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Transpired Ruben Amorim could survive a loss to Grimsby. Survive losing a crucial continental showpiece against a particularly poor Tottenham teams for many years. He could survive losing at home to domestic rivals, finishing 15th, an unwavering system, laying waste to some of the club’s most promising academy products, a poor winning percentage, calling his team the poorest in Manchester United history. Yet, there existed one adversary against whom Ruben Amorim was not permitted to engage. You come at Jason Wilcox, and you best not miss.

Unfortunately, like many a top-flight right-back during Blackburn Rovers' title-winning campaign, the coach came at the executive and appears to have failed. The most distracted of readers can see the irony here: a manager who frequently berated at his players for failing in one-on-one duels succumbing in the face of the white heat and formidable presence of a the Premier League’s most intimidating sporting directors.

In truth, this whole bruising episode appears to portray the director in a whole new light. Perhaps it might have been tempting, given his nine months in a similar role with the Saints, to view Jason Wilcox as merely a drudge within the club's structure: an individual whose appointment was due as much to his friendship with his former boss Omar Berrada as any verifiable talent. How mistaken we all were. In brilliantly outmanoeuvring the club's celebrated head coach, just as he bested the unfortunate Dan Ashworth before him, he has demonstrated as one of the sport’s strategic masterminds: a tactical intellect that the club's mid-table rivals will now be justifiably concerned.

A Strategic Conflict Over Formation & Philosophy

To illustrate, this was Jason Wilcox , after having been part of the hierarchy that hired the 3-4-3 fundamentalist Amorim in the first place, was instrumental in trying to persuade him to ditch his favored 3-4-3. Unsurprisingly, these pleas met a certain resistance. But perhaps these judgements hold greater authority when issued by a man with the unimpeachable football pedigree he possesses, holder of three England caps and a role in a title-winning side decades past.

Perhaps in time Jason Wilcox might agree to outline his reasoning to the rest of us. Perhaps at some point questions may arise why Amorim is departing with full compensation, without any penalty clause activated. But Jason Wilcox seldom speaks in public, for excellent reasons. The true intellectuals of this sport – men like Jason Wilcox – simply operate on a plane exceeding our prosaic understanding. If he ever did speak, most likely all we would hear would be high-frequency signals and four-dimensional whirring. Desiring an explanation is not the same as being prepared to comprehend it.

An Supreme Power In the Throne

But of course, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we overlook the true genius behind the modern United throne. The director is, in reality, simply carrying out the commands of his ultimate line manager the billionaire owner, who privately has emphasized his desire for a four-man defense. According to reports, the owner has also suggested deploying the forward in a wing-back role. Ratcliffe is keen for United to adopt data science and metrics. According to ESPN, during a leadership summit early in his investment, he declared that United’s style to football “shall be decided in this room”.

After all, Ratcliffe is a specialist in this technical football matters, drawing from his previous experience in industry and yachting. Above all he is immensely wealthy, and as we all know, the rich are superior: more insightful, more wise, more tactically astute, simply superior. Whom else could one trust to manage an enlightened programme of austerity, the construction of a new stadium that looks a lot like someone’s leftover knitting, the signing of a new striker?

The New Soccer Order: Directors Above Coaches

This is a trend that is becoming prevalent at the elite levels football. For decades, clubs foolishly entrusted major sporting choices to subordinate staff such as coaches, talent spotters – even footballers. Perhaps it was once feasible for an up-and-coming, visionary coach with ideas and drive to go into a club and implement their plan supported to fruition. Yet how many businesses have such individuals established? How many mass redundancies have they overseen? Better by far to place 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 determine the strategy in the boardroom and appoint someone who can tailor their methods accordingly. If managers were formerly chefs, they have become more like Deliveroo drivers: not really creating the food, yet finally accountable should it be delivered poorly or leaks out of the box.

Nowadays, their job has become less about defining the vision and more about marketing it: the front-facing representative on the front desk, the visible figurehead for a club they can do little to change. Enzo Maresca takes a squad of literal children into the Champions League and wins domestic cups, and effectively is dismissed for speaking out. Wilfried Nancy finds his standing damaged whereas those individuals who appointed him live to blunder indefinitely.

The Modern Corporate Football: Accountability for the Few

And possibly in a small way this is simply corporate governance at work: the rise of a privileged overclass who are infallible, whose decisions are always untouchable, whose errors can invariably be resolved by sacking without justification. Appoint the system coach and then fire them for using excessively 3-4-3. Bring in the process guy and then bin him for taking excessive time. And above all be grateful; for the incremental season ticket price rises, for your new summer signings, for the fact that the adults – however well qualified – are in charge.