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Itbecame clear Ruben Amorim could survive a loss to Grimsby. Survive an important continental showpiece versus one of the worst Tottenham teams for many years. He withstood losing at home to West Ham and Wolves, finishing 15th, his rigid approach, squandering some of the club’s best academy products, a poor winning percentage, labeling the squad the poorest in Manchester United history. But there was a single opponent with whom the Portuguese coach was not permitted to tango. If you challenge the sporting director, you had better succeed.

Regrettably, similar to numerous Premiership right-back during Blackburn Rovers' title-winning campaign, Amorim took on Jason Wilcox and appears to have failed. The most distracted of readers can see the paradoxical situation: a manager who often railed his squad for losing one-on-one duels crumbling in the face of the intense pressure and formidable presence of one of England's top division's most intimidating sporting directors.

And frankly, this entire bruising episode seems to paint the director in a whole new light. Perhaps it might have been easy, based on his nine months in a similar role at Southampton, to regard him as merely a functionary in the United exoskeleton: an individual who owed his position as much to his friendship with ex-colleague Omar Berrada as any demonstrable skill. How mistaken everyone was. In brilliantly outsmarting United’s feted head coach, as he outmanoeuvred the unfortunate Dan Ashworth earlier, he has proved himself as one of football's true generals: a strategic mind of which the club's mid-table rivals will now be rightly wary.

The Strategic Conflict Over System & Philosophy

For example, this was Jason Wilcox who being involved in the hierarchy that appointed the 3-4-3 fundamentalist the coach originally, was instrumental in trying to persuade him to ditch his favored 3-4-3. Naturally, these pleas faced pushback. But perhaps these judgements carry more weight when delivered by a man of a man the unimpeachable football pedigree he possesses, holder of three England caps and a role in a title-winning side from 31 years ago.

Maybe eventually Jason Wilcox might agree to outline his reasoning publicly. Perhaps at some point questions may arise regarding why the coach is walking away with a full payout, with no compensation reduction clause activated. The director speaks rarely publicly, for excellent reasons. The true intellectuals in football – men like Jason Wilcox – simply operate at a level beyond our own prosaic understanding. If he ever did speak, probably we would perceive is a series of ultrasonic blips and complex calculations. Desiring an explanation is not equivalent to being prepared to comprehend it.

An Supreme Power In Command

But of course, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we are obscuring the real power behind the club's current leadership. The director is, in reality, simply carrying out the directives of his line manager Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who in private has made very clear his desire for a four-man defense. According to reports, Ratcliffe has also suggested deploying the forward as a right wing-back. The owner is eager for United to embrace data science and metrics. Per reports, in an executive meeting early in his investment, he announced that the team's approach of play “shall be determined by this group”.

After all, Ratcliffe is a specialist in these intricate football matters, drawing from his previous experience in industry and yachting. Above all he remains incredibly rich, and as we all know, the wealthy are superior: more insightful, more wise, strategically brilliant, simply superior. Whom else could one trust to oversee a strategic plan of cost-cutting, the building of a modern arena that appears a lot like an abstract design, the signing of Benjamin Sesko?

The New Football Hierarchy: Directors Above Managers

This represents a shift that is becoming prevalent at the elite levels football. Historically, clubs foolishly entrusted big footballing decisions to subordinate staff such as coaches, talent spotters – even footballers. Perhaps it was once feasible for a young, visionary coach with a philosophy and energy to join an organization and implement their plan supported to fruition. But how many businesses have these guys set up? What number of mass redundancies have they managed? Better by far to invest the real power where it rightly belongs: the leadership tier, the casually dressed executives, the guys with impressive professional resumes. It is wiser to decide the strategy in the boardroom and hire a coach who will adapt their methods accordingly. If coaches were once chefs, they are now more like delivery personnel: not really creating the product, yet finally accountable should it be delivered poorly or fails to meet standards.

Nowadays, a coach's role is increasingly less about defining the vision and more about selling it: the receptionist of the operation, the visible figurehead for a club they can do little to change. A coach at Chelsea leads a team of literal children into the Champions League and wins domestic cups, and essentially gets sacked for talking. Wilfried Nancy finds his standing damaged whereas the people who hired him live to blunder another day.

The Neoliberal Football: Accountability Only for the Few

And possibly in a small way this is simply neoliberalism at work: the rise of a privileged overclass who can never be wrong, whose choices are always untouchable, whose mistakes can always be sacked away without justification. Appoint the system coach and then fire him for using excessively that system. Bring in the process guy and then discard him for requiring excessive time. And most importantly show gratitude; for your modest season ticket price rises, for your new player acquisitions, for the fact that the adults – however well qualified – are in charge.