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Turns out the manager endured a loss to lower-league opposition. Survive losing a crucial European final versus a particularly poor Spurs sides in living memory. He could survive home defeats against domestic rivals, finishing 15th, an unwavering system, laying waste to some of the club’s best homegrown talent, a poor winning percentage, calling his team the worst in Manchester United history. Yet, there existed a single opponent with whom Ruben Amorim would not be allowed to tango. If you challenge the sporting director, you had better succeed.

Regrettably, like many a Premiership right-back in Blackburn’s title-winning campaign, the coach took on the executive and appears to have missed. Even the most distracted of readers can see the paradoxical situation: a manager who frequently berated his squad for failing in individual battles succumbing in the face of the white heat and animal charisma of a England's top division's most intimidating football executives.

In truth, this whole painful saga seems to paint Jason Wilcox in a different perspective. It may have been tempting, given his nine months of experience with the Saints, to regard Jason Wilcox as merely a drudge in the United exoskeleton: an individual who owed his position as much to his friendship with ex-colleague Omar Berrada rather than any demonstrable skill. How mistaken we all were. In brilliantly outsmarting the club's celebrated manager, just as he bested the hapless Dan Ashworth earlier, Jason Wilcox has demonstrated to be among football's true generals: a tactical intellect that United’s mid-table rivals are now rightly wary.

The Strategic Clash Regarding Formation and Philosophy

To illustrate, it was the director who being involved in the hierarchy that hired the 3-4-3 fundamentalist Amorim in the first place, was instrumental in attempting to convince Amorim to ditch his favored formation. Unsurprisingly, these entreaties faced pushback. But perhaps these judgements carry more weight when delivered from the mouth with the unimpeachable soccer background of Jason Wilcox, a veteran of three England caps and a contributor to a championship team from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time Jason Wilcox may be persuaded to explain his reasoning publicly. Maybe one day questions may arise regarding why the coach is walking away with full compensation, without any penalty clause activated. The director speaks rarely publicly, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers of this sport – individuals such as him – simply operate at a level exceeding our mundane comprehension. If he ever did speak, probably we would perceive is a series of high-frequency signals and complex calculations. Desiring an explanation is not the same as being ready to comprehend it.

The Supreme Power In the Throne

But of course, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we are obscuring the true genius behind the modern United throne. The director is, in reality, simply carrying out the commands of his line manager the billionaire owner, who privately has emphasized his desire for a four-man defense. It is reported, Ratcliffe has also proposed playing Bryan Mbeumo as a right wing-back. The owner is eager for United to adopt data science and analytics. Per reports, during a leadership summit early in his minority ownership, he declared that the team's approach to football “will be determined in this room”.

After all, Sir Jim is an expert in these intricate footballing stuff, leveraging his background in industry and yachting. Most importantly he remains incredibly rich, and it is known, the rich are the best of us: more insightful, sagacious, more tactically astute, fundamentally better. Who else could one trust to oversee an enlightened programme of austerity, the construction of a modern arena that appears similar to an abstract design, the acquisition of Benjamin Sesko?

The Modern Soccer Order: Directors Above Coaches

This represents a shift we are increasingly seeing at the elite levels football. Historically, teams mistakenly delegated big footballing decisions to subordinate staff such as coaches, scouts – even footballers. Maybe previously feasible for an up-and-coming, visionary coach with ideas and energy to join an organization and see their vision through to completion. Yet how many companies have such individuals set up? What number of mass redundancies have they overseen? Better by far to invest the real power where it rightly belongs: the leadership tier, the casually dressed executives, the individuals with the jaw-dropping LinkedIn profiles. It is wiser to decide the strategy in the boardroom and appoint a coach who will adapt their offering to suit. If coaches were once chefs, they are now more akin to delivery personnel: not creating the food, but still finally accountable should it be delivered cold or leaks out to meet standards.

In the meantime, a coach's role is increasingly not about defining the vision and more about selling it: the receptionist on the front desk, the visible figurehead of an organisation they have minimal power to influence. A coach at Chelsea leads a team of literal children into Europe and wins two medium-sized trophies, and effectively is dismissed for speaking out. Wilfried Nancy finds his reputation ruined whereas the people who appointed him continue to make errors another day.

A Neoliberal Game: Accountability Only for the Few

And perhaps in a small way this is simply neoliberalism in action: the rise of a privileged overclass who can never be wrong, whose choices remain untouchable, whose mistakes can always be sacked away without justification. Hire the 3-4-3 coach and then fire him for playing excessively 3-4-3. Hire the process guy and later bin him for requiring too long. And most importantly show gratitude; for the incremental season ticket price rises, for the latest player acquisitions, for the fact that the adults – regardless of their expertise – remain in control.