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Turns out the manager endured defeat by Grimsby. He weathered losing a crucial European final versus one of the worst Tottenham teams in living memory. He could survive home defeats against West Ham and Wolves, finishing 15th, an unwavering system, undermining the team's most promising academy products, a poor winning percentage, labeling the squad the worst in Manchester United history. But there was a single opponent with whom the Portuguese coach would not be allowed to engage. If you challenge Jason Wilcox, and you best not miss.

Regrettably, like many a Premiership defender during Blackburn Rovers' championship campaign, the coach came at the executive and seems to have failed. The most distracted of readers can see the irony here: a manager who frequently berated at his players for failing in individual battles crumbling in the face of the intense pressure and animal charisma of one of England's top division's most intimidating football executives.

In truth, this entire bruising episode appears to portray the director in a whole new light. It may have been tempting, given his nine months of experience at Southampton, to regard him as merely a functionary within the club's structure: a man whose appointment was due largely to his close relationship with his former boss a fellow executive rather than any verifiable talent. How mistaken we all were. In brilliantly outmanoeuvring the club's celebrated manager, just as he bested the unfortunate Dan Ashworth before him, Jason Wilcox has demonstrated to be among football's true generals: a strategic mind of which United’s mid-table rivals are now rightly wary.

A Tactical Conflict Over System and Ideology

To illustrate, it was Jason Wilcox who having been part of the hierarchy that appointed the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim in the first place, played a key role in trying to persuade Amorim to ditch his beloved formation. Unsurprisingly, these entreaties faced pushback. However, these judgements hold greater authority when delivered from the mouth with the impeccable football pedigree of Jason Wilcox, holder of three England caps and a contributor to a championship team from 31 years ago.

Maybe eventually Jason Wilcox might agree to outline his reasoning to the rest of us. Perhaps at some point questions may arise regarding why the coach is departing with full compensation, with no compensation reduction clause activated. The director seldom speaks publicly, for excellent reasons. The true intellectuals in football – men like Jason Wilcox – simply operate 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 quite the same as being ready to comprehend it.

The Ultimate Authority In Command

Naturally, by focusing our attention on the sporting director we overlook the true genius behind the club's current leadership. Jason Wilcox is, after all, merely executing the commands of his ultimate superior the billionaire owner, who in private has made very clear his preference for a four-man defense. According to reports, the owner has also proposed playing Bryan Mbeumo in a wing-back role. Ratcliffe is keen for United to adopt data science and analytics. Per reports, during a leadership summit early in his minority ownership, he announced that the team's approach of play “will be determined in this room”.

Ultimately, Sir Jim is a specialist in this technical football matters, leveraging his background in industry and sailing. Most importantly he remains immensely wealthy, and it is known, the wealthy are the best of us: more insightful, sagacious, more tactically astute, simply better. Whom else would you trust to oversee an enlightened programme of austerity, the building of a new stadium that appears similar to an abstract design, the signing of a new striker?

The Modern Soccer Order: Executives Above Coaches

This is a trend we are increasingly seeing in top-tier of the game. For decades, teams mistakenly entrusted big footballing decisions to subordinate staff such as coaches, scouts – players themselves. Perhaps it was once possible for an up-and-coming, innovative manager with a philosophy and energy to join an organization and implement their plan supported to fruition. Yet how many businesses have these guys established? How many mass redundancies have they overseen? Far preferable to place genuine authority where it rightly belongs: the leadership tier, the casually dressed executives, the guys with impressive professional resumes. Better by far to determine the tactics by the directors and hire a coach who will adapt their offering to suit. If managers were once chefs, they have become more akin to Deliveroo drivers: not really creating the food, yet finally accountable should it be delivered poorly or leaks out to meet standards.

In the meantime, their job is increasingly less about defining the vision and more about selling it: the front-facing representative of the operation, the visible figurehead of an organisation they have minimal power to change. A coach at Chelsea takes a squad of very young players into the Champions League and secures domestic cups, and essentially is dismissed for speaking out. Wilfried Nancy finds his standing damaged whereas the people who appointed him live to blunder indefinitely.

The Modern Corporate Game: Accountability Only for the Few

And perhaps in a small way this is simply neoliberalism at work: the elevation of a privileged overclass who are infallible, whose decisions are always untouchable, whose errors can invariably be sacked away without justification. Appoint the 3-4-3 coach only to dismiss them for playing excessively that system. Bring in the project manager and then discard him for taking excessive time. And most importantly be grateful; for your modest increases in ticket costs, for the latest summer signings, for the reality that the adults – however well qualified – are in charge.