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Itranspired the manager could survive defeat by Grimsby. He weathered a decisive continental showpiece against one of the worst Tottenham teams for many years. He withstood losing at home to West Ham and Wolves, finishing 15th, an unwavering system, squandering some of the club’s best homegrown talent, a poor winning percentage, calling his team the worst in Manchester United history. Yet, there existed one adversary against whom Ruben Amorim was not permitted to dance. You come at Jason Wilcox, and you best not miss.

Regrettably, like many a Premiership right-back during Blackburn Rovers' championship campaign, the coach came at the executive and seems to have missed. Even the most casual observer can see the paradoxical situation: a manager who often railed his squad for failing in individual battles crumbling when confronted by the white heat and animal charisma of one of England's top division's most intimidating sporting directors.

In truth, this entire bruising episode seems to paint the director in a whole new light. It may have been tempting, given his brief stint of experience at Southampton, to view him as merely a functionary in the United exoskeleton: a man whose appointment was due as much to his friendship with his former boss a fellow executive rather than any demonstrable skill. How mistaken we all were. In brilliantly outsmarting the club's celebrated manager, just as he bested the hapless a previous executive earlier, Jason Wilcox has proved himself to be among football's strategic masterminds: a tactical intellect of which United’s competitors are now justifiably concerned.

The Tactical Clash Over System & Ideology

To illustrate, it was Jason Wilcox who being involved in the hierarchy that hired the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim originally, played a key role in attempting to convince Amorim to abandon his favored formation. Naturally, these entreaties faced pushback. But perhaps these judgements hold greater authority when delivered by a man of a man the impeccable football pedigree he possesses, a veteran of three England caps and a contributor to a title-winning side decades past.

Maybe eventually he might agree to outline his thought processes publicly. Perhaps at some point he might be asked why Amorim is departing with full compensation, with no penalty clause in place. The director seldom speaks in public, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers of this sport – men like Jason Wilcox – simply operate at a level exceeding our mundane comprehension. If he ever did speak, most likely all we would hear would be high-frequency signals and four-dimensional whirring. Desiring an explanation is not quite the same as being ready to comprehend it.

The Supreme Authority Behind Command

But of course, in training our focus on Jason Wilcox we are obscuring the true genius behind the modern United throne. The director is, after all, merely executing the directives of his ultimate superior the billionaire owner, who privately has emphasized 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 the club to embrace analytics and analytics. Per reports, in an executive meeting soon after his investment, he announced that United’s style of play “will be determined by this group”.

After all, Sir Jim is an expert in these intricate football matters, leveraging his previous experience in petrochemicals and yachting. Above all he is incredibly rich, and as we all know, the rich are superior: more insightful, more wise, strategically brilliant, fundamentally better. Whom else could one trust to oversee an enlightened programme of cost-cutting, the building of a new stadium that appears a lot like an abstract design, the acquisition of Benjamin Sesko?

The New Football Order: Directors Over Managers

This is a trend that is becoming prevalent in top-tier of the game. For decades, teams mistakenly delegated big footballing decisions to subordinate staff such as coaches, talent spotters – players themselves. Maybe previously possible for an up-and-coming, visionary coach with ideas and energy to go into a club and implement their plan through to completion. Yet how many businesses have such individuals established? What number of mass redundancies have they managed? Far preferable to invest genuine authority where it belongs: the leadership tier, the casually dressed executives, the individuals with the jaw-dropping LinkedIn profiles. Better by far to determine the strategy in the boardroom and hire a coach who can tailor their methods accordingly. If managers were formerly chefs, they are now more like delivery personnel: not really responsible for the food, but still ultimately answerable if it arrives poorly or fails of the box.

In the meantime, their job has become less about defining the vision and more about marketing it: the receptionist on the front desk, the visible figurehead of an organisation they can do little to change. Enzo Maresca takes a squad of very young players into Europe and wins two medium-sized trophies, and effectively is dismissed for speaking out. Wilfried Nancy finds his reputation ruined while the people who hired him continue to make errors indefinitely.

The Neoliberal Football: Responsibility Only for the Few

And perhaps in a small way this is simply neoliberalism in action: the rise of a gilded overclass who can never be wrong, whose choices are always sacrosanct, whose errors can always be resolved by sacking without justification. Appoint the system coach and then dismiss him for playing too much that system. Bring in the project manager and then discard them for requiring too long. And most importantly show gratitude; for your modest season ticket price rises, for the latest summer signings, for the fact that the adults – regardless of their expertise – are in charge.