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Itbecame clear he was able to withstand losing against Grimsby. He weathered an important European final versus a particularly poor Tottenham teams for many years. He withstood losing at home to West Ham and Wolves, a lowly league position, the tactical inflexibility, undermining some of the club’s most promising academy products, the 32% win rate, calling the squad the worst the club has ever seen. Yet, there existed a single opponent against whom the Portuguese coach was not permitted to engage. If you challenge Jason Wilcox, and you best not miss.

Regrettably, similar to numerous Premiership right-back in Blackburn’s title-winning 1994-95 season, the coach came at the executive and appears to have failed. The most casual observer can see the irony here: a coach who frequently berated at his players for failing in one-on-one duels succumbing in the face of the intense pressure and animal charisma of a the Premier League’s most intimidating sporting directors.

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 at Southampton, to regard Jason Wilcox as merely a functionary within the club's structure: a man who owed his position largely to his close relationship with his former boss Omar Berrada rather than any demonstrable skill. How mistaken everyone was. By masterfully outsmarting the club's celebrated manager, just as he bested the unfortunate a previous executive before him, he has proved himself as one of the sport’s true generals: a tactical intellect of which the club's competitors will now be rightly wary.

A Strategic Conflict Over Formation and Ideology

For example, this was the director who being involved in the hierarchy that hired the 3-4-3 fundamentalist Amorim originally, was instrumental in trying to persuade him to ditch his beloved 3-4-3. Naturally, these entreaties faced pushback. However, these judgements carry more weight when delivered from the mouth of a man the impeccable football pedigree he possesses, holder of international appearances and a role in a title-winning side from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time he may be persuaded to outline his reasoning to the rest of us. Perhaps at some point he might be asked why Amorim is departing with a full payout, with no penalty clause in place. The director speaks rarely in public, and with very good reason. The real thinkers in football – men like him – simply operate at a level beyond our own prosaic understanding. Were he to speak, most likely all we would hear is a series of ultrasonic blips and complex calculations. Wanting is not quite the same as being prepared to receive.

An Supreme Authority Behind Command

But of course, by focusing our attention on the sporting director we overlook the true genius behind the modern United throne. Jason Wilcox is, after all, merely executing the commands of his ultimate superior Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who privately has made very clear his preference for a four-man defense. It is reported, the owner has also suggested deploying the forward as a right wing-back. The owner is eager for the club to adopt analytics and analytics. According to ESPN, in an executive meeting soon after his investment, he declared that the team's approach to football “shall be determined in this room”.

After all, Ratcliffe is a specialist in these intricate football matters, leveraging his previous experience in industry and sailing. Most importantly he is immensely wealthy, and as we all know, the wealthy are the best of us: more insightful, more wise, strategically brilliant, fundamentally superior. Whom else would you trust to oversee a strategic plan of cost-cutting, the building of a modern arena that appears similar to an abstract design, the acquisition of Benjamin Sesko?

The Modern Football Order: Executives Above Coaches

This is a trend we are increasingly seeing at the elite levels of the game. Historically, teams mistakenly delegated big footballing decisions to low-level employees such as coaches, talent spotters – even footballers. Maybe previously possible for an up-and-coming, innovative manager with ideas and drive to join an organization and implement their plan supported to fruition. Yet how many companies have these guys set up? How many large-scale layoffs have they overseen? Far preferable to place genuine authority where it rightly belongs: the executive class, the casually dressed executives, the individuals with the jaw-dropping LinkedIn profiles. Better by far to determine the tactics by the directors and appoint someone who can tailor their methods to suit. If managers were once chefs, they have become more like delivery personnel: not creating the product, but still finally accountable should it be delivered poorly or fails of the box.

Nowadays, their job has become 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 have minimal power to change. Enzo Maresca leads a team of very young players into Europe and wins two medium-sized trophies, and effectively gets sacked for speaking out. Wilfried Nancy finds his standing damaged whereas the people who hired him live to blunder indefinitely.

The Neoliberal Game: Accountability for the Coaches

And perhaps in a small way this is simply corporate governance in action: the elevation of a privileged overclass who are infallible, whose choices remain sacrosanct, whose mistakes can invariably be resolved by sacking without justification. Hire the system coach and then fire him for using excessively that system. Hire the process guy and later bin them for taking too long. And above all show gratitude; for the incremental increases in ticket costs, for your new summer signings, for the fact that the grownups – regardless of their expertise – remain in control.