Sports Poets Society

Getty Images -  Simply the Best: The Bermudian was  a  silky and pacy player whose skill won over the crowds. The inspirational Clyde Best on blazing a trail for Black players in England despite the abuse Clyde Best on battling racism as a pioneer in English game 15 Mar 2026 - THE OBSERVER / Sport Morgan Ofori “A universal player, one who transcends the modern tribal conversation around teams,” says executive film producer Dan Egan when asked why he chose to tell the story of Clyde Best, West Ham’s first Black player, whose undeniable impact extended far beyond the East End. The legacy of Best, now 75, a Bermudian forward who blazed a trail in the English top flight and US soccer, is the subject of a new documentary in London this month. A technically gifted and pacy player in his prime, Best’s career and role as a reference point is brilliantly illustrated by those who came after him. A number of “the firsts” look up to him: Howard Gayle, Liverpool’s first Black player, ...

Tottenham are staring at relegation, which hit Glenn Hoddle and Pat Jennings hard almost 50 years ago ‘I think we had 10 times more flair players  than  they have now but let in too many goals’ 14 Mar 2026 - THE GUARDIAN / Sport Sam Cunningham Glenn Hoddle was in tears in the dressing room. Others sat in disbelief, wondering what the future held. Tottenham were the first English club in the 20th century to win the league and FA Cup Double, in 1961, and the first to lift a European trophy when they won the Cup Winners’ Cup two years later. They were renowned for playing attractive football and the goals of Jimmy Greaves . Under their manager Bill Nicholson , they added two League Cups and the UEFA Cup at the start of the 1970s. And now they had been relegated. Confirmation arrived on 7 May 1977 via a 5-0 thrashing at Maine Road by Manchester City, who were challenging for the First Division title. Peter Taylor was in the dressing room that day and remembers the “shock” and a “...

ANDY HALL/THE GUARDIAN Clyde Best, now 75, left Bermuda at the age of 17 to join West Ham ‘I didn’t mind carrying the weight Clyde Best on the responsibility of being English football’s first black star  ‘My dad told me: “When you go to England,  you’re playing for those coming after you”’ Clyde Best on becoming English football’s first black superstar and playing with Bobby Moore at West Ham 13 Mar 2026 - The Guardian Jacob Steinberg ‘I did what I had to do,” Clyde Best says as he recalls leaving Bermuda at the age of 17 and travelling to England for a trial at West Ham. There was no fear, no thought of homesickness. Best saw opportunity. It was 1968 and, before setting off on his journey, the boy who would go on to be hailed as English football’s first black superstar received some unforgettable advice from his father, a naval officer who later worked as a deputy commissioner in Bermuda’s prison service. “My dad told me: ‘When you go to England, you’re not playing for yours...

It is curious that with footballers you just add and add and never delete. This bulging, unaudited list. Will it ever burst? 25 Oct 2025 - THE GUARDIAN / Sport Max Rushden I managed to watch last Saturday’s Match of the Day without knowing the scores. It really is one of life’s enduring thrills. So the first time I’d seen or heard of Loum Tchaouna was when he picked up the ball in the 68th minute at Turf Moor , looked around a bit and thought: “Sod it, I’ll just whack it from here.” And how! What a brilliant way to introduce himself to my brain – which was perhaps not his ultimate goal; in this instance a goal was very much his ultimate goal. By the time of this last-on-motd wonderstrike, I’d obviously spent the previous hour watching various other footballers at work – most of them pretty familiar. The odd one did require a cursory Google. Who is Eli Kroupi ? Who are all these Chelsea players? Do they really have the same sized squad as all the other teams? If I was cloning footballe...

https://ilnobilecalcio.it/2024/10/04/lultimo-sogno-di-gary/ REMO GANDOLFI Il nobile calcio Ott 4, 2024 Gary Shaw. Tra le bandiere dell’Aston Villa, debuttò in squadra nel 1978 rimanendovi quasi ininterrottamente, salvo un breve prestito al Blackpool, per un intero decennio . Pur a fronte della giovane età, nei primi anni 1980 partecipò da protagonista – nonché da unico giocatore nativo della città, Birmingham – al maggior ciclo di successi dei Villans dalla Seconda guerra mondiale, contribuendo coi suoi gol alla vittoria del campionato di First Division 1980-81, affermazione che mancava al club da ben 71 anni , nonché ai primi trionfi continentali dello stesso con la Coppa dei Campioni e la Supercoppa UEFA messe in bacheca nel 1982 , aprendo nell’ultimo caso le marcature nella finale di ritorno contro il Barcellona. Nella nostra antologia, vogliamo inserire questo articolo di Remo Gandolfi, dal titolo “Gary Shaw: quel maledetto ultimo sogno”… “Chi dice che i sogni non si realizzano? Qu...

Former striker sustained head injury this month Shaw was European Young Player of the Year in 1982 Ben Fisher The Guardian - Mon 16 Sep 2024 14.39 CEST Gary Shaw, one of Aston Villa’s 1982 European Cup heroes, has died aged 63. The former striker fell seriously ill this month after being hospitalised with a head injury. Shaw was part of a revered Villa side that enjoyed extraordinary and unparalleled success in the early 80s, winning the First Division in 1981 under Ron Saunders and in 1982 the European Cup and European Super Cup. His performances earned him the accolade of Professional Footballers’ Association Young Player of the Year in 1981 and European Young Player of the Year in 1982. He was included in England’s 40-man preliminary squad for the 1982 World Cup in Spain but missed out on a final spot in the 22-man squad. Shaw made seven appearances (and two goals) for England’s Under-21s. He is regarded one of Villa’s greatest forwards having scored 79 goals in 213 appearances for...