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Iturns out the manager could survive defeat by lower-league opposition. Survive a decisive continental showpiece versus one of the worst Spurs sides in living memory. He withstood home defeats against domestic rivals, a lowly league position, the tactical inflexibility, undermining the team's best academy products, a poor winning percentage, labeling his team the worst in Manchester United history. But there was a single opponent with whom Ruben Amorim was not permitted to engage. You come at the sporting director, and you best not miss.

Unfortunately, similar to numerous top-flight right-back in Blackburn’s title-winning campaign, Amorim took on Jason Wilcox and appears to have failed. Even the most casual observer will notice the paradoxical situation: a manager who frequently berated his squad for failing in one-on-one duels succumbing when confronted by the white heat and animal charisma of a England's top division's most feared football executives.

And frankly, this entire bruising episode appears to portray Jason Wilcox in a whole new light. Perhaps it might have been easy, based on his brief stint in a similar role at Southampton, to regard Jason Wilcox as merely a functionary within the club's structure: an individual 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, as he outmanoeuvred the hapless Dan Ashworth earlier, he has proved himself as one of the sport’s true generals: a strategic mind of which the club's mid-table rivals are now justifiably concerned.

A Tactical Conflict Over Formation and Ideology

To illustrate, it was the director , after being involved in the hierarchy that hired the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim originally, was instrumental in trying to persuade him to ditch his favored formation. Naturally, these pleas faced pushback. But perhaps such directives hold greater authority when delivered from the mouth with the impeccable football pedigree he possesses, holder of three England caps and a contributor to a title-winning side from 31 years ago.

Maybe eventually Jason Wilcox might agree to explain his reasoning to the rest of us. Perhaps at some point questions may arise why Amorim is walking away with full compensation, with no compensation reduction clause activated. But Jason Wilcox seldom speaks in public, for excellent reasons. The true intellectuals in football – individuals such as him – simply operate on a plane exceeding our mundane comprehension. If he ever did speak, probably we would perceive would be high-frequency signals and complex calculations. Wanting is not the same as being prepared to receive.

The Supreme Authority In the Throne

Naturally, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we overlook the real power behind the club's current leadership. Jason Wilcox is, in reality, merely executing the directives of his superior the billionaire owner, who in private has made very clear his desire for a back four. It is reported, Ratcliffe has also proposed playing Bryan Mbeumo in a wing-back role. Ratcliffe is keen for the club to adopt analytics and metrics. According to ESPN, in an executive meeting soon after his investment, he declared that United’s style of play “will be determined by this group”.

After all, Ratcliffe is an expert in this technical football matters, drawing from his previous experience in industry and sailing. Most importantly he is immensely wealthy, and it is known, the rich are the best of us: more perceptive, sagacious, more tactically astute, simply better. Who else could one trust to manage a strategic plan of cost-cutting, the construction of a new stadium that appears a lot like someone’s leftover knitting, the signing of a new striker?

A Modern Football Hierarchy: Executives Above Managers

This is a trend that is becoming prevalent in top-tier football. Historically, clubs foolishly entrusted major sporting choices to low-level employees like managers, talent spotters – even footballers. Maybe previously feasible for an up-and-coming, visionary coach with a philosophy and drive to go into a club and implement their plan through to completion. Yet how many companies have these guys established? What number of large-scale layoffs have they overseen? Better by far to place the real power where it rightly belongs: the executive class, the casually dressed executives, the guys with the jaw-dropping professional resumes. Better by far to decide the strategy by the directors and hire someone who will adapt their offering accordingly. If managers were once chefs, they are now more like Deliveroo drivers: not really responsible for the product, but still ultimately answerable if it arrives cold or leaks out to meet standards.

In the meantime, a coach's role has become not about crafting the philosophy and more about selling it: the front-facing representative of the operation, the public face of an organisation they can do little to change. A coach at Chelsea leads a team of literal children into the Champions League and secures two medium-sized trophies, and effectively is dismissed for talking. Wilfried Nancy sees his reputation ruined whereas the people who appointed him continue to make errors another day.

A Neoliberal Football: Responsibility for the Few

And perhaps on some microcosmic level this is simply neoliberalism at work: the rise of a privileged elite who can never be wrong, whose decisions are always untouchable, whose mistakes can invariably be resolved by sacking without justification. Hire the system coach and then dismiss them for playing too much that system. Hire the project manager and later discard him for taking too long. And above all show gratitude; for your modest season ticket price rises, for the latest player acquisitions, for the fact that the grownups – regardless of their expertise – remain in control.