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Turns out Ruben Amorim could survive a loss to Grimsby. Survive a decisive European final versus a particularly poor Spurs sides for many years. He could survive home defeats to domestic rivals, finishing 15th, his rigid approach, undermining the team's best homegrown talent, the 32% win rate, labeling his team the worst in Manchester United history. But there was a single opponent against whom Ruben Amorim would not be allowed to engage. If you challenge the sporting director, you had better succeed.

Unfortunately, like many a Premiership defender in Blackburn’s title-winning campaign, the coach came at Jason Wilcox and appears to have missed. Even the most casual observer will notice the paradoxical situation: a coach who frequently berated his squad for failing in one-on-one duels succumbing when confronted by the intense pressure and formidable presence of a England's top division's most feared sporting directors.

In truth, this whole bruising episode seems to paint the director in a whole new light. It may have been easy, based on his nine months of experience with the Saints, to regard him as merely a drudge in the United exoskeleton: an individual whose appointment was due largely to his friendship with ex-colleague Omar Berrada as any demonstrable skill. How mistaken everyone was. In brilliantly outmanoeuvring the club's celebrated head coach, as he outmanoeuvred the hapless a previous executive earlier, he has demonstrated to be among football's strategic masterminds: a strategic mind that the club's mid-table rivals will now be rightly wary.

The Tactical Clash Regarding System and Philosophy

To illustrate, it was Jason Wilcox who being involved in the hierarchy that appointed the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim in the first place, was instrumental in trying to persuade Amorim to ditch his favored 3-4-3. Unsurprisingly, these entreaties faced pushback. But perhaps these judgements hold greater authority when delivered from the mouth of a man the unimpeachable football pedigree of Jason Wilcox, holder of three England caps and a contributor to a championship team from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time Jason Wilcox might agree to explain his reasoning publicly. Perhaps at some point questions may arise why Amorim is walking away with a full payout, without any penalty clause activated. But Jason Wilcox seldom speaks in public, and with very good reason. The real thinkers in football – men like Jason Wilcox – function at a level exceeding our mundane comprehension. Were he to speak, most likely we would perceive is a series of ultrasonic blips and four-dimensional whirring. Desiring an explanation is not equivalent to being ready to receive.

The Ultimate Power Behind Command

Naturally, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we are obscuring the true genius behind the modern United throne. The director is, in reality, merely executing the directives of his ultimate superior Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who in private has emphasized his preference for a four-man defense. According to reports, the owner has also suggested deploying the forward as a right wing-back. Ratcliffe is keen for the club to adopt data science and metrics. According to ESPN, during a leadership summit early in his investment, he declared that United’s style of play “will be decided in this room”.

After all, Sir Jim is an expert in these intricate footballing stuff, drawing from his previous experience in petrochemicals and sailing. Most importantly he remains incredibly rich, and as we all know, the wealthy are the best of us: more insightful, sagacious, more tactically astute, fundamentally superior. Whom else would you trust to oversee a strategic plan of cost-cutting, the building of a new stadium that looks similar to an abstract design, the signing of a new striker?

The New Football Hierarchy: Directors Over Coaches

This is a trend we are increasingly seeing in top-tier of the game. Historically, clubs foolishly entrusted major sporting choices to low-level employees such as coaches, scouts – players themselves. Maybe previously feasible for an up-and-coming, visionary coach with ideas and drive to join a club and implement their plan supported to fruition. But how many companies have such individuals established? How many large-scale layoffs have they managed? Far preferable to place genuine authority where it rightly belongs: the leadership tier, the casually dressed executives, the individuals with the jaw-dropping professional resumes. It is wiser to decide the strategy by the directors and hire someone who can tailor their offering to suit. If managers were formerly chefs, they have become more like Deliveroo drivers: not really creating the product, but still ultimately answerable if it arrives cold or leaks out to meet standards.

Nowadays, their job has become not about crafting the philosophy and more about marketing it: the front-facing representative on the front desk, the public face for a club they can do little to change. Enzo Maresca takes a squad of very young players into Europe and secures two medium-sized trophies, and essentially is dismissed for talking. A manager at Celtic finds his standing damaged while those individuals who hired him live to blunder another day.

The Neoliberal Football: Responsibility for the Coaches

And perhaps in a small way this is simply corporate governance in action: the elevation of a privileged overclass who can never be wrong, whose choices are always sacrosanct, whose mistakes can always be sacked away without explanation. Appoint the system coach only to fire him for playing too much that system. Bring in the project manager and later discard them for taking excessive time. And most importantly 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.