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Itranspired Ruben Amorim could survive a loss to lower-league opposition. He weathered a decisive continental showpiece against a particularly poor Tottenham teams for many years. He could survive home defeats against domestic rivals, a lowly league position, an unwavering system, squandering some of the club’s best academy products, the 32% win rate, labeling his team the poorest the club has ever seen. But there was a single opponent with whom the Portuguese coach would not be allowed to engage. You come at the sporting director, and you best not miss.

Unfortunately, similar to numerous Premiership right-back in Blackburn’s title-winning 1994-95 season, the coach came at Jason Wilcox and appears to have failed. The most casual observer will notice the paradoxical situation: a coach who often railed at his players for failing in individual battles succumbing when confronted by the white heat and formidable presence of a England's top division's most intimidating sporting directors.

And frankly, this whole bruising episode appears to portray Jason Wilcox in a whole new light. Perhaps it might have been easy, given his brief stint of experience with the Saints, to regard Jason Wilcox as merely a functionary within the club's structure: an individual whose appointment was due largely to his close relationship with ex-colleague a fellow executive as any demonstrable skill. How mistaken everyone was. In brilliantly outmanoeuvring the club's celebrated manager, just as he bested the unfortunate Dan Ashworth earlier, Jason Wilcox has proved himself to be among football's strategic masterminds: a tactical intellect of which the club's mid-table rivals will now be rightly wary.

The Tactical Conflict Regarding Formation & Ideology

To illustrate, it was Jason Wilcox who being involved in the leadership that hired the 3-4-3 fundamentalist the coach in the first place, was instrumental in trying to persuade him to ditch his beloved formation. Unsurprisingly, these pleas met a certain resistance. However, such directives carry more weight when delivered by a man with the impeccable football pedigree of Jason Wilcox, holder of three England caps and a role in a championship team from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time he might agree to outline his reasoning publicly. Maybe one day questions may arise why Amorim is departing with a full payout, with no penalty clause activated. The director seldom speaks in public, and with very good reason. The true intellectuals in football – individuals such as him – function at a level beyond our own mundane comprehension. If he ever did speak, most likely we would perceive is a series of high-frequency signals and four-dimensional whirring. Wanting is not the same as being ready to comprehend it.

An Ultimate Power In the Throne

But of course, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we overlook the true genius behind the modern United throne. Jason Wilcox is, after all, simply carrying out the commands of his superior Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who privately has emphasized his desire for a four-man defense. According to reports, the owner has also suggested playing Bryan Mbeumo in a wing-back role. The owner is eager for the club to embrace analytics and metrics. Per reports, in an executive meeting early in his investment, he declared that the team's approach of play “will be decided by this group”.

Ultimately, Sir Jim is an expert in these intricate football matters, leveraging his background in industry and yachting. Most importantly he remains incredibly rich, and as we all know, the wealthy are the best of us: more perceptive, more wise, strategically brilliant, simply better. Whom else would you trust to oversee a strategic plan of austerity, the building of a new stadium that appears similar to someone’s leftover knitting, the acquisition of a new striker?

A Modern Soccer Order: Directors Above Managers

This is a trend that is becoming prevalent in top-tier football. For decades, clubs foolishly entrusted big footballing decisions to low-level employees like managers, talent spotters – even footballers. Perhaps it was once feasible for a young, innovative manager with a philosophy and drive to join a club and see their vision through to completion. Yet how many businesses have these guys established? What number of mass redundancies have they managed? Far preferable to place the real power where it belongs: the executive class, the casually dressed executives, the guys with the jaw-dropping LinkedIn profiles. Better by far to determine the strategy by the directors and appoint a coach who will adapt their offering to suit. If managers were once chefs, they have become more like delivery personnel: not responsible for the product, yet finally accountable should it be delivered cold or leaks out to meet standards.

In the meantime, their job has become not about defining the vision and more about selling it: the receptionist on the front desk, the public face of an organisation they can do little to change. A coach at Chelsea takes a squad of very young players into the Champions League and secures two medium-sized trophies, and essentially is dismissed for talking. Wilfried Nancy finds his reputation ruined while those individuals who appointed him continue to make errors indefinitely.

A Neoliberal Football: Accountability Only for the Few

And possibly on some microcosmic level this is simply neoliberalism at work: the rise of a gilded elite who are infallible, whose choices remain sacrosanct, whose mistakes can always be resolved by sacking without justification. Hire the system coach only to fire them for playing too much that system. Hire 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 summer signings, for the reality that the adults – regardless of their expertise – are in charge.