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Transpired Ruben Amorim could survive defeat by Grimsby. Survive losing a crucial European final against a particularly poor Tottenham teams in living memory. He withstood losing at home against domestic rivals, finishing 15th, his rigid approach, squandering the team's best academy products, the 32% win rate, calling the squad the poorest the club has ever seen. Yet, there existed one adversary with whom Ruben Amorim would not be allowed to tango. If you challenge Jason Wilcox, you had better succeed.

Unfortunately, similar to numerous top-flight defender during Blackburn Rovers' championship 1994-95 season, Amorim took on the executive and seems to have failed. Even the most distracted of readers will notice the irony here: a coach who often railed at his players for losing one-on-one duels crumbling when confronted by the intense pressure and animal charisma of a the Premier League’s most feared sporting directors.

And frankly, this entire bruising episode appears to portray the director in a different perspective. It may have been tempting, based on his brief stint in a similar role at Southampton, to regard Jason Wilcox as little more than a functionary within the club's structure: a man whose appointment was due as much to his close relationship with ex-colleague Omar Berrada rather than any demonstrable skill. How wrong we all were. In brilliantly outsmarting the club's celebrated head coach, as he outmanoeuvred the unfortunate a previous executive before him, Jason Wilcox has proved himself as one of the sport’s strategic masterminds: a strategic mind of which United’s competitors are now justifiably concerned.

A Tactical Clash Over System & Philosophy

To illustrate, it was Jason Wilcox who being involved in the leadership that hired the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim in the first place, was instrumental in trying to persuade Amorim to ditch his favored formation. Unsurprisingly, these entreaties were resisted. But perhaps these judgements carry more weight when delivered by a man with the unimpeachable soccer background he possesses, a veteran of three England caps and a contributor to a championship team decades past.

Perhaps in time he might agree to outline his reasoning publicly. Maybe one day questions may arise regarding why the coach is departing with a full payout, without any penalty clause activated. The director seldom speaks publicly, and with very good reason. The true intellectuals of this sport – men like him – simply operate on a plane beyond our own prosaic understanding. Were he to speak, probably we would perceive is a series of ultrasonic blips and complex calculations. Wanting is not the same as being ready to comprehend it.

An Ultimate Power In Command

But of course, in training our focus on the sporting director we overlook the true genius 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 preference for a four-man defense. According to reports, the owner has also proposed deploying the forward as a right wing-back. The owner is eager for the club to adopt analytics and analytics. Per reports, during a leadership summit soon after his minority ownership, he announced that United’s style of play “shall be determined in this room”.

After all, Ratcliffe is an expert in these intricate football matters, drawing from his previous experience in industry and yachting. Most importantly he is incredibly rich, and it is known, the wealthy are superior: more insightful, more wise, more tactically astute, simply superior. Whom else could one trust to manage an enlightened programme of cost-cutting, the building of a modern arena that appears similar to an abstract design, the acquisition of a new striker?

A Modern Football Order: Executives Above Coaches

This is a trend that is becoming prevalent in top-tier football. For decades, teams mistakenly delegated major sporting choices to low-level employees such as coaches, scouts – players themselves. Perhaps it was once possible for an up-and-coming, innovative manager with a philosophy and energy to join a club and see their vision supported to fruition. But how many businesses have such individuals set up? How many mass redundancies have they managed? Better by far to invest the real power where it belongs: the leadership tier, the open-necked shirt brigade, the individuals with impressive professional resumes. Better by far to decide the tactics in the boardroom and hire someone who will adapt their methods accordingly. If coaches were once chefs, they have become more like delivery personnel: not creating the food, yet finally accountable if it arrives poorly or leaks out to meet standards.

Nowadays, a coach's role is increasingly less about crafting the philosophy and more about selling it: the receptionist on the front desk, the public face for a club they can do little to influence. A coach at Chelsea takes a squad of literal children into Europe and wins two medium-sized trophies, and effectively gets sacked for talking. A manager at Celtic sees his reputation ruined while those individuals who appointed him continue to make errors another day.

The Modern Corporate Football: Accountability Only for the Coaches

And possibly on some microcosmic level this represents neoliberalism at work: the elevation of a privileged elite who are infallible, whose choices remain sacrosanct, whose mistakes can always be sacked away without explanation. Hire the 3-4-3 coach only to dismiss them for playing too much that system. Hire the process guy and then bin him for requiring too long. And above all show gratitude; for your modest season ticket price rises, for your new summer signings, for the fact that the adults – regardless of their expertise – remain in control.