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Itranspired the manager endured defeat by Grimsby. Survive an important continental showpiece against one of the worst Spurs sides for many years. He could survive losing at home against West Ham and Wolves, a lowly league position, the tactical inflexibility, laying waste to some of the club’s most promising homegrown talent, a poor winning percentage, calling his team the poorest in Manchester United history. But there was one adversary with whom Ruben Amorim would not be allowed to engage. You come at the sporting director, and you best not miss.

Unfortunately, like many a top-flight defender in Blackburn’s championship campaign, the coach came at Jason Wilcox and seems to have missed. Even the most distracted of readers will notice the paradoxical situation: a manager who frequently berated at his players for failing in one-on-one duels crumbling in the face of the white heat and formidable presence of one of the Premier League’s most intimidating football executives.

In truth, this whole bruising episode seems to paint Jason Wilcox in a whole new light. It may have been easy, based on his nine months of experience with the Saints, to regard him as merely a drudge in the United exoskeleton: a man who owed his position largely to his close relationship with his former boss Omar Berrada as any demonstrable skill. How wrong everyone was. In brilliantly outmanoeuvring United’s feted head coach, as he outmanoeuvred the unfortunate a previous executive earlier, Jason Wilcox has demonstrated as one of football's true generals: a tactical intellect of which United’s mid-table rivals will now be justifiably concerned.

A Tactical Conflict Regarding System & Philosophy

For example, it was Jason Wilcox who having been part of the leadership that appointed the 3-4-3 fundamentalist the coach originally, was instrumental in trying to persuade him to ditch his favored formation. Unsurprisingly, these entreaties were resisted. However, these judgements carry more weight when delivered by a man with the unimpeachable soccer background of Jason Wilcox, holder of three England caps and a role in a title-winning side from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time he might agree to outline his reasoning to the rest of us. Perhaps at some point questions may arise why Amorim is departing with full compensation, with no compensation reduction clause in place. The director seldom speaks in public, and with very good reason. The real thinkers of this sport – individuals such as him – function at a level beyond our own mundane comprehension. Were he to speak, most likely we would perceive would be high-frequency signals and four-dimensional whirring. Wanting is not quite the same as being prepared to comprehend it.

The Ultimate Power Behind the Throne

Naturally, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we overlook the real power behind the modern United throne. Jason Wilcox is, in reality, merely executing the commands of his ultimate line manager the billionaire owner, who privately has made very clear his preference for a back four. It is reported, Ratcliffe has also proposed deploying the forward as a right wing-back. Ratcliffe is keen for United to adopt analytics and analytics. Per reports, in an executive meeting soon after his minority ownership, he declared that the team's approach of play “will be determined by this group”.

Ultimately, Sir Jim is an expert in these intricate footballing stuff, drawing from his previous experience in industry and sailing. Above all he remains immensely wealthy, and as we all know, the rich are the best of us: more insightful, more wise, strategically brilliant, simply better. Whom else would you trust to manage a strategic plan of austerity, the construction of a modern arena that looks similar to an abstract design, the signing of Benjamin Sesko?

A New Football Order: Directors Over Managers

This is a trend we are increasingly seeing at the elite levels of the game. For decades, teams mistakenly entrusted major sporting choices to low-level employees like managers, talent spotters – players themselves. Maybe previously feasible for a young, innovative manager with a philosophy and drive to join an organization and see their vision supported to fruition. But how many companies have such individuals established? How many mass redundancies have they overseen? Far preferable to place genuine authority where it rightly belongs: the executive class, the open-necked shirt brigade, the guys with the jaw-dropping LinkedIn profiles. Better by far to decide the tactics in the boardroom and hire someone who can tailor their offering accordingly. If managers were formerly chefs, they have become more akin to delivery personnel: not responsible for the food, but still ultimately answerable should it be delivered cold or fails of the box.

Nowadays, their job is increasingly not about crafting the philosophy and more about marketing it: the receptionist of the operation, the visible figurehead for a club they can do little to change. Enzo Maresca takes a squad of very young players into the Champions League and secures two medium-sized trophies, and essentially gets sacked for talking. Wilfried Nancy sees his standing damaged while those individuals who hired him continue to make errors indefinitely.

The Neoliberal Football: Accountability Only for the Coaches

And perhaps on some microcosmic level this is simply neoliberalism in action: the rise of a privileged elite who can never be wrong, whose decisions remain sacrosanct, whose mistakes can invariably be sacked away without justification. Hire the 3-4-3 coach and then fire them for playing excessively that system. Hire the project manager and then bin him for taking too long. And above all be grateful; for your modest increases in ticket costs, for your new summer signings, for the fact that the grownups – however well qualified – are in charge.