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Itbecame clear Ruben Amorim could survive losing against Grimsby. Survive a decisive continental showpiece against a particularly poor Tottenham teams in living memory. He withstood losing at home against West Ham and Wolves, finishing 15th, the tactical inflexibility, undermining some of the club’s best homegrown talent, a poor winning percentage, labeling his team the poorest the club has ever seen. Yet, there existed one adversary against whom the Portuguese coach was not permitted to dance. If you challenge the sporting director, and you best not miss.

Regrettably, similar to numerous Premiership right-back in Blackburn’s championship 1994-95 season, the coach took on the executive and appears to have failed. Even the most casual observer will notice the paradoxical situation: a manager who often railed at his players for losing one-on-one duels succumbing when confronted by the intense pressure and animal charisma of one of the Premier League’s most intimidating sporting directors.

In truth, this whole bruising episode appears to portray Jason Wilcox in a different perspective. It may have been tempting, based on his brief stint of experience with the Saints, to view him as little more than a functionary in the United exoskeleton: a man who owed his position as much to his friendship with his former boss Omar Berrada as any verifiable talent. How mistaken we all were. In brilliantly outmanoeuvring United’s feted head coach, just as he bested the hapless Dan Ashworth earlier, he has proved himself as one of the sport’s strategic masterminds: a tactical intellect that the club's mid-table rivals are now justifiably concerned.

A Tactical Clash Regarding System & Philosophy

To illustrate, it was Jason Wilcox who being involved in the hierarchy that appointed the 3-4-3 fundamentalist Amorim originally, played a key role in attempting to convince Amorim to ditch his favored formation. Unsurprisingly, these entreaties met a certain resistance. But perhaps these judgements hold greater authority when issued by a man with the impeccable football pedigree he possesses, a veteran of international appearances and a role in a championship team decades past.

Perhaps in time Jason Wilcox may be persuaded to outline his thought processes to the rest of us. Maybe one day questions may arise regarding why the coach is walking away with full compensation, with no compensation reduction clause in place. The director speaks rarely in public, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers of this sport – men like him – function at a level exceeding our mundane comprehension. If he ever did speak, most likely we would perceive is a series of high-frequency signals and four-dimensional whirring. Wanting is not quite equivalent to being prepared to receive.

The Ultimate Power Behind the Throne

But of course, in training our focus on Jason Wilcox we overlook the true genius behind the club's current leadership. The director is, in reality, simply carrying out the commands of his superior Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who privately has emphasized his preference for a back four. It is reported, the owner has also suggested deploying the forward in a wing-back role. The owner is eager for the club to adopt data science and metrics. According to ESPN, in an executive meeting early in his minority ownership, he announced that the team's approach to football “shall be determined in this room”.

Ultimately, Ratcliffe is a specialist in these intricate footballing stuff, drawing from his previous experience in petrochemicals and yachting. Most importantly he is incredibly rich, and it is known, the wealthy are superior: more perceptive, more wise, more tactically astute, simply superior. Whom else could one trust to manage an enlightened programme of cost-cutting, the construction of a modern arena that looks a lot like someone’s leftover knitting, the signing of Benjamin Sesko?

A New Football Order: Directors Above Managers

This is a trend we are increasingly seeing at the elite levels of the game. For decades, teams mistakenly entrusted big footballing decisions to low-level employees such as coaches, talent spotters – players themselves. Maybe previously possible for an up-and-coming, innovative manager with a philosophy and energy to join an organization and implement their plan supported to fruition. But how many businesses have these guys established? How many mass redundancies have they overseen? Better by far to place the real power where it rightly belongs: the leadership tier, the open-necked shirt brigade, the guys with impressive LinkedIn profiles. Better by far to decide the tactics in the boardroom and hire someone who can tailor their offering accordingly. If managers were once chefs, they have become more like Deliveroo drivers: not responsible for the product, yet finally accountable if it arrives cold or leaks out to meet standards.

Nowadays, their job has become not about defining the vision and more about selling it: the receptionist of the operation, the public face for a club they can do little to influence. Enzo Maresca takes a squad of literal children into the Champions League and secures domestic cups, and effectively is dismissed for talking. Wilfried Nancy finds his reputation ruined whereas the people who hired him continue to make errors indefinitely.

The Modern Corporate Game: Responsibility for the Coaches

And possibly in a small way this represents corporate governance in action: the elevation of a privileged elite who can never be wrong, whose choices remain sacrosanct, whose mistakes can invariably be sacked away without justification. Hire the system coach only to fire him for using too much 3-4-3. Bring in the process guy and later discard them for requiring too long. And above all show gratitude; for your modest season ticket price rises, for your new player acquisitions, for the reality that the adults – regardless of their expertise – are in charge.