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Turns out the manager could survive defeat by Grimsby. Survive a decisive European final versus one of the worst Tottenham teams in living memory. He withstood losing at home to West Ham and Wolves, finishing 15th, the tactical inflexibility, laying waste to the team's best academy products, the 32% win rate, labeling the squad the poorest the club has ever seen. Yet, there existed a single opponent against whom Ruben Amorim was not permitted to engage. If you challenge Jason Wilcox, and you best not miss.

Regrettably, like many a Premiership defender in Blackburn’s championship campaign, the coach came at Jason Wilcox and appears to have failed. Even the most casual observer can see the paradoxical situation: a manager who often railed his squad for losing one-on-one duels crumbling when confronted by the intense pressure and formidable presence of a England's top division's most intimidating football executives.

And frankly, this whole bruising episode seems to paint Jason Wilcox in a different perspective. It may have been easy, based on his brief stint of experience at Southampton, to regard 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 mistaken we all were. In brilliantly outsmarting United’s feted manager, as he outmanoeuvred the hapless Dan Ashworth earlier, Jason Wilcox has proved himself as one of the sport’s strategic masterminds: a tactical intellect of which the club's competitors are now justifiably concerned.

The Tactical Conflict Regarding System & Ideology

For example, it was the director who being involved in the hierarchy that appointed the rigid 3-4-3 advocate the coach in the first place, was instrumental in trying to persuade Amorim to ditch his beloved 3-4-3. Unsurprisingly, these pleas were resisted. But perhaps these judgements carry more weight when issued by a man of a man 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 thought processes publicly. Perhaps at some point he might be asked why Amorim is departing with a full payout, with no compensation reduction clause activated. But Jason Wilcox speaks rarely publicly, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers of this sport – men like Jason Wilcox – function at a level exceeding our mundane comprehension. If he ever did speak, probably all we would hear is a series of ultrasonic blips and complex calculations. Wanting is not equivalent to being prepared to receive.

The Ultimate Authority In the Throne

Naturally, in training our focus on Jason Wilcox we overlook the true genius behind the modern United throne. The director is, in reality, merely executing the directives of his line manager the billionaire owner, who in private has made very clear his desire for a four-man defense. It is reported, Ratcliffe has also suggested playing Bryan Mbeumo as a right wing-back. Ratcliffe is keen for the club to embrace analytics and analytics. According to ESPN, in an executive meeting soon after his minority ownership, he declared that the team's approach of play “shall be decided by this group”.

Ultimately, Sir Jim is a specialist in this technical footballing stuff, leveraging his background in petrochemicals and sailing. Most importantly he remains incredibly rich, and as we all know, the rich are superior: more insightful, sagacious, more tactically astute, fundamentally better. Whom else would you trust to oversee an enlightened programme of austerity, the construction of a modern arena that looks similar to an abstract design, the acquisition of Benjamin Sesko?

A Modern Soccer Hierarchy: Directors Above Coaches

This represents a shift we are increasingly seeing in top-tier football. Historically, clubs foolishly delegated big footballing decisions to subordinate staff such as coaches, scouts – even footballers. Perhaps it was once possible for a young, innovative manager with a philosophy and drive to join a club and see their vision through to completion. But how many companies have such individuals established? What number of mass redundancies have they managed? Far preferable to place the real power where it rightly belongs: the executive class, the open-necked shirt brigade, the individuals with impressive professional resumes. It is wiser to determine the strategy by the directors and appoint a coach who will adapt their methods to suit. If managers were once chefs, they are now more akin to Deliveroo drivers: not really responsible for the food, yet finally accountable should it be delivered poorly or leaks out of the box.

In the meantime, a coach's role is increasingly not about crafting the philosophy and more about marketing it: the receptionist of the operation, the public face for a club they can do little to change. A coach at Chelsea takes a squad of very young players into the Champions League and secures two medium-sized trophies, and essentially gets sacked for speaking out. A manager at Celtic sees his standing damaged whereas those individuals who hired him live to blunder another day.

The Modern Corporate Football: Accountability for the Coaches

And perhaps on some microcosmic level this represents neoliberalism at work: the rise of a gilded overclass who are infallible, whose decisions are always untouchable, whose errors can always be sacked away without explanation. Appoint the system coach only to dismiss them for playing too much 3-4-3. Hire the project manager and then discard him for requiring too long. And above all be grateful; for your modest increases in ticket costs, for your new player acquisitions, for the reality that the adults – regardless of their expertise – remain in control.