The Damned Utd - читать бесплатно онлайн полную версию книги автора David Peace (THE FIRST RECKONING) #1

David Peace
The Damned Utd

For Jon Riley, with love and thanks

I have forsaken mine house, I have left mine heritage;

I have given the dearly beloved of my soul into the hand of her enemies.

Mine heritage is unto me as a lion in the forest;

It crieth out against me, therefore have I hated it.

Mine heritage is unto me as a speckled bird, the birds round about are

against her;

Come ye, assemble all the beasts of the field, come to devour.

Jeremiah, Chapter 12, Verses 7–9

The Argument II

Repetition. Repetition –

Fields of loss and fields of hate, fields of blood and fields of war –

Their sport upon the walls, their sport upon the floor.

Milton! Thou shouldst be living at this hour: England hath need of thee …

In her shadow time.

On our terraces, in our cages, from Purgatorio, we watch,

With our wings that cannot fly, our tongues that cannot speak:

‘Destroy her politics! Destroy her culture! Destroy her!’

But our wings are thick with tar, tongues heavy with her coin,

On our broken backs, our broken hearts, she’ll dine again tonight.

In her shadow place –

We are selfish men: Oh, Blake! Orwell! Raise us up, return to us again.

These civil wars of uncivil hearts, divided and now damned –

The old is dying and the new cannot be born –

By Elland Road, I sat down and wept; D.U.F.C.

Wednesday 31 July — Thursday 12 September 1974

THE FIRST RECKONING

First Division Final Positions, 1973–74

Home Away Total P W D L F A W D L F A F A Pts 1 Leeds United 42 12 8 1 38 18 12 6 3 28 13 66 31 62 2 Liverpool 42 18 2 1 34 11 4 11 6 18 20 52 31 57 3 Derby County 42 13 7 1 40 16 4 7 10 12 26 52 42 48 4 Ipswich Town 42 10 7 4 38 21 8 4 9 29 37 67 58 47 5 Stoke City 42 13 6 2 39 15 2 10 9 15 27 54 42 46 6 Burnley 42 10 9 2 29 16 6 5 10 27 37 56 53 46 7 Everton 42 12 7 2 29 14 4 5 12 21 34 50 48 44 8 QPR 42 8 10 3 30 17 5 7 9 26 35 56 52 43 9 Leicester City 42 10 7 4 35 17 3 9 9 16 24 51 41 42 10 Arsenal 42 9 7 5 23 16 5 7 9 26 35 49 51 42 11 Tottenham H 42 9 4 8 26 27 5 10 6 19 23 45 50 42 12 Wolves 42 11 6 4 30 18 2 9 10 19 31 49 49 41 13 Sheffield Utd 42 7 7 7 25 22 7 5 9 19 27 44 49 40 14 Man. City 42 10 7 4 25 17 4 5 12 14 29 39 46 40 15 Newcastle Utd 42 9 6 6 28 21 4 6 11 21 27 49 48 38 16 Coventry City 42 10 5 6 25 18 4 5 12 18 36 43 54 38 17 Chelsea 42 9 4 8 36 29 3 9 9 20 31 56 60 37 18 West Ham Utd 42 7 7 7 36 32 4 8 9 19 28 55 60 37 19 Birmingham C 42 10 7 4 30 21 2 6 13 22 43 52 64 37 20 Southampton 42 8 10 3 30 20 3 4 14 17 48 47 68 36 21 Man. Utd 42 7 7 7 23 20 3 5 13 15 28 38 48 32 22 Norwich City 42 6 9 6 25 27 1 6 14 12 35 37 62 29

Bottom 3 clubs relegated.

I am a Yorkshire Man and I am a Cunning Man –

And I curse you! First with gift, then with loss –

I curse you!

Loss and then gift, gift and then loss –

Until you lose. Until you leave –

I will curse you!