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Turns out Ruben Amorim endured defeat by lower-league opposition. He weathered an important European final against a particularly poor Tottenham teams in living memory. He withstood losing at home against domestic rivals, a lowly league position, his rigid approach, laying waste to the team's most promising homegrown talent, the 32% win rate, calling his team the worst in Manchester United history. But there was a single opponent with whom Ruben Amorim was not permitted to dance. You come at the sporting director, and you best not miss.

Unfortunately, similar to numerous top-flight right-back in Blackburn’s title-winning 1994-95 season, the coach took on the executive and appears to have missed. Even the most casual observer will notice the irony here: a coach who often railed his squad for losing individual battles crumbling when confronted by the white heat and animal charisma of a England's top division's most intimidating football executives.

And frankly, this whole bruising episode seems to paint Jason Wilcox in a whole new light. It may have been tempting, based on his nine months of experience with the Saints, to view him as little more than a drudge within the club's structure: a man whose appointment was due largely to his close relationship with ex-colleague Omar Berrada as any demonstrable skill. How mistaken we all were. In brilliantly outsmarting United’s feted manager, as he outmanoeuvred the hapless Dan Ashworth earlier, Jason Wilcox has proved himself to be among the sport’s true generals: a strategic mind that the club's mid-table rivals are now justifiably concerned.

The Strategic Conflict Regarding System and Philosophy

For example, it was Jason Wilcox who being involved in the leadership that hired the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim in the first place, played a key role in trying to persuade him to ditch his favored formation. Naturally, these pleas faced pushback. But perhaps such directives hold greater authority when delivered by a man of a man the unimpeachable football pedigree he possesses, holder of international appearances and a contributor to a championship team from 31 years ago.

Maybe eventually he might agree to explain his reasoning publicly. Perhaps at some point he might be asked why Amorim is walking away with a full payout, with no penalty clause in place. The director seldom speaks publicly, and with very good reason. The real thinkers in football – men like Jason Wilcox – function at a level exceeding our prosaic understanding. Were he to speak, most likely all we would hear would be high-frequency signals and four-dimensional whirring. Wanting is not quite the same as being prepared to receive.

An Ultimate Authority In the Throne

Naturally, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we are obscuring the real power behind the modern United throne. Jason Wilcox is, in reality, simply carrying out the directives of his line manager Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who privately has made very clear his desire for a back four. According to reports, the owner has also suggested playing Bryan Mbeumo in a wing-back role. The owner is eager for United to adopt data science and analytics. Per reports, in an executive meeting early in his minority ownership, he announced that the team's approach to football “will be decided by this group”.

Ultimately, Sir Jim is a specialist in these intricate footballing stuff, drawing from his background in petrochemicals and yachting. Above all he remains incredibly rich, and as we all know, the wealthy are the best of us: more perceptive, sagacious, strategically brilliant, fundamentally superior. Who else could one trust to oversee an enlightened programme of austerity, the building of a new stadium that looks a lot like an abstract design, the acquisition of a new striker?

A New Soccer Order: Executives Above Coaches

This represents a shift we are increasingly seeing in top-tier of the game. Historically, clubs foolishly delegated major sporting choices to subordinate staff such as coaches, talent spotters – players themselves. Maybe previously possible for an up-and-coming, innovative manager with a philosophy and energy to join a club and implement their plan through to completion. Yet how many companies have these guys set up? What number of mass redundancies have they overseen? Far preferable to invest genuine authority where it belongs: the executive class, the open-necked shirt brigade, the guys with the jaw-dropping LinkedIn profiles. Better by far to decide the tactics by the directors and hire someone who can tailor their methods to suit. If coaches were formerly chefs, they are now more like Deliveroo drivers: not creating the food, but still finally accountable should it be delivered cold or leaks out to meet standards.

In the meantime, their job is increasingly not about defining the vision 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. A coach at Chelsea leads a team of literal children into Europe and secures domestic cups, and effectively gets sacked for talking. A manager at Celtic finds his reputation ruined while those individuals who appointed him live to blunder indefinitely.

The Neoliberal Game: Responsibility Only for the Few

And perhaps in a small way this represents neoliberalism at work: the elevation of a gilded overclass who are infallible, whose decisions are always sacrosanct, whose mistakes can invariably be sacked away without justification. Hire the system coach and then fire them for playing excessively 3-4-3. Bring in the process guy and then discard him for requiring excessive time. And above all be grateful; for your modest season ticket price rises, for your new player acquisitions, for the fact that the grownups – however well qualified – are in charge.