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Turns out the manager could survive defeat by lower-league opposition. He weathered a decisive continental showpiece against a particularly poor Spurs sides for many years. He could survive home defeats to West Ham and Wolves, a lowly league position, the tactical inflexibility, undermining the team's best academy products, the 32% win rate, labeling his team the worst the club has ever seen. But there was one adversary with whom Ruben Amorim was not permitted to tango. If you challenge the sporting director, and you best not miss.

Unfortunately, similar to numerous top-flight right-back during Blackburn Rovers' title-winning 1994-95 season, the coach took on the executive and seems to have missed. The most casual observer can see the irony here: a manager who often railed his squad for failing in individual battles succumbing when confronted by the intense pressure and animal charisma of one of the Premier League’s most feared sporting directors.

In truth, this entire painful saga seems to paint Jason Wilcox in a different perspective. It may have been easy, given his brief stint of experience at Southampton, to view him as merely a functionary in the United exoskeleton: an individual whose appointment was due largely to his friendship with ex-colleague Omar Berrada rather than any verifiable talent. How wrong everyone was. In brilliantly outsmarting United’s feted head coach, just as he bested the hapless a previous executive before him, he has proved himself as one of the sport’s strategic masterminds: a strategic mind that United’s mid-table rivals will now be rightly wary.

A Strategic Conflict Over System & Ideology

For example, it was the director who being involved in the leadership that hired the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim originally, was instrumental in trying to persuade him to ditch his beloved 3-4-3. Naturally, these entreaties faced pushback. However, such directives carry more weight when delivered from the mouth of a man the unimpeachable soccer background he possesses, a veteran of three England caps and a role in a title-winning side from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time Jason Wilcox might agree to outline his thought processes to the rest of us. Perhaps at some point questions may arise why Amorim is departing with full compensation, without any compensation reduction clause in place. But Jason Wilcox seldom speaks publicly, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers in football – individuals such as him – simply operate on a plane exceeding our prosaic understanding. Were he to speak, probably all we would hear would be ultrasonic blips and four-dimensional whirring. Desiring an explanation is not equivalent to being prepared to receive.

The Supreme Power In the Throne

But of course, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we overlook the real power behind the modern United throne. The director is, after all, merely executing the directives of his superior the billionaire owner, who in private has emphasized his preference for a back four. It is reported, the owner has also suggested playing Bryan Mbeumo in a wing-back role. Ratcliffe is keen for the club to embrace data science and analytics. Per reports, in an executive meeting early in his minority ownership, he announced that United’s style to football “will be determined by this group”.

After all, Sir Jim is a specialist in this technical football matters, drawing from his background in petrochemicals and yachting. Most importantly he remains immensely wealthy, and it is known, the rich are superior: more insightful, more wise, more tactically astute, fundamentally better. Whom else could one trust to oversee a strategic plan of cost-cutting, the construction of a new stadium that looks a lot like someone’s leftover knitting, the signing of Benjamin Sesko?

The New Soccer Order: Executives Over Managers

This represents a shift we are increasingly seeing at the elite levels football. For decades, teams mistakenly entrusted major sporting choices to subordinate staff such as coaches, talent spotters – even footballers. Maybe previously possible for an up-and-coming, visionary coach with ideas and energy to join an organization and see their vision through to completion. But how many companies have such individuals established? How many mass redundancies have they managed? Better by far to invest the real power where it rightly belongs: the executive class, the open-necked shirt brigade, the individuals with impressive professional resumes. It is wiser to decide the strategy in the boardroom and hire a coach who can tailor their offering to suit. If managers were formerly chefs, they have become more like Deliveroo drivers: not really responsible for the product, but still finally accountable if it arrives 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 public face for a club they can do little to influence. A coach at Chelsea takes a squad of literal children into the Champions League and secures domestic cups, and essentially gets sacked for speaking out. A manager at Celtic sees his reputation ruined while those individuals who appointed him continue to make errors indefinitely.

A Modern Corporate Football: Accountability Only for the Coaches

And perhaps in a small way this represents corporate governance at work: the elevation of a privileged overclass who are infallible, whose decisions are always sacrosanct, whose errors can always be sacked away without explanation. Appoint the 3-4-3 coach only to fire him for using excessively 3-4-3. Hire the project manager and then discard them for taking excessive time. And most importantly show gratitude; for the incremental increases in ticket costs, for the latest summer signings, for the fact that the adults – regardless of their expertise – remain in control.