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Itbecame clear the manager could survive a loss to Grimsby. Survive a decisive European final versus one of the worst Spurs sides for many years. He withstood losing at home against West Ham and Wolves, finishing 15th, the tactical inflexibility, laying waste to some of the club’s most promising academy products, a poor winning percentage, labeling the squad the poorest the club has ever seen. Yet, there existed a single opponent with whom Ruben Amorim would not be allowed to engage. You come at the sporting director, you had better succeed.

Regrettably, similar to numerous top-flight defender in Blackburn’s title-winning campaign, the coach took on Jason Wilcox and appears to have missed. The most casual observer can see the irony here: a manager who frequently berated at his players for failing in one-on-one duels crumbling in the face of the intense pressure and animal charisma of one of England's top division's most intimidating football executives.

And frankly, this entire bruising episode appears to portray the director in a whole new light. Perhaps it might have been tempting, given his brief stint of experience at Southampton, to view Jason Wilcox as merely a functionary in the United exoskeleton: an individual whose appointment was due largely to his friendship with his former boss Omar Berrada as any demonstrable skill. How mistaken we all were. By masterfully outsmarting United’s feted head coach, as he outmanoeuvred the unfortunate Dan Ashworth earlier, Jason Wilcox has proved himself to be among the sport’s true generals: a strategic mind of which United’s mid-table rivals are now justifiably concerned.

A Strategic Conflict Regarding Formation & Philosophy

For example, it was the director who having been part of the hierarchy that appointed the rigid 3-4-3 advocate the coach originally, played a key role in attempting to convince him to ditch his favored formation. Naturally, these pleas were resisted. But perhaps these judgements hold greater authority when delivered by a man of a man the impeccable soccer background of Jason Wilcox, holder of international appearances and a contributor to a championship team from 31 years ago.

Maybe eventually Jason Wilcox may be persuaded to outline his thought processes to the rest of us. Maybe one day questions may arise regarding why the coach is walking away with a full payout, with no penalty clause in place. But Jason Wilcox speaks rarely in public, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers of this sport – individuals such as him – simply operate on a plane exceeding our prosaic understanding. Were he to speak, probably we would perceive is a series of ultrasonic blips and complex calculations. Desiring an explanation is not the same as being prepared to receive.

An Supreme Authority Behind Command

Naturally, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we are obscuring the true genius behind the modern United throne. Jason Wilcox is, in reality, simply carrying out the directives of his ultimate superior the billionaire owner, who in private has made very clear his desire for a back four. According to reports, Ratcliffe has also suggested deploying the forward in a wing-back role. The owner is eager for United to adopt data science and analytics. According to ESPN, during a leadership summit soon after his investment, he announced that the team's approach of play “will be decided by this group”.

Ultimately, Sir Jim is an expert in these intricate football matters, drawing from his previous experience in petrochemicals and sailing. Above all he remains immensely wealthy, and it is known, the wealthy are superior: more perceptive, sagacious, more tactically astute, simply superior. Whom else would you trust to oversee an enlightened programme of cost-cutting, the construction of a new stadium that appears similar to someone’s leftover knitting, the signing of a new striker?

A New Football Order: Executives Above Managers

This is a trend we are increasingly seeing at the elite levels football. Historically, clubs foolishly delegated big footballing decisions to subordinate staff like managers, scouts – even footballers. Maybe previously feasible for an up-and-coming, visionary coach with a philosophy and drive to go into an organization and implement their plan through to completion. But how many businesses have these guys established? How many mass redundancies have they overseen? Far preferable to place the real power where it rightly belongs: the leadership tier, the open-necked shirt brigade, the guys with impressive professional resumes. Better by far to determine the strategy in the boardroom and appoint a coach who can tailor their offering accordingly. If coaches were once chefs, they have become more akin to delivery personnel: not really creating the food, but still ultimately answerable if it arrives cold or fails to meet standards.

Nowadays, a coach's role is increasingly not about crafting the philosophy and more about marketing it: the receptionist of the operation, the visible figurehead of an organisation they can do little to change. A coach at Chelsea takes a squad of very young players into the Champions League and wins two medium-sized trophies, and essentially gets sacked for talking. A manager at Celtic sees his standing damaged while those individuals who hired him live to blunder another day.

The Neoliberal Football: Accountability Only for the Coaches

And perhaps on some microcosmic level this is simply corporate governance at work: the elevation of a gilded elite who are infallible, whose choices are always sacrosanct, whose errors can always be resolved by sacking without explanation. Appoint the system coach only to dismiss him for playing too much that system. Hire the project manager and then bin them for taking excessive time. And above all show gratitude; for the incremental season ticket price rises, for your new player acquisitions, for the reality that the grownups – however well qualified – remain in control.