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Iturns out the manager was able to withstand losing against lower-league opposition. He weathered an important continental showpiece against one of the worst Tottenham teams in living memory. He withstood losing at home to domestic rivals, a lowly league position, the tactical inflexibility, squandering the team's best homegrown talent, a poor winning percentage, labeling his team the worst in Manchester United history. Yet, there existed a single opponent with whom Ruben Amorim would not be allowed to tango. You come at Jason Wilcox, you had better succeed.

Regrettably, similar to numerous top-flight right-back during Blackburn Rovers' championship campaign, the coach came at Jason Wilcox and seems to have failed. Even the most casual observer can see the irony here: a manager who frequently berated his squad for losing one-on-one duels crumbling in the face of the white heat and animal charisma of one of England's top division's most intimidating football executives.

In truth, this whole painful saga appears to portray the director in a different perspective. It may have been easy, based on his brief stint of experience at Southampton, to view Jason Wilcox as little more than a functionary in the United exoskeleton: a man whose appointment was due largely to his close relationship with his former boss Omar Berrada as any demonstrable skill. How mistaken we all were. In brilliantly outsmarting United’s feted head coach, just as he bested the unfortunate Dan Ashworth earlier, Jason Wilcox has demonstrated as one of the sport’s true generals: a tactical intellect that United’s mid-table rivals are now rightly wary.

The Tactical Conflict Regarding System & Ideology

To illustrate, this was the director who having been part of the hierarchy that appointed the 3-4-3 fundamentalist the coach originally, was instrumental in trying to persuade Amorim to abandon his beloved formation. Naturally, these pleas were resisted. However, these judgements hold greater authority when issued by a man of a man the impeccable football pedigree of Jason Wilcox, a veteran of three England caps and a role in a championship team from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time he might agree to explain his thought processes publicly. Perhaps at some point questions may arise why Amorim is departing with full compensation, with no penalty clause in place. But Jason Wilcox seldom speaks publicly, and with very good reason. The true intellectuals of this sport – men like him – function on a plane exceeding our prosaic understanding. If he ever did speak, probably 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 Power Behind Command

But of course, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we overlook the real power behind the modern United throne. Jason Wilcox is, in reality, merely executing the commands of his ultimate superior the billionaire owner, who privately has emphasized his desire for a four-man defense. 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 analytics. According to ESPN, in an executive meeting early in his minority ownership, he declared that the team's approach to football “shall be determined in this room”.

Ultimately, Ratcliffe is a specialist in this technical footballing stuff, leveraging his background in industry and yachting. Above all he remains immensely wealthy, and as we all know, the rich are the best of us: more insightful, more wise, more tactically astute, simply better. Whom else could one trust to manage a strategic plan of austerity, 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 Over Coaches

This is a trend we are increasingly seeing at the elite levels football. For decades, clubs foolishly entrusted big footballing decisions to subordinate staff such as coaches, scouts – even footballers. Perhaps it was once feasible for an up-and-coming, visionary coach with ideas and drive to join a club and see their vision supported to fruition. But how many businesses have these guys set up? What number of large-scale layoffs have they overseen? Better by far to invest genuine authority where it belongs: the leadership tier, the open-necked shirt brigade, the individuals with impressive professional resumes. It is wiser to decide the strategy by the directors and hire someone who can tailor their offering accordingly. If coaches were once chefs, they have become more akin to Deliveroo drivers: not really creating the product, yet ultimately answerable should it be delivered poorly or leaks out to meet standards.

In the meantime, a coach's role has become not about crafting the philosophy and more about marketing it: the receptionist on the front desk, the public face of an organisation they can do little to influence. A coach at Chelsea leads a team of literal children into the Champions League and wins domestic cups, and effectively is dismissed for speaking out. A manager at Celtic sees his reputation ruined whereas the people who hired him continue to make errors indefinitely.

A Neoliberal Football: Responsibility Only for the Coaches

And possibly in a small way this represents corporate governance in action: the elevation of a privileged elite who are infallible, whose choices remain sacrosanct, whose mistakes can invariably be sacked away without justification. Hire the system coach and then dismiss him for playing too much that system. Bring in the project manager and later bin him for taking too long. And above all 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.