Post mortem finds the patient alive and kicking

By the time Brian Kerr succeeds the downbeat Raymond Domenech and comes to the performance area in the mixed zone things have gone downhill a little. The French, for some reason, have cleared away all the seating, and the press corps descend on the Irish manager in a massive (but strikingly handsome) scrum.

It's one of those nights, though. Kerr has no complaints. His face has the word "satisfaction" tattooed on it. The questions are just gentle lobs for him to knock back.

"Pleased?" we ask piercingly.

"Well, we had a game plan and players stuck to it and delivered. We had the support, which helped. I thought it was an excellent performance."

It might as well be left there. When a performance is so eloquent in itself, little else needs saying. Newspapers don't work that way though.

"It's working out well, isn't it?"

"I think we took a brave decision to take the away fixtures with Switzerland and France early on. The two points we've got from those games certainly keep the group alive for us. We'd have settled for five points from the first three games."

Of course we would. So how was the west won? What's the formula for coming to the cathedral and leaving with half the candles?

"Keep possession. Not to give the ball away cheaply. Work very hard all round the pitch. Pass it well. Stop them down the left-hand side. Take the chances if we got them. One bit fell down, the chances, but everything else went according to the way we wanted it.

"We told ourselves not to be defending too deeply. No stupid free kicks. Be disciplined under pressure. We knew there would be times in the game when we wouldn't have it. They'd be on a roll and we had to dig in at those times."

Kerr speaks so casually at times like this that his ease disguises the complexity of the task he and his team have just accomplished. "Digging in" when the French have the ball is like saying you were "fairly careful" crossing a minefield. Henry or Cisse could have exploded at any moment.

"It wasn't a particular plan we had to deal with Thierry Henry. We had to be careful of the whole French forward line. We had to be careful not to get caught out on the break. They are at their most dangerous when we are attacking. They have players who just hang around and drift offside and wait for the chance to come back onside. So it was important we dealt with that. Good defending, good organisation. Understanding what was required."

And uhm, a decent goalkeeper? He nods vigorously.

"When we needed Shay he did everything needed. He had a great catch of the ball in the second half, off the cross by Henry. He went one-handed, a bit of the Pat Jennings about it, I thought."

It's a time to smile on all who smile, and be gracious, if not in victory then in achievement. Mention of the balletic falling and diving of Pires draws no ire.

"He's a great player, he gave us a bit of trouble, but we handled him well."

Well, what about the penalty claims when Kevin Kilbane was mowed down heartlessly in their area?

"Well, we're a long way away from it. It looked to me as if he was bundled over, but I don't know, we'd have to have a look. It looked a penalty at the time but you don't expect to get those ones in an away match. I thought the referee did very well overall. He ran the game well."

Everyone is struggling a bit now. We deal with Clinton Morrison's injury (not looking great) and we wonder if there is anything to be wrung at all from such a satisfying evening. Perhaps Keano will come scowling past in a moment, cursing everyone for celebrating the draw. Meanwhile, Brian is keeping on message, offering no hostages to fortune.

"The other results tonight keep the table very level at the top. Switzerland might be happy enough with that point in Israel. The Faroes have only conceded two goals, so they are tightening up. There's a long way to go."

The conversation shifts into the familiar post-mortem mode except, of course, the patient is up and about and chirpy as a lark. The centre of midfield, Brian?

"I was confident of the decisions I made. I make decisions based on my experience of the players and knowledge of their form. I was happy that what we had was the right combination. The way they played justified that. I thought the two of them were fantastic in midfield. I thought Kevin was suburb and Roy bossed the game. He had vital interceptions, and his tactical nuances were critical in a match of this nature. "

What about the crocking of Clinton?

"We'd thought it out before. If we had a problem in the front positions either Gary or Andy would go up. At that stage of the game we were having a fair bit of joy passing and playing it into the wide positions. I felt we should continue that. Andy has a football brain and he has the cleverness and perception of pass that might give us another chance. I thought he did well and he made those passes."

Then there is the fans question. Some day an Irish player will declare a fatwah on the fans, denounce them as ungrateful infidels, beery hounds of hell. Until that happens we have to keep asking the question. What did you think of the fans?

"Today was a bit emotional for everyone before the match. Just to go out and see it. I'm glad they got something to cheer about, they saw the team playing really well. Not the stuff we heard here yesterday about the Irish fighting spirit. Let's move on from that. We've played with fighting spirit, but also with neatness and tidiness and so on."

So it's official. No change in policy on fans. They are a good thing.

And he moves swiftly on, towards the TV cameras and then to the bus which will soon be filling with his players and staff. These occasions aren't giddy anymore. To paraphrase Roy Keane speaking after another away draw, we're not "the Irish" anymore. It's not a party every time, no matter what. The team asks more of itself.

And on Saturday it delivered.