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Transpired the manager was able to withstand defeat by Grimsby. Survive a decisive European final versus one of the worst Spurs sides for many years. He could survive losing at home against domestic rivals, finishing 15th, his rigid approach, squandering some of the club’s best academy products, the 32% win rate, labeling the squad the worst the club has ever seen. But there was one adversary with whom Ruben Amorim was not permitted to dance. If you challenge the sporting director, you had better succeed.

Unfortunately, similar to numerous Premiership defender during Blackburn Rovers' title-winning campaign, Amorim came at Jason Wilcox and appears to have missed. Even the most distracted of readers can see the irony here: a coach who frequently berated his squad for losing one-on-one duels succumbing in the face of the white heat and animal charisma of one of the Premier League’s most feared football executives.

And frankly, this whole painful saga seems to paint the director in a different perspective. Perhaps it might have been tempting, based on his nine months in a similar role at Southampton, to regard Jason Wilcox as little more than a drudge within the club's structure: a man who owed his position as much to his close relationship with his former boss Omar Berrada as any demonstrable skill. How wrong we all were. In brilliantly outmanoeuvring United’s feted manager, just as he bested the unfortunate a previous executive earlier, he has proved himself as one of the sport’s true generals: a strategic mind of which the club's mid-table rivals are now justifiably concerned.

A Tactical Conflict Regarding Formation and Ideology

To illustrate, it was Jason Wilcox who being involved in the leadership that appointed the 3-4-3 fundamentalist Amorim originally, played a key role in trying to persuade him to ditch his beloved 3-4-3. Naturally, these entreaties faced pushback. But perhaps these judgements hold greater authority when delivered by a man with the impeccable football pedigree he possesses, a veteran of international appearances and a contributor to a title-winning side from 31 years ago.

Maybe eventually Jason Wilcox might agree to explain his reasoning to the rest of us. Perhaps at some point questions may arise why Amorim is departing with a full payout, without any penalty clause in place. But Jason Wilcox speaks rarely in public, and with very good reason. The true intellectuals of this sport – men like him – function on a plane beyond our own mundane comprehension. If he ever did speak, probably all we would hear is a series of ultrasonic blips and four-dimensional whirring. Wanting is not quite the same as being prepared to comprehend it.

The Ultimate Power Behind Command

Naturally, in training our focus on the sporting director we overlook the true genius behind the club's current leadership. The director is, after all, merely executing the directives of his ultimate superior Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who in private has made very clear his preference for a four-man defense. It is reported, Ratcliffe has also suggested playing Bryan Mbeumo as a right wing-back. The owner is eager for the club to embrace analytics and analytics. Per reports, during a leadership summit soon after his investment, he declared that United’s style to football “shall be decided in this room”.

Ultimately, Ratcliffe is an expert in these intricate footballing stuff, drawing from his previous experience in petrochemicals and sailing. Most importantly he remains immensely wealthy, and as we all know, the wealthy are superior: more insightful, more wise, strategically brilliant, fundamentally better. Who else would you trust to oversee a strategic plan of austerity, the building of a modern arena that appears similar to an abstract design, the signing of a new striker?

A New Football Hierarchy: Executives Above Coaches

This is a trend we are increasingly seeing in top-tier of the game. For decades, teams mistakenly delegated major sporting choices to subordinate staff such as coaches, scouts – even footballers. Perhaps it was once feasible for an up-and-coming, innovative manager with ideas and drive to go into an organization and see their vision through to completion. But how many businesses have such individuals set up? How many mass redundancies have they overseen? Better by far to place the real power where it belongs: the executive class, the casually dressed executives, the guys with the jaw-dropping LinkedIn profiles. Better by far to decide the strategy in the boardroom and appoint someone who can tailor their methods to suit. If coaches were formerly chefs, they have become more like delivery personnel: not responsible for the product, yet finally accountable if it arrives poorly or leaks out of the box.

Nowadays, their job has become less about crafting the philosophy and more about selling it: the front-facing representative on the front desk, the visible figurehead for a club they have minimal power to influence. A coach at Chelsea takes a squad of literal children into Europe and wins two medium-sized trophies, and effectively is dismissed for talking. Wilfried Nancy sees his standing damaged while those individuals who hired him live to blunder indefinitely.

The Modern Corporate Football: Accountability for the Few

And perhaps on some microcosmic level this is simply corporate governance in action: the rise of a privileged elite who are infallible, whose choices are always untouchable, whose errors can always be resolved by sacking without justification. Appoint the system coach and then dismiss him for playing too much 3-4-3. Bring in the process guy and later discard him for taking excessive time. And most importantly be grateful; for the incremental season ticket price rises, for the latest player acquisitions, for the reality that the adults – regardless of their expertise – remain in control.