Wembley Way

12-03-2007

There've been some cracking FA Cup ties on telly over the weekend, with the bonus for the teams taking part that if they make it to the Final, it will be played at the newly rebuilt Wembley stadium. Er, probably. The Stirrer's resident poet Brendan Hawthorne examines a project that's gone deep into extra time.

The final whistle

has been blown

on Wembley

construction traffic

Cornered

after extra time

All i's dotted

and t's crossed

boxes ticked

and safety checked

with queues expected

Goalposts

with nowhere

else to go

centre touchline

ambitions

All costs suspended

by over-spend

penalty clauses

No towers to tower

no Way to process

no line of defence

only dreams

of finest hours

and World Cup progress

A Nation's tradition

left with an atmosphere

to build

Gone from the brick

and fibre

are the names of legends

to make way

for a new stock

the young blood generation

once contracts

are signed

and details transferred

Then the first ball

can be kicked

towards a premier goal

with fixtures supported

by concert revenue

But only after the doors

are finally fitted can

the keys pass

from one side

to the other

and postponed promises

become a reality

Copyright Brendan Hawthorne 2007