I look at all our coaches nowadays
And listen to them holding forth post-game:
The stream of phrases, sausages, all the same,
Ground up, churned out, consumable clichés.
Where are the masters of the pithy phrase
Whose wisdom, wit – and frequent lack of shame! –
Brought World of Sport and Football Inquest fame?
The voices of the past my mind replays:
“Will you pay the price?” “Don’t think! Just do!”
The “last non-thinking coach”; T-shirts and tea;
The “stuck it up ’em” post-match interview;
The Martians, seagulls, scarf aloft in glee.
With Bobby and now Yabbie gone to ground,
You’re kind of glad that Sheeds is still around.
About Andrew Gaylard
Andrew used to do computers; now he does books and writing. 1963, 2007, 2009, 2011 and 2022 were particularly good years in his football-following life.
Nice poem Andrew. Your last line made me chuckle. But seriously – it is sad to see the passing of true characters, great leaders and wise men who contributed so much to the game