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Itbecame clear the manager was able to withstand defeat by Grimsby. He weathered losing a crucial European final versus a particularly poor Spurs sides in living memory. He could survive losing at home against domestic rivals, finishing 15th, his rigid approach, squandering some of the club’s most promising homegrown talent, the 32% win rate, labeling the squad the poorest the club has ever seen. But there was a single opponent with whom Ruben Amorim would not be allowed to dance. You come at Jason Wilcox, and you best not miss.

Unfortunately, like many a top-flight defender in Blackburn’s title-winning campaign, Amorim took on the executive and seems to have failed. The most distracted of readers will notice the irony here: a coach who often railed at his players for losing one-on-one duels crumbling in the face of the intense pressure and formidable presence of one of the Premier League’s most feared football executives.

And frankly, this entire painful saga seems to paint Jason Wilcox in a whole new light. It may have been tempting, based on his brief stint in a similar role with the Saints, to regard Jason Wilcox as merely a drudge within the club's structure: an individual who owed his position as much to his close relationship with ex-colleague a fellow executive rather than any demonstrable skill. How wrong we all were. In brilliantly outmanoeuvring United’s feted manager, as he outmanoeuvred the unfortunate a previous executive before him, Jason Wilcox has demonstrated as one of the sport’s strategic masterminds: a strategic mind of which United’s competitors are now rightly wary.

The Strategic Clash Regarding System & Philosophy

To illustrate, this was Jason Wilcox , after being involved in the leadership that appointed the 3-4-3 fundamentalist the coach in the first place, played a key role in trying to persuade Amorim to abandon his favored formation. Naturally, these pleas were resisted. However, these judgements carry more weight when issued by a man of a man the impeccable football pedigree he possesses, holder of three England caps and a contributor to a title-winning side decades past.

Perhaps in time Jason Wilcox may be persuaded to explain his thought processes publicly. Maybe one day he might be asked why Amorim is walking away with full compensation, with no compensation reduction clause in place. The director seldom speaks in public, and with very good reason. The real thinkers of this sport – men like him – function at a level exceeding our mundane comprehension. If he ever did speak, probably we would perceive is a series of high-frequency signals and complex calculations. Desiring an explanation is not the same as being prepared to comprehend it.

An Ultimate Authority In Command

But of course, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we overlook the true genius behind the club's current leadership. Jason Wilcox is, after all, merely executing the directives of his line manager the billionaire owner, who in private has emphasized his desire for a four-man defense. According to reports, Ratcliffe has also suggested playing Bryan Mbeumo in a wing-back role. The owner is eager for United to adopt data science and analytics. According to ESPN, in an executive meeting early in his investment, he declared that United’s style of play “will be determined in this room”.

Ultimately, Sir Jim is an expert in this technical footballing stuff, drawing from his background in industry and sailing. Most importantly he remains incredibly rich, and it is known, the wealthy are superior: more perceptive, more wise, strategically brilliant, simply better. Whom else could one trust to oversee an enlightened programme of austerity, the construction of a modern arena that appears a lot like an abstract design, the acquisition of a new striker?

A Modern Soccer Hierarchy: Directors Above Managers

This represents a shift that is becoming prevalent at the elite levels football. Historically, teams mistakenly entrusted big footballing decisions to subordinate staff such as coaches, talent spotters – players themselves. Perhaps it was once possible for an up-and-coming, innovative manager with a philosophy and energy to go into an organization and see their vision supported to fruition. Yet how many businesses have these guys established? How many large-scale layoffs have they managed? Better by far to invest genuine authority where it rightly belongs: the executive class, the casually dressed executives, the individuals with impressive professional resumes. Better by far to determine the strategy in the boardroom and hire someone who will adapt their offering accordingly. If coaches were once chefs, they have become more like delivery personnel: not creating the product, but still ultimately answerable should it be delivered cold or fails to meet standards.

Nowadays, a coach's role has become not about defining the vision and more about selling it: the front-facing representative on the front desk, the public face of an organisation they have minimal power to change. A coach at Chelsea leads a team of literal children into Europe and wins domestic cups, and effectively gets sacked for speaking out. Wilfried Nancy finds his standing damaged whereas those individuals who hired him continue to make errors indefinitely.

A Neoliberal Football: Responsibility for the Few

And perhaps in a small way this represents corporate governance in action: the rise of a privileged overclass who are infallible, whose choices are always untouchable, whose mistakes can invariably be sacked away without explanation. Hire the system coach and then dismiss him for using excessively 3-4-3. Bring in the process guy and later bin him for requiring too long. And most importantly be grateful; for the incremental increases in ticket costs, for the latest summer signings, for the fact that the grownups – however well qualified – are in charge.