Football Poets

You Can’t Beat A Cliché in Rhyme

¶ 1 Leave a comment on verse 1 0 this is a chance to say thank you
we’ve been on a journey this year
for the fans it’s been some rollercoaster
but come rain or shine they are there
and the noise has been something all season
and I’m struggling to find words to say
and nothing is yet done and dusted
and I’m certain that we’ll be OK
and if a high press isn’t working
then we push on and build from the back
cause keeping it solid’s the answer
and we won’t let your nerves start to crack
but if they’re succumbing to pressure
and I’m jumping about on the line
as a manager I stay poetic
cause you can’t beat a cliché in rhyme

¶ 2 Leave a comment on verse 2 0 and we never give up if it isn’t our day
I remind them it isn’t theirs either
so I ask the big lads to hold up the play
and give our back four a nice breather
he’s the part that gets other parts working
he’s the voice you will hear in the game
he’s the changing room clown when the chips are all down
and he treats ev’ry player the same
and if you feel chances are thinning
it’s about what you do with the ball
cause one swallow don’t make a Summer
and it’s just how you set out your stall
so it’s onto the next game together
and the weekend can’t come quick enough
and I know it’s a cliché to say it
but you must take the smooth with the rough
and that purple patch that you go through
it can stay in the back of your mind
but you can’t judge a book by its cover
so you dig out out a cliché in rhyme

¶ 3 Leave a comment on verse 3 0 and it’s not just eleven men out there
it’s about everyone at the club
and sometimes whatever you do on the day
is down to the luck or the rub
but now and again if you’re careful
as a manager I always say
all you can give is a hundred percent
and Rome wasn’t built in a day
and it’s never quite done til the fat lady sings
but choices will have to be made
and sometimes you know if it isn’t to be
there are plenty of games to be played
and if Plan A goes right out the window
and the referee shows a red card
all of that work done in training
becomes suddenly doubly as hard
it’s an uphill task that you’re facing
and it might cause the ref consternation
but a 5-7-5 wil confuse them
if you change to a haiku formation
and yes I’m aware it’s illegal
to be having that one extra man
and I know that you’re not s’posed to do it
but you might as well try if you can!
so you batten the hatches and tighten your grip
come Saturday you will be fine
cause you can’t win ’em all that’s a given
so you chuck in a cliché in rhyme

¶ 4 Leave a comment on verse 4 0 and it’s swings and it’s roundabouts sometimes
you can tell when it isn’t your day
you can spot a few tired legs are out there
but you see the game through anyway
and you pick yourself up and you dust yourself off
and you practise set pieces galore
’cause all you can do is get back and graft
and try til you can’t do no more

¶ 5 Leave a comment on verse 5 0 so I say to the lads it’s about the next game
and whoever turns up on they day
and deep down inside they all get it
and I know they’ll come up with a way
and with penalties don’t get me started
but you give it your very best shot
and bottom line all that I ask for
is you’ve just gotta score from the spot
cause it’s points on the board that’s important
and there’s no other target or reason
it’s purely to fight for your life on the night
when you get to that stage in the season
and if you’re just not at the races
and you feel ike it’s not gonna be
then you’re kind or =f resigned and you put it behind
because patience is always the key
and that’s why I don’t read the comments
and you won’t find me going online
my job is to be there to pick them all up
with a joke or a cliché in rhyme

¶ 6 Leave a comment on verse 6 0 its about how you get over setbacks
the response and the way you perform
if you’re up for the task and they do all you ask
then I know we will weather the storm
just don’t mention refs or I’ll lose it
but I’d sure like to know what they’re on
and I could say a lot but I cannot
so let’s put it behind us – it’s gone
and sometimes you know where it’s going
so you chalk that one off and renew
and you move on to Tuesday or Wednesday
and you come back again as you do
cause the fans are the ones that you play for
and they sing and they chant ev’ry time
and the lads know they’re out there behind them
and they’re just like a cliché in rhyme

¶ 7 Leave a comment on verse 7 0 cause it’s never quite done til the fat lady sings
there are choices that have to be made
and sometimes you know that it isn’t to be
and there’s plenty of games to be played
and if Plan A goes right out the window
and the ref should whip out a red card
then all of that work done in training
is suddenly doubley as hard
it’s a huge uphill task and you know it
and it might be a tough one this time
but we pick ourselves and we dust ourselves off
and I find a new cliché in rhyme

¶ 8 Leave a comment on verse 8 0 and then I’ll often remind them that football’s like verse
and it’s not just a question of timing
and sometimes we sing ” three lines on a page..
has never- not once – stopped us rhyming!”
and in cup games we all love a trophy
then you know down inside it’s your time
but if heads start to drop and the boys lose the plot
you just can’t beat a cliché in rhyme

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