ALL THERE,IN BLACK'N'WHITE

England have just totally butchered their World Cup run again.I think,in the 2006 finals,England played just 45 minutes of good football,the rest --total failure.They were finally put out of their misery by Portugal,in a Penalty shoot out.A pathetic let down.It wasn't always that way.This poem is a tribute to my childhood heros the 1966 World Cup winning team.I remeber it like it was,well,about 5 years ago--and thank goodness I do,memories have been few and far apart ever since.It was also a poem of hope (since lost)

"ALL THERE IN BLACK'N'WHITE"

LASTNIGHT,I HAD THE STRANGEST DREAM
IT SURELY WOKE ME UP.
WHEN I DREAMPT THAT MOTHER ENGLAND
HAD WON THE WORLD CUP.
IT WAS ALL SO REAL AND VIVID,
YOU COULD SWEAR,THAT I WERE THERE.
WHEN I SAW THE ENGLAND CAPTAIN
RAISE THE TROPHY IN THE AIR.

IN THE GROUPS,WE'D REALLY STARTED SLOW
FIRST,WAS NIL ALL DRAW,
BUT WE SCORED TWO IN THE NEXT ONE
AND,IN THE THIRD A COUPLE MORE.
SO THAT HAD PUT US TOP OF GROUP
AND,TO THE QUARTER FINALS FLEW.
IN THAT,THOUGH WE ONLY NETTED ONE
THEY GOT NONE--WE'RE THROUGH.

TO THE SEMI FINALS OFF WE WENT,
OUR JOB WAS THREE PARTS DONE
WE SLOTTED HOME TWO GOALS THAT DAY,
OUR FOES COULD GET BUT ONE.
THE FINAL,WE HAD MADE IT
WE WERE READY,WE WERE PUMPED,
BUT AFTER TWELVE WE LET ONE IN,
TO AN EARLY LEAD THEY'D JUMPED.

ON EIGHTEEN MINUTES,WE GOT IT BACK,
ON EIGHTY SEVEN,WE'D GONE AHEAD.
BUT,RIGHT ON NINETY,THEY EQUALISED,
NINETY-SEVEN THOUSAND FANS,STUNNED-DEAD.
IN EXTRA TIME OUR MEN MARCHED ON
THEY WERE TIRED,AND THEY WERE SORE,
BUT RULE BRITANIA RULED THE WAVES
WHEN THE HAMMER HIT TWO MORE

"WHAT?"

I SAID "AND THE HAMMER HIT TWO MORE"

AND NOBBY HELD THE CUP ON HIGH,
AND SKIPPED AS ROUND HE WENT.
THE SMILING FACE OF GEOFFREY HURST,
HIS HAT-TRICK HEAVEN SENT.
GORDON BANKS HAD KEPT THEM OUT,
RAY WILSON AND GEORGE COHEN,
BOBBY MOORE,JACK CHARLTON,MARTIN PETERS
WERE STARS THAT JUST KEPT GOIN'
ROGER HUNT,BOBBY CHARLTON,NOT FORGETTING ALAN BALL.
ELEVEN HERO'S ON THAT DAY
MADE ALF RAMSEY "KING OF ALL"

THE THIRTIETH JULY,NINETEEN SIXTY-SIX
A DATE THATS ETCHED IN STONE.
THAT IS UNTIL,SAME TIME THIS YEAR
WHEN THEY BRING THE TROPHY HOME.
WELL.I SUPPOSE THIS ALL EXPLAINS ONE THING,
THE MYSTERY OF THE NIGHT.
IT EXPLAINS TO ME THE REASON,
THIS DREAM,WAS HAD IN BLACK'N'WHITE