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Turns out the manager was able to withstand defeat by lower-league opposition. Survive an important European final against one of the worst Spurs sides for many years. He could survive home defeats to domestic rivals, a lowly league position, his rigid approach, squandering the team's most promising academy products, the 32% win rate, labeling the squad the poorest the club has ever seen. Yet, there existed one adversary with whom Ruben Amorim was not permitted to dance. You come at Jason Wilcox, you had better succeed.

Regrettably, similar to numerous Premiership right-back during Blackburn Rovers' championship campaign, the coach took on Jason Wilcox and appears to have missed. The most distracted of readers will notice the paradoxical situation: a manager who frequently berated his squad for losing one-on-one duels crumbling when confronted by the intense pressure and formidable presence of one of the Premier League’s most intimidating sporting directors.

And frankly, this whole bruising episode appears to portray Jason Wilcox in a whole new light. It may have been tempting, given his nine months of experience with the Saints, to view Jason Wilcox as merely a drudge within the club's structure: a man who owed his position as much to his close relationship with his former boss a fellow executive rather than any verifiable talent. How wrong we all were. By masterfully outsmarting United’s feted head coach, just as he bested the hapless Dan Ashworth earlier, Jason Wilcox has proved himself to be among football's strategic masterminds: a strategic mind of which the club's competitors are now justifiably concerned.

The Tactical Clash Regarding Formation & Philosophy

To illustrate, it was the director who having been part of the leadership that appointed the 3-4-3 fundamentalist the coach in the first place, played a key role in attempting to convince him to ditch his favored 3-4-3. Unsurprisingly, these entreaties met a certain resistance. But perhaps these judgements carry more weight 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 decades past.

Maybe eventually Jason Wilcox might agree to outline his reasoning to the rest of us. Perhaps at some point he might be asked why Amorim is departing with full compensation, with no penalty clause in place. But Jason Wilcox seldom speaks in public, and with very good reason. The true intellectuals in football – individuals such as Jason Wilcox – simply operate on a plane beyond our own prosaic understanding. If he ever did speak, most likely we would perceive is a series of ultrasonic blips and complex calculations. Wanting is not the same as being prepared to receive.

An Supreme Power Behind the Throne

Naturally, by focusing our attention on the sporting director we are obscuring the true genius 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 desire for a back four. According to reports, the owner has also proposed deploying the forward in a wing-back role. Ratcliffe is keen for United to adopt data science and analytics. According to ESPN, during a leadership summit early in his investment, he announced that United’s style to football “shall be decided in this room”.

Ultimately, Sir Jim is an expert in these intricate football matters, drawing from his previous experience in industry and yachting. Most importantly he remains immensely wealthy, and it is known, the rich are superior: more insightful, sagacious, more tactically astute, simply better. Whom else could one trust to manage a strategic plan of cost-cutting, the building of a modern arena that appears similar to an abstract design, the signing of Benjamin Sesko?

A Modern Football Hierarchy: Directors Over Coaches

This is a trend that is becoming prevalent at the elite levels football. Historically, teams mistakenly entrusted major sporting choices to low-level employees such as coaches, talent spotters – even footballers. Perhaps it was once possible for an up-and-coming, innovative manager with ideas and energy to go into a club and implement their plan through to completion. Yet how many businesses have such individuals established? What number of large-scale layoffs have they managed? Far preferable to place the real power where it belongs: the leadership tier, the open-necked shirt brigade, the guys with impressive LinkedIn profiles. It is wiser to determine the tactics in the boardroom and appoint a coach who can tailor their offering to suit. If managers were formerly chefs, they are now more like Deliveroo drivers: not creating the product, yet finally accountable if it arrives cold or leaks out of the box.

Nowadays, their job is increasingly less about defining the vision and more about marketing it: the receptionist on the front desk, the public face for a club they can do little to influence. A coach at Chelsea takes a squad of very young players into the Champions League and wins domestic cups, and essentially gets sacked for speaking out. Wilfried Nancy finds his reputation ruined whereas those individuals who hired him continue to make errors indefinitely.

The Modern Corporate Game: Responsibility for the Coaches

And possibly on some microcosmic level this represents neoliberalism in action: the elevation of a privileged overclass who are infallible, whose choices remain untouchable, whose errors can invariably be sacked away without explanation. Appoint the system coach and then dismiss him for using excessively that system. Bring in the process guy and then discard him for requiring too long. And above all show gratitude; for your modest season ticket price rises, for your new summer signings, for the fact that the grownups – regardless of their expertise – remain in control.