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Transpired Ruben Amorim could survive a loss to Grimsby. Survive a decisive continental showpiece against a particularly poor Spurs sides in living memory. He could survive home defeats to domestic rivals, finishing 15th, an unwavering system, laying waste to some of the club’s most promising academy products, the 32% win rate, labeling the squad the worst the club has ever seen. Yet, there existed a single opponent against whom Ruben Amorim would not be allowed to dance. If you challenge Jason Wilcox, and you best not miss.

Unfortunately, similar to numerous Premiership defender during Blackburn Rovers' title-winning campaign, the coach came at Jason Wilcox and seems to have missed. Even the most distracted of readers can see the paradoxical situation: a manager who often railed his squad for losing individual battles crumbling in the face of the intense pressure and animal charisma of a England's top division's most intimidating sporting directors.

In truth, this whole painful saga appears to portray the director in a whole new light. It may have been easy, given his brief stint in a similar role at Southampton, to view Jason Wilcox as little more than a functionary within the club's structure: an individual who owed his position as much to his close relationship with ex-colleague Omar Berrada as any demonstrable skill. How wrong we all were. In brilliantly outsmarting the club's celebrated manager, just as he bested the hapless Dan Ashworth before him, he has proved himself to be among football's true generals: a tactical intellect that United’s mid-table rivals are now justifiably concerned.

A Strategic Clash Regarding System & Ideology

To illustrate, it was the director , after being involved in the leadership that appointed the 3-4-3 fundamentalist Amorim originally, was instrumental in attempting to convince him to ditch his favored 3-4-3. Naturally, these entreaties faced pushback. However, such directives hold greater authority when issued from the mouth of a man the unimpeachable soccer background of Jason Wilcox, holder of three England caps and a role in a title-winning side decades past.

Maybe eventually Jason Wilcox might agree to explain his reasoning to the rest of us. Maybe one day questions may arise regarding why the coach is walking away with full compensation, with no penalty clause activated. But Jason Wilcox seldom speaks publicly, and with very good reason. The true intellectuals of this sport – men like him – simply operate on a plane exceeding our prosaic understanding. Were he to speak, most likely we would perceive is a series of high-frequency signals and complex calculations. Wanting is not equivalent to being ready to comprehend it.

An Ultimate Power Behind the Throne

Naturally, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we are obscuring the real power behind the club's current leadership. The director is, in reality, simply carrying out the commands of his superior Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who privately has emphasized his desire for a back four. It is reported, the owner has also suggested deploying the forward in a wing-back role. Ratcliffe is keen for United to embrace data science and metrics. According to ESPN, during a leadership summit early in his minority ownership, he announced that the team's approach of play “shall be determined in this room”.

After all, Sir Jim is an expert in these intricate footballing stuff, leveraging his previous experience in petrochemicals and sailing. Above all he is immensely wealthy, and as we all know, the wealthy are the best of us: more insightful, more wise, more tactically astute, simply better. Whom else could one trust to oversee an enlightened programme of austerity, the building of a modern arena that looks a lot like an abstract design, the acquisition of Benjamin Sesko?

The Modern Football Hierarchy: Directors Over Coaches

This represents a shift that is becoming prevalent in top-tier of the game. For decades, clubs foolishly delegated big footballing decisions to subordinate staff like managers, talent spotters – even footballers. Perhaps it was once possible for an up-and-coming, visionary coach with ideas and drive to go into a club and see their vision through to completion. But how many companies have such individuals set up? What number of mass redundancies have they managed? Better by far to invest the real power where it rightly belongs: the executive class, the casually dressed executives, the guys with impressive professional resumes. It is wiser to determine the strategy in the boardroom and appoint someone who can tailor their methods accordingly. If coaches were once chefs, they have become more like delivery personnel: not really responsible for the food, but still finally accountable if it arrives poorly or fails of the box.

Nowadays, a coach's role is increasingly not about defining the vision and more about selling it: the receptionist on the front desk, the public face of an organisation they can do little to influence. A coach at Chelsea takes a squad of literal children into the Champions League and wins domestic cups, and effectively gets sacked for talking. Wilfried Nancy sees his standing damaged while those individuals who hired him live to blunder indefinitely.

A Modern Corporate Game: Accountability Only for the Few

And perhaps on some microcosmic level this is simply neoliberalism in action: the elevation of a privileged overclass who are infallible, whose decisions remain sacrosanct, whose errors can invariably be sacked away without explanation. Hire the 3-4-3 coach only to fire them for playing excessively that system. Hire the process guy and then discard him for taking too long. And most importantly show gratitude; for your modest season ticket price rises, for the latest summer signings, for the fact that the grownups – regardless of their expertise – remain in control.