The beautiful world of football brought to life

10:01am Monday 17th September 2007

Comments (0)   Have your say »

Most people have something to say about football but one man it seems has that little bit more.

"The Greatest Game on Earth - A Collection of Footballing Verse" is the first published collection of Emdad Rahman's footballing poetry.

It includes a series of poems and verses about the beautiful game in all its glory.

His writings include recollections of the classic Brazil versus Italy fixture of 1982 entitled Redemption' and The Laird from Govan' a poem about Sir Alex Ferguson.

He has even written a whole poem on the punditry of David Pleat and former Bolton Wanderers manager Sam Allerdyce.

Born and brought up in the East End of London, Emdad fell in love with football when he watched his hero Bryan Robson orchestrate a resounding 3-0 win against an all star Barcelona team at Old Trafford in the European Cup Winners Cup quarter-finals in 1984.

Other formative experiences in Emdad's childhood include Liverpool beating AS Roma in the European Cup final that year with Bruce Grobbelaar's 'wobbly legs' clown antics, Everton capturing the Cup Winners Cup against Rapid Vienna a year later and the Liverpool double year of 1986.

Thirty-one year old Emdad, a Liverpool fan said, "I have been writing football poetry for a year, mainly in meetings and composing in my head at odd times. I decided to place my work on the net and this summer decided to publish on a whim. I'm chuffed with the end result."

"In total the book has sixty poems but I am now contemplating publishing a second volume in the future."

"The response from people has been phenomenal because the poems are about moments and football personalities all fans share."

Emdad, a local government officer ,started to write football poetry in 2006, after stumbling upon a football poetry website. But it was his childhood memories of some great football games and moments that really inspired him.

"As a ten year old, I was mesmerised with Mexico 86 - an incredible and endless talent show which cemented my obsession with the game."

Just some of Emdad's poems...

The Laird from Govan.

Fergie, Fergie.

A catatonic burst of energy.

You'll do well if you're St Neville of the clergy.

Be Ruud, avoid him like the lergy.

Strachan became a hypersensitive reaction to an allergy.

Same fate for Brian Kidd, a man of Panergy.

Big time Ince, a pure definition of Surgy.

Aussie Mark Bosnich, a mixed bag of lethargy.

Spice boy Greening, shipped off to be a Baggy.

With Becks it was turning into a big showbiz orgy.

A brilliant stopper in Stam, but not working in synergy.

With delusional Yorkey the picture was getting muggy.

Last straw for Lieutenant Keano, were things getting foggy?

Cross him and the resulting taste will be tangy New dawn with the Fergie babes, get ready with the buggy.

Many will come and go, but the Govan Don will always remain the biggie.

(Don Ferguson: The Godfather of world football).

Brilliant Orange.

Schizophrenic they may be.

Two World Cup final losses.

Leaving the nation all at sea.

Total Voetbal', switching positions with ease.

Flowing passes, stubborn possession, the killer pass, all a breeze.

Wilkes, Cruyff, Gullit to name but three.

Stars for the future include Van Persie.

The future is orange, the future is bright.

The spirit of Rembrandt and Van Gogh is truly alight.

(In a nutshell... "The neurotic genius of Dutch football")