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Transpired he endured defeat by Grimsby. He weathered an important continental showpiece versus a particularly poor Tottenham teams in living memory. He could survive losing at home to West Ham and Wolves, finishing 15th, his rigid approach, squandering the team's most promising academy products, the 32% win rate, labeling his team the poorest in Manchester United history. But there was a single opponent against whom Ruben Amorim would not be allowed to engage. If you challenge Jason Wilcox, and you best not miss.

Unfortunately, like many a Premiership defender in Blackburn’s championship campaign, Amorim took on Jason Wilcox and appears to have missed. Even the most casual observer can see the irony here: a manager who frequently berated his squad for losing one-on-one duels crumbling when confronted by the white heat and animal charisma of a the Premier League’s most intimidating sporting directors.

In truth, this whole painful saga seems to paint Jason Wilcox in a different perspective. It may have been easy, given his nine months of experience at Southampton, to view him as merely a functionary within the club's structure: an individual whose appointment was due as much to his friendship with his former boss Omar Berrada rather than any demonstrable skill. How wrong everyone was. By masterfully outmanoeuvring the club's celebrated manager, just as he bested the hapless a previous executive earlier, Jason Wilcox has proved himself to be among the sport’s true generals: a strategic mind of which the club's mid-table rivals are now justifiably concerned.

A Strategic Conflict Regarding Formation & Philosophy

To illustrate, it was the director , after being involved in the leadership that hired the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim originally, played a key role in attempting to convince Amorim to ditch his beloved formation. Naturally, these pleas were resisted. However, these judgements hold greater authority when issued from the mouth with the unimpeachable football pedigree he possesses, holder of international appearances and a role in a championship team from 31 years ago.

Maybe eventually he might agree to outline his reasoning publicly. Perhaps at some point he might be asked regarding why the coach is departing with a full payout, without any compensation reduction clause activated. The director seldom speaks in public, and with very good reason. The true intellectuals in football – men like him – function at a level beyond our own prosaic understanding. If he ever did speak, probably all we would hear would be high-frequency signals and four-dimensional whirring. Desiring an explanation is not quite equivalent to being prepared to comprehend it.

An Ultimate Authority Behind the Throne

But of course, by focusing our attention on the sporting director we overlook the true genius behind the modern United throne. Jason Wilcox is, in reality, simply carrying out the commands of his superior Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who in private has made very clear his preference for a four-man defense. It is reported, the owner has also proposed deploying the forward as a right wing-back. Ratcliffe is keen for United to embrace analytics and analytics. According to ESPN, in an executive meeting early in his investment, he declared that the team's approach of play “shall be decided by this group”.

After all, Ratcliffe is an expert in these intricate football matters, leveraging his previous experience in petrochemicals and yachting. Most importantly he remains immensely wealthy, and it is known, the wealthy are superior: more perceptive, more wise, strategically brilliant, simply better. Who else could one trust to manage a strategic plan of austerity, the construction of a new stadium that appears similar to an abstract design, the signing of a new striker?

A New Soccer Hierarchy: Directors Above Coaches

This is a trend we are increasingly seeing in top-tier football. Historically, clubs foolishly delegated major sporting choices to subordinate staff like managers, scouts – players themselves. Maybe previously possible for a young, innovative manager with a philosophy and drive to go into a club and implement their plan through to completion. Yet how many businesses have these guys established? How many mass redundancies have they overseen? Better by far to invest genuine authority where it belongs: the leadership tier, the casually dressed executives, the individuals with the jaw-dropping professional resumes. Better by far to determine the tactics in the boardroom and hire a coach who can tailor their methods to suit. If coaches were once chefs, they have become more like delivery personnel: not creating the product, yet finally accountable should it be delivered poorly or leaks out of the box.

In the meantime, a coach's role has become less about defining the vision and more about selling it: the front-facing representative on the front desk, the public face for a club they have minimal power to change. A coach at Chelsea leads a team of very young players into the Champions League and secures two medium-sized trophies, and essentially is dismissed for speaking out. Wilfried Nancy sees his reputation ruined whereas the people who appointed him continue to make errors another day.

The Neoliberal Football: Accountability for the Coaches

And possibly on some microcosmic level this represents neoliberalism at work: the rise of a gilded elite who are infallible, whose choices remain sacrosanct, whose mistakes can always be sacked away without explanation. Hire the 3-4-3 coach only to fire him for using too much that system. Bring in the project manager and later discard him for taking excessive time. And above all be grateful; for the incremental increases in ticket costs, for the latest summer signings, for the fact that the adults – however well qualified – are in charge.