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Turns out Ruben Amorim could survive a loss to lower-league opposition. Survive losing a crucial European final versus one of the worst Tottenham teams in living memory. He withstood home defeats against West Ham and Wolves, finishing 15th, an unwavering system, laying waste to the team's best homegrown talent, a poor winning percentage, labeling the squad the poorest the club has ever seen. Yet, there existed a single opponent against whom Ruben Amorim would not be allowed to engage. If you challenge the sporting director, you had better succeed.

Regrettably, like many a top-flight right-back during Blackburn Rovers' title-winning campaign, the coach took on the executive and seems to have missed. Even the most casual observer will notice the irony here: a manager who frequently berated his squad for failing in individual battles crumbling 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 whole painful saga seems to paint Jason Wilcox in a whole new light. It may have been tempting, based on his nine months in a similar role with the Saints, to view him as little more than a drudge in the United exoskeleton: an individual who owed his position largely to his friendship with his former boss Omar Berrada as any verifiable talent. How mistaken everyone was. By masterfully outsmarting the club's celebrated head coach, just as he bested the hapless a previous executive before him, he has proved himself to be among the sport’s true generals: a tactical intellect of which United’s competitors will now be justifiably concerned.

A Tactical Clash Over System and Ideology

To illustrate, it was the director who being involved in the leadership that hired the rigid 3-4-3 advocate the coach originally, was instrumental in attempting to convince him to ditch his favored 3-4-3. Naturally, these entreaties faced pushback. But perhaps these judgements carry more weight when delivered by a man of a man the impeccable soccer background he possesses, holder of international appearances and a role in a championship team from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time he may be persuaded to explain his thought processes publicly. Maybe one day he might be asked why Amorim is walking away with a full payout, with no penalty clause in place. But Jason Wilcox seldom speaks in public, and with very good reason. The true intellectuals in football – men like Jason Wilcox – function at a level beyond our own mundane comprehension. If he ever did 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 comprehend it.

An Ultimate Authority In Command

But of course, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we are obscuring the true genius behind the modern United throne. Jason Wilcox is, after all, simply carrying out the commands of his ultimate superior Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who in private has made very clear his desire for a back four. According to reports, Ratcliffe has also proposed playing Bryan Mbeumo in a wing-back role. The owner is eager for United to embrace analytics and metrics. According to ESPN, during a leadership summit soon after his investment, he announced that United’s style to football “shall be decided in this room”.

After all, Sir Jim is an expert in this technical football matters, leveraging his previous experience in industry and yachting. Most importantly he remains immensely wealthy, and it is known, the rich are superior: more perceptive, sagacious, strategically brilliant, fundamentally better. Whom else would you trust to oversee an enlightened programme of austerity, the building of a new stadium that looks similar to someone’s leftover knitting, the signing of Benjamin Sesko?

The New Soccer Hierarchy: Directors Above Managers

This represents a shift that is becoming prevalent at the elite levels of the game. For decades, clubs foolishly entrusted big footballing decisions to low-level employees like managers, talent spotters – even footballers. Perhaps it was once possible for a young, visionary coach with a philosophy and drive to go into an organization and see their vision through to completion. But how many companies have these guys set up? How many large-scale layoffs have they overseen? Far preferable to invest the real power where it belongs: the leadership tier, the casually dressed executives, the guys with the jaw-dropping LinkedIn profiles. It is wiser to determine the strategy in the boardroom and appoint a coach who can tailor their offering to suit. If managers were formerly chefs, they have become more akin to delivery personnel: not creating the food, yet ultimately answerable should it be delivered cold or fails to meet standards.

Nowadays, their job is increasingly not about crafting the philosophy and more about marketing it: the receptionist of the operation, the visible figurehead for a club they have minimal power to influence. Enzo Maresca takes a squad of literal children into the Champions League and secures two medium-sized trophies, and effectively is dismissed for speaking out. A manager at Celtic sees his reputation ruined while the people who appointed him continue to make errors another day.

The Neoliberal Game: Accountability Only for the Few

And possibly in a small way this is simply neoliberalism in action: the elevation of a gilded overclass who can never be wrong, whose decisions remain untouchable, whose errors can always be resolved by sacking without explanation. Hire the 3-4-3 coach and then fire them for using excessively 3-4-3. Hire the process guy and later bin him for taking too long. And above all be grateful; for your modest increases in ticket costs, for your new summer signings, for the fact that the adults – regardless of their expertise – remain in control.