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WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

John J O’Connor

Sunday, April 6th, 2003

1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 The 80’s was my 60’s ,
most of it a blur,
but thinking of the 70’s
all my memories stir.

2 Leave a comment on verse 2 0 I wonder what became,
of the big Scot Ian Ure
and the flying Forest winger,
Ian Storey Moore.

3 Leave a comment on verse 3 0 We know where Trevor Brooking’s at,
we hear him every day,
as he puts his point of view across,
with Mullery, Marsh and Gray.

4 Leave a comment on verse 4 0 But what about John Dempsey,
and Arsenal’s Bob McNab,
are they sitting in some gin joint,
living on a tab?

5 Leave a comment on verse 5 0 Osgood, Greaves and Harris,
do after dinner speeches,
make a few quick dollars,
and head back to the beaches.

6 Leave a comment on verse 6 0 We hear of ‘big’ Jack Charlton,
and Celtic’s ‘Chief’ O’Neil,
but I wonder how Glyn Pardoe is,
and did his bad leg ever heal.

7 Leave a comment on verse 7 0 Has Trevor Hockey got with the times,
and shaved off, that big black beard,
and where is big Ron Davies,
who all defenders feared?

8 Leave a comment on verse 8 0 Talking of a Davies,
where’s his buddy Wynn,
is he working as a dustman,
emptying out a bin?

9 Leave a comment on verse 9 0 Keegan’s done well in management,
you have to hand him that,
but where is Martin Chivers,
and the unfortunately named John Pratt?

10 Leave a comment on verse 10 0 We see Joe Royle and Kiddo,
often on the telly,
but at Highbury they want to know,
where is Eddy Kelly?

11 Leave a comment on verse 11 0 George Graham is always on the box,
and so is old ‘EL TEL’
but what became of Alec Lindsay,
and where is Colin Bell?

12 Leave a comment on verse 12 0 We still hear of Dave Mackay,
the Spurs man and the Ram,
but we never hear of big Clyde Best,
the Bermudan from West Ham.

13 Leave a comment on verse 13 0 Where’s Sheffield’s Tony Currie,
who could bend a ball like Zico,
and Leicester’s Lenny Glover,
and Aston Villa’s ‘CHICO’ ?

14 Leave a comment on verse 14 0 Did the old players save their money,
and retire to a posh retreat,
or are some of them forgotten men,
living on the street?

15 Leave a comment on verse 15 0 Francis Lee made his fortune,
selling toilet rolls,
he took a gamble and he won,
unlike Stanley Bowles.

16 Leave a comment on verse 16 0 But for every Franny Lee,
the multi-millionaire,
there’s a couple of has been footballlers,
that life aint treated fair.

17 Leave a comment on verse 17 0 We’ll always see the Charltons.
the Besties and the Reids,
but spare a thought for Albert Johannson,
who died broke up in Leeds.

18 Leave a comment on verse 18 0 Living in a doss house,
with no pennies to his name,
just miles away from Elland Road,
where he rose to fame.

© John J O’Connor

Notes

johpalcon@aol.com Albert Johannson R.I.P. starred for Leeds in the 65 cup final against Liverpool.

Source: http://footballpoets.org/poems/where-are-they-now/