THE WORLD CUP
I did have an idea to celebrate 40 years since 1966. I wanted to get 11 poets to write 11 poems about the team of ’66. However, I couldn’t get a publisher or sponsor interested, so in the end I wrote a series of poems myself. They are everyman recollections that try and capture something of the men, the magnitude, the mood and the memories. You can click on the names on the image to see the poems.
( For George Cohen )
Almost forgotten
But you were there.
You may not have scored the three goals
You may not have scored the other goal
You may not have been dramatic in your exploits
But you were there
Solid and dependable
Not so much what you did
But more what you stopped them from doing
Without you it would not have been the same
A link in the chain
A brick in the wall
Part of the process
Integral to victory
Your place in history secure
Forever a World Cup winner
Forever a hero
Your heroics may be unsung
But you were there
And for that alone
We all wish we could have been you
And been in your boots that day
The day that you were there
PAUL COOKSON