POEMS & STUFF
“We’re Swapping Shirts with Shakespeare, that’s how we see it.”
The qwerty-something Forest Green Rovers/Chelsea fan is part of Stroud’s stanza squad, the only known collective of football poets in the world. “There is poetry in everything, Football is a fantastic outlet. It’s a release. And writing about it is a release too.” Crispin Thomas ~ ‘Blokes with Balls’ Jeremy Clay.
‘INNER GOAL The poetry of football’by Crispin Thomas.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Inner-Goal-Poetry-Football-Journey/dp/0955737605
From rattles, rosettes, women’s football and the trenches to fantasy salaries, racism and mobile phones for goalposts. Inner Goal spans 50 years in a perceptive nod to the People’s Game in verse. 75 poems and 65 haikus with illustrations from football’s maverick performance poet.
Poems by Crispin Thomas
- Behind Closed Doors
- The Years Of The Cat (Peter Bonetti RIP)
- Wherever We Find Ourselves
- Way Back In The Fifties -Revisited
- Football Family (In Praise of Little Clubs)
- Harry Gregg ~ The Man Who Didn’t Just Save Goals
- If We Stay in Forest Green
- The Day We Lost A Football Team ~ Remembered
- One Of A Kind ~ Mishi Dulwich Morath RIP
- ‘Survival’ by Dulwich Poet (Mishi DH RIP)
- Martin Peters Shone
- Hitching To A Game At Christmas Once More
- One Christmas In The Trenches 1914 (Revisited)
- Kick It Out Rap (2019 Remix )
- 130 Yesterdays (Forest Green Rovers 1889-2019)
- South Stand Man
- Our Football Family
- New Season Again haiku
- Within The Women’s Game ~ WWC 2019
- When Seasons End
- The Whole Stand Is On Fire.Bradford – Lest We Forget 11.05.85
- 30 Years Ago ~ 15.4.89-15.4.19
- Tommy Smith RIP haiku
- What Did We Do Before 5 Live? (1994-2019)
- Going To The Game
- No Football Today ~ Song for Sala
- One Christmas in the Trenches ~ Centenary
- Still Swapping Shirts with Willie The Shake
- 16500 poems haiku
- Ode to Paper Tickets ~ Haiku
- First Home Game ~ Chelsea 6-2 Wolves .30 Aug ’58 (60 Years On)
- Waiting For The Day
- VARcically Les Bleus ~haiku
- Belgium 2-0 England ~ Nuff Said
- No Time Now For Tears
- Mbappe Burns Bright -Les Blues Final Bound
- Can We Start To Dream?
- Gareth Southgate’s Beard
- France & Belgium Semis Bound -Day 20
- Will We Still Be Part Of It All ?
- Sweden England Next haiku
- Brazil & Mexico Through haiku -WC Day 18
- Russia & Croatia Shoot Outs haiku-Day 17
- France Uruguay+Farewell Messi Ronaldo -Day 16
- Three One Nils & a One Two Haiku- WC Day 15
- Brazil / Swiss Advance haiku-WC Day 14
- Germany Out ! Sweden/Mexico Through haiku-WC Day 14
- Denmark France Argentina Croatia Through haiku-WC Day 13
- VARcical – Spain & Portugal Through -WC Day 12
- On England Japan Senegal & Colombia haiku-WC Day 11
- On Belgium Mexico & Germany haiku-WC Day 10
- On Brazil Switzerland & Nigeria haiku -WC Day 9
- Beards Snails & Stars haiku -WC Day 8
- No Nil Nils Haiku
- 1-0~ 1-0~ 1-0 haiku-WC Day 7
- Japan Senegal & Russian Joy haiku-WC Day 6
- Sweden Belgium England Win haiku~WC Day 5
- Olé Serbia Danes & Mexico haiku~WC Day 4
- Happy To Be Here~WC Day 4
- Heartbreak Moments haiku~ WC Day 3
- Late Late Hat-Trick haiku-WC Day 2
- Hapless Arabian Knights haiku-WC Day 1
- May Contain Hope ~ World Cup 2014 Remix
- A World Cup Without Greed
- My First World Cup in ‘58
- World Cup Russia 32 Team haiku
- In Praise of The Football Programme
- When You Can’t Be There
- Ray haiku
- Motty’s Last Game (Remix ’18)
- Why Can’t We Be The Llamas ? ( at Forest Green)
- The Day We Lost A Football Team
- When You Win A Game
- Night Games
- Motty – The Man The Coat The Mike
- Our First Home Game in ’58 (Chelsea 6-2 Wolves )
- The Greatest All Time Vegan Team
- Towards Inclusive Atmospheres
- Sometimes (FGR 3- 1Tranmere R )
- On Our Way
- Swapping Roles With Shakespeare
- The Man Who Loves To Dribble
- Throw Back Cup Ties Rap
- Too Bright for Comfort
- How Many?
- Defending the Indefensible
- Make Some Noise
- This Is For Those Who Travel
- These Are The Ones
- stand up haiku
- Clichés In The Wind
- In Good Time
- Only One Match Of The Day (@ Dover)
- Count To Ten & Count The Clichés
- Listening To The Game
- 16 Years 16000 Poems haiku
- Finding Voices
- Another Season ~ Another Way
- welcome
- In The Year of 66
- Cristiano haiku
- Everything But The Goal ~ Euro 16 Final
- Euro 16~ Day 21 SF1 Portugal v Wales
- Euro 16 ~ SF 2 Day 22 France v Germany
- Euro 16 QF4 ~Day 20
- Euro 16 ~ QF 3 Day 19
- Euro 16 ~ QF2 Day 18
- Euro 16 ~ QF1 Day 17
- Euro 16 ~ Day 16
- It Doesn’t Matter Anymore
- Euro 16 ~ Day 15
- Euro 16 ~ Day 14
- Euro 16 ~ Day 13
- Euro 16 ~ Day 12
- Euro 16 ~ Day 11
- Euro 16 Day 8 ~ haiku
- Euro 16 Day 9 ~ haiku
- Euro 16 Day 7 ~ haiku
- Euro 16 Day 6 ~ haiku
- Euro 16 Day 5 ~ haiku
- Euro 16 Day 4 ~ haiku
- Euro 16 Day 2 ~ haiku
- Euro 16 Day 3 ~ 3 haiku
- how come ? ~ haiku
- Euro 16 Day 1 ~ haiku
- Iceland Dream ~ Euro 16 haiku 1
- Euro16 Wall Chart Blues
- Euro Love 2016 (Euro 2000 revisited)
- ~Cider with Rovers haiku~
- Dilly Ding Dilly Dong
- Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer Buy ~ Revisited
- One Sweet Turn ~ Johan Cruyff RIP
- Osgood Is Good
- Goodbye (Trenchcoats for Goalposts)
- Pretending We’re Not At The Top
- No More The Little Team Upon The Hill
- Ron Springett RIP 1935-2015
- Here Before
- The Whole Stand Is On Fire.Bradford 11.05.85
- Jimmy Greaves Was My Hero
- Jimmy Greaves haikus ( Get Well Soon)
- My Mate Rob at Hillsborough
- To Hull and Back with Rik at The Vic
- Dave Mackay RIP
- To Kick This Madness Out
- Nothing But Money & Sky TV
- The Day We Lost A Football Team (Lest We Forget)
- Footballers With Beards
- Cup of Nations haiku
- The Un-Final Count of Footballers Lost 1914-1918
- One Christmas Truce in the Supermarket
- One Christmas In The Trenches (but not for Sainsbury)
- A Cup of Spice n’ Sauce haiku
- Cheer Up Sean Reid
- magic ties halku
- A Nation Mourns -Senzo Meyiwa RIP.
- You Are Like Football
- Greenland haiku
- Belfast’s Favourite Son~George Best haiku
- When The Fan Was King
- Coventry City – Sky Blue Years ~ 1883 to Now
- England Warning: May Contain Hope
- Who Was Roy The Legend at 60 ? A new look.
- First Of The Season – Welcome Foam
- He’s Still The King (Revisited) J.A.G RIP
- unbelievable
- March of The Day (Bring Coventry City Home)
- When Will We Learn~haiku 4
- Time To Learn Anew ~haiku poem 10
- Di Stéfano’s Gone~haiku
- Diabolical ! Hansen’s Off ~ 11 haiku
- The Agony & Ecstasy of Fans ~9 haiku
- in Touch With Costa Rica..(just) 12 haiku
- Brazil overview haiku x 9
- Glastonb’ry in Brazil haiku x 6
- Bitaly v Bittenuay haiku x 9
- Bra-zil Bra-zil 14 Haiku
- ’66 to ’14 World Cup haiku
- Why Not Believe (Only A Flesh Wound)
- When England Take On Uruguay (for football poets)
- Best fans in the World?
- You’re Supposed To Be In Goal (Hartless Rant)
- When England Take On Italy (FOFI Re-Mix)
- When Exeter Took On Brazil (1914)
- When England Take On Italy
- World Cup 14 Teams haiku 1-32
- 15000 strong haiku
- versatile managers haiku
- What Did We Do Before 5 live?
- Qatar’s World Cup haiku
- Tom Finney RIP haiku
- Why The Long Face? Haiku
- The Day We Lost A Football Team (Revisited)
- The Future Is All About The Kids
- The Cat haiku (Bert Williams RIP)
- rubber sole haiku (nailed on reminder)
- Remembering Eusebio
- Looking For Black Boots At Christmas
- The Footballers of Robben Island
- Waiting For England To Score
- When The Dynamo Came By (Revisited)
- Poles and Worlds Apart
- Who’d be A Keeper (Have a Hart)
- Blue Night At The Swiss Chalet
- The Greatest Team On Earth (Jacko, Lennon, Gandhi )
- He’s Still The King….of Sports Report
- Cole’s 100 Caps Haiku
- New Lawn New Dawn
- Ball-boygate haiku
- Mali 2 –1 Niger Haiku
- Out The Door Haiku
- We Dare To Dream
- Handbags Handshake Haiku
- scales of justice haiku
- When The Truth Turns Blame To Shame
- Ron Tindall-Footie Cricket & More RIP 1935-2012
- FGR go top haiku
- Blind Faith In The Game Pt 2 ~ Paralympics 2012
- FGR third haiku
- Borat’s serendipity haiku
- What’s New.. Season ?
- Mexican waves haiku
- Korea take bronze haiku
- North American goal fest haiku
- Brazil stroll on haiku
- taking part olympic haiku
- what crowds haiku
- Roberto Carlos retires haiku
- team GB are through haiku
- Team GB 2012 v The Dick Kerr Ladies Team 1914
- no heeby GBs haiku
- Leave It To The Women
- Looking For Euro Highlights
- 6 Pirlo Haikus & Haiko Pirlus x 6
- 19 Watching England (Go Out) Haikus
- Christiano Rohaiku
- Last Seven Euro Haikus
- Watching England ?
- Greece Is The Word Haiku
- Euro Haiku Fact #1
- Where Are You Haikus Haikus #2
- Poland Goal Haiku #3
- Still Possible …Play On !
- Loving The No Expectations
- (Eur)Oh Let Us Sing Like Them (reworked)
- Back In The Nineteen Fifties
- Grassroots & Boots – 2012 FA Awards Video/Poem
- Faith On The Spot
- If You Could Write The Script
- Roll Up For The Rich People’s Final
- Isla Dreams Haiku
- How You Can Help Save Our Site+Twitter+Facebook
- Waiting for Roy of The Rovers
- Important Public Notice To Our Loyal Supporters
- Farewell Hello O Fabio?
- Bring ‘Em All Back
- Socrates (Acrostes)
- Sustainability Rap ( Forest Go Solar & Greener)
- ABC message to AVB
- God Speed
- Bog Smacked..Stand Up & Vote
- Love Is Taking Your Partner To Their 1st Game
- 40 Years Of Motty
- Football’s Beauty- Women & Children Only
- Rave On Peter Tickner- Stroud Football Poet RIP
- Back Where We Belong
- Mindless Madness
- Always Hope (Right On the Button)
- More FIFA Haikus
- When You Just Can’t Score – Torresgate
- Walking From Games
- Hey Snood
- If Vegan Do It – You Can Do It
- At-tax Late Returns
- No More A Wandering – Nat Lofthouse 1925-2011
- The People’s Other Poet (Ian Holloway)
- Another Christmas In Afghanistan & Iraq
- One Christmas In The Trenches (Revisited)
- The Panoramic View of World Cup Bids
- I’m A Collector Get Me Out Of Here!
- F.I.F.A Fi Fo Fum….
- And Then There Were Two – Black Managers
- A World Away from Wayne:FC United & AFC Wimbledon
- Paul The Psychic Octopus RIP
- The Supporter’s Prayer (for Rooney et al)
- Big Malc’s Gone – Hat Heart & All
- Same Old England Acrostic (Coach Trip 4)
- Things We’d Change
- Close Perimiter Encounters of The Flashing Kind
- The 4 Musketeers (One for All and Six for One)
- Blown Away & Back With A Roar
- Unavailable
- The Heart Of Of It All (Looking Back)
- All over – It Is Now Alphabetically Speaking
- New Coach Needed haiku
- Why Do You Do It To Us ?
- watching England haikus 1-12
- At Last Rhyming haiku
- The F Factor haiku
- Another World Cupful of Clichés
- without Essien haiku
- watching England haiku
- vuvuzela haiku
- on World Cup countries haikus 1-32
- Africa awaits haiku
- hold on haiku
- When England Take On USA
- Take Me Back (The Whole World is Watching)
- Ev’ry Home Should Have One
- Everything But The Pitch
- World Cup Love is In The Air (Again) Haiku
- The Votes Are In But…
- Conference Houdinis – Forest Fire
- Why Oh Why Oh Why?
- Football Through New Eyes
- The Face of Karma or The Hand of Dog?
- Someone Called José Strikes Again
- What Do We Want From Football Today?
- Handbags and Handshakes At Noon
- The Chimes They Are A-Changing
- Jimmy Greaves haikus
- Jimmy Greaves @ 70 haiku
- Hello My Name Is Jimmy Greaves & I’m An Alcoholic
- The Cup Isn’t Dead – Long Live The Cup
- Waiting For The Game (Notts C v Forest Green)
- Passion Skill & Grit
- Football or Your Life
- snow time like right now – haiku
- The PC Poem That Came In From The Cold
- Christmas In Afghanistan
- Cup Stride In Our Step
- Fair Play To FIFA – Yeah Right!
- A46 Road To Wembley (Stand Up For Forest Green)
- Always About The Feeling
- One World One Sol One Game
- 1 Club Fans
- To Be A Fan
- Time To Get Serious – At Last
- Here We Logo Again
- A Class Above
- Sven’s In (K)Notts
- When Silence Becomes Deafening (Terrygate)
- Horn Free -Let It Blow
- Heysel And The Darkest Hour
- Flip Flop Strop
- Still Swapping Shirts With Shakespeare
- Banner On The Night
- The Day That Football Died
- The Away End – Champions League Night
- Football Is Nothing..In Abidjan
- There Is A Place (Our Little Football Poetry Site)
- No Change In Site ..(On Longing To Evolve)
- The Greatest Goal I Ever Saw
- In Praise of The Goal Celebration
- A-Z of all A-Zs (zzzzzzzzz!)
- Take The Money & Run ( a Reserve Side)
- Eureka-kaka-ka
- Sunday Parking Arrangements
- Still There … The Magic and the Pain
- The Boys Of Forest Green
- One More Christmas With Basil
- The Mighty Forest Green
- It’s Not Easy Being Green Haiku
- Over Land And (Batter)sea
- Top of The Table Forever
- The Greatest Goal Ever On Paper
- Statue In The Mist – Super Sam Revisited
- The Loneliness Of The Short Distance Goalie
- Still Trying To Kick It Out
- Fury On The Airwaves Fury On The Field
- Work & Football (for National Poetry Day)
- The Greatest Game We Never Saw
- Same Ol’ Same Ol’
- On The Manager-Go-Round
- Because They’re Not Worth It ?
- Slaves To The Mind
- World Without Football
- Madsummer Thoughts For An Alien
- The End Of Football As We Know It ..(for now)
- Late Expectations
- Closer Comes The Day
- Why Can’t We Sing Like Them?
- Pipped At The Post
- Villa in Spain For Sale
- Greatest Football Poetry X1.. On Paper /On-Line
- Rumours In The City(Poets Taking Over?)
- Scolari Woh Oh (Volaré Chant )
- Dear Mr A & Mr K… The Un-Special One Applies
- To Manage Chelski (If Only)
- Eveything But The Kitchen Sink
- Midnight In Moscow
- Cup Final Moments
- One More Sunday One More Weekend
- All Gone Now -A Final Thought Remixed
- The Biggest Game Of Their Lives
- Waiting For Outcomes (Fans)
- Those Special Anfield Nights (Yeah Right)
- Watching England v Paint (Tough Choice)
- Mike Bushell (Livin’ It Large Chant)
- We’re England & We’re Barmy
- Conquerors All
- Football At Colchester To Me
- Standing With Stan As Snow Was Falling
- Tears For Eduardo and Gazza
- Football To Me
- Please Don’t Stick Me In Goal
- In This Together – A Valentine
- Havant Been Dreaming Haiku
- The Day We Lost A Football Team
- Hats off To Luton
- The Big Four Cup
- Clapping In The Face of Sorrow
- Still Waiting For Sports Report
- The Night Before The Christmas Game
- Hitching To A Game At Christmas
- The Forest Green Movement (…we’re so alternative)
- Ten Thousands Poems
- The Team That Time Forgot
- how we failed haiku
- Euro Reality
- girls go out with pride haiku
- Without Mourinho
- Pandas In The Dug-Out Haiku
- Three Lionesses Haiku
- A Point In China Haiku
- Deadlock And Glory Haiku
- Hope On The Touchline Haiku
- Girls United For England
- Thinking Of Zola On An Island
- If We Don’t Beat Thingummyjig
- on football haikus 3
- on football haikus 2
- on football haikus 1
- When Football Lies Back In The Shadows
- New Season Same Dreams
- Mellow José
- James Alexander Gordon – King of Sports Report
- Four Wags & A Wedding (What’s So Wrong Pt 4)
- Give us Back Our Game
- That Was The Season That Was
- A Final Thought
- Flip Flops & Wind Chimes & Cup Final Tickets
- Bally
- In The Last Weeks Of The Season
- Finally.. A Woman Commentator
- Give Us A Hug..Finally
- In The Last Minute
- Who Flames The Fan & Who Fans The Flame?
- Passion & Pride Ain’t Everything..Yeah Right!
- The Raggle Taggle England O
- They’ll Never Take My Celery From Me
- Oh England!
- The Celeries Increase
- One In Ten
- Down By The Riverside – Boro v City Remix
- The Day A Great Team Died
- Can You Remember The First Time?
- Over The Hill And Far Away (Brand Beckham)
- Up For The Cup With Vince At Man U
- Can’t Buy An Atmosphere
- This Is The FA Cup
- Still That Old Cup Cliché Magic ..
- The Only Place For Me
- On The Death Of An Old Football Ground
- Among These Hills At Christmas Time
- Getting Stuck In At Christmas
- The Buzz
- There In The Trenches Haiku
- Another Christmas In Iraq
- One Christmas In The Trenches (revisited)
- Still Up For The Cup?
- When Man U Faced The Blues
- Play-Acting Thrives But Passion Still Lives
- Dirty John – A Cautionary Tale
- Who’d Be A Goalie?
- Side By Side On Balls Haiku
- Two Black Bosses In The Football League
- On Swapping Arsenal For Shrewsbury on e Bay!
- perfect pitch haiku
- One Game One Community
- They’re Changing Sides At Arsenal and Chelsea
- Shall I Compare Thee To A Summer Buy 2 ?
- Up There With The Feeling
- Waiting For Roy… Of The Rovers
- On Spotting A Boutique Of Wags
- Can Anyone Tell Me The Score?
- Bon Mot-ty & Match Of Cliché
- Blind Faith In The Game
- Your Boys Done The Biz Haiku
- All Over Now And Gone
- Only A Wind Up Haiku
- Fixed Penalty Notice Due
- Hardly A Kick..But Something’s A-Foot
- Money
- What’s All The Fuss About The World Cup ?
- Thrilled By it All
- Thank God Thank God It’s Almost Here
- Forever England – World Cup Anthem
- Champiani – Come On England
- When England Take On Paraguay
- World Cup Love Haiku
- The Beautiful Womens Game
- worksop in Workshop+Poetry Reading in reading
- Whatever Happened To Football Poetry ..Roger ?
- Nothing Between Us …Posts
- In The Street
- World Cup Calypso
- Nice One Squirrel
- Honesty & Lyallty
- Born To Follow You Blues
- At Last .. Why They Dive Explained
- Voles Galore..They Think It’s All Clover!
- How Teams Are Like Our Greatest Friends
- Swapping Socks & Possibly Boots With Shakespeare
- The Wonder Of Seeing Red ..Thru Blue Glasses
- The Downward Spiral..(Always Been There)
- It’s That Ol’ Teletext Called Ceefax!
- Jude The Odd-Scorer
- The Millers Tale -A Warning
- Snow at Stoke City Haiku
- Osgood Was Good
- Still Blue But Two’ll Do!
- We Are Barça And We Are The Blues
- In The Sepia Vibe
- Don’t Hound Basil
- Who’s Next? Shan’t Tell !
- About That Big (England) Job
- Ode To The Special One
- Red Mist Red Card
- Basil For England – More Verb Than Herb
- Greenie
- Waiting For The Draw
- That Ol’ Cup Cliché Magic
- Dreaming In Red 2010
- Meet Me On Down At The Football Café
- The Only Kid Here In The Park …At Xmas
- One Christmas At War – Haiku
- One Christmas In The Trenches
- So Sad So Sad About Man U
- Respect The Marc of Zoro!
- Best Memories
- Best Gift of All
- Belfast’s Favourite Son – Haiku
- the Best years of our lives
- Football In This Country
- The Scoring’s In Safe Hands
- Where Were You On The Day,..?
- Money
- Everybody’s Talking ‘Bout Chelsea …Let’s Just Play
- Remembering Brave Johnny Haynes
- KICK IT OUT RAP O5 Re-Mix
- Football Our Obsession
- Get Me Out Of Here
- Waiting For Us All
- I Could Have Been….
- Still Keep Missing You
- I Pity The Rich Substitute
- 25 Years of Attila On The Mike!
- Into Extra Rhyme
- Carry On
- With Zola Gone
- Come Back Please Zola Haiku!
- You Are Poetry On Legs
- Because My Skin Is White
- Champions Haiku
- Only A Footballl Haiku
- This Beautiful Game Haiku
- In Ninety Degrees Haiku
- Climbing The Steps Haiku
- Like Matchsticks Haiku
- Just Ten Haiku
- My First Scarf Haiku
- So Close Haiku
- On Doodlebugs & Carrying On
- Like Swallows Returning
- Champion Haikus
- Haiku Works Like This
- Jimmy Greaves Was My Hero
- A Girl Commentates – Haiku
- Dream It Like Kelly – haiku
- Or To The Finnish – 3 Euro 2005 Haikus
- Is This The Way To Treat Mourinho ? Part 2
- Are You Jah Jah Binks in Disguise?
- Lily Parr & The Dick Kerr Ladies
- How Was The Season For You?
- Was This Not Football Poetry ?
- The White Horse Final
- Footie Mem’rabilia On Ol’ E-Bay
- The Ecological Footballer
- When The Dynamo Came By
- Upon The Hands Of Fans
- Peter Sillett Where Are You?
- The Whole Stand Is On Fire – Bradford 11.05.85
- Walking To Greet The Champions
- Well Done Liverpool (Realise The Dream)
- Now That The Waiting is Over
- Bring On The Knight.. In Blue
- Looking For Ego (with Jose)
- Jose & The Hand Jive (Down To You)
- Looking At A Photograph.. From 1955
- Is This The Way To Treat Mourinho?
- Something Thumping
- Lucky O-Mens and O-Womens
- Keeping It Real At Easter
- A Premierless Easter
- We Do Workshops (Shameless Advertising Poem)
- I’m A Football Poet (Mine’s A Veggie Wrap)
- Finshing It Off
- In The Middle Of The Shed
- O To Float In Jose’s Coat
- Shed (Revisited 05)
- Hitting The Right Note With Tiago
- Statue In The Mist – Super Sam Bartram
- In The Changing Room
- Fish That Wander.. in Carlisle
- What Is The Price Of Racism.. £420?
- On Not Wearing Blue & The Colour Bar
- Let Football Wait
- Christmas Anoraks For Goalposts in Hackney
- The Only Person In The Football Ground
- Waiting For The Score (When We Were Nine Or Ten)
- Nobody Loves You When You’re Top
- Well Done Roy Bentley (1924-2018)
- ‘Leave It Out Touts About!
- Every Lion Has His Day (Half Way There)
- What Have We Done To The Beautiful Game?
- Weah there’s a Will There’s A Way (African Pride)
- The First Time Ever You Saw That Place
- How Kanu Miss That?
- Half Rhyme Break
- Who’s Substitute? (Deep- House Bench Dilemna)
- Last Night A DJ Made Me Laugh
- Mu-Tu Haiku
- You Can Return But You Can Never Go Back Like It Was
- Funny Poets Preservation Society..(in defence of)
- What Now & Why With John Peel Gone?
- The Start Of A Roar
- Paul Canoville – Acrostically Remembered
- Paul Canoville – Haiku
- only a ball – haiku
- arthur wharton (1865-1930) – haiku
- judged by skin alone – haiku
- just a game? haiku
- black players as role models – sonnet
- NEW AGE FOOTBALL – Alive In The South West !
- Stopping By The Bridge On A Snowy Evening
- GLASTIDERATA – not for the footie hearted
- Nice Shades Posh ..But Is Beckham Playing?
- Only A Game (But Doesn’t Football Love Hurt)
- EURO LOVE 2000-2004(re-visited)
- Euro 2004 … summer of football love (& fluff)
- to faith in sometimes ( survival of the weathiest )
- FOOTBALL LOVE ACTUALLY
- South-South Divide (A Tale Of Two Districts)
- 1 World 1 Nation 1 Country……Senegal!
- Are U Goin’ To Scarborough Yeah? (It’ll End in Tiers)
- Tea For The Tinkerman
- where minnows dream
- Cloudier Gibranieri -A Manager’s Christmas Tale(apologies to Kahlil Gibran)
- THE FOOTBALL LAUREATE/ Well Sung Un-Sung Hero
- part of it all (at the heart of football)
- Top Spiritual XI – The Greatest Team Ever Told (On-Line & On Paper)*
- Where Have All The Players Gone?(Revisited)
- what now…..with becks and zola gone?
- becks and zola gone..what now
- Just A Moment – At Season’s End… Re-Visited
- Following You (for loyal fans)
- On Loyal Fans At Season’s End…
- still dreamin’…(the war & season are over ..if you want it)
- Top XI – The Greatest Team Ever Told ..On Paper..*
- Arthur Wharton – A Burning Black Star -(1865-1930)
- A Viking Nightmare (Who Burnt All The Cakes?)
- Bonkers-tastic! (On Conkering Racism In Sport)
- West London Stalemate Haiku
- Doing the Splitz Haiku
- peace one day …( football poets for peace)
- Rapping Away The Hate………… (On Kicking Racism Out of Football.. In Verse)
- IF you become a football poet -for Sven (with apologies to Shinguard Strapling)
- On Why I Won’t Be A Football Poet In Residence (Unless it’s Planet Earth FC)
- Nil Points -Haiku
- Billy Wright Where Are You?( 44 years ago. but .i remember it like yesterday)
- Where Have All The Players Gone?)
- On Such A Day (for Holly and Jessica and their families)
- you are like football
- sweet ball of summer (2002 re-mix)
- On Staying Open In The Close Season
- O England why are you weeping?
- on senegal haiku
- on america haiku
- on germany haiku
- on japan haiku
- on brazil haiku
- on italy haiku
- on england haiku
- on ireland haiku
- on turkey haiku
- on korea haiku
- on spain haiku
- on belgium haiku
- sweet brazil (30 years on 72-02)
- Talking With Managers ( haiku)
- word-up rap…(a space and a place for every race)
- Just A Moment (In The Time of The Season)
- David & Goal-Eyeth
- Toe-Ku or Tofu?
- Football Heaven In A Cup of World Love
- Mend It Like Beckham (Magic Is A-Foot)
- Just A Game
- football haikus coming home
- this game this life
- playing the game
- football is
- African Cup of Musical Notions (On Playing Live In Africa)
- Sorry We’re Broke..We Got Stuck In The Sixties ( short 160-line haiku! )
- World Cup Willie Blake’s Haiku Blues
- Sorely Misty In The Footy Worldlode….Tribbly To Sir Stanley (Unwin)
- Poetry on Toast….And That Ol’ Zola Marmalade
- ZOLA I Want 2 Thank U 4 Giving Me The Best Goal Of My Life
- that ol Zola poetry
- Footballers Would Be Wives(Wots So Wrong About Wantin To Marry A Soccer) Star
- There Once Were Some Soccer Poets From Stroud
- The master’s Crisp-Less Tale
- what kind of game is this..in difficult times & places
- Editorial Note To All Wembley Lovers, Poets and Readers
- where now..the Wembley dream is over?
- autumn on your ‘ead ..my son
- with love (and nothing to do with football)
- sweet ball of summer
- Footballer’s Blues/The Price Of A Beer
- O To Be In Tiverton Now The Final’s Here
- the magic of money
- A FOOTBALL LOREATE/THE WELL SUNG-UN-SUNG HERO
- FREEDOM FOR FOOTBALL – NOW!
- Nine-All and Fifteen-Three
- Billy Wright Where Are You?
- This dream we share
- TREASURE (National)
- Distant Fan
- The Ghost of Stanley Matthews
- Come On Down Kids…
- REF-RAP POEM
- The Wrong End Of Life
- Match Of The Des
- Shed
- THE PEOPLE’S FLAG
- THE RICH PEOPLE’S GAME
- What’s so wrong about wanting to marry a big soccer star?
- EURO LOVE 2000
- ESCOBAR
- FOOTBALL STUFF
- New age football men and women
About This Site
Welcome to Football Poets -- a club for all football poets, lovers of football and lovers of (alternative) poetry. Discover poets in every league from respected internationals at the top of their game to young hopefuls in the school playground.
Publish your football poems here and then discuss them with your team mates and fans. We're archived by The British Library, so your masterpieces are in the safe hands of a world-class keeper. What a result!
My Account
Latest Poems
Crispin Thomas
30th May 2020
Clik The Mouse
27th May 2020
Gacina Bozidar
13th May 2020
Clik The Mouse
11th May 2020
Alex Saynor
9th May 2020
Emdad Rahman
4th May 2020
Clik The Mouse
30th April 2020
Clik The Mouse
27th April 2020
John J O’Connor
18th April 2020
Emdad Rahman
15th April 2020
Crispin’s Corner
In Memoriam
Kick It Out & Christmas Truce
Latest Comments
11th May 2020 at 11:11 am
Hi Alex,
what a fabulous poem!
It captures the essence of non-league football, and the travel involved to and from matches.
“Gathering on a Thames island for a sing-song”: possibly Eel Pie Island back in the 60s or 70s, a local venue that I never went to, but watched recently on a documentary.
I’ll count myself as one of these few Met fans!
I played on saturdays (SAL), but pre or post our season, I’d be supporting the Blues / football.
Given my ‘manor’, I’d be at either:
Stamford Bridge, or
Brentford, or
Imber Court, or
the Beveree (for Hampton, as was – now Hampton and Richmond Borough).
Imber Court holds a lot of fond memories for our family – it’s where we went on a regular basis to let off steam. I could cycle there safely with pals any time I wanted.
I watched Wimbledon champions in their early days there (venue for Junior qualifiers);, watched Chelsea train there for one pre-season (and grabbed a left behind sweaty shirt! Still have it – and yes, washed!).
Dad wasn’t much of a fan generally, but he joined me as we watched his friends and colleagues play, so a bonding time for the both of us.
My sister had her wedding reception there, and we had my mother’s funeral reception there earlier this year.
So your poem brought back some very touching personal memories, I thank you profusely for that.
But again, in itself, it is a great poem.
See in context
27th January 2020 at 7:10 pm
The website is actually called Goal Nets and Stanchions.
See in context
13th January 2020 at 4:27 pm
Please insert after line 15 “Where life was hard and occasionally brutal”
See in context
10th January 2020 at 3:19 pm
I meant to write 4th round. Oops !
See in context
23rd December 2019 at 3:07 pm
I loved all Mishi’s poems!
His passion shone through so brightly.
Every club needs a Mishi.
God Rest His Soul.
See in context
21st December 2019 at 10:24 am
Editor Note
Welcome to Football Poets Tony. More please! Keep on.
See in context
10th December 2019 at 11:47 pm
Hi Denys, it’s great to have another Toffee posting on Footy Poets. I haven’t contributed for some time, but if you click my name you’ll find some Everton poems going back several years.
Yes, now we’re all made up about the Chelsea result. And the return of the team spirit. And the two strikers formation.
See in context
21st November 2019 at 10:11 am
Thank you Al and Welcome to Football Poets..
Too often in the shadow and wake of Hillsborough, Bradford and Heysel, your powerful and emotive lines remind us of a tragic day when 66 died and many more were injured at Ibrox .
RIP
See in context
4th November 2019 at 9:51 am
great three lines Alex…table football..says it all
See in context
16th October 2019 at 10:50 pm
Kev….. the Rev, of that place that rhymes with Les Fridge!
🙂
See in context