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Itranspired Ruben Amorim was able to withstand defeat by lower-league opposition. Survive an important continental showpiece versus one of the worst Tottenham teams in living memory. He could survive home defeats against domestic rivals, finishing 15th, the tactical inflexibility, undermining the team's most promising homegrown talent, the 32% win rate, labeling the squad the poorest the club has ever seen. Yet, there existed one adversary with whom Ruben Amorim was not permitted to tango. You come at Jason Wilcox, you had better succeed.

Regrettably, like many a Premiership defender in Blackburn’s championship campaign, the coach took on the executive and appears to have missed. The most casual observer can see the paradoxical situation: a manager who often railed at his players for losing individual battles succumbing when confronted by the intense pressure and formidable presence of a the Premier League’s most intimidating sporting directors.

In truth, this whole painful saga appears to portray Jason Wilcox in a different perspective. It may have been easy, given his brief stint in a similar role with the Saints, to regard him as merely a drudge in the United exoskeleton: a man who owed his position largely to his friendship with his former boss Omar Berrada as any verifiable talent. How wrong we all were. By masterfully outmanoeuvring the club's celebrated head coach, as he outmanoeuvred the unfortunate Dan Ashworth earlier, he has demonstrated as one of the sport’s strategic masterminds: a strategic mind of which United’s competitors are now rightly wary.

A Strategic Conflict Regarding System & Ideology

To illustrate, it was the director who having been part of the leadership that appointed the 3-4-3 fundamentalist the coach in the first place, played a key role in trying to persuade him to abandon his beloved formation. Naturally, these pleas faced pushback. However, such directives hold greater authority when issued from the mouth with the unimpeachable football pedigree of Jason Wilcox, holder of international appearances and a role in a championship team from 31 years ago.

Maybe eventually he may be persuaded to outline his thought processes publicly. Maybe one day questions may arise regarding why the coach is walking away with a full payout, with no compensation reduction clause in place. The director seldom speaks in public, and with very good reason. The real thinkers of this sport – men like him – simply operate at a level beyond our own mundane comprehension. If he ever did speak, probably all we would hear would be ultrasonic blips and four-dimensional whirring. Desiring an explanation is not equivalent to being ready to comprehend it.

An Ultimate Authority In Command

Naturally, in training our focus on the sporting director we are obscuring the true genius behind the modern United throne. Jason Wilcox is, after all, simply carrying out the commands of his ultimate superior Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who in private has emphasized his preference for a four-man defense. It is reported, Ratcliffe has also suggested playing Bryan Mbeumo as a right wing-back. Ratcliffe is keen for United to embrace analytics and analytics. According to ESPN, in an executive meeting soon after his investment, he declared that United’s style of play “shall be determined in this room”.

Ultimately, Ratcliffe is a specialist in this technical footballing stuff, leveraging his previous experience in petrochemicals and sailing. Most importantly he remains immensely wealthy, and it is known, the wealthy are the best of us: more insightful, more wise, strategically brilliant, fundamentally superior. Whom else would you trust to manage an enlightened programme of austerity, the building of a new stadium that appears similar to someone’s leftover knitting, the signing of Benjamin Sesko?

The New Soccer Hierarchy: Executives Over Managers

This is a trend we are increasingly seeing in top-tier football. Historically, clubs foolishly entrusted major sporting choices to low-level employees like managers, scouts – even footballers. Perhaps it was once feasible for an up-and-coming, visionary coach with a philosophy and energy to go into an organization and see their vision supported to fruition. Yet how many businesses have such individuals established? What number of mass redundancies have they managed? 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 decide the tactics by the directors and hire a coach who will adapt their methods accordingly. If managers were once chefs, they have become more like Deliveroo drivers: not really creating the food, but still ultimately answerable if it arrives cold or leaks out to meet standards.

In the meantime, a coach's role is increasingly less about crafting the philosophy and more about selling it: the front-facing representative on the front desk, the public face for a club they can do little to influence. Enzo Maresca leads a team of very young players into Europe and wins two medium-sized trophies, and effectively is dismissed for speaking out. Wilfried Nancy finds his standing damaged while those individuals who appointed him live to blunder another day.

The Modern Corporate Game: Responsibility for the Coaches

And perhaps in a small way this represents neoliberalism in action: the rise of a gilded elite who are infallible, whose decisions remain untouchable, whose mistakes can invariably be resolved by sacking without explanation. Hire the system coach and then dismiss him for playing excessively that system. Hire the project manager and then discard him for taking too long. And above all show gratitude; for your modest season ticket price rises, for the latest player acquisitions, for the fact that the adults – however well qualified – remain in control.