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Itranspired the manager was able to withstand a loss to lower-league opposition. Survive an important European final versus one of the worst Tottenham teams for many years. He could survive losing at home against West Ham and Wolves, finishing 15th, the tactical inflexibility, squandering the team's most promising homegrown talent, the 32% win rate, labeling the squad the poorest the club has ever seen. Yet, there existed a single opponent with whom Ruben Amorim was not permitted to engage. If you challenge the sporting director, and you best not miss.

Unfortunately, similar to numerous Premiership right-back in Blackburn’s championship 1994-95 season, the coach took on the executive and seems to have missed. The most casual observer can see the paradoxical situation: a coach who often railed at his players for failing in individual battles succumbing when confronted by the white heat and formidable presence of one of England's top division's most intimidating sporting directors.

In truth, this entire painful saga appears to portray Jason Wilcox in a different perspective. It may have been tempting, given his nine months of experience at Southampton, to view him as little more than a functionary in the United exoskeleton: an individual who owed his position as much to his close relationship with ex-colleague a fellow executive rather than any demonstrable skill. How wrong everyone was. In brilliantly outsmarting the club's celebrated manager, just as he bested the hapless Dan Ashworth earlier, he has proved himself as one of the sport’s true generals: a tactical intellect of which the club's mid-table rivals are now rightly wary.

A Tactical Clash Regarding System and Ideology

To illustrate, this was Jason Wilcox who being involved in the leadership that hired the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim in the first place, was instrumental in attempting to convince Amorim to ditch his favored 3-4-3. Naturally, these entreaties faced pushback. However, such directives hold greater authority when issued from the mouth with the impeccable football pedigree of Jason Wilcox, holder of three England caps and a contributor to a title-winning side from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time he might agree to outline his reasoning to the rest of us. Perhaps at some point questions may arise regarding why the coach is walking away with a full payout, without any compensation reduction clause in place. But Jason Wilcox seldom speaks publicly, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers of this sport – men like him – simply operate on a plane beyond our own mundane comprehension. Were he to speak, probably all we would hear is a series of high-frequency signals and four-dimensional whirring. Desiring an explanation is not quite equivalent to being ready to comprehend it.

An Supreme Authority Behind the Throne

Naturally, by focusing our attention on the sporting director we overlook the real power behind the club's current leadership. Jason Wilcox is, after all, merely executing the directives of his line manager Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who privately has made very clear his desire for a four-man defense. It is reported, the owner has also suggested deploying the forward in a wing-back role. The owner is eager for the club to embrace analytics and analytics. Per reports, during a leadership summit soon after his minority ownership, he declared that United’s style of play “shall be decided in this room”.

Ultimately, Sir Jim is a specialist in this technical footballing stuff, drawing from his background in petrochemicals and sailing. Above all he is immensely wealthy, and it is known, the rich are superior: more insightful, more wise, more tactically astute, simply better. Who else would you trust to oversee an enlightened programme of cost-cutting, the construction of a new stadium that looks similar to someone’s leftover knitting, the acquisition of a new striker?

A Modern Football Hierarchy: Executives Above Managers

This is a trend we are increasingly seeing in top-tier football. Historically, clubs foolishly entrusted big footballing decisions to subordinate staff like managers, scouts – even footballers. Perhaps it was once feasible for an up-and-coming, innovative manager with a philosophy and drive to go into a club and implement their plan supported to fruition. But how many companies have such individuals set up? What number of mass redundancies have they overseen? Better by far to invest the real power where it rightly belongs: the executive class, the casually dressed executives, the individuals with the jaw-dropping professional resumes. It is wiser to decide the tactics in the boardroom and hire someone who will adapt their methods to suit. If managers were once chefs, they have become more like Deliveroo drivers: not creating the product, but still ultimately answerable should it be delivered poorly or leaks out of the box.

In the meantime, a coach's role has become less about defining the vision and more about marketing it: the receptionist on the front desk, the visible figurehead for a club they can do little to influence. A coach at Chelsea leads a team of very young players 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 another day.

A Modern Corporate Football: Responsibility Only for the Coaches

And possibly in a small way this is simply corporate governance in action: the elevation of a privileged elite who can never be wrong, whose decisions are always untouchable, whose errors can always be sacked away without explanation. Appoint the system coach only to fire them for playing excessively that system. Hire the process guy and then discard them for requiring too long. And most importantly show gratitude; for the incremental season ticket price rises, for your new player acquisitions, for the fact that the grownups – however well qualified – remain in control.