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Tbecame clear the manager could survive a loss to Grimsby. Survive a decisive European final against a particularly poor Tottenham teams for many years. He withstood losing at home against West Ham and Wolves, a lowly league position, the tactical inflexibility, undermining the team's best academy products, a poor winning percentage, labeling the squad the worst the club has ever seen. But there was one adversary with whom the Portuguese coach would not be allowed to dance. You come at Jason Wilcox, and you best not miss.

Regrettably, similar to numerous Premiership right-back during Blackburn Rovers' championship campaign, the coach took on the executive and appears to have missed. The most casual observer can see the irony here: a manager who often railed his squad for losing individual battles succumbing in the face of the white heat and formidable presence of one of England's top division's most intimidating football executives.

In truth, this entire painful saga seems to paint the director in a different perspective. Perhaps it might have been easy, based on his nine months in a similar role at Southampton, to regard him as little more than a drudge within the club's structure: a man who owed his position largely to his friendship with his former boss a fellow executive rather than any verifiable talent. How mistaken we all were. In brilliantly outmanoeuvring United’s feted manager, just as he bested the hapless a previous executive before him, Jason Wilcox has proved himself to be among the sport’s true generals: a strategic mind of which the club's mid-table rivals are now justifiably concerned.

A Strategic Clash Over System & Ideology

To illustrate, it was Jason Wilcox who having been part of the leadership that hired the 3-4-3 fundamentalist Amorim originally, played a key role in trying to persuade Amorim to ditch his beloved 3-4-3. Unsurprisingly, these pleas met a certain resistance. But perhaps these judgements hold greater authority when delivered from the mouth with the impeccable football pedigree he possesses, holder of international appearances and a contributor to a championship team from 31 years ago.

Maybe eventually Jason Wilcox may be persuaded to explain his thought processes publicly. Maybe one day questions may arise regarding why the coach is departing with full compensation, with no penalty clause activated. But Jason Wilcox speaks rarely in public, and with very good reason. The true intellectuals in football – men like him – function on a plane exceeding our prosaic understanding. Were he to speak, most likely all we would hear would be ultrasonic blips and four-dimensional whirring. Desiring an explanation is not quite equivalent to being prepared to receive.

The Supreme Authority In the Throne

Naturally, by focusing our attention on the sporting director we overlook the true genius behind the club's current leadership. Jason Wilcox is, after all, simply carrying out the directives of his ultimate superior the billionaire owner, who in private has made very clear his preference for a back four. According to reports, the owner has also suggested deploying the forward in a wing-back role. Ratcliffe is keen for the club to adopt data science and metrics. Per reports, during a leadership summit soon after his minority ownership, he declared that the team's approach of play “shall be decided by this group”.

After all, Sir Jim is an expert in this technical footballing stuff, leveraging his previous experience in petrochemicals and sailing. Above all he is incredibly rich, and as we all know, the wealthy are the best of us: more insightful, sagacious, strategically brilliant, fundamentally superior. Whom else would you trust to oversee a strategic plan of austerity, the building of a new stadium that appears a lot like someone’s leftover knitting, the acquisition of a new striker?

The Modern Football Hierarchy: Directors Above Managers

This represents a shift that is becoming prevalent in top-tier of the game. For decades, clubs foolishly delegated big footballing decisions to subordinate staff such as coaches, scouts – even footballers. Perhaps it was once feasible for a young, visionary coach with a philosophy and drive to join an organization and implement their plan through to completion. Yet how many businesses have such individuals established? What number of large-scale layoffs have they managed? Far preferable to invest genuine authority where it belongs: the leadership tier, the casually dressed executives, the individuals with the jaw-dropping professional resumes. Better by far to decide the tactics by the directors and hire someone who will adapt their methods to suit. If coaches were once chefs, they have become more akin to delivery personnel: not creating the product, but still ultimately answerable if it arrives poorly or fails of the box.

Nowadays, their job has become less about crafting the philosophy and more about selling it: the front-facing representative on the front desk, the visible figurehead for a club they can do little to influence. A coach at Chelsea leads a team of literal children into Europe and secures domestic cups, and effectively gets sacked for talking. A manager at Celtic sees his reputation ruined whereas the people who hired him continue to make errors another day.

The Neoliberal Game: Accountability Only for the Few

And possibly on some microcosmic level this represents corporate governance in action: the elevation of a gilded elite who are infallible, whose choices are always sacrosanct, whose mistakes can invariably be sacked away without explanation. Hire the system coach only to fire him for using too much 3-4-3. Bring in the project manager and then discard them for requiring excessive time. And most importantly be grateful; for the incremental increases in ticket costs, for the latest summer signings, for the fact that the grownups – regardless of their expertise – remain in control.