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World Cup 2010 – Day 17

Peter Goulding

Monday, June 28th, 2010

1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 England 1 Germany 4 (Round of 16)

2 Leave a comment on verse 2 0 (i)

3 Leave a comment on verse 3 0 And so, let the blame game commence.
For England, there’s no present tense.
The Germans outfought them,
Outran them, outthought them
But somebody must be to blame
Why England’s performance was tame.

4 Leave a comment on verse 4 0 Will they blame it on Signor Capello?
They thought that he was the right fellow.
He was strict, he was strong
But it all went so wrong.
You have to be some sort of loony
Not to get anything out of Rooney.

5 Leave a comment on verse 5 0 Will they blame the o’erlong English season?
Maybe that was the underlying reason?
They were jaded and tired,
Far from fresh, uninspired,
It’s not easy when tiredness comes creeping
And all you can think of is sleeping.

6 Leave a comment on verse 6 0 Perhaps it’s the senior players’ fault?
Far too many were not worth their salt.
All the countless stray passes!
Should they take shooting classes?
Their crossing was the work of the devil –
They’re not skilful enough at this level.

7 Leave a comment on verse 7 0 Will they save their most scornful derision
For that bad refereeing decision?
If the ‘goal’ was allowed,
Would the lions have roared proud
And gone on to dominate the game?
So perhaps, ‘twas the ref was to blame?

8 Leave a comment on verse 8 0 Will they blame all the media hype,
English journos reverting to type?
Build them up, way too high
Watch them fall from the sky
And then slate the whole lot from a height,
Pouring scorn with a gleeful delight.

9 Leave a comment on verse 9 0 (ii)

10 Leave a comment on verse 10 0 Selection jumbled
Defenders fumbled
House of cards tumbled
Confidence stumbled
Tactics rumbled
Spirit crumbled
Pundits grumbled
England humbled

11 Leave a comment on verse 11 0 Argentina 3 Mexico 1 (Round of 16)

12 Leave a comment on verse 12 0 The Mexicans were well and truly beating them
Till Tevez scored, a country mile offside.
The big screen showed the unflagged goal was cheating them –
The rule of law was not to be applied.
Towards the men in black they ran, entreating them
To get this bad decision rectified.
Appalled at how the linesman was mistreating them,
The protestations were undignified.
Refusal though was all that they found greeting them,
Their pleas for reparation were denied.
And for an hour, with rank injustice eating them,
Composure fled and further progress died.

© Peter Goulding 28th June 2010

Notes

I suppose I ought to add a word about England.
Contrary to many, I don’t see any shame in being beaten by Germany. England are a good second division European team, like, say Sweden; always were and always will be. Probably the quarter final is as far as they should reasonably expect to get, like Sweden. Sometimes, with a favourable draw or dodgy refs they’ll get to the semi-finals – sometimes they won’t even qualify. In reality, they have neither the skill nor the composure not the confidence to progress beyond the QF. Tantalisingly they sometimes show flashes of First Division football, which somehow makes people believe that they can mix it with the big boys. Consequently, getting to the semi-final is the least of their expectations and when they fail to do so, to outsiders’ amusement, the howls of anguish ring out. Unlike Sweden, they seem to think they have the potential to win the thing. They haven’t. Yet they can’t accept, like Sweden, that they’re not up there.
Sorry if this offends – I seem to write the same thing after every England elimination.

Source: http://footballpoets.org/poems/world-cup-2010-day-17/