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Itbecame clear the manager could survive defeat by lower-league opposition. He weathered an important continental showpiece versus one of the worst Tottenham teams in living memory. He could survive losing at home against domestic rivals, finishing 15th, the tactical inflexibility, squandering some of the club’s most promising academy products, the 32% win rate, labeling the squad the poorest the club has ever seen. Yet, there existed a single opponent against whom Ruben Amorim would not be allowed to tango. You come at Jason Wilcox, and you best not miss.

Regrettably, similar to numerous Premiership right-back during Blackburn Rovers' championship campaign, Amorim came at the executive and seems to have missed. Even the most casual observer will notice the paradoxical situation: a coach who frequently berated at his players for losing individual battles crumbling when confronted by the white heat and animal charisma of one of the Premier League’s most intimidating sporting directors.

And frankly, this whole bruising episode seems to paint Jason Wilcox in a different perspective. It may have been tempting, given his brief stint in a similar role with the Saints, to view Jason Wilcox as merely a functionary within the club's structure: a man who owed his position largely to his friendship with his former boss Omar Berrada as any demonstrable skill. How wrong we all were. By masterfully outsmarting the club's celebrated manager, just as he bested the unfortunate a previous executive before him, Jason Wilcox has proved himself as one of the sport’s strategic masterminds: a tactical intellect that the club's mid-table rivals will now be justifiably concerned.

The Tactical Conflict Over Formation & Philosophy

For example, this was Jason Wilcox who having been part of the leadership that appointed the rigid 3-4-3 advocate the coach originally, was instrumental in trying to persuade him to ditch his favored formation. Unsurprisingly, these pleas were resisted. But perhaps these judgements carry more weight when delivered from the mouth of a man the impeccable football pedigree he possesses, a veteran of three England caps and a role in a title-winning side from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time Jason Wilcox might agree to outline his reasoning publicly. Perhaps at some point he might be asked why Amorim is walking away with a full payout, with no penalty clause activated. The director speaks rarely in public, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers of this sport – individuals such as Jason Wilcox – simply operate at a level beyond our own mundane comprehension. Were he to speak, most likely all we would hear is a series of high-frequency signals and complex calculations. Desiring an explanation is not equivalent to being prepared to comprehend it.

The Ultimate Authority Behind the Throne

Naturally, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we are obscuring the true genius behind the modern United throne. The director is, in reality, simply carrying out the commands of his line manager Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who privately has made very clear his preference for a four-man defense. It is reported, the owner has also proposed deploying the forward in a wing-back role. Ratcliffe is keen for United to embrace data science and metrics. According to ESPN, during a leadership summit soon after his minority ownership, he declared that the team's approach of play “shall be determined in this room”.

After all, Ratcliffe is an expert in this technical footballing stuff, drawing from his background in industry and sailing. Above all he is incredibly rich, and it is known, the wealthy are the best of us: more insightful, sagacious, strategically brilliant, fundamentally better. Whom else would you trust to oversee a strategic plan of austerity, the building of a new stadium that appears a lot like an abstract design, the signing of Benjamin Sesko?

A Modern Soccer Hierarchy: Executives Above Coaches

This is a trend we are increasingly seeing in top-tier of the game. Historically, clubs foolishly delegated major sporting choices to subordinate staff like managers, talent spotters – even footballers. Maybe previously feasible for a young, innovative manager with a philosophy and drive to join a club and see their vision through to completion. Yet how many businesses have such individuals set up? How many mass redundancies have they overseen? Better by far to place genuine authority where it 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 appoint a coach who can tailor their offering to suit. If coaches were formerly chefs, they are now more akin to delivery personnel: not really responsible for the food, yet ultimately answerable should it be delivered cold or fails to meet standards.

In the meantime, a coach's role has become less about defining the vision and more about selling it: the receptionist of the operation, the visible figurehead of an organisation they have minimal power to change. A coach at Chelsea leads a team of literal children into Europe and wins two medium-sized trophies, and essentially gets sacked for speaking out. Wilfried Nancy finds his reputation ruined while those individuals who hired him continue to make errors indefinitely.

The Neoliberal Football: Responsibility Only for the Coaches

And possibly on some microcosmic level this is simply corporate governance at work: the rise of a privileged overclass who are infallible, whose choices remain untouchable, whose mistakes can invariably be resolved by sacking without justification. Hire the 3-4-3 coach only to dismiss him for using too much 3-4-3. Hire the process guy and then discard him for taking excessive time. And above all be grateful; for the incremental increases in ticket costs, for your new summer signings, for the fact that the grownups – however well qualified – remain in control.