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Iturns out the manager could survive defeat by lower-league opposition. He weathered an important European final against a particularly poor Spurs sides in living memory. He could survive losing at home to West Ham and Wolves, a lowly league position, an unwavering system, squandering some of the club’s best homegrown talent, a poor winning percentage, labeling his team the poorest in Manchester United history. But there was one adversary against whom Ruben Amorim was not permitted to engage. If you challenge Jason Wilcox, you had better succeed.

Regrettably, like many a Premiership defender in Blackburn’s championship campaign, Amorim took on Jason Wilcox and seems to have failed. Even the most casual observer can see the irony here: a coach who often railed at his players for failing in individual battles succumbing in the face of the white heat and formidable presence of a England's top division's most feared sporting directors.

And frankly, this whole bruising episode appears to portray Jason Wilcox in a different perspective. It may have been tempting, based on his nine months of experience at Southampton, to view Jason Wilcox as merely a drudge in the United exoskeleton: an individual who owed his position as much to his close relationship with ex-colleague Omar Berrada as any verifiable talent. How mistaken everyone was. In brilliantly outmanoeuvring the club's celebrated manager, as he outmanoeuvred the hapless Dan Ashworth earlier, he has proved himself to be among football's strategic masterminds: a strategic mind of which United’s competitors are now justifiably concerned.

The Strategic Clash Regarding Formation and Ideology

For example, it was Jason Wilcox who having been part of the leadership that hired the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim in the first place, played a key role in trying to persuade Amorim to abandon his favored formation. Unsurprisingly, these entreaties were resisted. But perhaps these judgements hold greater authority when delivered from the mouth with the impeccable soccer background he possesses, a veteran of three England caps and a role in a title-winning side from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time he may be persuaded to explain his reasoning publicly. Maybe one day questions may arise why Amorim is departing with a full payout, without any compensation reduction clause in place. The director seldom speaks publicly, for excellent reasons. The true intellectuals of this sport – men like him – simply operate at a level exceeding our prosaic understanding. Were he to speak, most likely all we would hear is a series of ultrasonic blips and four-dimensional whirring. Wanting is not the same as being ready to comprehend it.

An Ultimate Authority Behind the Throne

But of course, in training our focus on the sporting director we are obscuring the true genius behind the club's current leadership. Jason Wilcox is, in reality, simply carrying out the directives of his ultimate line manager Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who privately has made very clear his desire for a back four. According to reports, Ratcliffe has also suggested playing Bryan Mbeumo in a wing-back role. The owner is eager for United to adopt data science and analytics. Per reports, in an executive meeting soon after his minority ownership, he declared that United’s style of play “shall be determined in this room”.

Ultimately, Sir Jim is a specialist in these intricate footballing stuff, drawing from his background in petrochemicals and sailing. Above all he is incredibly rich, and as we all know, the rich are superior: more perceptive, sagacious, more tactically astute, fundamentally better. Who else could one trust to oversee an enlightened programme of austerity, the construction of a modern arena that looks a lot like an abstract design, the acquisition of a new striker?

The New Soccer Hierarchy: Executives Above Coaches

This is a trend we are increasingly seeing in top-tier of the game. For decades, clubs foolishly entrusted big footballing decisions to subordinate staff like managers, scouts – players themselves. Perhaps it was once possible for an up-and-coming, visionary coach with a philosophy and drive to go into a club and see their vision supported to fruition. But how many businesses have such individuals established? How many mass redundancies have they managed? Far preferable to invest genuine authority where it rightly belongs: the executive class, the open-necked shirt brigade, the guys with the jaw-dropping LinkedIn profiles. Better by far to decide the strategy in the boardroom and hire someone who can tailor their offering accordingly. If managers were once chefs, they have become more like Deliveroo drivers: not responsible for the product, but still ultimately answerable if it arrives poorly or fails to meet standards.

Nowadays, their job is increasingly not about defining the vision and more about marketing it: the front-facing representative on the front desk, the visible figurehead for a club they have minimal power to influence. Enzo Maresca leads a team of literal children into the Champions League and secures domestic cups, and essentially gets sacked for speaking out. Wilfried Nancy sees his standing damaged whereas those individuals who hired him continue to make errors another day.

A Neoliberal Football: Responsibility for the Few

And perhaps in a small way this represents corporate governance in action: the rise of a gilded elite who are infallible, whose decisions remain untouchable, whose mistakes can always be resolved by sacking without justification. Hire the 3-4-3 coach only to fire them for using excessively 3-4-3. Hire the project manager and later bin them for taking excessive time. And above all show gratitude; for your modest increases in ticket costs, for your new summer signings, for the fact that the adults – however well qualified – remain in control.