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Itbecame clear the manager was able to withstand a loss to Grimsby. He weathered losing a crucial continental showpiece versus one of the worst Spurs sides in living memory. He could survive home defeats to West Ham and Wolves, a lowly league position, his rigid approach, laying waste to some of the club’s best homegrown talent, the 32% win rate, labeling his team the worst the club has ever seen. But there was one adversary against whom the Portuguese coach would not be allowed to tango. If you challenge the sporting director, you had better succeed.

Unfortunately, similar to numerous top-flight defender in Blackburn’s championship 1994-95 season, Amorim came at Jason Wilcox and appears to have missed. Even the most casual observer will notice the paradoxical situation: a coach who frequently berated his squad for losing one-on-one duels succumbing in the face of the white heat and formidable presence of a England's top division's most intimidating football executives.

And frankly, this whole painful saga appears to portray Jason Wilcox in a whole new light. It may have been tempting, based on his brief stint in a similar role with the Saints, to regard Jason Wilcox as little more than a drudge within the club's structure: an individual who owed his position largely to his friendship with ex-colleague Omar Berrada rather than any verifiable talent. How mistaken we all were. In brilliantly outmanoeuvring the club's celebrated manager, just as he bested the unfortunate a previous executive earlier, he has proved himself as one of football's true generals: a strategic mind of which United’s mid-table rivals are now rightly wary.

A Strategic Clash Regarding Formation and Ideology

To illustrate, it was the director who being involved in the hierarchy that hired the 3-4-3 fundamentalist the coach originally, was instrumental in attempting to convince him to ditch his beloved 3-4-3. Unsurprisingly, these entreaties were resisted. However, such directives carry more weight when delivered by a man of a man the unimpeachable football pedigree of Jason Wilcox, holder of international appearances and a contributor to a title-winning side from 31 years ago.

Maybe eventually Jason Wilcox might agree to explain his thought processes publicly. Perhaps at some point questions may arise regarding why the coach is departing with full compensation, with no penalty clause activated. But Jason Wilcox speaks rarely publicly, and with very good reason. The true intellectuals in football – individuals such as Jason Wilcox – simply operate at a level exceeding our prosaic understanding. If he ever did speak, probably we would perceive is a series of ultrasonic blips and complex calculations. Wanting is not equivalent to being ready to receive.

The Supreme Authority Behind Command

Naturally, in training our focus on Jason Wilcox we overlook the real power behind the club's current leadership. Jason Wilcox is, after all, merely executing the commands of his line manager the billionaire owner, who privately has emphasized his desire for a four-man defense. It is reported, Ratcliffe has also proposed deploying the forward as a right wing-back. The owner is eager for United to embrace data science and metrics. According to ESPN, during a leadership summit soon after his investment, he announced that United’s style to football “shall be decided by this group”.

Ultimately, Ratcliffe is an expert in this technical football matters, leveraging his background in industry and sailing. Most importantly he remains immensely wealthy, and it is known, the rich are superior: more insightful, sagacious, strategically brilliant, simply superior. Whom else would you trust to manage an enlightened programme of cost-cutting, the construction of a modern arena that looks a lot like an abstract design, the signing of Benjamin Sesko?

A Modern Soccer Order: Directors Over Managers

This is a trend we are increasingly seeing at the elite levels football. Historically, teams mistakenly entrusted big footballing decisions to subordinate staff like managers, scouts – players themselves. Perhaps it was once possible for a young, innovative manager with ideas and energy to go into a club and implement their plan supported to fruition. But how many businesses have such individuals established? What number of mass redundancies have they managed? Far preferable to invest the real power where it rightly belongs: the leadership tier, the casually dressed executives, the individuals with impressive LinkedIn profiles. It is wiser to determine the tactics in the boardroom and hire a coach who will adapt their methods accordingly. If managers were once chefs, they have become more akin to delivery personnel: not responsible for the food, but still ultimately answerable if it arrives poorly or fails to meet standards.

Nowadays, their job is increasingly not about defining the vision and more about marketing it: the front-facing representative of the operation, the visible figurehead of an organisation they can do little to influence. A coach at Chelsea takes a squad of literal children into Europe and wins domestic cups, and essentially gets sacked for speaking out. Wilfried Nancy sees his reputation ruined whereas those individuals who appointed him live to blunder another day.

The Neoliberal Game: Accountability Only for the Coaches

And possibly in a small way this is simply corporate governance in action: the rise of a gilded overclass who can never be wrong, whose choices are always untouchable, whose errors can invariably be sacked away without justification. Hire the system coach only to fire them for playing excessively that system. Bring in the process guy and later discard him for requiring too long. And most importantly show gratitude; for your modest season ticket price rises, for the latest summer signings, for the reality that the grownups – regardless of their expertise – are in charge.