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Transpired Ruben Amorim could survive a loss to Grimsby. Survive a decisive European final versus one of the worst Tottenham teams in living memory. He could survive losing at home to West Ham and Wolves, finishing 15th, an unwavering system, laying waste to the team's most promising academy products, the 32% win rate, labeling the squad the worst in Manchester United history. Yet, there existed a single opponent with whom Ruben Amorim was not permitted to dance. You come at Jason Wilcox, you had better succeed.

Regrettably, like many a Premiership right-back during Blackburn Rovers' championship campaign, the coach came at Jason Wilcox and appears to have missed. Even the most casual observer can see the irony here: a coach who often railed his squad for losing individual battles succumbing in the face of the white heat and formidable presence of a England's top division's most intimidating football executives.

And frankly, this whole bruising episode appears to portray the director in a different perspective. Perhaps it might have been easy, based on his nine months in a similar role with the Saints, to regard him as merely a drudge in the United exoskeleton: an individual whose appointment was due as much to his close relationship with ex-colleague a fellow executive as any demonstrable skill. How wrong everyone was. By masterfully outmanoeuvring United’s feted manager, just as he bested the hapless a previous executive before him, Jason Wilcox has proved himself as one of the sport’s strategic masterminds: a strategic mind that United’s mid-table rivals are now rightly wary.

A Tactical Clash Regarding System and Philosophy

To illustrate, this was Jason Wilcox , after having been part of the leadership that appointed the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim originally, played a key role in attempting to convince him to abandon his beloved formation. Naturally, these pleas were resisted. However, such directives hold greater authority when delivered by a man of a man the impeccable football pedigree he possesses, a veteran of international appearances and a contributor to a championship team from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time Jason Wilcox might agree to explain his thought processes to the rest of us. Perhaps at some point he might be asked why Amorim is walking away with full compensation, without any penalty clause in place. The director speaks rarely publicly, and with very good reason. The real thinkers of this sport – individuals such as Jason Wilcox – simply operate at a level beyond our own mundane comprehension. If he ever did speak, probably we would perceive is a series of ultrasonic blips and complex calculations. Desiring an explanation is not quite equivalent to being ready to comprehend it.

An Supreme Power Behind Command

Naturally, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we overlook the true genius behind the club's current leadership. The director is, in reality, simply carrying out the directives of his ultimate line manager Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who in private has emphasized his desire for a back four. It is reported, the owner has also suggested playing Bryan Mbeumo as a right wing-back. The owner is eager for the club to adopt analytics and metrics. According to ESPN, in an executive meeting early in his minority ownership, he announced that United’s style to football “shall be decided by this group”.

Ultimately, Ratcliffe is a specialist in these intricate footballing stuff, leveraging his background in petrochemicals and yachting. Above all he remains incredibly rich, and it is known, the wealthy are the best of us: more insightful, sagacious, strategically brilliant, fundamentally superior. Whom else would you trust to oversee an enlightened programme of austerity, the construction of a new stadium that appears similar to an abstract design, the acquisition of a new striker?

The New Soccer Hierarchy: Executives Above Coaches

This represents a shift we are increasingly seeing at the elite levels football. For decades, teams mistakenly entrusted major sporting choices to subordinate staff such as coaches, scouts – players themselves. Maybe previously possible for a young, innovative manager with ideas and energy to go into a club and see their vision supported to fruition. Yet how many businesses have such individuals set up? How many large-scale layoffs have they managed? Better by far to invest genuine authority where it rightly belongs: the leadership tier, the open-necked shirt brigade, the guys with impressive professional resumes. Better by far to decide the tactics by the directors and appoint someone who can tailor their offering to suit. If coaches were formerly chefs, they have become more akin to Deliveroo drivers: not really creating the food, but still ultimately answerable if it arrives cold or fails of the box.

Nowadays, a coach's role has become not about crafting the philosophy and more about selling it: the receptionist of the operation, the visible figurehead of an organisation they can do little to change. Enzo Maresca takes a squad of literal children into Europe and wins two medium-sized trophies, and essentially is dismissed for talking. Wilfried Nancy sees his standing damaged whereas the people who hired him live to blunder indefinitely.

The Neoliberal Game: Accountability for the Few

And perhaps in a small way this represents neoliberalism at work: the rise of a gilded elite who can never be wrong, whose decisions remain untouchable, whose errors can invariably be resolved by sacking without explanation. Hire the system coach only to fire them for using excessively 3-4-3. Bring in the project manager and then discard him for requiring too long. And most importantly show gratitude; for the incremental increases in ticket costs, for the latest summer signings, for the fact that the grownups – however well qualified – are in charge.