' John Barnes ', a poem from my sequence of Kopite Sonnets on Liverpool FC Legends, has been shortlisted in The Pride and the Passion: Offside Stories , a competition celebrating the best poetry and prose about the beautiful game. The poem centres on Barnes' incredible flair and ability as a player, but also the racist abuse and intolerance he suffered and - to his great credit - rose above, during his incredible career for Liverpool and England. Judged by poet, broadcaster and all-round good guy Ian McMillan , and Derby County FC's current captain, Shaun Barker , the overall winners will be announced next week. Get in there my son!
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