I started by writing a verse about Ken that I posted in the Hudderfield game thread and then started to get an idea to write something about Redcar Red. So, I have now decided to try and write a verse or two about as many of the regular posters as I can manage.
It might take me a while to get around to everyone, but for now, here is my verse about Ken again along with my new ode to Redcar Red.
Watch oput for when I pick on you to write about 😉 and in the mean time, this isn't my exclusive topic, so anyone else that wants to chip in with a rhyme please do.
Not sure if this the best thread for this, but here it is anyway, in appreciation of the ongoing abundance of contributions from you .....
Thank you Ken
-----------------
I’d like to write something for Ken
Who posts here and not now and then
Of historical fact
There’s no need to redact
We can reference again and again
He used to write often in verse
Imitated, for better or worse
But more recent in prose
About those who compose
Well who did, but in previous years
He shares with us stories of life
Both his own, but sometimes of his wife
Of their travels abroad
All those memories to hoard
That are cherished, recalled in delight
Despite that he struggles with health
Ken refuses to sit on the shelf
He writes things we like
Of when players could strike
Scoring goals despite lacking in wealth
So I’d just like to say thank you Ken
For sharing your best with your pen
You’re a role for us all
Never mind the football
Simply how we can be better men
And here is my new one,
Ode to Redcar Red
Here’s a callout for our Redcar Red
Who writes up match reports before bed
Any time of the year
If we lose, when we cheer
Harder done than is easier said
There are many who don’t get to see
At the ground, even not on TV
With his all-seeing eyes
The best view he supplies
Of the game and completely for free
Now he doesn’t just type kick by kick
His writing is analytic
Bringing sense to events
With a cool temperament
Even when what he sees makes him sick
Its clear Redcar writes with his heart
And can write op’ning pieces to start
In a new matchday thread
Or just posting instead
Its his thoughtfulness sets him apart
So thank you for keeping us straight
And for posting reports, never late
You deserve the acclaim
Many pin to your name
Rest assured we all appreciate
Very humbling Powmill and appreciated!
OFB
Here’s a few lines about our Bob
Fat and old, not a crusty old cob
Helped to keep us afloat
With his contacts of note
Giving insight that is just the job
On his travels he learned to take fine
Bacchanalian, red Argentine
He has a big heart
Which despite a kick-start
Is one thing about him we define
We know about refs what is said
But I’m sure both his parents were wed 😉
Now he shares with us all
On the laws of football
That he carries around in his head
Perish the thought I could lie
His predictions are hard to deny
When he foretells the score
Not just any old draw
It’s always the eyeballs in the sky
Recently we know that he lost weight
Which I have to say I think is great
It will keep him around
With his nose to the ground
Till the next time the Boro score eight!
Word of Mouth
Its true that most of us wouldn’t be here
But for Werdermouth making it clear
We were welcome to post
Of the team we love most
When “Untypical” closed with a tear
With some technical nous and great prose
A wonderous platform arose
He should be so proud
Because pride is allowed
Just look at us now, how it shows
He thought it all through with a grin
Gave us forums in which to begin
Any sensible thread
Running loose in our head
Diasboro means all of us win
While setting this up all the while
He’s had projects to build and to tile
The demands on his time
It seems petty to rhyme
As he always went more than a mile
So, think of you Werder we do
And we hope you will soon find the cue
To join in once again
With us funny old men
Who appreciate your point of view
Superb 👍👍
Agreed, Andy. A lovely tribute and a credit to both its subject and its writer. Many thanks Powmill
Than you Andy and thank you Len. Most kind.
PN’s written some prose about Bob,
And I must say he’s done a good job.
The verses he’s written are fine,
Far much better than mine,
Though his thunder I don’t wish to Rob.
He’s also praised our Redcar Red,
And I think it’s got to be said
We all agree with him there
That it’s obviously fair
That without him who’d we have in his stead?
Werdermouth we have missed for some time,
And it would be really a crime
If he do’nt return soon.
In fact we’d be over the moon
If he’s able to read PN’s rhyme.
PN’s even written about me, Ken
But why not about our Len?
Whose really a sensible read
And there must be a need,
But the question is when, not now and then.
So now is the time to relate
And I hope it isn’t too late
To raise a glass to Powmill-Naemore;
I’m sure it won’t be a chore
As he’s now our Poet-Laureate.👋
And someone once said football fans are huligans, dear me. They are nothing but gentlemen and more. Unbelievable,.
Up the Boro!
Masterful Masterton
Someone said why not write about Len
Who’s as worthy as most of your pen
I’ve ideas to write
About all (well not quite!)
So, keep checking again and again
Len’s wise voice of reason we hear
When things can get rowdy in here
He will cut to the quick
Erudite not just slick
When off-piste we occasionally steer
Its quite a big deal if his praise he affords
For you know you have hit the right chords
And it builds you up well
For the next things you’ll tell
Not forgetting the annual awards!
He’s of the old guard, from “Untypical” days
And we always take heed what he says
With his firm, gentle tone
Leaves no need to atone
Despite some of us stuck in our ways
Thanks for the calming sage words you have shared
Motivating so no one felt scared
To write what they think
About any old link
Always knowing there’s someone who cared
Powmill,
How typically kind and generous of you. More than I deserve, as a rheumy-eyed old codger given to occasional outbursts of intemperate rage, but greatly appreciated nevertheless. Thanks, as ever, for all you do to make the blog such a hospitable, must-read place.
There was an old saying in the 60s which went like this:-
Football is a game for GENTLEMAN played by HOOLIGANS
Rugby Union is a game for HOOLIGANS played by GENTLEMEN But Rugby League is a game for HOOLIGANS played by HOOLIGANS
@ken The weird thing is that that myth still exists. After the cyber bullying by RaRa fans at the weekend, I think it’s been safely dispelled.
The quote has been attributed to Lord Tedder when he was Chancellor of Cambridge University, but I can’t find categoric proof of that.
Martin Bellamy
Has the kick and clap game of Rugby Union now become the kick and scrap game?
Flying Finn
Many Finns are renowned cos they flew
From Nurmi to Verén to Salo to name but a few
But there’s one that flies in
Who is our kith and kin
Our own Flying Finn, Jarkko you
How on earth could it be people say
Someone chose our team from far away
Jarkko’s told us before
When he came to our shore
Boro folk, well they blew him away
He’s made many friends he holds dear
And likes to come by every year
To take in a match
Two or three in a batch
Well, as many he can while he’s here
And its not just the football he’s found
But the beauty that is all around
In the Vale of the Tees
Where there’s so much to please
For those willing to let it be found
So Jarkko, I think you should know
While your snug in your home in the snow
We just love that you share
In our passion, our care
Even when it is 50 below
Don’t undersell yourself Len. Your contributions to Diasboro are always well worth reading.
Ken
Home Thoughts from Cumbria
If in England and then if in Cumbria
Is a close as it comes to utopia
David still can come down
Into Middlesbrough town
To watch Boro play live, not on media
He travels by train I've heard tell
And will stay overnight in hotel
So he sees all the game
Good or bad, just the same
There are some that would say "He's not well!"
But we share the disease in his head
For the love of that team all in red
Which for better or worse
Is not really a curse
But a passion it has to be said
These days we must all stay at home
Lock down rules that will not let us roam
And makes games to be played
With no atmosphere made
Hard on us all with the Boro syndrome
So for David in Cumbria soon
And us all, so we can sing in tune
Back in our home town patch
As we go to the match
See us win, and be over the moon
Sorry, I have missed your post on me earlier. Now read it and I am feeling good. Accepted as a Boro fan. A bit Teessider in heart or Yorkshire man. Thank you, mate. Love this blog. Up the Boro!
You are very welcome Jarkko. I'm pleased you appreciated it.
AndyR
AndyR, AndyR, is a Boro fan
AndyR, AndyR, a Diasboro man
Posts thoughts that make sense, never sitting on the fence
AndyR, AndyR, AndyR
He joined the greatest writers on the internet to share
And vowed to help the good folk write this blog
He’s written sev’ral starting posts in time that he had spare
To become another most important cog
AndyR, AndyR, is a Boro fan
AndyR, AndyR, a Diasboro man
Posts thoughts that make sense, never sitting on the fence
AndyR, AndyR, AndyR
He came to Diasboro with a feather in his pen
A writer never looking for a fight
His ink was always ready, and he kept his pen nibs sharp.
Always posting using words that are polite
AndyR, AndyR, is a Boro fan
AndyR AndyR, a Diasboro man
Posts thoughts that make sense, never sitting on the fence
AndyR, AndyR, AndyR
The cheating and corruption in the game did not appeal
His words would wish integrity hold sway
And of certain costly figures wasting space out on the field
Hoping Warnock would just make them go away
AndyR, AndyR, is a Boro fan
AndyR AndyR, a Diasboro man
Posts thoughts that make sense, never sitting on the fence
AndyR, AndyR, AndyR
Thanks mate! Honoured to be recognised among the real greats of the blog who have been honoured in previous poems.
Thanks for your verse which must have been written on one of the few days when I hadn't looked at Diasboro. If I survive another year I will have spent half my life in Cumbria but Boro will be the only team I really care about. Having lived alone for over 45 years I am not that talkative but the odd time I do get into a conversation over here it is inevitable that I mention my support for the Boro and when asked why I put it down to an incurable mental illness suffered by people around my age. It used to take most of my pocket money to get into the Boys End and (as my grown up height is 5' 5") I used to need help to get over the wall to run down to the front of the stand to get a good view though someone would often stand in my way. Entry prices are now so high that, unless their parents take them, most kids would find it beyond their pocket money so the loyalty of youngsters nowadays is limited.
When I see the posts from supporters around the world who also haven't escaped from their love for the Boro I think about the plan I had to emigrate to a quiet life in New Zealand when I won the Lottery but it hasn't yet worked out for me. I would of course have used some of my millions to pop over to the UK to use my Boro season card. Not a great game against Sheffield Wednesday but a 3 - 1 win is welcome to brighten up my life at any time rather than the low days following a defeat.
PLATO – A philosopher’s verse
I’ve not done a rhyme here of late so
Its time to write one for our Plato
With his heart on his sleeve
And no plan to deceive
There is never a need to call Nato
Posts strong views, but there’s no need to ban
He’s as forthright as any good man
It’s a trait to admire
Never scared of the fire
He is just a most passionate fan
There is an occasional hook
Of a theme where he likes to get stuck
Remember Traore ?
Caused quite a furore
Did we really lose more than a buck?
But he’s straight to the point with his words
Happy, aloof from the herd
Gives us all pause to think
No, I didn’t say drink
Keeps debate in this forum well stirred
It takes all sorts to philosophise
Sharing thoughts, sometimes really quite wise
Plato’s one of our team
All of whom we esteem
Hoping Boro are soon to arise