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Tbecame clear Ruben Amorim was able to withstand a loss to lower-league opposition. He weathered losing a crucial European final against one of the worst Tottenham teams for many years. He could survive home defeats to West Ham and Wolves, a lowly league position, the tactical inflexibility, laying waste to some of the club’s most promising homegrown talent, a poor winning percentage, labeling the squad the poorest the club has ever seen. Yet, there existed a single opponent against whom the Portuguese coach was not permitted to tango. If you challenge Jason Wilcox, you had better succeed.

Regrettably, similar to numerous Premiership right-back in Blackburn’s title-winning 1994-95 season, Amorim came at the executive and seems to have failed. The most distracted of readers can see the paradoxical situation: a coach who often railed his squad for losing individual battles succumbing when confronted by the white heat and formidable presence of one of the Premier League’s most feared football executives.

And frankly, this entire painful saga appears to portray the director in a whole new light. Perhaps it might have been tempting, based on his nine months of experience at Southampton, to view him as merely a functionary within the club's structure: a man who owed his position as much to his close relationship with ex-colleague Omar Berrada as any verifiable talent. How mistaken we all were. In brilliantly outmanoeuvring United’s feted manager, just as he bested the unfortunate Dan Ashworth earlier, he has demonstrated to be among the sport’s strategic masterminds: a strategic mind that the club's mid-table rivals will now be justifiably concerned.

A Strategic Conflict Over Formation & Philosophy

For example, this was Jason Wilcox who having been part of the hierarchy that hired the 3-4-3 fundamentalist Amorim originally, played a key role in attempting to convince Amorim to abandon his beloved 3-4-3. Unsurprisingly, these entreaties were resisted. However, such directives hold greater authority when issued by a man of a man the impeccable soccer background he possesses, holder of three England caps and a role in a championship team from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time he might agree to outline his reasoning publicly. Maybe one day questions may arise regarding why the coach is departing with a full payout, with no compensation reduction clause activated. The director speaks rarely publicly, and with very good reason. The real thinkers of this sport – men like Jason Wilcox – simply operate on a plane beyond our own prosaic understanding. If he ever did speak, most likely all we would hear is a series of ultrasonic blips and complex calculations. Wanting is not the same as being prepared to receive.

An Supreme Power In Command

But of course, in training our focus on Jason Wilcox we overlook the true genius behind the club's current leadership. The director is, in reality, simply carrying out the commands of his superior the billionaire owner, who in private has emphasized his desire for a four-man defense. It is reported, Ratcliffe has also suggested playing Bryan Mbeumo as a right wing-back. The owner is eager for United to adopt data science and metrics. Per reports, during a leadership summit soon after his minority ownership, he declared that the team's approach of play “shall be determined in this room”.

Ultimately, Sir Jim is a specialist in this technical footballing stuff, drawing from his background in industry and sailing. Above all he remains immensely wealthy, and it is known, the rich are superior: more perceptive, more wise, more tactically astute, simply superior. Who else could one trust to manage a strategic plan of cost-cutting, the construction of a modern arena that appears a lot like an abstract design, the acquisition of Benjamin Sesko?

A New Soccer Hierarchy: Directors Above Coaches

This is a trend we are increasingly seeing at the elite levels of the game. For decades, clubs foolishly delegated big footballing decisions to low-level employees like managers, talent spotters – players themselves. Perhaps it was once possible for a young, innovative manager with a philosophy and drive to join an organization and implement their plan through to completion. But how many businesses have these guys established? What number of mass redundancies have they managed? Better by far to invest genuine authority where it belongs: the executive class, the open-necked shirt brigade, the guys with impressive LinkedIn profiles. It is wiser to decide the tactics by the directors and hire a coach who will adapt their offering accordingly. If coaches were formerly chefs, they have become more like Deliveroo drivers: not really responsible for the product, but still finally accountable should it be delivered cold or fails to meet standards.

Nowadays, a coach's role is increasingly less about crafting the philosophy and more about selling it: the front-facing representative on the front desk, the public face for a club they can do little to influence. A coach at Chelsea leads a team of very young players into the Champions League and wins domestic cups, and effectively is dismissed for speaking out. A manager at Celtic finds his standing damaged while the people who appointed him continue to make errors indefinitely.

The Neoliberal Game: Responsibility Only for the Few

And possibly in a small way this is simply neoliberalism at work: the elevation of a gilded overclass who are infallible, whose decisions remain untouchable, whose errors can invariably be sacked away without justification. Appoint the 3-4-3 coach and then fire them for playing too much 3-4-3. Hire the process guy and then discard them for requiring too long. And above all show gratitude; for your modest season ticket price rises, for your new summer signings, for the fact that the adults – regardless of their expertise – remain in control.