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Transpired Ruben Amorim was able to withstand losing against Grimsby. Survive an important European final against one of the worst Spurs sides in living memory. He withstood home defeats against West Ham and Wolves, a lowly league position, the tactical inflexibility, laying waste to the team's most promising homegrown talent, the 32% win rate, labeling the squad the poorest the club has ever seen. Yet, there existed a single opponent against whom Ruben Amorim was not permitted to dance. If you challenge the sporting director, you had better succeed.

Unfortunately, like many a top-flight right-back in Blackburn’s title-winning campaign, the coach took on Jason Wilcox and seems to have failed. The most distracted of readers can see the irony here: a coach who often railed his squad for failing in individual battles succumbing in the face of the white heat and formidable presence of a the Premier League’s most feared sporting directors.

In truth, this whole bruising episode appears to portray Jason Wilcox in a different perspective. It may have been tempting, given his brief stint of experience with the Saints, to view Jason Wilcox as little more than a drudge in the United exoskeleton: a man whose appointment was due as much to his close relationship with ex-colleague a fellow executive rather than any demonstrable skill. How mistaken we all were. In brilliantly outsmarting 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 United’s competitors are now rightly wary.

The Tactical Conflict Regarding Formation & Ideology

To illustrate, it was Jason Wilcox , after having been part of the hierarchy that appointed the 3-4-3 fundamentalist Amorim originally, was instrumental in attempting to convince Amorim to abandon his beloved formation. Naturally, these pleas met a certain resistance. But perhaps such directives hold greater authority when delivered from the mouth of a man the unimpeachable football pedigree of Jason Wilcox, a veteran of international appearances and a role in a championship team from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time he might agree to outline his reasoning publicly. Perhaps at some point questions may arise why Amorim is walking away with full compensation, with no compensation reduction clause in place. But Jason Wilcox seldom speaks in public, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers of this sport – men like Jason Wilcox – function at a level exceeding our prosaic understanding. Were he to speak, most likely we would perceive is a series of ultrasonic blips and complex calculations. Wanting is not equivalent to being ready to comprehend it.

The Ultimate Power Behind the Throne

But of course, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we are obscuring the real power behind the modern United throne. Jason Wilcox is, in reality, merely executing the commands of his ultimate superior Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who in private has made very clear his desire for a back four. According to reports, the owner has also suggested playing Bryan Mbeumo in a wing-back role. Ratcliffe is keen for the club to embrace analytics and metrics. According to ESPN, in an executive meeting soon after his investment, he announced that United’s style to football “shall be decided by this group”.

Ultimately, Ratcliffe is a specialist in this technical footballing stuff, drawing from his previous experience in petrochemicals and yachting. Most importantly he remains immensely wealthy, and as we all know, the rich are the best of us: more perceptive, sagacious, strategically brilliant, simply better. Whom else would you trust to oversee a strategic plan of austerity, the construction of a modern arena that looks similar to an abstract design, the acquisition of Benjamin Sesko?

A New Football Hierarchy: Executives Over Managers

This is a trend we are increasingly seeing at the elite levels football. Historically, teams mistakenly entrusted major sporting choices to subordinate staff such as coaches, scouts – players themselves. Perhaps it was once possible for a young, visionary coach with a philosophy and energy to go into an organization and see their vision through to completion. But how many businesses have these guys established? What number of mass redundancies have they overseen? Far preferable to place genuine authority where it belongs: the leadership tier, the casually dressed executives, the individuals with the jaw-dropping LinkedIn profiles. Better by far to decide the tactics in the boardroom and appoint someone who can tailor their methods accordingly. If managers were once chefs, they have become more akin to delivery personnel: not really responsible for the product, yet ultimately answerable should it be delivered poorly or fails to meet standards.

In the meantime, their job has become less about crafting the philosophy and more about selling it: the front-facing representative of the operation, the visible figurehead of an organisation they have minimal power to change. Enzo Maresca leads a team of very young players into Europe and wins two medium-sized trophies, and essentially gets sacked for speaking out. A manager at Celtic finds his reputation ruined while the people who hired him continue to make errors indefinitely.

The Neoliberal Game: Accountability for the Few

And possibly on some microcosmic level this is simply neoliberalism in action: the rise of a privileged overclass who can never be wrong, whose choices are always untouchable, whose mistakes can always be sacked away without justification. Appoint the 3-4-3 coach and then dismiss him for playing too much 3-4-3. Bring in the process guy and then bin them for requiring too long. And most importantly show gratitude; for the incremental season ticket price rises, for the latest player acquisitions, for the reality that the grownups – regardless of their expertise – are in charge.