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Turns out the manager endured losing against lower-league opposition. Survive losing a crucial continental showpiece versus one of the worst Tottenham teams for many years. He could survive losing at home against West Ham and Wolves, finishing 15th, an unwavering system, laying waste to the team's best academy products, the 32% win rate, calling his team the poorest in Manchester United history. But there was one adversary against whom Ruben Amorim was not permitted to engage. You come at the sporting director, you had better succeed.

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

And frankly, this whole painful saga seems to paint the director in a whole new light. It may have been tempting, given his brief stint in a similar role at Southampton, to regard him as merely a functionary in the United exoskeleton: a man whose appointment was due as much to his close relationship with ex-colleague Omar Berrada as any demonstrable skill. How wrong everyone was. In brilliantly outsmarting the club's celebrated manager, as he outmanoeuvred the unfortunate a previous executive before him, Jason Wilcox has demonstrated as one of football's true generals: a strategic mind of which United’s mid-table rivals are now justifiably concerned.

A Tactical Conflict Over Formation and Philosophy

To illustrate, this was the director who being involved in the leadership that hired the rigid 3-4-3 advocate the coach in the first place, played a key role in attempting to convince him to abandon his favored 3-4-3. Naturally, these entreaties faced pushback. However, these judgements carry more weight when issued from the mouth of a man the unimpeachable soccer background he possesses, a veteran of international appearances and a contributor to a title-winning side decades past.

Perhaps in time he may be persuaded to outline his thought processes to the rest of us. Maybe one day questions may arise regarding why the coach is departing with full compensation, without any penalty clause activated. But Jason Wilcox seldom speaks in public, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers of this sport – individuals such as him – function at a level beyond our own mundane comprehension. If he ever did speak, most likely we would perceive would be ultrasonic blips and complex calculations. Desiring an explanation is not quite the same as being ready to receive.

The Ultimate Authority In the Throne

But of course, in training our focus on the sporting director we overlook the true genius behind the modern United throne. The director is, in reality, merely executing the commands of his ultimate line manager the billionaire owner, who privately has made very clear his desire for a back four. According to reports, Ratcliffe has also proposed deploying the forward in a wing-back role. Ratcliffe is keen for United to adopt data science and metrics. According to ESPN, during a leadership summit early in his minority ownership, he declared that the team's approach to football “shall be determined in this room”.

After all, Ratcliffe is a specialist in this technical football matters, drawing from his background in petrochemicals and yachting. Most importantly he remains immensely wealthy, and it is known, the rich are superior: more insightful, more wise, more tactically astute, simply better. Whom else could one trust to manage a strategic plan of cost-cutting, the construction of a new stadium that looks similar to an abstract design, the acquisition of Benjamin Sesko?

The New Soccer Order: Executives Above Managers

This represents a shift that is becoming prevalent at the elite levels of the game. Historically, clubs foolishly delegated big footballing decisions to subordinate staff like managers, scouts – players themselves. Perhaps it was once possible for a young, visionary coach with ideas and energy to go into a club and implement their plan supported to fruition. Yet how many companies have such individuals established? How many mass redundancies have they managed? Better by far to place genuine authority where it belongs: the leadership tier, the open-necked shirt brigade, the guys with the jaw-dropping professional resumes. It is wiser to decide the strategy in the boardroom and hire someone who can tailor their offering to suit. If managers were formerly chefs, they have become more like delivery personnel: not creating the product, yet finally accountable should it be delivered poorly or leaks out of the box.

In the meantime, their job is increasingly not about crafting the philosophy 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 two medium-sized trophies, and effectively is dismissed for speaking out. Wilfried Nancy sees his standing damaged whereas those individuals who appointed him live to blunder another day.

The Neoliberal Football: Accountability Only for the Coaches

And possibly in a small way this represents corporate governance in action: the elevation of a privileged overclass who are infallible, whose decisions are always sacrosanct, whose errors can always be resolved by sacking without explanation. Hire the 3-4-3 coach only to fire them for playing too much 3-4-3. Bring in the process guy and then discard them for requiring excessive time. And above all show gratitude; for your modest increases in ticket costs, for the latest player acquisitions, for the fact that the adults – however well qualified – are in charge.