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Transpired Ruben Amorim endured defeat by lower-league opposition. Survive losing a crucial European final against one of the worst Spurs sides for many years. He withstood losing at home to domestic rivals, a lowly league position, his rigid approach, squandering some of the club’s best academy products, a poor winning percentage, calling the squad the worst in Manchester United history. Yet, there existed one adversary against whom the Portuguese coach would not be allowed to engage. You come at the sporting director, and you best not miss.

Unfortunately, like many a Premiership defender during Blackburn Rovers' title-winning campaign, Amorim came at the executive and appears to have missed. The most distracted of readers can see the irony here: a manager who frequently berated his squad for losing individual battles succumbing when confronted by the white heat and formidable presence of one of the Premier League’s most feared football executives.

And frankly, this entire painful saga appears to portray the director in a different perspective. It may have been easy, given his nine months of experience with the Saints, to view him as merely a drudge within the club's structure: a man who owed his position largely to his friendship with ex-colleague a fellow executive as any verifiable talent. How wrong we all were. In brilliantly outmanoeuvring United’s feted manager, as he outmanoeuvred the hapless Dan Ashworth before him, Jason Wilcox has demonstrated as one of football's true generals: a strategic mind of which the club's competitors are now rightly wary.

The Tactical Conflict Regarding System & Philosophy

To illustrate, this was the director , after having been part of the leadership that appointed the 3-4-3 fundamentalist Amorim in the first place, was instrumental in attempting to convince Amorim to ditch his favored formation. Unsurprisingly, these entreaties met a certain resistance. However, 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 contributor to a championship team from 31 years ago.

Maybe eventually Jason Wilcox might agree to outline his thought processes publicly. Maybe one day questions may arise why Amorim is walking away with a full payout, with no penalty clause activated. But Jason Wilcox seldom speaks publicly, and with very good reason. The true intellectuals in football – individuals such as Jason Wilcox – simply operate on a plane exceeding our prosaic understanding. If he ever did speak, most likely all we would hear is a series of ultrasonic blips and four-dimensional whirring. Desiring an explanation is not equivalent to being ready to receive.

An Ultimate Power Behind Command

But of course, by focusing our attention on the sporting director we are obscuring the true genius behind the club's current leadership. Jason Wilcox is, after all, simply carrying out the directives of his superior Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who privately has made very clear his preference for a four-man defense. According to reports, Ratcliffe has also suggested deploying the forward as a right wing-back. Ratcliffe is keen for the club to embrace analytics and metrics. According to ESPN, during a leadership summit soon after his investment, he announced that United’s style to football “shall be decided in this room”.

After all, Ratcliffe is an expert in these intricate football matters, leveraging his background in petrochemicals and sailing. Above all he is immensely wealthy, and it is known, the rich are the best of us: more perceptive, more wise, strategically brilliant, fundamentally superior. Who else could one trust to oversee an enlightened programme of austerity, the construction of a modern arena that looks similar to an abstract design, the signing of a new striker?

A New Football Hierarchy: Directors Above Coaches

This represents a shift that is becoming prevalent at the elite levels football. Historically, clubs foolishly delegated major sporting choices to subordinate staff such as coaches, talent spotters – even footballers. Perhaps it was once feasible for a young, innovative manager with a philosophy and energy to join an organization and implement their plan supported to fruition. But how many companies have such individuals set up? What number of mass redundancies have they overseen? Far preferable to place the real power where it rightly belongs: the leadership tier, the casually dressed executives, the individuals with impressive LinkedIn profiles. It is wiser to decide the tactics by the directors and appoint a coach who can tailor their offering accordingly. If managers were once chefs, they are now more like delivery personnel: not really creating the food, yet ultimately answerable should it be delivered cold or fails to meet standards.

In the meantime, their job has become not about crafting the philosophy and more about selling it: the front-facing representative on the front desk, the public face of an organisation they have minimal power to change. Enzo Maresca takes a squad of very young players into Europe and wins domestic cups, and essentially is dismissed for talking. A manager at Celtic sees his reputation ruined while those individuals who hired him continue to make errors another day.

A Neoliberal Game: Accountability Only for the Coaches

And possibly in a small way this represents neoliberalism at work: the rise of a gilded overclass who can never be wrong, whose decisions remain untouchable, whose errors can invariably be sacked away without explanation. Appoint the 3-4-3 coach only to dismiss them for using too much 3-4-3. Hire the process guy and then discard them for requiring excessive time. And most importantly be grateful; for your modest season ticket price rises, for the latest player acquisitions, for the reality that the adults – regardless of their expertise – are in charge.