Michael Sterling walked into his office. He felt lighter. He felt stronger. The birth of his son Gabriel had deleted the sadness of the Liverpool defeat.
Arthur Milton was already there. He was sitting on the sofa eating a bagel with cream cheese. He looked happy.
"Good morning Boss," Arthur said with his mouth full. "You look fresh. You look like a man who slept well."
"I did not sleep Arthur," Michael said smiling. "The baby screams every two hours. He has the lungs of a opera singer. But I feel awake. I feel alive."
Michael walked to the big tactical board on the wall. He picked up the marker pen.
"Arthur," Michael said. "Come here. I have an idea."
Arthur jumped up. He wiped the crumbs from his purple tie.
"A new idea Boss? Is it crazy?"
"It is not crazy," Michael said. "It is fast. We have played the 4 3 3 for a long time. Teams know how to stop it. Liverpool knew. West Ham knew."
Michael wiped the board clean.
He drew a new shape. It looked strange.
