The Art of Defeat

Efficiency is the hallmark of quality management, and on that front you simply have to doff the cap to the new regime at Richmond Park. A congested fixture calendar has been the rock on which many a title challenge has perished; too many games, too many injuries, insufficient recovery time, suspensions falling like Arab dictatorships. These problems, Liam Buckley has nipped in the bud, by participating in the fewest possible amount of games in the Setanta Cup.

Losing football matches may seem a somewhat counter intuitive strategy when the endgame is all about victory, the creation of legend and the construction of a hearty store of warm memories to feed our souls on cold days. But, to lose, when clearly - and I mean indisputably, undeniably - you are the better team, is not defeat. It is, readers, an exhibition of artful cunning. Avant-garde football.

Having showcased their class with an exhibition of ball retention, methodical approach play and inventive attacking sequences, St Pats really had taken enough out of the two legs against Cliftonville to assure both themselves and their support of their worth this season. Goals were nonchalantly scored - and even more nonchalantly ruled out lest anyone get carried away by winning as comfortably on the scoreboard as the passages of play would testify. The durability of the goalpost paintwork was expertly tested by John Russell, who enthusiastically conducted some further experiments on the durability of fibulae among the visiting Cliftonville midfield. His endeavour warranted reward and it was telling of the goodness of character and oh-so-keen judgement of Richie Winter to allow him to enjoy much of the second half from the comfort of the dugout.

Also laudable was the groove of improvisation which Barry Murphy brought to the game. His approach to dispatching backpasses was truly groundbreaking with all kinds of unexpected angles being explored. We were brought further to the cusp of great innovation on the Cliftonville goal when Murphy’s movements astonished all onlookers. The abstract position he was drawn to seemed to phase some of his colleagues but doubtless all are still getting know each others beat at this early stage of the season. We can surely expect a stable tempo to materialise in the defence before the curtain rises on the 2012 league campaign.