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Itbecame clear the manager was able to withstand defeat by Grimsby. He weathered a decisive European final versus a particularly poor Tottenham teams for many years. He could survive losing at home to domestic rivals, finishing 15th, an unwavering system, laying waste to the team's best academy products, the 32% win rate, calling his team the poorest the club has ever seen. But there was a single opponent against whom Ruben Amorim was not permitted to tango. If you challenge Jason Wilcox, and you best not miss.

Unfortunately, similar to numerous Premiership defender in Blackburn’s title-winning campaign, Amorim came at the executive and appears to have missed. Even the most casual observer can see the paradoxical situation: a coach who frequently berated his squad for failing in individual battles succumbing in the face of the intense pressure and formidable presence of one of the Premier League’s most feared sporting directors.

In truth, this whole painful saga seems to paint the director in a different perspective. It may have been tempting, based on his brief stint of experience with the Saints, to view Jason Wilcox 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 a fellow executive as any demonstrable skill. How mistaken we all were. In brilliantly outsmarting United’s feted manager, as he outmanoeuvred the unfortunate Dan Ashworth earlier, he has proved himself as one of the sport’s true generals: a tactical intellect of which United’s competitors are now rightly wary.

A Tactical Clash Regarding System & Ideology

To illustrate, it was Jason Wilcox who having been part of the hierarchy that hired the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim originally, was instrumental in trying to persuade him to ditch his favored formation. Naturally, these entreaties faced pushback. But perhaps these judgements carry more weight when delivered by a man with the unimpeachable soccer background of Jason Wilcox, holder of three England caps and a contributor to a championship team from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time Jason Wilcox might agree to outline his thought processes to the rest of us. Perhaps at some point he might be asked regarding why the coach is departing with full compensation, without any compensation reduction clause activated. But Jason Wilcox speaks rarely in public, and with very good reason. The true intellectuals in football – men like him – simply operate at a level beyond our own mundane comprehension. Were he to speak, probably all we would hear would be high-frequency signals and complex calculations. Desiring an explanation is not quite the same as being prepared to comprehend it.

The Ultimate Authority In Command

But of course, in training our focus on Jason Wilcox we overlook the true genius behind the modern United throne. Jason Wilcox is, in reality, merely executing the commands of his ultimate superior Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who in private has emphasized his preference for a back four. It is reported, Ratcliffe has also proposed deploying the forward as a right wing-back. The owner is eager for United to adopt data science and analytics. Per reports, in an executive meeting early in his investment, he declared that United’s style of play “will be decided by this group”.

After all, Ratcliffe is a specialist in these intricate footballing stuff, drawing from his background in industry and sailing. Most importantly he is incredibly rich, and it is known, the wealthy are the best of us: more perceptive, sagacious, strategically brilliant, fundamentally better. Whom else could one trust to oversee an enlightened programme of austerity, the construction of a modern arena that appears similar to someone’s leftover knitting, the signing of a new striker?

A New Football Order: Directors Above Managers

This represents a shift we are increasingly seeing at the elite levels of the game. For decades, teams mistakenly delegated big footballing decisions to low-level employees such as coaches, talent spotters – even footballers. Maybe previously feasible for an up-and-coming, visionary coach with ideas and energy to go into a club and implement their plan supported to fruition. Yet how many businesses have such individuals established? What number of large-scale layoffs have they overseen? Better by far to invest genuine authority where it rightly belongs: the leadership tier, the casually dressed executives, the guys with impressive professional resumes. Better by far to determine the strategy by the directors and appoint a coach who can tailor their offering to suit. If coaches were formerly chefs, they have become more like delivery personnel: not really responsible for the food, but still ultimately answerable if it arrives cold or fails of the box.

In the meantime, a coach's role is increasingly less about crafting the philosophy and more about marketing it: the receptionist of the operation, the visible figurehead of an organisation they have minimal power to influence. A coach at Chelsea takes a squad of very young players into the Champions League and secures domestic cups, and effectively gets sacked for speaking out. Wilfried Nancy sees his reputation ruined whereas those individuals who appointed him live to blunder indefinitely.

The Neoliberal Football: Accountability Only for the Few

And perhaps in a small way this represents neoliberalism at work: the elevation of a gilded overclass who can never be wrong, whose decisions are always sacrosanct, whose errors can always be resolved by sacking without justification. Hire the system coach and then fire them for using excessively 3-4-3. Bring in the process guy and then discard him for taking excessive time. And most importantly show gratitude; for your modest season ticket price rises, for your new summer signings, for the reality that the adults – however well qualified – are in charge.