Football is a simple game. But this fundamental simplicity is all too often swept away by the inconsistency of men. Inconsistency has many and varied sources but its greatest source is the state of being unwary.
Now, I understand the very obvious thought running through your head and the question that this thought begets. 'How can a professional be unwary. Surely it is a contradiction of all that he, or she, stands for?'
Well, I hear your question and I compliment you on your inquisitive mind. But the irrefutable reality is that even experienced performers are prone to perturbation.
By that I mean, as if you didn't know, that even with the not inconsiderable benefit of the doctrine of experientialism (that all knowledge can only be derived from experience) even great men, or women, although rarely women, are eminently capable of losing sight of the basic tenets of their profession.
For example, as a manager I strived consistently to keep my instructions to my players as simple and uncomplicated as possible, not because my players were incapable of understanding complex directives (well, there was one player, eh, perhaps two, but that's all...nah, there were quite a few) but because football at all levels is based on two simple principles of play: 'pass the ball and move', and 'move and close the ball'.
Everything I did in practice and playing was constructed around those two basic facts of football life.
This type of training never gets boring for players because it is the very essence of the game of football and all professional footballers learned and enjoyed these essential components of the game while playing football on the streets and in the parks as they moved through their adolescence.
While it would be deceitful of me not to own up to the odd occasion of complexity, the more experienced I become the more mindful I am of the need for simplicity.
Experience has taught me to avoid whenever possible the desire to prevaricate or be in any way long-winded while talking to the team.
For example, my pre-match team talks lasted about three minutes or so. One of the most beneficial aspects of full-time football is that, to a great extent, the team talk is done gradually through the week during the daily preparations for the upcoming game.
I have over the years consistently reconstructed my way of getting the same message across to players based essentially on the absolute desire for simplicity.
Refereeing is one of the most complex aspects of professional football. I accept totally that at times it is a seemingly impossible and thankless task. But even in making this statement I am profoundly mindful of the total necessity of the need to retain sight of the most important tenet of the Laws of the Game.
The welfare and protection of the player and especially the skillful player is the paramount responsibility of the referee and his assistants.
Any referee who sticks dutifully to this golden rule keeps his performance simple and players know immediately where they stand. But a referee who deviates from this principle can, and usually will, see complications arise before his very eyes as players begin to take the law into their own hands.
Events in Dalymount Park last weekend were unacceptable. In all games, and especially Dublin derby games, players have to be wary of their responsibility to ensure their conduct and concentration is of the highest possible order.
In this and other respects, eircom League of Ireland football has improved. There are extremely talented and dedicated footballers plying their trade and the essential beauty of this is that a great number of these are vibrant young men who also possess impressive drive and ambition.
In the past cynical older pros would have kicked the proverbial 'you-know-what' out of such rising stars. But to be fair to Irish referees, those old days and wild ways are a thing of the past.
The referee in Dalymount last week was Dave McKeon, who is talented, honest, and very experienced - which only goes to show that you cannot take your eye off the ball for a second.
Keep it simple. Complication is the forerunner of confusion.
