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Turns out the manager endured defeat by lower-league opposition. Survive losing a crucial European final versus one of the worst Tottenham teams for many years. He withstood home defeats against domestic rivals, a lowly league position, his rigid approach, laying waste to the team's most promising academy products, a poor winning percentage, calling his team the worst the club has ever seen. Yet, there existed a single opponent against whom Ruben Amorim would not be allowed to dance. You come at Jason Wilcox, and you best not miss.

Regrettably, like many a Premiership defender in Blackburn’s title-winning campaign, Amorim came at the executive and seems to have missed. Even the most casual observer can see the irony here: a coach who frequently berated his squad for failing in individual battles succumbing in the face of the white heat and animal charisma of one of England's top division's most intimidating sporting directors.

In truth, this entire bruising episode seems to paint the director in a whole new light. It may have been easy, given his nine months of experience with the Saints, to regard Jason Wilcox as little more than a drudge in the United exoskeleton: an individual who owed his position largely to his close relationship with his former boss Omar Berrada rather than any demonstrable skill. How mistaken everyone was. In brilliantly outsmarting United’s feted head coach, just as he bested the hapless Dan Ashworth earlier, Jason Wilcox has demonstrated to be among the sport’s strategic masterminds: a tactical intellect of which the club's mid-table rivals will now be justifiably concerned.

A Strategic Conflict Regarding System & Ideology

To illustrate, this was Jason Wilcox , after having been part of the leadership that hired the 3-4-3 fundamentalist Amorim originally, played a key role in trying to persuade Amorim to ditch his beloved formation. Unsurprisingly, these entreaties met a certain resistance. However, such directives hold greater authority when delivered from the mouth with the impeccable football pedigree 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 might agree to outline his thought processes publicly. Perhaps at some point questions may arise regarding why the coach is departing with full compensation, without any compensation reduction clause in place. But Jason Wilcox seldom speaks publicly, and with very good reason. The real thinkers of this sport – men like Jason Wilcox – simply operate at a level beyond our own mundane comprehension. If he ever did speak, most likely all we would hear is a series of high-frequency signals and four-dimensional whirring. Desiring an explanation is not the same as being prepared to comprehend it.

The Ultimate Power Behind Command

Naturally, in training our focus on Jason Wilcox we overlook the true genius behind the modern United throne. Jason Wilcox is, after all, merely executing the directives of his ultimate line manager Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who privately has made very clear his desire for a back four. According to reports, the owner has also proposed deploying the forward as a right wing-back. Ratcliffe is keen for the club to embrace data science and metrics. According to ESPN, during a leadership summit early in his minority ownership, he announced that the team's approach of play “shall be decided in this room”.

After all, Sir Jim is an expert in this technical footballing stuff, drawing from his previous experience in petrochemicals and yachting. Most importantly he remains incredibly rich, and it is known, the wealthy are superior: more perceptive, more wise, strategically brilliant, fundamentally better. Who else would you trust to oversee a strategic plan of austerity, the construction of a new stadium that looks similar to an abstract design, the signing of Benjamin Sesko?

The Modern Football Hierarchy: Executives Over Managers

This is a trend we are increasingly seeing at the elite levels football. Historically, teams mistakenly delegated major sporting choices to subordinate staff such as coaches, scouts – even footballers. Maybe previously feasible for an up-and-coming, innovative manager with ideas and energy to join an organization and see their vision supported to fruition. But how many companies have such individuals set up? What number of large-scale layoffs have they overseen? Better by far to invest genuine authority where it belongs: the leadership tier, the casually dressed executives, the guys with the jaw-dropping professional resumes. It is wiser to determine the strategy by the directors and hire someone who will adapt their offering accordingly. If managers were formerly chefs, they have become more akin to Deliveroo drivers: not really creating the food, but still finally accountable if it arrives poorly or fails to meet standards.

Nowadays, their job is increasingly less about crafting the philosophy and more about marketing it: the receptionist of the operation, the visible figurehead for a club they can do little to influence. A coach at Chelsea leads a team of literal children into the Champions League and secures two medium-sized trophies, and effectively is dismissed for speaking out. A manager at Celtic finds his reputation ruined while the people who appointed him live to blunder another day.

The Modern Corporate Football: Responsibility Only for the Few

And possibly in a small way this is simply neoliberalism in action: the rise of a privileged overclass who are infallible, whose choices are always sacrosanct, whose errors can always be sacked away without justification. Hire the 3-4-3 coach and then dismiss him for using excessively that system. Hire the project manager and later bin him for requiring excessive time. And above all be grateful; for the incremental season ticket price rises, for your new player acquisitions, for the fact that the adults – regardless of their expertise – are in charge.