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Turns out Ruben Amorim was able to withstand losing against Grimsby. He weathered a decisive continental showpiece versus a particularly poor Spurs sides for many years. He could survive home defeats against domestic rivals, a lowly league position, the tactical inflexibility, laying waste to the team's most promising homegrown talent, the 32% win rate, labeling his team the worst in Manchester United history. Yet, there existed one adversary against whom the Portuguese coach would not be allowed to dance. If you challenge Jason Wilcox, you had better succeed.

Unfortunately, like many a Premiership right-back during Blackburn Rovers' championship campaign, the coach took on the executive and appears to have missed. Even the most distracted of readers will notice the irony here: a coach who often railed at his players for failing in one-on-one duels crumbling when confronted by the intense pressure and animal charisma of one of England's top division's most intimidating football executives.

And frankly, this entire bruising episode appears to portray the director in a different perspective. It may have been tempting, based on his brief stint in a similar role with the Saints, to regard Jason Wilcox as little more than a drudge in the United exoskeleton: an individual who owed his position as much to his close relationship with ex-colleague Omar Berrada rather than any verifiable talent. How wrong everyone was. By masterfully outsmarting the club's celebrated manager, as he outmanoeuvred the unfortunate a previous executive earlier, he has demonstrated to be among football's true generals: a strategic mind that United’s mid-table rivals will now be justifiably concerned.

The Tactical Conflict Over Formation and Ideology

For example, it was the director , after having been part of the leadership that hired the 3-4-3 fundamentalist Amorim originally, played a key role in trying to persuade Amorim to abandon his beloved 3-4-3. Naturally, these entreaties faced pushback. But perhaps such directives carry more weight when delivered by a man with the unimpeachable soccer background he possesses, holder of international appearances and a contributor to a title-winning side from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time Jason Wilcox might agree to explain his thought processes publicly. Perhaps at some point questions may arise why Amorim is departing with full compensation, without any compensation reduction clause in place. The director speaks rarely in public, and with very good reason. The real thinkers in football – men like Jason Wilcox – simply operate on a plane beyond our own mundane comprehension. Were he to speak, probably all we would hear would be high-frequency signals and complex calculations. Wanting is not quite the same as being ready to comprehend it.

The Ultimate Authority Behind the Throne

But of course, in training our focus on Jason Wilcox we are obscuring the true genius behind the modern United throne. The director is, in reality, merely executing the directives of his line manager Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who in private has made very clear his preference for a back four. According to reports, Ratcliffe has also proposed deploying the forward in a wing-back role. The owner is eager for United to embrace data science and analytics. Per reports, in an executive meeting early in his investment, he declared that United’s style of play “will be determined by this group”.

Ultimately, Ratcliffe is a specialist in this technical footballing stuff, leveraging his previous experience in industry and sailing. Above all he remains immensely wealthy, and it is known, the rich are superior: more perceptive, more wise, more tactically astute, fundamentally better. Whom else would you trust to manage a strategic plan of cost-cutting, the construction of a modern arena that looks a lot like someone’s leftover knitting, the acquisition of Benjamin Sesko?

A New Football Hierarchy: Executives Above Managers

This is a trend we are increasingly seeing at the elite levels football. Historically, clubs foolishly delegated major sporting choices to subordinate staff such as coaches, talent spotters – even footballers. Maybe previously 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 these guys established? What number of large-scale layoffs have they overseen? Better by far to place the real power where it belongs: the executive class, the casually dressed executives, the guys with impressive professional resumes. It is wiser to decide the tactics in the boardroom and hire a coach who can tailor their methods accordingly. If managers were once chefs, they are now more like delivery personnel: not responsible for the food, but still ultimately answerable if it arrives cold or leaks out to meet standards.

Nowadays, a coach's role is increasingly less about defining the vision and more about selling it: the receptionist of the operation, the visible figurehead for a club they can do little to influence. A coach at Chelsea leads a team of literal children into Europe and secures domestic cups, and essentially is dismissed for talking. Wilfried Nancy sees his standing damaged while the people who hired him continue to make errors another day.

The Neoliberal Game: Accountability Only for the Few

And possibly on some microcosmic level this is simply neoliberalism at work: the elevation of a gilded elite who are infallible, whose choices remain sacrosanct, whose errors can invariably be sacked away without explanation. Appoint the 3-4-3 coach only to dismiss them for playing excessively 3-4-3. Hire the process guy and then bin them for taking excessive time. And above all be grateful; for the incremental season ticket price rises, for your new player acquisitions, for the fact that the grownups – however well qualified – remain in control.