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Itbecame clear Ruben Amorim could survive a loss to Grimsby. Survive losing a crucial European final against one of the worst Tottenham teams in living memory. He withstood losing at home against West Ham and Wolves, a lowly league position, his rigid approach, undermining some of the club’s best homegrown talent, the 32% win rate, calling his team the poorest in Manchester United history. Yet, there existed a single opponent with whom Ruben Amorim was not permitted to tango. If you challenge Jason Wilcox, and you best not miss.

Regrettably, similar to numerous top-flight right-back in Blackburn’s title-winning campaign, the coach came at Jason Wilcox and appears to have failed. Even the most casual observer will notice the paradoxical situation: a coach who frequently berated his squad for losing individual battles succumbing when confronted by the intense pressure and animal charisma of one of England's top division's most feared football executives.

In truth, this whole painful saga seems to paint Jason Wilcox in a whole new light. Perhaps it might have been tempting, given his brief stint of experience with the Saints, to view him as little more than a drudge in the United exoskeleton: an individual whose appointment was due largely to his close relationship with ex-colleague Omar Berrada as any verifiable talent. How mistaken everyone was. By masterfully outmanoeuvring the club's celebrated head coach, just as he bested the hapless Dan Ashworth before him, Jason Wilcox has proved himself as one of the sport’s strategic masterminds: a tactical intellect that United’s competitors will now be rightly wary.

The Strategic Conflict Over System and Ideology

To illustrate, this was the director who having been part of the leadership that hired the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim originally, played a key role in attempting to convince Amorim to ditch his beloved formation. Naturally, these entreaties faced pushback. But perhaps these judgements hold greater authority when delivered by a man of a man the impeccable soccer background he possesses, holder of three England caps and a contributor to a championship team from 31 years ago.

Maybe eventually he may be persuaded to outline his thought processes publicly. Perhaps at some point questions may arise why Amorim is departing with full compensation, with no compensation reduction clause in place. The director speaks rarely in public, and with very good reason. The real thinkers in football – men like him – function on a plane beyond our own mundane comprehension. If he ever did speak, most likely all we would hear is a series of ultrasonic blips and complex calculations. Desiring an explanation is not quite the same as being ready to comprehend it.

The Ultimate Power In the Throne

Naturally, in training our focus on the sporting director we overlook the true genius behind the modern United throne. Jason Wilcox is, in reality, merely executing the directives of his ultimate line manager the billionaire owner, who privately has made very clear his preference for a four-man defense. It is reported, the owner has also proposed playing Bryan Mbeumo as a right wing-back. Ratcliffe is keen for the club to adopt data science and analytics. Per reports, in an executive meeting early in his investment, he declared that the team's approach to football “will be decided by this group”.

After all, Sir Jim is a specialist in this technical football matters, drawing from his previous experience in industry and yachting. Above all he remains incredibly rich, and as we all know, the wealthy are the best of us: more perceptive, sagacious, more tactically astute, fundamentally superior. Whom else would you trust to oversee a strategic plan of austerity, the construction of a modern arena that looks a lot like someone’s leftover knitting, the acquisition of Benjamin Sesko?

A New Football Hierarchy: Executives Over Coaches

This is a trend we are increasingly seeing at the elite levels of the game. Historically, clubs foolishly delegated major sporting choices to subordinate staff like managers, talent spotters – players themselves. Perhaps it was once feasible for an up-and-coming, innovative manager with a philosophy and drive to go into a club and implement their plan through to completion. But how many companies have such individuals set up? What number of mass redundancies have they overseen? Better by far to place genuine authority where it belongs: the leadership tier, the open-necked shirt brigade, the guys with the jaw-dropping professional resumes. Better by far to decide the tactics in the boardroom and hire someone who can tailor their offering accordingly. If managers were formerly chefs, they are now more like delivery personnel: not responsible for the food, but still ultimately answerable if it arrives cold or fails of the box.

In the meantime, their job has become not about crafting the philosophy and more about selling it: the front-facing representative of the operation, the visible figurehead for a club they have minimal power to influence. Enzo Maresca leads a team of very young players into the Champions League and secures two medium-sized trophies, and effectively is dismissed for speaking out. A manager at Celtic sees his standing damaged whereas the people who appointed him live to blunder another day.

The Neoliberal Football: Accountability Only for the Few

And possibly in a small way this is simply neoliberalism in action: the elevation of a privileged overclass who can never be wrong, whose choices remain untouchable, whose mistakes can always be resolved by sacking without explanation. Appoint the system coach only to dismiss them for using too much that system. Bring in the project manager and later discard him for taking too long. And most importantly show gratitude; for the incremental season ticket price rises, for the latest player acquisitions, for the reality that the adults – regardless of their expertise – remain in control.