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Iturns out Ruben Amorim was able to withstand defeat by Grimsby. He weathered losing a crucial continental showpiece against one of the worst Tottenham teams in living memory. He withstood home defeats to West Ham and Wolves, a lowly league position, his rigid approach, laying waste to some of the club’s most promising academy products, a poor winning percentage, calling the squad the worst the club has ever seen. Yet, there existed one adversary against whom the Portuguese coach was not permitted to dance. You come at the sporting director, you had better succeed.

Unfortunately, similar to numerous Premiership right-back in Blackburn’s championship campaign, Amorim came at Jason Wilcox and appears to have missed. The most distracted of readers can see the irony here: a manager who often railed at his players for failing in individual battles crumbling in the face of the white heat and formidable presence of a the Premier League’s most intimidating football executives.

In truth, this whole painful saga seems to paint Jason Wilcox in a different perspective. Perhaps it might have been tempting, based on his nine months of experience with the Saints, to view Jason Wilcox as merely a drudge in the United exoskeleton: an individual whose appointment was due largely to his close relationship with his former boss Omar Berrada as any demonstrable skill. How mistaken we all were. In brilliantly outsmarting the club's celebrated manager, just as he bested the hapless a previous executive earlier, Jason Wilcox has demonstrated to be among the sport’s strategic masterminds: a tactical intellect that United’s mid-table rivals are now justifiably concerned.

A Tactical Clash Over Formation & Philosophy

To illustrate, it was Jason Wilcox , after having been part of the leadership that hired the 3-4-3 fundamentalist Amorim in the first place, was instrumental in attempting to convince him to abandon his beloved formation. Naturally, these entreaties met a certain resistance. However, these judgements hold greater authority when delivered by a man with the impeccable football pedigree he possesses, a veteran of international appearances and a role in a title-winning side decades past.

Perhaps in time he may be persuaded to explain his reasoning publicly. Perhaps at some point he might be asked why Amorim is departing with full compensation, without any penalty clause in place. The director seldom speaks in public, for excellent reasons. The true intellectuals of this sport – men like him – function at a level beyond our own prosaic understanding. If he ever did speak, most likely we would perceive would be ultrasonic blips and complex calculations. Desiring an explanation is not quite the same as being prepared to receive.

The Supreme Authority In Command

Naturally, by focusing our attention on the sporting director we overlook the real power behind the modern United throne. The director is, in reality, merely executing the commands of his ultimate superior the billionaire owner, who in private has emphasized his preference for a four-man defense. It is reported, the owner has also proposed playing Bryan Mbeumo in a wing-back role. Ratcliffe is keen for the club to embrace analytics and analytics. According to ESPN, during a leadership summit early in his minority ownership, he declared that the team's approach of play “shall be determined in this room”.

After all, Sir Jim is a specialist in this technical footballing stuff, leveraging his previous experience in petrochemicals and yachting. Most importantly he remains immensely wealthy, and it is known, the wealthy are the best of us: more insightful, more wise, strategically brilliant, fundamentally superior. Whom else could one trust to oversee a strategic plan of austerity, the construction of a modern arena that looks similar to an abstract design, the acquisition of a new striker?

The Modern Soccer Order: Executives Over Coaches

This is a trend we are increasingly seeing in top-tier of the game. Historically, teams mistakenly entrusted major sporting choices to low-level employees such as coaches, scouts – players themselves. Perhaps it was once possible for a young, innovative manager with a philosophy and drive to go into a club and implement their plan through to completion. But how many companies have these guys set up? What number of large-scale layoffs have they managed? Better by far to invest genuine authority where it rightly belongs: the executive class, the open-necked shirt brigade, the guys with impressive professional resumes. Better by far to determine the strategy by the directors and appoint someone who can tailor their methods to suit. If managers were formerly chefs, they are now more like delivery personnel: not creating the food, but still ultimately answerable should it be delivered poorly or fails of the box.

Nowadays, a coach's role has become not about defining the vision and more about selling it: the front-facing representative 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 Europe and secures two medium-sized trophies, and essentially is dismissed for talking. A manager at Celtic finds his reputation ruined whereas the people who appointed him continue to make errors indefinitely.

The Neoliberal Football: Accountability Only for the Few

And perhaps on some microcosmic level this is simply neoliberalism in action: the rise of a privileged overclass who can never be wrong, whose decisions remain untouchable, whose errors can invariably be resolved by sacking without explanation. Appoint the system coach and then dismiss him for using excessively 3-4-3. Hire the project manager and then bin them for requiring too long. And above all be grateful; for the incremental season ticket price rises, for the latest summer signings, for the fact that the grownups – regardless of their expertise – remain in control.