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Tbecame clear Ruben Amorim could survive defeat by Grimsby. Survive a decisive continental showpiece against one of the worst Spurs sides for many years. He withstood losing at home to domestic rivals, a lowly league position, an unwavering system, laying waste to some of the club’s most promising homegrown talent, the 32% win rate, labeling his team the worst in Manchester United history. But there was one adversary with whom the Portuguese coach would not be allowed to engage. If you challenge the sporting director, and you best not miss.

Unfortunately, like many a Premiership defender in Blackburn’s championship 1994-95 season, the coach came at the executive and appears to have missed. Even the most casual observer can see the irony here: a coach who often railed at his players for losing individual battles succumbing when confronted by the intense pressure and animal charisma of a England's top division's most intimidating sporting directors.

In truth, this entire painful saga appears to portray Jason Wilcox in a different perspective. It may have been tempting, given his brief stint of experience with the Saints, to regard Jason Wilcox as little more than a drudge within the club's structure: a man who owed his position as much to his close relationship with his former boss Omar Berrada as any verifiable talent. How wrong everyone was. By masterfully outsmarting the club's celebrated head coach, as he outmanoeuvred the unfortunate Dan Ashworth before him, Jason Wilcox has demonstrated to be among football's strategic masterminds: a strategic mind that the club's mid-table rivals are now rightly wary.

The Strategic Clash Over System & Ideology

For example, this was Jason Wilcox , after being involved in the leadership that appointed the 3-4-3 fundamentalist Amorim originally, played a key role in attempting to convince him to abandon his favored formation. Unsurprisingly, these entreaties faced pushback. 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 contributor to a title-winning side from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time Jason Wilcox may be persuaded to outline his reasoning publicly. Maybe one day questions may arise why Amorim is walking away with a full payout, with no penalty clause in place. But Jason Wilcox seldom speaks in public, and with very good reason. The real thinkers in football – individuals such as Jason Wilcox – function on a plane beyond our own prosaic understanding. Were he to speak, probably we would perceive would be high-frequency signals and four-dimensional whirring. Wanting is not equivalent to being prepared to receive.

The Ultimate Power Behind the Throne

Naturally, in training our focus on the sporting director we overlook the real power behind the club's current leadership. Jason Wilcox is, after all, merely executing the commands of his ultimate line manager Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who privately has emphasized his desire for a four-man defense. According to reports, the owner has also proposed deploying the forward in a wing-back role. The owner is eager for United to embrace analytics and metrics. Per reports, in an executive meeting soon after his minority ownership, he declared that United’s style to football “shall be determined by this group”.

Ultimately, Ratcliffe is a specialist in this technical football matters, leveraging his previous experience in petrochemicals and yachting. Most importantly he remains incredibly rich, and it is known, the rich are the best of us: more insightful, more wise, more tactically astute, simply superior. Who else would you trust to manage an enlightened programme of austerity, the building of a new stadium that looks similar to an abstract design, the signing of a new striker?

The Modern Soccer Order: Directors Over Coaches

This represents a shift that is becoming prevalent in top-tier of the game. Historically, teams mistakenly delegated big footballing decisions to subordinate staff such as coaches, talent spotters – even footballers. Maybe previously feasible for an up-and-coming, visionary coach with a philosophy and drive to join an organization and implement their plan supported to fruition. Yet how many companies have these guys established? How many mass redundancies have they overseen? Far preferable to place genuine authority where it belongs: the executive class, the open-necked shirt brigade, the guys with impressive professional resumes. Better by far to decide the strategy by the directors and appoint a coach who will adapt their methods accordingly. If coaches were once chefs, they have become more akin to delivery personnel: not really creating the product, but still ultimately answerable should it be delivered poorly or leaks out of the box.

In the meantime, their job is increasingly not about crafting the philosophy and more about marketing it: the receptionist on the front desk, the public face for a club they can do little to influence. Enzo Maresca leads a team of very young players into the Champions League and wins two medium-sized trophies, and essentially is dismissed for speaking out. Wilfried Nancy sees his standing damaged whereas the people who hired him continue to make errors indefinitely.

A Modern Corporate Football: Responsibility Only for the Few

And possibly in a small way this represents neoliberalism in action: the elevation of a gilded elite who can never be wrong, whose decisions remain sacrosanct, whose errors can always be resolved by sacking without justification. Appoint the 3-4-3 coach and then fire them for using too much 3-4-3. Bring in the process guy and then bin him for requiring excessive time. And most importantly be grateful; for your modest season ticket price rises, for the latest player acquisitions, for the fact that the adults – regardless of their expertise – are in charge.