Goalkeeper Bert Trautmann
Was from a
different age
When top
flight players
Were not
spoilt and pampered
He didn’t
live in a mansion
Or have a
selection of sports cars
To get to
work on match days
From his
home in Stockport
To Maine
road in Manchester
He had to
catch two buses
I was surprised Mario Balotelli left City
Though
it was surrounded in farce
I
would have thought it more likely
That
he’d disappear up his own arse
Goalkeeper Bert Trautmann
Was from a different
age
When topflight players
Were not spoilt and
pampered
He didn’t live in a
mansion
Or have a selection of
sports cars
To get to work on
match days
From his home in
Stockport
To Maine road in
Manchester
He had to catch two
buses
Who will finish fourth?
Will
it be Liverpool?
Who
will stake their claim?
Or
will Aston Villa rule
Who
will stand tall?
Will
it be Man City?
That
win the prize
Or
will Spurs be sitting pretty
Who
will go forth?
Into
the Champions League
To
dine at the top table
Who
of these wannabes?
Liverpool
were last the champions
More
than 20 years ago
Aston
villa weren’t crowned
For
30 years or so
Its
more than 40 years
Since
Man City won
And
Spurs were last the winners
In
1961
But
the Champion’s League beckons
For
these wannabes
These
trophyless also ran’s
How
can that be?
Goalkeeper Bert Trautmann
Was from a different age
When topflight players
Were not spoilt and pampered
He didn’t live in a mansion
Or have a selection of sports cars
To get to work on match days
From his home in Stockport
To Maine road in Manchester
He had to catch two buses
I was surprised Mario Balotelli left City
Though it was surrounded in farce
I would have thought it more likely
That he’d disappear up his own arse
We have just seen the passing of a true sporting legend.
Bert Trautmann was born and bred during the toughest of times to be a german, during the inter-war years.
During the second world war he fought for three years as a paratrooper on the Eastern Front, where he was awarded five medals one of which being the Iron Cross.
But it was towards the end of the war that he was transferred to the Western Front where he was captured by the British.
He spent his captivity in a prisoner-of-war camp in Lancashire at Ashton-in-Makerfield, where he worked on the land until his release date in 1948.
At that point Trautmann refused repatriation, and chose instead to settle in Lancashire continuing to work on the land as a farm labourer.
In his spare time he played as a goalkeeper for his local football team St Helens Town. Where his performances brought him to the attention of First Division side Manchester City for whom he signed in October 1949.
However in a City that suffered terribly at the hands of the Luftwaffe the club's decision to sign a former German paratrooper sparked huge protests.
But through his performances he won over all but the hardest hearts and was accepted,
It was in 1956 that Bert Trautmann entered football folklore when he played for Man City in the FA Cup Final against Birmingham City and played the last 17 minutes of the match with a broken neck on the way to winning the cup.
He continued to play for Manchester City until his retirement in 1964 after making 545 appearances for the club.
In 2004 he was honored with the Order of the British Empire (OBE).
