The Beautiful Poetry of Football Commentary

Roma have risen from their ruins! Manolas, the Greek God in Rome! The unthinkable unfolds before our eyes. This was not meant to happen, this could not happen . . . this is happening! Peter Drury When you think of many of the most iconic moments in football, it often isn't just the images that play in your head. Usually, they are accompanied by an ingenious line of commentary, perfectly capturing the moment with a few choice words. From the upper-class voice of yesteryear prosaically describing events on the pitch in the days before colour television, to the hyperbolic screeching of today's broadcasts, the commentator is an intrinsic part of our football-watching experience and, in many ways, they are the poets of our time. From Peter Drury's eloquent monologues to Robbie Savage's savaging of the English language, the beautiful game has given us some poetic, and not so poetic, lines of commentary throughout the ages. Curated by football journalist Charlie Eccleshare, The Beautiful Poetry of Football Commentary is a glorious anthology of iconic lines, set out as poems, from the best commentators that have ever graced a microphone. Each poem is accompanied by scholarly analysis capturing the power of language on the beautiful game. Immerse yourself in classic verse from Barry Davies, John Motson, Martin Tyler, Jon Champion, Clive Tyldesley, Ally McCoist, and many more.