Michael stood in the director's box, but the electric, chaotic, joyful energy of the Northwood game was a distant memory.
The atmosphere at Oakwell today was different. It was heavy, tense, and suffocating.
The opponent was Bristol City, the team in 5th place. "The Wall."
Michael had watched the tapes, and he'd understood Arthur's grim respect.
This team was the anti-Barnsley. They weren't "hungry." They weren't "fast." They were just... perfect.
Today was a test of philosophy. It was Michael's "Butterflies with Switchblades" vs. a 10-foot-thick, steel-reinforced brick wall.
The whistle blew.
The first seventy minutes were, for Michael, the most frustrating, agonizing, and boring moments of his entire ownership.
It was a chess match. A brutal, grinding, midfield war. Barnsley, high on their "title-contending" ambition, attacked. And Bristol City... just... stood there.
