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Iturns out Ruben Amorim could survive a loss to Grimsby. Survive a decisive continental showpiece versus a particularly poor Tottenham teams in living memory. He could survive home defeats against domestic rivals, a lowly league position, his rigid approach, laying waste to the team's best homegrown talent, the 32% win rate, calling the squad the worst the club has ever seen. Yet, there existed one adversary with whom Ruben Amorim would not be allowed to dance. If you challenge Jason Wilcox, and you best not miss.

Regrettably, like many a Premiership right-back during Blackburn Rovers' title-winning campaign, Amorim came at the executive and seems to have missed. The most casual observer can see the irony here: a coach who often railed at his players for losing one-on-one duels succumbing in the face of the white heat and formidable presence of a England's top division's most intimidating football executives.

In truth, this whole bruising episode seems to paint the director in a whole new light. Perhaps it might have been tempting, given his brief stint in a similar role with the Saints, to view Jason Wilcox as little more than a drudge within the club's structure: a man who owed his position largely to his friendship with his former boss a fellow executive as any verifiable talent. How wrong we all were. By masterfully outsmarting United’s feted manager, just as he bested the unfortunate Dan Ashworth earlier, he has demonstrated as one of football's strategic masterminds: a tactical intellect of which United’s competitors are now justifiably concerned.

A Tactical Conflict Regarding System and Ideology

For example, it was the director who being involved in the hierarchy that appointed the 3-4-3 fundamentalist Amorim originally, was instrumental in attempting to convince Amorim to ditch his beloved formation. Naturally, these pleas were resisted. However, such directives hold greater authority when issued by a man with the unimpeachable football pedigree of Jason Wilcox, holder of international appearances and a role in a title-winning side 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, without any penalty clause in place. The director seldom speaks publicly, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers in football – men like him – function at a level beyond our own prosaic understanding. Were he to speak, most likely we would perceive would be ultrasonic blips and four-dimensional whirring. Desiring an explanation is not the same as being prepared to comprehend it.

An Supreme Authority Behind Command

Naturally, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we overlook the real power behind the modern United throne. Jason Wilcox is, after all, simply carrying out the directives of his ultimate superior the billionaire owner, who privately has emphasized his preference for a four-man defense. It is reported, the owner has also suggested deploying the forward in a wing-back role. Ratcliffe is keen for United to adopt analytics and metrics. According to ESPN, during a leadership summit soon after his investment, he announced that United’s style of play “shall be determined by this group”.

After all, Ratcliffe is a specialist in this technical footballing stuff, drawing from his previous experience in industry and yachting. Most importantly he remains immensely wealthy, and it is known, the wealthy are the best of us: more insightful, more wise, more tactically astute, simply better. Who else could one trust to manage an enlightened programme of cost-cutting, the construction of a modern arena that appears a lot like an abstract design, the signing of a new striker?

A New Soccer Order: Directors Above Managers

This is a trend we are increasingly seeing in top-tier football. Historically, teams mistakenly delegated major sporting choices to subordinate staff such as coaches, talent spotters – players themselves. Perhaps it was once possible for an up-and-coming, visionary coach with a philosophy and energy to go into an organization and implement their plan supported to fruition. But how many companies have such individuals set up? How many large-scale layoffs have they overseen? Far preferable to place genuine authority where it belongs: the leadership tier, the open-necked shirt brigade, the guys with the jaw-dropping professional resumes. It is wiser to decide the tactics by the directors and appoint a coach who can tailor their offering accordingly. If managers were formerly chefs, they are now more akin to delivery personnel: not creating the food, yet ultimately answerable if it arrives poorly or leaks out to meet standards.

In the meantime, their job has become less about defining the vision and more about selling it: the receptionist on the front desk, the visible figurehead of an organisation they can do little to change. Enzo Maresca takes a squad of literal children into the Champions League and secures two medium-sized trophies, and effectively gets sacked for speaking out. Wilfried Nancy finds his reputation ruined whereas the people who appointed him continue to make errors indefinitely.

The Modern Corporate Football: Accountability Only for the Coaches

And perhaps on some microcosmic level this represents neoliberalism in action: the elevation of a privileged overclass who can never be wrong, whose decisions remain sacrosanct, whose errors can invariably be resolved by sacking without justification. Hire the 3-4-3 coach only to fire them for playing excessively 3-4-3. Bring in the process guy and then bin them for taking excessive time. And above all be grateful; for your modest increases in ticket costs, for the latest summer signings, for the reality that the grownups – however well qualified – remain in control.