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Turns out the manager was able to withstand losing against Grimsby. Survive losing a crucial European final against one of the worst Tottenham teams for many years. He could survive home defeats to domestic rivals, a lowly league position, an unwavering system, laying waste to the team's most promising homegrown talent, the 32% win rate, calling the squad the worst in Manchester United history. Yet, there existed a single opponent with whom the Portuguese coach would not be allowed to dance. You come at Jason Wilcox, you had better succeed.

Unfortunately, similar to numerous Premiership defender in Blackburn’s championship 1994-95 season, the coach came at the executive and seems to have missed. Even the most distracted of readers will notice the irony here: a coach who often railed his squad 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 feared sporting directors.

And frankly, this entire painful saga appears to portray Jason Wilcox in a whole new light. It may have been easy, given his nine months of experience at Southampton, to regard him as little more than a functionary within the club's structure: a man whose appointment was due largely to his close relationship with ex-colleague a fellow executive rather than any verifiable talent. How wrong we all were. In brilliantly outmanoeuvring United’s feted manager, as he outmanoeuvred the unfortunate a previous executive earlier, Jason Wilcox has proved himself as one of the sport’s true generals: a strategic mind that the club's mid-table rivals are now justifiably concerned.

The Strategic Clash Over Formation & Ideology

For example, it was Jason Wilcox , after having been part of the leadership that appointed the 3-4-3 fundamentalist Amorim originally, was instrumental in trying to persuade Amorim to abandon his beloved 3-4-3. Unsurprisingly, these entreaties were resisted. However, such directives hold greater authority when delivered by a man of a man the unimpeachable football pedigree of Jason Wilcox, a veteran of international appearances and a role in 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 he might be asked why Amorim is walking away with a full payout, with no compensation reduction clause in place. But Jason Wilcox speaks rarely publicly, for excellent reasons. The true intellectuals of this sport – men like him – simply operate at a level exceeding our prosaic understanding. Were he to speak, probably all we would hear is a series of high-frequency signals and complex calculations. Desiring an explanation is not the same as being ready to receive.

The Ultimate Power Behind the Throne

But of course, in training our focus on the sporting director we are obscuring the true genius behind the modern United throne. The director is, after all, merely executing the directives of his line manager the billionaire owner, who privately has emphasized his desire for a back four. It is reported, Ratcliffe has also suggested deploying the forward in a wing-back role. Ratcliffe is keen for United to adopt data science and metrics. According to ESPN, in an executive meeting soon after his minority ownership, he declared that United’s style of play “shall be decided in this room”.

Ultimately, Ratcliffe is a specialist in these intricate footballing stuff, drawing from his background in petrochemicals and yachting. Most importantly he is immensely wealthy, and it is known, the rich are the best of us: more insightful, sagacious, strategically brilliant, simply superior. Who else would you trust to oversee an enlightened programme of austerity, the construction of a new stadium that looks similar to an abstract design, the signing of Benjamin Sesko?

A Modern Soccer Hierarchy: Directors Above Managers

This is a trend we are increasingly seeing in top-tier football. Historically, teams mistakenly entrusted big footballing decisions to subordinate staff like managers, scouts – even footballers. Maybe previously possible for a young, visionary coach with a philosophy and drive to join an organization and see their vision through to completion. Yet how many companies have such individuals set up? What number of large-scale layoffs have they managed? Far preferable to invest the real power where it rightly belongs: the executive class, the casually dressed executives, the individuals with impressive LinkedIn profiles. It is wiser to determine the strategy in the boardroom and hire a coach who can tailor their offering to suit. If coaches were formerly chefs, they are now more like delivery personnel: not really responsible for the product, but still finally accountable if it arrives cold or leaks out to meet standards.

In the meantime, a coach's role is increasingly less about crafting the philosophy and more about marketing it: the front-facing representative on the front desk, the visible figurehead of an organisation they can do little to influence. Enzo Maresca leads a team of literal children into Europe and secures two medium-sized trophies, and essentially is dismissed for talking. A manager at Celtic sees his standing damaged while the people who appointed him continue to make errors indefinitely.

The Modern Corporate Game: Accountability for the Coaches

And perhaps in a small way this represents neoliberalism in action: the rise of a privileged overclass who are infallible, whose choices remain untouchable, whose mistakes can always be resolved by sacking without justification. Appoint the 3-4-3 coach and then dismiss him for playing excessively 3-4-3. Bring in the process guy and later discard them for taking too long. And above all be grateful; for the incremental increases in ticket costs, for your new summer signings, for the reality that the adults – however well qualified – are in charge.