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Transpired the manager could survive defeat by Grimsby. He weathered a decisive European final against one of the worst Spurs sides in living memory. He withstood losing at home to domestic rivals, finishing 15th, an unwavering system, undermining some of the club’s most promising homegrown talent, a poor winning percentage, labeling the squad the poorest in Manchester United history. Yet, there existed one adversary with whom the Portuguese coach was not permitted to engage. If you challenge Jason Wilcox, you had better succeed.

Unfortunately, like many a Premiership defender in Blackburn’s title-winning 1994-95 season, the coach came at Jason Wilcox and seems to have failed. The most distracted of readers will notice the paradoxical situation: a coach who frequently berated his squad for failing in individual battles succumbing when confronted by the white heat and formidable presence of one of England's top division's most intimidating sporting directors.

And frankly, this whole bruising episode seems to paint the director in a whole new light. Perhaps it might have been easy, given his nine months of experience at Southampton, to regard Jason Wilcox as merely a drudge in the United exoskeleton: an individual who owed his position as much to his close relationship with his former boss a fellow executive rather than any demonstrable skill. How mistaken we all were. In brilliantly outsmarting United’s feted head coach, as he outmanoeuvred the hapless a previous executive earlier, Jason Wilcox has proved himself to be among the sport’s strategic masterminds: a tactical intellect of which United’s mid-table rivals are now justifiably concerned.

The Tactical Clash Regarding Formation & Philosophy

To illustrate, this was Jason Wilcox , after having been part of the leadership that appointed the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim in the first place, was instrumental in attempting to convince him to abandon his favored 3-4-3. Unsurprisingly, these entreaties were resisted. However, these judgements hold greater authority when issued from the mouth of a man the unimpeachable football pedigree he possesses, holder of international appearances and a role in a championship team from 31 years ago.

Maybe eventually he might agree to outline his reasoning to the rest of us. Maybe one day questions may arise regarding why the coach is walking away with full compensation, without any compensation reduction clause in place. But Jason Wilcox speaks rarely in public, and with very good reason. The real thinkers of this sport – individuals such as Jason Wilcox – simply operate on a plane beyond our own mundane comprehension. Were he to speak, probably all we would hear is a series of ultrasonic blips and complex calculations. Desiring an explanation is not quite the same as being ready to comprehend it.

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 club's current leadership. The director is, in reality, simply carrying out the directives of his ultimate superior the billionaire owner, who in private has emphasized his desire for a four-man defense. It is reported, Ratcliffe has also proposed playing Bryan Mbeumo in a wing-back role. The owner is eager for the club to embrace data science and metrics. According to ESPN, during a leadership summit soon after his investment, he announced that the team's approach to football “will be decided in this room”.

Ultimately, Sir Jim is an expert in this technical football matters, drawing from his background in industry and sailing. Above all he remains immensely wealthy, and as we all know, the rich are the best of us: more perceptive, more wise, strategically brilliant, fundamentally superior. Who else could one trust to oversee an enlightened programme of austerity, the construction of a new stadium that appears similar to someone’s leftover knitting, the acquisition of Benjamin Sesko?

A New Football Order: Executives Above Managers

This is a trend that is becoming prevalent in top-tier of the game. Historically, clubs foolishly entrusted major sporting choices to low-level employees such as coaches, scouts – players themselves. Perhaps it was once feasible for a young, innovative manager with ideas and energy to go into an organization and see their vision through to completion. But how many companies have such individuals set up? How many large-scale layoffs have they managed? Better by far to place the real power where it rightly belongs: the executive class, the casually dressed executives, the guys with impressive LinkedIn profiles. Better by far to determine the tactics in the boardroom and hire someone who will adapt their methods accordingly. If managers were formerly chefs, they have become more akin to delivery personnel: not creating the product, but still ultimately answerable if it arrives cold or fails to meet standards.

In the meantime, a coach's role is increasingly not about defining the vision and more about marketing it: the receptionist on the front desk, the visible figurehead of an organisation they have minimal power to change. A coach at Chelsea leads a team of very young players into Europe and wins two medium-sized trophies, and effectively is dismissed for talking. A manager at Celtic finds his standing damaged while those individuals who hired him live to blunder another day.

A Neoliberal Game: Accountability for the Few

And perhaps on some microcosmic level this represents neoliberalism in action: the elevation of a privileged overclass who can never be wrong, whose choices remain untouchable, whose errors can invariably be resolved by sacking without explanation. Hire the 3-4-3 coach and then dismiss him for playing too much that system. Bring in the project manager and later discard them for taking excessive time. And most importantly show gratitude; for the incremental season ticket price rises, for your new summer signings, for the fact that the grownups – however well qualified – are in charge.