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Itranspired Ruben Amorim could survive defeat by Grimsby. He weathered an important European final against a particularly poor Tottenham teams in living memory. He could survive home defeats against domestic rivals, a lowly league position, his rigid approach, undermining some of the club’s most promising homegrown talent, a poor winning percentage, calling his team the poorest the club has ever seen. Yet, there existed one adversary against whom the Portuguese coach was not permitted to engage. If you challenge Jason Wilcox, and you best not miss.

Unfortunately, similar to numerous top-flight right-back during Blackburn Rovers' title-winning 1994-95 season, Amorim came at the executive and appears to have failed. Even the most casual observer can see the irony here: a manager who frequently berated his squad for failing in one-on-one duels succumbing in the face of the white heat and formidable presence of one of the Premier League’s most feared football executives.

And frankly, this whole painful saga seems to paint Jason Wilcox in a whole new light. Perhaps it might have been tempting, given his nine months in a similar role at Southampton, to regard Jason Wilcox as merely a drudge in the United exoskeleton: a man whose appointment was due largely to his close relationship with his former boss a fellow executive rather than any verifiable talent. How mistaken everyone was. By masterfully outsmarting United’s feted manager, just as he bested the hapless Dan Ashworth earlier, Jason Wilcox has proved himself to be among the sport’s true generals: a strategic mind that United’s competitors are now justifiably concerned.

A Tactical Clash Regarding System and Philosophy

For example, it was the director , after being involved in the leadership that hired the rigid 3-4-3 advocate the coach originally, was instrumental in attempting to convince him to abandon his favored 3-4-3. Naturally, these entreaties met a certain resistance. However, such directives hold greater authority when issued from the mouth with the unimpeachable soccer background he possesses, holder of three England caps and a role in a title-winning side from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time Jason Wilcox may be persuaded to outline his reasoning publicly. Maybe one day questions may arise why Amorim is departing with a full payout, without any compensation reduction clause activated. The director speaks rarely in public, and with very good reason. The real thinkers in football – individuals such as 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 four-dimensional whirring. Wanting is not equivalent to being ready to comprehend it.

An Supreme Authority In the Throne

Naturally, in training our focus on Jason Wilcox we are obscuring the real power behind the modern United throne. The director is, in reality, merely executing the commands of his line manager the billionaire owner, who in private has made very clear his desire for a back four. It is reported, Ratcliffe has also proposed playing Bryan Mbeumo as a right wing-back. Ratcliffe is keen for the club to embrace analytics and metrics. According to ESPN, in an executive meeting soon after his investment, he announced that the team's approach of play “shall be determined in this room”.

Ultimately, Sir Jim is a specialist in this technical football matters, leveraging his previous experience in petrochemicals and yachting. Most importantly he is incredibly rich, and as we all know, the rich are the best of us: more insightful, more wise, strategically brilliant, simply better. Who else could one trust to oversee a strategic plan of austerity, the building of a modern arena that looks a lot like an abstract design, the acquisition of a new striker?

A Modern Football Order: Executives Over Managers

This is a trend we are increasingly seeing at the elite levels football. For decades, teams mistakenly entrusted major sporting choices to subordinate staff like managers, talent spotters – even footballers. Maybe previously feasible for a young, visionary coach with a philosophy and drive to go into a club and see their vision through to completion. But how many companies have such individuals established? How many mass redundancies have they overseen? Better by far to place genuine authority where it rightly belongs: the executive class, the casually dressed executives, the guys with the jaw-dropping professional resumes. Better by far to determine the strategy in the boardroom and hire someone who can tailor their offering accordingly. If coaches were formerly chefs, they have become more akin to delivery personnel: not creating the product, but still finally accountable if it arrives cold or leaks out of the box.

Nowadays, their job is increasingly not about defining the vision and more about marketing it: the receptionist on the front desk, the public face for a club they can do little to change. A coach at Chelsea takes a squad of very young players into the Champions League and wins two medium-sized trophies, and essentially gets sacked for speaking out. A manager at Celtic sees his reputation ruined while those individuals who hired him continue to make errors another day.

A Neoliberal Football: Responsibility Only for the Coaches

And perhaps in a small way this is simply neoliberalism in action: the rise of a gilded overclass who can never be wrong, whose decisions remain untouchable, whose errors can invariably be resolved by sacking without explanation. Appoint the system coach only to dismiss him for using excessively 3-4-3. Bring in the project manager and later discard him for requiring too long. And above all be grateful; for your modest season ticket price rises, for the latest player acquisitions, for the fact that the adults – regardless of their expertise – remain in control.