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Iturns out Ruben Amorim endured losing against Grimsby. Survive an important European final versus one of the worst Tottenham teams in living memory. He could survive home defeats to domestic rivals, finishing 15th, his rigid approach, laying waste to some of the club’s most promising homegrown talent, a poor winning percentage, calling the squad the poorest in Manchester United history. Yet, there existed a single opponent against whom the Portuguese coach would not be allowed to dance. If you challenge Jason Wilcox, you had better succeed.

Regrettably, similar to numerous Premiership defender in Blackburn’s championship campaign, Amorim came at Jason Wilcox and seems to have failed. Even the most casual observer can see the irony here: a manager who frequently berated his squad for failing in individual battles succumbing when confronted by the intense pressure and formidable presence of a England's top division's most intimidating sporting directors.

In truth, this whole bruising episode appears to portray Jason Wilcox in a different perspective. It may have been easy, given his brief stint of experience at Southampton, to view Jason Wilcox as little more than a drudge within the club's structure: a man who owed his position largely to his friendship with his former boss a fellow executive rather than any demonstrable skill. How mistaken everyone was. In brilliantly outsmarting United’s feted manager, as he outmanoeuvred the unfortunate a previous executive before him, he has proved himself to be among football's strategic masterminds: a strategic mind of which United’s competitors are now justifiably concerned.

A Tactical Clash Over Formation & Ideology

To illustrate, it was the director who being involved in the leadership that hired the 3-4-3 fundamentalist the coach in the first place, played a key role in trying to persuade Amorim to ditch his beloved 3-4-3. Unsurprisingly, these pleas faced pushback. But perhaps such directives carry more weight when delivered by a man with the impeccable soccer background he possesses, a veteran of international appearances and a contributor to a title-winning side decades past.

Maybe eventually Jason Wilcox may be persuaded to explain his reasoning to the rest of us. Maybe one day questions may arise why Amorim is departing with full compensation, without any penalty clause activated. But Jason Wilcox speaks rarely in public, and with very good reason. The true intellectuals of this sport – men like Jason Wilcox – function on a plane beyond our own mundane comprehension. If he ever did speak, probably we would perceive would be ultrasonic blips and four-dimensional whirring. Desiring an explanation is not the same as being ready to receive.

The Supreme Authority In Command

Naturally, in training our focus on the sporting director we overlook the real power behind the modern United throne. The director is, in reality, simply carrying out the commands of his ultimate superior Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who in private has emphasized his desire for a back four. According to reports, Ratcliffe has also proposed deploying the forward in a wing-back role. The owner is eager for the club to adopt analytics and analytics. Per reports, in an executive meeting early in his investment, he announced that the team's approach to football “will be decided in this room”.

Ultimately, Ratcliffe is a specialist in these intricate football matters, leveraging his previous experience in petrochemicals and sailing. Above all he remains immensely wealthy, and it is known, the rich are the best of us: more perceptive, more wise, strategically brilliant, simply better. Who else would you trust to oversee a strategic plan of austerity, the construction of a modern arena that appears similar to an abstract design, the acquisition of Benjamin Sesko?

The Modern Football Order: Directors Over Coaches

This represents a shift that is becoming prevalent in top-tier football. Historically, teams mistakenly delegated big footballing decisions to low-level employees like managers, talent spotters – players themselves. Perhaps it was once feasible for an up-and-coming, innovative manager with ideas and energy to go into an organization and see their vision through to completion. But how many businesses have these guys set up? How many large-scale layoffs have they managed? Better by far to invest the real power where it belongs: the leadership tier, the casually dressed executives, the individuals with impressive professional resumes. It is wiser to determine the tactics by the directors and hire someone who will adapt their offering to suit. If coaches were formerly chefs, they are now more akin to Deliveroo drivers: not creating the product, yet finally accountable if it arrives poorly or leaks out to meet standards.

Nowadays, a coach's role is increasingly less about defining the vision and more about marketing it: the receptionist on the front desk, the public face of an organisation they have minimal power to change. A coach at Chelsea takes a squad of literal children into the Champions League and wins domestic cups, and effectively gets sacked for speaking out. Wilfried Nancy finds his reputation ruined whereas the people who hired him live to blunder another day.

The Neoliberal Football: Responsibility for the Coaches

And possibly in a small way this is simply corporate governance at work: the elevation of a gilded elite who are infallible, whose decisions remain sacrosanct, whose mistakes can always be resolved by sacking without justification. Appoint the 3-4-3 coach only to fire him for using too much that system. Hire the project manager and later bin them for requiring too long. And above all be grateful; for the incremental season ticket price rises, for the latest summer signings, for the fact that the grownups – however well qualified – remain in control.