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Tbecame clear he could survive losing against lower-league opposition. Survive an important European final against one of the worst Spurs sides for many years. He withstood home defeats to domestic rivals, a lowly league position, an unwavering system, squandering some of the club’s best homegrown talent, the 32% win rate, labeling the squad the poorest the club has ever seen. Yet, there existed one adversary with whom Ruben Amorim was not permitted to dance. You come at Jason Wilcox, and you best not miss.

Regrettably, similar to numerous top-flight defender during Blackburn Rovers' title-winning campaign, Amorim took on the executive and appears to have failed. Even the most distracted of readers will notice the paradoxical situation: a manager who frequently berated at his players for failing in individual battles crumbling in the face of the intense pressure and animal charisma of a the Premier League’s most feared sporting directors.

In truth, this entire painful saga appears to portray the director in a whole new light. Perhaps it might have been easy, given his nine months in a similar role with the Saints, to view him as little more than a functionary in the United exoskeleton: a man who owed his position as much to his friendship with his former boss a fellow executive rather than any demonstrable skill. How mistaken we all were. By masterfully outmanoeuvring United’s feted manager, just as he bested the unfortunate a previous executive earlier, he has demonstrated as one of football's true generals: a tactical intellect that the club's mid-table rivals will now be justifiably concerned.

A Strategic Clash Regarding Formation and Ideology

To illustrate, it was Jason Wilcox who 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 him to ditch his favored formation. Unsurprisingly, these entreaties faced pushback. But perhaps such directives hold greater authority when delivered from the mouth with the unimpeachable football pedigree of Jason Wilcox, holder of three England caps and a role in a title-winning side decades past.

Maybe eventually he might agree to explain his thought processes to the rest of us. Maybe one day questions may arise regarding why the coach is departing with full compensation, with no compensation reduction clause in place. But Jason Wilcox speaks rarely publicly, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers of this sport – individuals such as Jason Wilcox – function at a level exceeding our mundane comprehension. Were he to speak, probably all we would hear is a series of ultrasonic blips and complex calculations. Wanting is not quite the same as being prepared to receive.

An Supreme Authority In the Throne

Naturally, by focusing our attention on the sporting director we overlook the real power behind the club's current leadership. Jason Wilcox is, after all, simply carrying out the directives of his line manager the billionaire owner, who in private has emphasized his preference for a back four. According to reports, the owner has also suggested deploying the forward in a wing-back role. The owner is eager for the club to embrace data science and metrics. Per reports, during a leadership summit early in his investment, he declared that United’s style to football “shall be determined by this group”.

Ultimately, Ratcliffe is an expert in these intricate football matters, drawing from his background in petrochemicals and sailing. Above all he remains immensely wealthy, and as we all know, the wealthy are superior: more insightful, sagacious, strategically brilliant, simply superior. Who else would you trust to oversee an enlightened programme of cost-cutting, the construction of a new stadium that appears similar to an abstract design, the signing of a new striker?

The Modern Soccer Order: Directors Over Managers

This represents a shift we are increasingly seeing in top-tier of the game. Historically, clubs foolishly entrusted big footballing decisions to low-level employees like managers, scouts – even footballers. Perhaps it was once feasible for a young, visionary coach with a philosophy and drive to join a club and implement their plan through to completion. But how many businesses have these guys established? How many mass redundancies have they managed? Better by far to place genuine authority where it belongs: the leadership tier, the open-necked shirt brigade, the individuals with the jaw-dropping professional resumes. Better by far to decide the tactics by the directors and appoint a coach who can tailor their offering to suit. If managers were formerly chefs, they have become more like delivery personnel: not creating the food, but still ultimately answerable if it arrives poorly or fails to meet standards.

Nowadays, their job has become less about crafting the philosophy and more about marketing it: the front-facing representative on the front desk, the visible figurehead for a club they can do little to change. A coach at Chelsea leads a team of literal children into Europe and secures domestic cups, and essentially is dismissed for talking. Wilfried Nancy finds his reputation ruined whereas the people who appointed him continue to make errors indefinitely.

The Neoliberal Game: Accountability for the Few

And perhaps on some microcosmic level this is simply neoliberalism in action: the rise of a privileged overclass who are infallible, whose choices remain sacrosanct, whose mistakes can always be sacked away without explanation. Appoint the system coach and then dismiss them for using too much 3-4-3. Bring in the project manager and later discard them for requiring excessive time. And most importantly show gratitude; for the incremental increases in ticket costs, for your new summer signings, for the reality that the grownups – however well qualified – are in charge.