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Transpired he could survive losing against Grimsby. Survive a decisive European final versus one of the worst Tottenham teams in living memory. He could survive losing at home to West Ham and Wolves, a lowly league position, his rigid approach, undermining some of the club’s best academy products, a poor winning percentage, calling his team the worst in Manchester United history. But there was one adversary against whom Ruben Amorim was not permitted to tango. You come at Jason Wilcox, you had better succeed.

Regrettably, like many a Premiership defender during Blackburn Rovers' championship campaign, the coach came at the executive and seems to have missed. Even the most casual observer can see the paradoxical situation: a manager who frequently berated at his players for losing individual battles succumbing when confronted by the white heat and animal charisma of one of England's top division's most intimidating sporting directors.

And frankly, this entire bruising episode seems to paint the director in a whole new light. Perhaps it might have been easy, based on his brief stint in a similar role with the Saints, to view Jason Wilcox as merely a drudge in the United exoskeleton: a man whose appointment was due as much to his friendship with his former boss Omar Berrada rather than any demonstrable skill. How mistaken everyone was. In brilliantly outsmarting United’s feted head coach, just as he bested the unfortunate a previous executive earlier, Jason Wilcox has demonstrated to be among the sport’s true generals: a tactical intellect of which United’s mid-table rivals are now justifiably concerned.

A Tactical Clash Regarding System & Ideology

For example, this was the director , after being involved in the leadership that hired the 3-4-3 fundamentalist Amorim in the first place, was instrumental in trying to persuade Amorim to ditch his favored formation. Naturally, these entreaties faced pushback. However, these judgements carry more weight when delivered from the mouth with the unimpeachable soccer background he possesses, a veteran of international appearances and a role in a championship team from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time Jason Wilcox may be persuaded to explain his reasoning to the rest of us. Maybe one day questions may arise why Amorim is walking away with a full payout, with no compensation reduction clause in place. The director speaks rarely publicly, and with very good reason. The true intellectuals in football – individuals such as him – simply operate at a level beyond our own mundane comprehension. Were he to speak, probably all we would hear is a series of high-frequency signals and four-dimensional whirring. Wanting is not equivalent to being prepared to comprehend it.

The Supreme Authority Behind Command

Naturally, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we are obscuring the true genius behind the modern United throne. The director is, after all, merely executing the commands of his line manager Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who privately has emphasized his desire for a back four. It is reported, the owner has also proposed playing Bryan Mbeumo as a right wing-back. Ratcliffe is keen for the club to adopt analytics and analytics. Per reports, in an executive meeting soon after his minority ownership, he announced that the team's approach of play “will be determined by this group”.

Ultimately, Ratcliffe is a specialist in these intricate footballing stuff, leveraging his previous experience in industry and sailing. Most importantly he is incredibly rich, and it is known, the rich are the best of us: more insightful, more wise, more tactically astute, simply better. Who else could one trust to oversee an enlightened programme of cost-cutting, the building of a new stadium that looks a lot like an abstract design, the acquisition of a new striker?

A Modern Football Hierarchy: Directors Above Coaches

This is a trend that is becoming prevalent at the elite levels of the game. For decades, teams mistakenly delegated big footballing decisions to subordinate staff like managers, talent spotters – players themselves. Maybe previously feasible for an up-and-coming, visionary coach with a philosophy and energy to go into an organization and see their vision through to completion. But how many businesses have these guys established? What number of mass redundancies have they overseen? Better by far to invest the real power where it rightly belongs: the leadership tier, the casually dressed executives, the guys with impressive professional resumes. Better by far to decide the strategy in the boardroom and hire a coach who will adapt their offering to suit. If managers were once chefs, they are now more akin to delivery personnel: not responsible for the product, but still finally accountable should it be delivered cold or leaks out to meet standards.

In the meantime, a coach's role has become not about defining the vision and more about marketing it: the receptionist of the operation, the public face of an organisation they can do little to change. Enzo Maresca takes a squad of literal children into the Champions League and secures domestic cups, and essentially gets sacked for talking. A manager at Celtic finds his standing damaged while the people who appointed him live to blunder indefinitely.

The Neoliberal Game: Responsibility Only for the Few

And perhaps in a small way this represents corporate governance in action: the elevation of a privileged overclass who can never be wrong, whose choices are always sacrosanct, whose errors can always be sacked away without justification. Hire the system coach and then dismiss him for playing too much 3-4-3. Bring in the process guy and then discard him for requiring too long. And most importantly show gratitude; for the incremental season ticket price rises, for your new summer signings, for the reality that the adults – regardless of their expertise – are in charge.