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Iturns out he was able to withstand a loss to Grimsby. He weathered losing a crucial European final against one of the worst Tottenham teams in living memory. He withstood home defeats against domestic rivals, finishing 15th, an unwavering system, laying waste to some of the club’s most promising 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 tango. You come at Jason Wilcox, you had better succeed.

Unfortunately, like many a Premiership defender during Blackburn Rovers' championship 1994-95 season, Amorim took on the executive and seems to have failed. The most distracted of readers will notice the irony here: a coach who frequently berated at his players for losing individual battles succumbing when confronted by the intense pressure and formidable presence of a the Premier League’s most intimidating sporting directors.

In truth, this whole bruising episode seems to paint Jason Wilcox in a whole new light. Perhaps it might have been easy, given his nine months in a similar role with the Saints, to regard him as little more than a drudge within the club's structure: an individual whose appointment was due largely to his close relationship with his former boss Omar Berrada rather than any verifiable talent. How wrong we all were. In brilliantly outmanoeuvring the club's celebrated manager, as he outmanoeuvred the hapless Dan Ashworth before him, Jason Wilcox has demonstrated as one of the sport’s strategic masterminds: a strategic mind of which United’s competitors are now justifiably concerned.

A Strategic Clash Regarding System and Ideology

To illustrate, it was Jason Wilcox who being involved in the leadership that hired the 3-4-3 fundamentalist Amorim originally, was instrumental in trying to persuade him to ditch his beloved formation. Unsurprisingly, these entreaties were resisted. However, these judgements hold greater authority when issued by a man with the unimpeachable soccer background he possesses, holder of three England caps and a contributor to a championship team decades past.

Maybe eventually Jason Wilcox might agree to explain his thought processes publicly. Maybe one day questions may arise regarding why the coach is departing with a full payout, with no penalty clause activated. But Jason Wilcox seldom speaks publicly, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers of this sport – individuals such as him – function on a plane 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. Desiring an explanation is not equivalent to being prepared to receive.

The Supreme Power In the Throne

But of course, in training our focus on Jason Wilcox we are obscuring the real power behind the modern United throne. Jason Wilcox is, after all, merely executing the commands of his line manager the billionaire owner, who in private has made very clear his preference for a four-man defense. It is reported, the owner has also proposed playing Bryan Mbeumo in a wing-back role. The owner is eager for the club to adopt data science and analytics. According to ESPN, during a leadership summit soon after his minority ownership, he announced that United’s style of play “will be decided in this room”.

Ultimately, Sir Jim is an expert in this technical football matters, leveraging his background in petrochemicals and yachting. Above all he remains incredibly rich, and it is known, the wealthy are superior: more insightful, sagacious, more tactically astute, fundamentally better. Who else would you trust to oversee a strategic plan of cost-cutting, the building of a modern arena that appears a lot like an abstract design, the acquisition of a new striker?

The New Football Hierarchy: Directors Above Managers

This represents a shift we are increasingly seeing at the elite levels of the game. For decades, clubs foolishly delegated big footballing decisions to low-level employees like managers, talent spotters – even footballers. Maybe previously feasible for a young, visionary coach with a philosophy and energy to join a club and see their vision supported to fruition. But how many companies have such individuals set up? How many large-scale layoffs have they managed? Better by far to place genuine authority where it belongs: the leadership tier, the casually dressed executives, the individuals with impressive LinkedIn profiles. It is wiser to decide the tactics in the boardroom and appoint someone who can tailor their methods accordingly. If managers were formerly chefs, they have become more like delivery personnel: not really responsible for the food, but still ultimately answerable if it arrives cold or fails to meet standards.

Nowadays, their job has become less about defining the vision and more about selling it: the receptionist of the operation, the visible figurehead of an organisation they can do little to influence. A coach at Chelsea takes a squad of literal children into the Champions League and secures domestic cups, and essentially is dismissed for talking. Wilfried Nancy sees his standing damaged whereas the people who hired him continue to make errors indefinitely.

The Modern Corporate Game: Responsibility for the Few

And possibly on some microcosmic level this is simply corporate governance in action: the rise of a privileged elite who can never be wrong, whose choices remain sacrosanct, whose mistakes can invariably be sacked away without explanation. Hire the system coach and then dismiss him for using excessively 3-4-3. Hire the project manager and then discard him for requiring too long. And most importantly show gratitude; for the incremental season ticket price rises, for your new summer signings, for the fact that the grownups – however well qualified – remain in control.