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Transpired the manager endured losing against lower-league opposition. Survive a decisive European final against one of the worst Spurs sides in living memory. He could survive home defeats against West Ham and Wolves, a lowly league position, an unwavering system, laying waste to the team's best homegrown talent, the 32% win rate, labeling his team the worst in Manchester United history. Yet, there existed one adversary with whom Ruben Amorim would not be allowed to dance. If you challenge the sporting director, and you best not miss.

Unfortunately, like many a Premiership defender during Blackburn Rovers' title-winning 1994-95 season, Amorim came at Jason Wilcox and appears to have missed. Even the most distracted of readers can see the paradoxical situation: a manager who often railed his squad for losing one-on-one duels crumbling when confronted by the white heat and animal charisma of a England's top division's most intimidating football executives.

In truth, this whole bruising episode appears to portray Jason Wilcox in a different perspective. Perhaps it might have been tempting, given his nine months of experience at Southampton, to view Jason Wilcox as little more than a drudge within the club's structure: a man whose appointment was due largely to his close relationship with his former boss Omar Berrada as any verifiable talent. How wrong everyone was. In brilliantly outmanoeuvring the club's celebrated head coach, just as he bested the hapless a previous executive before him, he has proved himself to be among football's strategic masterminds: a strategic mind of which United’s mid-table rivals will now be rightly wary.

A Strategic Clash Over System & Philosophy

For example, this was Jason Wilcox who being involved in the hierarchy that hired the rigid 3-4-3 advocate the coach in the first place, was instrumental in trying to persuade Amorim to ditch his beloved 3-4-3. Naturally, these entreaties faced pushback. But perhaps such directives hold greater authority when delivered from the mouth of a man the impeccable soccer background of Jason Wilcox, holder of international appearances and a role in a championship team from 31 years ago.

Maybe eventually Jason Wilcox may be persuaded to outline his reasoning publicly. Perhaps at some point he might be asked why Amorim is walking away with full compensation, with no penalty clause in place. The director speaks rarely in public, and with very good reason. The true intellectuals of this sport – individuals such as Jason Wilcox – function on a plane beyond our own mundane comprehension. If he ever did speak, probably we would perceive would be high-frequency signals and complex calculations. Desiring an explanation is not the same as being prepared to comprehend it.

The Supreme Authority Behind Command

But of course, by focusing our attention on the sporting director we overlook the real power behind the modern United throne. The director is, in reality, simply carrying out the directives of his line manager Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who in private has made very clear his desire for a four-man defense. According to reports, the owner has also suggested playing Bryan Mbeumo in a wing-back role. The owner is eager for the club to embrace analytics and analytics. Per reports, in an executive meeting early in his investment, he announced that the team's approach to football “will be decided by this group”.

After all, Ratcliffe is an expert in this technical footballing stuff, leveraging his background in petrochemicals and sailing. Above all he remains immensely wealthy, and it is known, the rich are superior: more insightful, more wise, strategically brilliant, simply superior. Whom else would you trust to oversee a strategic plan of austerity, the building of a modern arena that appears similar to someone’s leftover knitting, the acquisition of a new striker?

The Modern Soccer Order: Directors Above Coaches

This is a trend we are increasingly seeing at the elite levels football. Historically, teams mistakenly delegated major sporting choices to low-level employees such as coaches, talent spotters – players themselves. Maybe previously possible for an up-and-coming, visionary coach with a philosophy and drive to go into a club and implement their plan through to completion. But how many companies have such individuals established? How many large-scale layoffs have they managed? Better by far to invest genuine authority where it belongs: the leadership tier, the casually dressed executives, the individuals with the jaw-dropping professional resumes. It is wiser to decide the strategy in the boardroom and hire someone who will adapt their offering accordingly. If managers were formerly chefs, they have become more like Deliveroo drivers: not really responsible for the product, yet ultimately answerable if it arrives cold or leaks out to meet standards.

In the meantime, their job is increasingly not about defining the vision and more about selling it: the receptionist of the operation, the public face of an organisation they can do little to influence. A coach at Chelsea takes a squad of very young players into Europe and secures two medium-sized trophies, and essentially gets sacked for speaking out. A manager at Celtic sees his reputation ruined whereas the people who appointed him continue to make errors another day.

The Neoliberal Game: Responsibility Only for the Coaches

And possibly in a small way this represents neoliberalism in action: the rise of a privileged elite who can never be wrong, whose decisions remain untouchable, whose errors can invariably be sacked away without explanation. Hire the system coach and then fire them for using excessively 3-4-3. Hire the project manager and then discard him for requiring too long. And most importantly show gratitude; for your modest season ticket price rises, for the latest summer signings, for the fact that the grownups – regardless of their expertise – remain in control.