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Transpired Ruben Amorim could survive a loss to lower-league opposition. Survive losing a crucial continental showpiece versus one of the worst Tottenham teams in living memory. He withstood losing at home against West Ham and Wolves, a lowly league position, an unwavering system, laying waste to the team's most promising homegrown talent, a poor winning percentage, calling his team the poorest the club has ever seen. Yet, there existed one adversary against whom Ruben Amorim was not permitted to dance. If you challenge Jason Wilcox, you had better succeed.

Unfortunately, like many a Premiership right-back in Blackburn’s title-winning campaign, the coach came at Jason Wilcox and seems to have failed. The most distracted of readers can see the paradoxical situation: a manager who often railed his squad for failing in one-on-one duels succumbing in the face of the intense pressure and animal charisma of one of England's top division's most intimidating football executives.

And frankly, this whole bruising episode seems to paint Jason Wilcox in a whole new light. Perhaps it might have been tempting, based on his nine months of experience with the Saints, to regard Jason Wilcox as little more than a functionary within the club's structure: a man who owed his position as much to his close relationship with ex-colleague Omar Berrada rather than any demonstrable skill. How mistaken everyone was. By masterfully outsmarting United’s feted head coach, just as he bested the unfortunate Dan Ashworth earlier, he has demonstrated to be among the sport’s true generals: a tactical intellect that the club's mid-table rivals will now be rightly wary.

A Tactical Clash Over System & Ideology

For example, this was Jason Wilcox , after being involved in the hierarchy that hired the 3-4-3 fundamentalist the coach originally, was instrumental in trying to persuade Amorim to abandon his beloved 3-4-3. Naturally, these entreaties were resisted. But perhaps these judgements carry more weight when delivered by a man with the impeccable soccer background of Jason Wilcox, a veteran of international appearances and a contributor to a title-winning side decades past.

Maybe eventually he might agree to outline his thought processes to the rest of us. Perhaps at some point he might be asked regarding why the coach is walking away with full compensation, with no penalty clause in place. But Jason Wilcox seldom speaks in public, and with very good reason. The true intellectuals of this sport – individuals such as him – function on a plane exceeding our mundane comprehension. Were he to speak, most likely all we would hear would be ultrasonic blips and four-dimensional whirring. Wanting is not quite the same as being ready to comprehend it.

The Ultimate Power In Command

But of course, by focusing our attention on the sporting director we overlook the true genius behind the modern United throne. Jason Wilcox is, in reality, simply carrying out the commands of his line manager Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who in private has emphasized his preference for a back four. It is reported, Ratcliffe has also suggested playing Bryan Mbeumo in a wing-back role. Ratcliffe is keen for United to embrace analytics and metrics. Per reports, during a leadership summit soon after his minority ownership, he announced that the team's approach to football “shall be decided in this room”.

After all, Sir Jim is an expert in this technical footballing stuff, leveraging his previous experience in industry and sailing. Above all he is incredibly rich, and as we all know, the rich are the best of us: more perceptive, sagacious, more tactically astute, simply superior. Whom else could one trust to manage an enlightened programme of cost-cutting, the construction of a new stadium that looks similar to an abstract design, the signing of a new striker?

A New Soccer Order: Directors Above Coaches

This represents a shift that is becoming prevalent at the elite levels football. Historically, teams mistakenly entrusted big footballing decisions to low-level employees such as coaches, talent spotters – players themselves. Maybe previously possible for a young, visionary coach with ideas and drive to join a club and see their vision through to completion. Yet how many businesses have such individuals established? What number of large-scale layoffs have they overseen? Far preferable to place the real power where it rightly belongs: the leadership tier, the casually dressed executives, the individuals with the jaw-dropping LinkedIn profiles. Better by far to decide the strategy in the boardroom and appoint a coach who can tailor their methods to suit. If managers were once chefs, they have become more akin to Deliveroo drivers: not responsible for the product, but still finally accountable should it be delivered poorly or leaks out to meet standards.

In the meantime, their job is increasingly not about defining the vision and more about selling it: the front-facing representative of the operation, the visible figurehead for a club they have minimal power to change. Enzo Maresca takes a squad of very young players into Europe and secures two medium-sized trophies, and effectively gets sacked for speaking out. Wilfried Nancy finds his standing damaged while those individuals who hired him live to blunder indefinitely.

The Modern Corporate Football: Accountability for the Few

And possibly in a small way this is simply neoliberalism in action: the rise of a privileged overclass who can never be wrong, whose decisions are always untouchable, whose mistakes can invariably be sacked away without justification. Hire the 3-4-3 coach and then fire him for playing too much 3-4-3. Hire the process guy and later bin him for requiring excessive time. And above all be grateful; for the incremental season ticket price rises, for the latest player acquisitions, for the reality that the adults – regardless of their expertise – are in charge.