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Transpired Ruben Amorim could survive a loss to Grimsby. He weathered losing a crucial European final against a particularly poor Tottenham teams in living memory. He withstood losing at home against West Ham and Wolves, a lowly league position, the tactical inflexibility, laying waste to the team's most promising academy products, the 32% win rate, calling his team the worst the club has ever seen. Yet, there existed one adversary against whom the Portuguese coach was not permitted to dance. If you challenge Jason Wilcox, you had better succeed.

Unfortunately, like many a top-flight defender in Blackburn’s championship 1994-95 season, Amorim 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 failing in individual battles crumbling when confronted by the white heat and animal charisma of a England's top division's most feared football executives.

And frankly, this whole painful saga appears to portray the director in a whole new light. Perhaps it might have been tempting, based on his brief stint in a similar role at Southampton, to view him as merely a drudge within the club's structure: a man whose appointment was due largely to his friendship with ex-colleague a fellow executive rather than any demonstrable skill. How mistaken we all were. In brilliantly outsmarting United’s feted head coach, as he outmanoeuvred the hapless Dan Ashworth earlier, Jason Wilcox has demonstrated as one of football's strategic masterminds: a tactical intellect of which the club's mid-table rivals are now justifiably concerned.

A Tactical Clash Over System & Philosophy

To illustrate, this was Jason Wilcox , after being involved in the hierarchy that hired the 3-4-3 fundamentalist the coach originally, played a key role in trying to persuade him to ditch his beloved formation. Naturally, these entreaties were resisted. But perhaps such directives carry more weight when delivered by a man with the unimpeachable soccer background he possesses, holder of international appearances and a role in a title-winning side from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time he may be persuaded to explain his thought processes to the rest of us. Maybe one day questions may arise why Amorim is walking away with a full payout, with no penalty clause in place. The director speaks rarely in public, for excellent reasons. The true intellectuals of this sport – individuals such as him – simply operate at a level exceeding our mundane comprehension. Were he to speak, probably we would perceive is a series of high-frequency signals and complex calculations. Wanting is not equivalent to being prepared to comprehend it.

The Supreme Authority In Command

But of course, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we are obscuring the true genius behind the modern United throne. Jason Wilcox is, in reality, merely executing the directives of his ultimate line manager the billionaire owner, who privately has made very clear his desire for a back four. According to reports, the owner has also suggested playing Bryan Mbeumo in a wing-back role. The owner is eager for the club to adopt analytics and metrics. Per reports, in an executive meeting early in his investment, he declared that the team's approach of play “will be determined by this group”.

After all, Ratcliffe is a specialist in these intricate football matters, drawing from his background in petrochemicals and yachting. Most importantly he is immensely wealthy, and it is known, the rich are superior: more insightful, more wise, strategically brilliant, simply superior. Whom else could one trust to oversee a strategic plan of austerity, the construction of a modern arena that appears similar to someone’s leftover knitting, the acquisition of Benjamin Sesko?

The New Soccer Hierarchy: Executives Over Managers

This is a trend we are increasingly seeing at the elite levels football. For decades, teams mistakenly delegated major sporting choices to low-level employees like managers, scouts – even footballers. Perhaps it was once feasible for a young, innovative manager with a philosophy and energy to join an organization and see their vision through to completion. Yet how many companies have such individuals set up? How many large-scale layoffs have they managed? Far preferable to place genuine authority where it belongs: the leadership tier, the casually dressed executives, the guys with impressive LinkedIn profiles. Better by far to decide the strategy by the directors and hire a coach who will adapt their offering accordingly. If coaches were once chefs, they are now more akin to Deliveroo drivers: not really creating the food, yet ultimately answerable if it arrives poorly or fails of the box.

Nowadays, a coach's role has become less about defining the vision and more about marketing it: the front-facing representative on the front desk, the visible figurehead for a club they have minimal power to change. A coach at Chelsea takes a squad of literal children into Europe and wins two medium-sized trophies, and effectively gets sacked for talking. A manager at Celtic sees his standing damaged while the people who appointed him continue to make errors indefinitely.

The Modern Corporate Football: Responsibility for the Coaches

And perhaps on some microcosmic level this represents neoliberalism at work: the elevation of a gilded elite who can never be wrong, whose choices remain sacrosanct, whose errors can invariably be resolved by sacking without justification. Hire the 3-4-3 coach and then fire them for playing too much that system. Bring in the process guy and later discard him for taking excessive time. And most importantly show gratitude; for your modest increases in ticket costs, for the latest player acquisitions, for the fact that the grownups – regardless of their expertise – are in charge.