment on verse 79 0 and we won the league at Stokenchurch!”

¶ 80 Leave a comment on verse 80 0 ————————————————-

¶ 81 Leave a comment on verse 81 0 © Simon Icke

¶ 82 Leave a comment on verse 82 0