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Itranspired Ruben Amorim was able to withstand losing against lower-league opposition. Survive a decisive continental showpiece versus one of the worst Tottenham teams in living memory. He could survive losing at home to West Ham and Wolves, finishing 15th, the tactical inflexibility, squandering the team's most promising homegrown talent, the 32% win rate, labeling his team the worst the club has ever seen. But there was one adversary with whom the Portuguese coach would not be allowed to dance. If you challenge the sporting director, and you best not miss.

Regrettably, like many a Premiership defender in Blackburn’s title-winning 1994-95 season, Amorim took on Jason Wilcox and appears to have failed. The most distracted of readers can see the irony here: a manager who often railed his squad for failing in individual battles crumbling when confronted by the intense pressure and formidable presence of one of England's top division's most feared football executives.

And frankly, this entire bruising episode seems to paint Jason Wilcox in a whole new light. Perhaps it might have been easy, based on his nine months in a similar role with the Saints, to view him as merely a drudge within the club's structure: an individual whose appointment was due as much to his close relationship with his former boss Omar Berrada rather than any verifiable talent. How wrong everyone was. In brilliantly outmanoeuvring the club's celebrated head coach, just as he bested the hapless Dan Ashworth earlier, he has demonstrated to be among the sport’s true generals: a tactical intellect that the club's competitors will now be rightly wary.

A Tactical Conflict Over System & Philosophy

For example, it was Jason Wilcox , after having been part of the hierarchy that appointed the rigid 3-4-3 advocate the coach in the first place, was instrumental in attempting to convince him to abandon his favored 3-4-3. Unsurprisingly, these entreaties were resisted. But perhaps such directives carry more weight when delivered by a man with the unimpeachable soccer background of Jason Wilcox, holder of three England caps and a role in a title-winning side from 31 years ago.

Maybe eventually Jason Wilcox may be persuaded to explain his reasoning to the rest of us. Perhaps at some point questions may arise regarding why the coach is departing with a full payout, without any penalty clause activated. But Jason Wilcox speaks rarely in public, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers in football – men like him – simply operate at a level beyond our own prosaic understanding. Were he to speak, probably we would perceive would be ultrasonic blips and four-dimensional whirring. Wanting is not quite the same as being ready to comprehend it.

The Ultimate Power Behind Command

Naturally, by focusing our attention on the sporting director we overlook the real power behind the modern United throne. Jason Wilcox is, after all, merely executing the directives of his superior Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who in private has emphasized his desire for a back four. It is reported, Ratcliffe has also proposed deploying the forward as a right wing-back. Ratcliffe is keen for the club to adopt analytics and analytics. Per reports, in an executive meeting soon after his investment, he declared that United’s style of play “will be decided by this group”.

After all, Ratcliffe is an expert in this technical footballing stuff, drawing from his background in petrochemicals and sailing. Most importantly he remains incredibly rich, and as we all know, the rich are the best of us: more insightful, sagacious, strategically brilliant, fundamentally 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 Benjamin Sesko?

The Modern Soccer Hierarchy: Directors Above Managers

This is a trend we are increasingly seeing at the elite levels football. For decades, clubs foolishly entrusted major sporting choices to subordinate staff like managers, talent spotters – players themselves. Maybe previously feasible for an up-and-coming, innovative manager with ideas and drive to go into an organization and see their vision through to completion. But how many companies have such individuals set up? What number of large-scale layoffs have they overseen? Far preferable to place the real power where it belongs: the leadership tier, the casually dressed executives, the guys with impressive professional resumes. It is wiser to decide the tactics by the directors and appoint someone who can tailor their offering to suit. If managers were once chefs, they are now more akin to delivery personnel: not creating the product, but still ultimately answerable if it arrives cold or fails of the box.

In the meantime, a coach's role is increasingly not about defining the vision and more about selling it: the receptionist on the front desk, the public face of an organisation they have minimal power to change. Enzo Maresca leads a team of very young players into the Champions League and wins domestic cups, and effectively is dismissed for talking. A manager at Celtic sees his standing damaged whereas the people who appointed him live to blunder another day.

A Neoliberal Game: Responsibility Only for the Few

And perhaps on some microcosmic level this represents corporate governance at work: the elevation of a privileged elite who can never be wrong, whose choices are always untouchable, whose errors can always be sacked away without explanation. Appoint the system coach only to fire him for using excessively 3-4-3. Bring in the project manager and later bin him for requiring too long. And most importantly be grateful; for the incremental season ticket price rises, for your new summer signings, for the fact that the adults – however well qualified – remain in control.