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Itranspired Ruben Amorim could survive a loss to Grimsby. He weathered a decisive European final versus a particularly poor Tottenham teams for many years. He could survive losing at home to domestic rivals, a lowly league position, his rigid approach, undermining the team's best academy products, a poor winning percentage, labeling the squad the poorest the club has ever seen. Yet, there existed a single opponent against whom the Portuguese coach would not be allowed to tango. You come at Jason Wilcox, and you best not miss.

Regrettably, similar to numerous top-flight defender in Blackburn’s title-winning 1994-95 season, the coach took on the executive and appears to have failed. Even the most casual observer will notice the irony here: a coach who frequently berated at his players for losing individual battles succumbing when confronted by the intense pressure and formidable presence of a the Premier League’s most intimidating football executives.

In truth, this entire painful saga appears to portray the director in a whole new light. Perhaps it might have been tempting, based on his nine months in a similar role with the Saints, to regard Jason Wilcox as merely a drudge within the club's structure: a man whose appointment was due largely to his close relationship with ex-colleague a fellow executive as any verifiable talent. How wrong we all were. By masterfully outsmarting United’s feted head coach, as he outmanoeuvred the hapless Dan Ashworth earlier, Jason Wilcox has demonstrated to be among football's strategic masterminds: a tactical intellect that United’s competitors will now be rightly wary.

A Strategic Conflict Regarding System and Ideology

To illustrate, this was Jason Wilcox , after being involved in the hierarchy that appointed the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim originally, was instrumental in trying to persuade him to ditch his beloved formation. Unsurprisingly, these entreaties faced pushback. But perhaps such directives hold greater authority when delivered from the mouth with the impeccable soccer background he possesses, a veteran of three England caps and a contributor to a title-winning side from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time Jason Wilcox may be persuaded to outline his thought processes to the rest of us. Maybe one day questions may arise regarding why the coach is departing with a full payout, without any compensation reduction clause activated. But Jason Wilcox speaks rarely in public, and with very good reason. The true intellectuals in football – men like him – simply operate at a level exceeding our prosaic understanding. Were he to speak, probably we would perceive is a series of ultrasonic blips and complex calculations. Wanting is not the same as being ready to receive.

The Supreme Authority In Command

But of course, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we overlook the true genius behind the modern United throne. The director is, in reality, simply carrying out the directives of his ultimate superior the billionaire owner, who privately has emphasized his preference for a back four. According to reports, Ratcliffe has also proposed deploying the forward as a right wing-back. The owner is eager for the club to adopt analytics and metrics. According to ESPN, in an executive meeting soon after his minority ownership, he announced that United’s style of play “will be determined by this group”.

After all, Sir Jim is a specialist in these intricate footballing stuff, leveraging his background in petrochemicals and sailing. Above all he is incredibly rich, and it is known, the rich are the best of us: more insightful, sagacious, more tactically astute, simply superior. Who else would you trust to manage a strategic plan of austerity, the construction of a modern arena that appears a lot like an abstract design, the signing of Benjamin Sesko?

A Modern Soccer Hierarchy: Executives Above Managers

This represents a shift that is becoming prevalent at the elite levels of the game. Historically, clubs foolishly entrusted major sporting choices to low-level employees like managers, scouts – even footballers. Maybe previously feasible for a young, visionary coach with a philosophy and drive to join a club and implement their plan through to completion. Yet how many companies have such individuals set up? What number of large-scale layoffs have they overseen? Far preferable to invest the real power where it belongs: the executive class, the casually dressed executives, the guys with impressive LinkedIn profiles. Better by far to determine the strategy by the directors and appoint someone who can tailor their offering to suit. If managers were once chefs, they have become more akin to Deliveroo drivers: not responsible for the food, yet ultimately answerable should it be delivered cold or leaks out of the box.

Nowadays, a coach's role has become less about defining the vision and more about selling it: the receptionist on the front desk, the visible figurehead for a club they can do little to change. A coach at Chelsea leads a team of very young players into Europe and wins two medium-sized trophies, and effectively gets sacked for talking. Wilfried Nancy sees his reputation ruined while those individuals who hired him live to blunder indefinitely.

The Neoliberal Football: 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 are always sacrosanct, whose errors can always be resolved by sacking without justification. Appoint the 3-4-3 coach and then fire them for using too much that system. Hire the process guy and then discard him for requiring excessive time. And above all show gratitude; for the incremental increases in ticket costs, for the latest summer signings, for the reality that the adults – regardless of their expertise – are in charge.