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Itranspired he was able to withstand defeat by Grimsby. He weathered losing a crucial European final versus one of the worst Tottenham teams for many years. He withstood losing at home to West Ham and Wolves, finishing 15th, his rigid approach, laying waste to the team's most promising academy products, the 32% win rate, labeling his team the poorest in Manchester United history. Yet, there existed a single opponent against whom Ruben Amorim was not permitted to dance. If you challenge Jason Wilcox, and you best not miss.

Unfortunately, similar to numerous Premiership right-back during Blackburn Rovers' title-winning 1994-95 season, Amorim came at Jason Wilcox and seems to have failed. The most casual observer can see the irony here: a coach who frequently berated at his players for losing individual battles crumbling when confronted by the white heat and formidable presence of one of the Premier League’s most feared football executives.

In truth, this whole painful saga seems to paint Jason Wilcox in a different perspective. It may have been tempting, based on his nine months of experience at Southampton, to view him as little more than a drudge in the United exoskeleton: an individual whose appointment was due as much to his close relationship with his former boss Omar Berrada as any verifiable talent. How wrong we all were. By masterfully outmanoeuvring United’s feted manager, just as he bested the hapless Dan Ashworth before him, Jason Wilcox has proved himself to be among the sport’s true generals: a strategic mind of which the club's competitors will now be justifiably concerned.

The Tactical Clash Over Formation and Philosophy

For example, this was the director , after having been part of the hierarchy that hired the rigid 3-4-3 advocate the coach in the first place, played a key role in trying to persuade him to abandon his beloved formation. Naturally, these entreaties were resisted. But perhaps such directives carry more weight when issued by a man of a man the impeccable football pedigree he possesses, holder of international appearances and a contributor to a championship team decades past.

Perhaps in time Jason Wilcox may be persuaded to explain his thought processes to the rest of us. Maybe one day he might be asked why Amorim is departing with full compensation, with no penalty clause in place. But Jason Wilcox seldom speaks in public, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers in football – individuals such as him – function on a plane exceeding our prosaic understanding. If he ever did speak, probably all we would hear would be ultrasonic blips and complex calculations. Wanting is not the same as being prepared to comprehend it.

The Supreme Authority In Command

Naturally, in training our focus on the sporting director we overlook the real power behind the club's current leadership. The director is, in reality, merely executing the commands of his ultimate line manager Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who privately has made very clear his desire for a back four. According to reports, the owner has also suggested deploying the forward in a wing-back role. Ratcliffe is keen for the club to embrace data science and metrics. Per reports, during a leadership summit early in his investment, he declared that the team's approach to football “shall be decided in this room”.

Ultimately, Ratcliffe is an expert in this technical football matters, leveraging his previous experience in industry and sailing. Most importantly he is immensely wealthy, and as we all know, the rich are the best of us: more perceptive, more wise, more tactically astute, simply better. Whom else could one trust to manage an enlightened programme of austerity, the building of a new stadium that appears similar to someone’s leftover knitting, the signing of Benjamin Sesko?

The Modern Soccer Order: Executives Above Managers

This represents a shift that is becoming prevalent at the elite levels of the game. Historically, clubs foolishly delegated big footballing decisions to subordinate staff like managers, talent spotters – even footballers. Maybe previously feasible for a young, innovative manager with a philosophy and drive to go into an organization and implement their plan through to completion. But how many companies have such individuals established? What number of mass redundancies have they overseen? Better by far to invest genuine authority where it belongs: the leadership tier, the casually dressed executives, the individuals with impressive professional resumes. It is wiser to determine the strategy by the directors and hire a coach who can tailor their offering to suit. If managers were formerly chefs, they are now more like delivery personnel: not responsible for the food, but still finally accountable should it be delivered cold or fails to meet standards.

In the meantime, their job is increasingly less about defining the vision and more about marketing it: the receptionist of the operation, the visible figurehead for a club they have minimal power to influence. A coach at Chelsea leads a team of very young players into the Champions League and secures two medium-sized trophies, and effectively gets sacked for talking. Wilfried Nancy sees his standing damaged while those individuals who appointed him live to blunder another day.

The Modern Corporate Football: Responsibility Only for the Coaches

And perhaps in a small way this is simply neoliberalism at work: the elevation of a gilded elite who can never be wrong, whose decisions are always sacrosanct, whose errors can always be resolved by sacking without explanation. Hire the system coach only to dismiss him for playing excessively that system. Hire the process guy and later bin him for requiring excessive time. 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.