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Transpired Ruben Amorim could survive losing against Grimsby. Survive losing a crucial continental showpiece versus one of the worst Spurs sides in living memory. He could survive losing at home against West Ham and Wolves, a lowly league position, the tactical inflexibility, undermining the team's best academy products, a poor winning percentage, calling his team the poorest in Manchester United history. But there was a single opponent against whom Ruben Amorim was not permitted to dance. If you challenge the sporting director, you had better succeed.

Unfortunately, similar to numerous Premiership defender during Blackburn Rovers' championship campaign, the coach took on the executive and appears to have missed. The most distracted of readers can see the paradoxical situation: a manager who often railed his squad for failing in one-on-one duels succumbing in the face of the white heat and animal charisma of one of England's top division's most feared sporting directors.

And frankly, this entire painful saga seems to paint Jason Wilcox in a whole new light. It may have been tempting, given his nine months of experience at Southampton, to view Jason Wilcox as merely a functionary in the United exoskeleton: an individual who owed his position largely to his close relationship with his former boss Omar Berrada as any verifiable talent. How wrong we all were. In brilliantly outmanoeuvring the club's celebrated head coach, as he outmanoeuvred the unfortunate Dan Ashworth before him, Jason Wilcox has proved himself as one of football's true generals: a tactical intellect of which United’s competitors are now rightly wary.

A Strategic Conflict Regarding Formation and Philosophy

To illustrate, it was the director who being involved in the hierarchy that appointed the 3-4-3 fundamentalist the coach in the first place, was instrumental in trying to persuade him to abandon his favored formation. Naturally, these pleas faced pushback. But perhaps these judgements carry more weight when issued by a man with the unimpeachable soccer background of Jason Wilcox, holder of three England caps and a role in a title-winning side decades past.

Perhaps in time he may be persuaded to explain his reasoning to the rest of us. Maybe one day questions may arise regarding why the coach is departing with a full payout, with no penalty clause in place. But Jason Wilcox speaks rarely in public, and with very good reason. The real thinkers of this sport – men like him – function on a plane exceeding our prosaic understanding. If he ever did speak, probably we would perceive is a series of ultrasonic blips and four-dimensional whirring. Wanting is not the same as being ready to receive.

An Ultimate Power In Command

But of course, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we are obscuring the real power behind the club's current leadership. Jason Wilcox is, in reality, simply carrying out the directives of his superior Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who privately has emphasized his preference for a back four. It is reported, Ratcliffe has also proposed playing Bryan Mbeumo in a wing-back role. Ratcliffe is keen for the club to adopt analytics and analytics. Per reports, during a leadership summit soon after his investment, he announced that United’s style of play “will be decided in this room”.

After all, Sir Jim is an expert in these intricate footballing stuff, leveraging his previous experience in industry and sailing. Most importantly he remains incredibly rich, and as we all know, the rich are superior: more insightful, more wise, strategically brilliant, fundamentally better. Who else would you trust to oversee a strategic plan of austerity, the building of a new stadium that looks similar to an abstract design, the acquisition of Benjamin Sesko?

The Modern Soccer Order: Directors Over Coaches

This represents a shift that is becoming prevalent at the elite levels football. For decades, clubs foolishly entrusted major sporting choices to low-level employees such as coaches, talent spotters – players themselves. Maybe previously possible for a young, visionary coach with ideas and drive to join a club and implement their plan through to completion. But how many businesses have such individuals established? How many mass redundancies have they overseen? Better by far to place the real power where it rightly belongs: the leadership tier, the casually dressed executives, the individuals with impressive professional resumes. Better by far to decide the strategy in the boardroom and appoint a coach who will adapt their methods to suit. If managers were formerly chefs, they are now more akin to delivery personnel: not creating the food, yet finally accountable should it be delivered cold or leaks out of the box.

Nowadays, a coach's role has become less about crafting the philosophy and more about selling it: the receptionist of the operation, the public face of an organisation they have minimal power to influence. Enzo Maresca takes a squad of literal children into the Champions League and wins two medium-sized trophies, and effectively is dismissed for talking. Wilfried Nancy sees his reputation ruined while the people who appointed him continue to make errors indefinitely.

The Modern Corporate Game: Accountability 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 choices remain sacrosanct, whose errors can always be resolved by sacking without explanation. Appoint the 3-4-3 coach and then fire him for using excessively 3-4-3. Bring in the process guy and then bin him for taking too long. And above all show gratitude; for your modest increases in ticket costs, for your new summer signings, for the fact that the adults – regardless of their expertise – are in charge.