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Iturns out Ruben Amorim endured losing against lower-league opposition. Survive an important continental showpiece versus a particularly poor Tottenham teams in living memory. He withstood losing at home against West Ham and Wolves, a lowly league position, an unwavering system, squandering the team's best homegrown talent, a poor winning percentage, labeling his team the poorest the club has ever seen. But there was a single opponent with whom the Portuguese coach was not permitted to dance. You come at the sporting director, and you best not miss.

Regrettably, similar to numerous Premiership defender during Blackburn Rovers' championship campaign, Amorim came at Jason Wilcox and seems to have failed. The most distracted of readers can see the irony here: a coach who often railed at his players for failing in individual battles succumbing in the face of the intense pressure and animal charisma of one of the Premier League’s most feared football executives.

In truth, this whole painful saga seems to paint Jason Wilcox in a whole new light. It may have been tempting, based on his nine months of experience at Southampton, to regard him as little more than a functionary in the United exoskeleton: an individual who owed his position largely to his close relationship with his former boss a fellow executive as any demonstrable skill. How wrong everyone was. By masterfully outsmarting United’s feted head coach, just as he bested the unfortunate Dan Ashworth before him, he has proved himself as one of football's true generals: a strategic mind that United’s mid-table rivals are now justifiably concerned.

A Tactical Conflict Regarding System & Ideology

For example, it was the director who having been part of the hierarchy that appointed the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim originally, was instrumental in attempting to convince Amorim to ditch his favored formation. Naturally, these entreaties faced pushback. But perhaps these judgements carry more weight when delivered by a man of a man the impeccable soccer background of Jason Wilcox, holder of international appearances and a contributor to a championship team from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time Jason Wilcox may be persuaded to outline his reasoning to the rest of us. Maybe one day he might be asked regarding why the coach is departing with a full payout, with no compensation reduction clause activated. The director speaks rarely publicly, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers of this sport – individuals such as Jason Wilcox – simply operate on a plane beyond our own mundane comprehension. Were he to speak, probably we would perceive is a series of ultrasonic blips and four-dimensional whirring. Desiring an explanation is not equivalent to being prepared to comprehend it.

The Supreme Authority In Command

But of course, in training our focus on the sporting director we are obscuring the real power behind the modern United throne. The director is, after all, merely executing the directives of his ultimate superior the billionaire owner, who privately has made very clear his desire for a four-man defense. It is reported, Ratcliffe has also suggested deploying the forward in a wing-back role. Ratcliffe is keen for the club to adopt analytics and metrics. Per reports, during a leadership summit soon after his investment, he announced that United’s style of play “will be determined by this group”.

Ultimately, Sir Jim is a specialist in this technical football matters, leveraging his previous experience in industry and yachting. Above all he is immensely wealthy, and it is known, the wealthy are the best of us: more perceptive, more wise, strategically brilliant, simply superior. Who else could one trust to oversee an enlightened programme of austerity, the construction of a modern arena that appears a lot like someone’s leftover knitting, the signing of Benjamin Sesko?

A New Soccer Order: Executives Above Managers

This is a trend we are increasingly seeing in top-tier of the game. For decades, teams mistakenly delegated major sporting choices to subordinate staff such as coaches, scouts – players themselves. Maybe previously possible for a young, visionary coach with ideas and drive to join a club and see their vision supported to fruition. Yet how many companies have these guys established? What number of large-scale layoffs have they managed? Better by far to place genuine authority where it belongs: the executive class, the casually dressed executives, the guys with the jaw-dropping LinkedIn profiles. Better by far to decide the strategy in the boardroom and appoint someone who will adapt their methods to suit. If coaches were once chefs, they are now more akin to delivery personnel: not really responsible for the food, but still finally accountable if it arrives cold or fails to meet standards.

Nowadays, a coach's role is increasingly not about crafting the philosophy and more about marketing it: the receptionist of the operation, the public face for a club they can do little to change. Enzo Maresca takes a squad of literal children into Europe and secures two medium-sized trophies, and effectively gets sacked for speaking out. A manager at Celtic sees his reputation ruined whereas those individuals who hired him live to blunder another day.

The Neoliberal Game: Responsibility Only for the Few

And possibly in a small way this represents corporate governance at work: the elevation of a privileged elite who are infallible, whose choices are always untouchable, whose mistakes can always be sacked away without justification. Hire the 3-4-3 coach and then fire him for using too much that system. Hire the process guy and later bin them for requiring too long. And most importantly be grateful; for your modest season ticket price rises, for your new summer signings, for the reality that the grownups – however well qualified – remain in control.