During a recent visit to my sisters house in New Zealand I took her bike out to get to see the area better. Cycling along I come across two ten year old's on their BMXs' who challenged me to a race. Not one I turn down a challenge, I peddled away from the boys easily before turning around to let them know I was basically Stephen Roche in disguise. As hollow a victory as beating two ten years old may be, it probably ranks in my top ten sporting achievements. This classes me in what the Aussies call a "flat track bully" somebody who comfortably beats smaller, weaker opponents but put them up against a pack of shaven-legen men and watch them crumble. Which made me poise the question - is a win ever not a win?
The most overly used cliche in sport is when the coach says that the fans don't care how we win, once we win. Growing up supporting both Newcastle and Donegal I viewed myself as superior to fans of other teams as I supported teams who played "real football". Both sides played with reckless abandon, never prepared to sacrifice their style of play in pursuit of results. And both teams were beaten on a regular occurrence by teams who judged success wholly on the size of their trophy cabinet.
When Sam Allardyce arrived on Tyneside it was to much fanfare. Here was a manager capable of delivering success to the starving fans. Alas his tenure was up within six months as he had the audacity to play five across midfield. What Sam didn't appreciate was that Newcastle fans not only expected you to win but to win with style. Eventually the question is poised to all Newcastle fans; would you rather lose 4-3 or win 1-0? Hand on heart I have always said lose 4-3. But then Jim McGuinness came into my life and changed the way I viewed winning.
Having watched the u21s play last year it was evident that McGuinness was the ultimate pragmatist. His system restricts teams scoring opportunities and once the ball is turned over they use Michael Murphy to devastating effect. In short it's horrible to watch as a neutral. Initially I was horrified. I felt violated to hear us mentioned in the same sentence as "puke football". I brought my new girlfriend on a romantic date to Ballybofey to her first ever Ulster Championship match against Antrim and found myself apologizing to her the whole way through it and saying things like this is not usually how Donegal play, we're usually the gallant losers.
But much like Newcastle's brief stay in the Championship I found a strange thing happening. I began to enjoy winning. It didn't matter that it wasn't entertaining much like it didn't matter that it was Colchester and not Chelsea that we were beating. I went to games no longer in hope but in expectation. I have became all that I despise; a results man. I now don't know how it'd feel if Donegal threw complete caution to the wind and Sunday and played like they did they last time they were in an All-Ireland Semi Final. Would I applaud their daring or lambast them changing the game plan?
This is the crux of the argument; is it better to win ugly or lose prettily? Arsenal fans beg for the days of 1-0 to the Arsenal but no doubt at the time they wanted to see their side play more expansive football. Ultimately we'd all like to win prettily but we can't all support Barcelona. So until Jim McGuinness decided he can pull off a woolen cardigan it looks like I'll be celebrating winning ugly.
Post by Seamus McDaid. Find Seamus on twitter @fbspecial
