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Itranspired Ruben Amorim endured defeat by Grimsby. Survive an important European final versus one of the worst Tottenham teams in living memory. He could survive losing at home to domestic rivals, a lowly league position, the tactical inflexibility, squandering some of the club’s most promising academy products, a poor winning percentage, labeling his team the worst the club has ever seen. Yet, there existed one adversary with whom the Portuguese coach would not be allowed to engage. If you challenge Jason Wilcox, you had better succeed.

Unfortunately, similar to numerous Premiership defender in Blackburn’s title-winning 1994-95 season, Amorim came at Jason Wilcox and seems to have failed. Even the most casual observer can see the irony here: a coach who often railed at his players for losing individual battles succumbing in the face of the white heat and formidable presence of one of England's top division's most intimidating football executives.

And frankly, this entire bruising episode appears to portray Jason Wilcox in a whole new light. It may have been easy, based on his nine months of experience at Southampton, to view him as little more than a drudge within the club's structure: a man whose appointment was due as much to his close relationship with his former boss a fellow executive as any demonstrable skill. How wrong we all were. By masterfully outmanoeuvring the club's celebrated head coach, as he outmanoeuvred the hapless Dan Ashworth earlier, he has proved himself to be among football's true generals: a strategic mind of which United’s mid-table rivals are now rightly wary.

The Strategic Conflict Over System & Philosophy

To illustrate, it was Jason Wilcox who being involved in the leadership that appointed the 3-4-3 fundamentalist Amorim in the first place, played a key role in attempting to convince him 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 he possesses, a veteran of three England caps and a contributor to a title-winning side decades past.

Maybe eventually Jason Wilcox might agree to explain his thought processes publicly. Maybe one day he might be asked regarding why the coach is departing with full compensation, without any penalty clause in place. But Jason Wilcox seldom speaks in public, and with very good reason. The real thinkers of this sport – individuals such as Jason Wilcox – function at a level beyond our own mundane comprehension. Were he to speak, most likely we would perceive would be high-frequency signals and complex calculations. Desiring an explanation is not the same as being prepared to receive.

The Supreme Power In the Throne

Naturally, by focusing our attention on the sporting director we are obscuring the real power behind the modern United throne. Jason Wilcox is, after all, simply carrying out the commands of his line manager the billionaire owner, who in private has made very clear his preference for a back four. It is reported, Ratcliffe has also proposed playing Bryan Mbeumo in a wing-back role. The owner is eager for United to adopt analytics and analytics. According to ESPN, during a leadership summit soon after his minority ownership, he declared that the team's approach of play “shall be decided in this room”.

Ultimately, Ratcliffe is a specialist in these intricate football matters, drawing from his background in petrochemicals and sailing. Above all he remains incredibly rich, and as we all know, the rich are superior: more perceptive, sagacious, strategically brilliant, simply superior. Who else would you trust to manage an enlightened programme of cost-cutting, the building of a modern arena that looks similar to an abstract design, the acquisition of a new striker?

A New Football Hierarchy: Directors Above Managers

This represents a shift we are increasingly seeing at the elite levels football. Historically, clubs foolishly delegated big footballing decisions to subordinate staff like managers, scouts – players themselves. Maybe previously possible for a young, innovative manager with ideas and drive to join an organization and implement their plan supported to fruition. But how many companies have such individuals established? How many large-scale layoffs have they overseen? Far preferable to invest the real power where it belongs: the leadership tier, the open-necked shirt brigade, the guys with the jaw-dropping professional resumes. It is wiser to determine the strategy in the boardroom and hire a coach who can tailor their methods accordingly. If managers were formerly chefs, they have become more like Deliveroo drivers: not creating the product, but still ultimately answerable if it arrives poorly or fails to meet standards.

In the meantime, a coach's role is increasingly less about crafting the philosophy and more about marketing it: the receptionist of the operation, the public face of an organisation they can do little to influence. Enzo Maresca leads a team of very young players into the Champions League and secures domestic cups, and essentially is dismissed for speaking out. A manager at Celtic sees his reputation ruined whereas those individuals who appointed him continue to make errors indefinitely.

The Neoliberal Football: Responsibility for the Few

And possibly in a small way this is simply corporate governance in action: the elevation of a gilded overclass who can never be wrong, whose decisions are always sacrosanct, whose mistakes can always be sacked away without explanation. Hire the system coach and then dismiss him for playing too much 3-4-3. Bring in the process guy and then bin them for taking excessive time. And above all show gratitude; for your modest increases in ticket costs, for your new player acquisitions, for the fact that the grownups – regardless of their expertise – remain in control.