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Itranspired he could survive losing against Grimsby. Survive a decisive continental showpiece against one of the worst Tottenham teams in living memory. He withstood losing at home to domestic rivals, a lowly league position, the tactical inflexibility, undermining the team's best academy products, a poor winning percentage, labeling the squad the poorest in Manchester United history. Yet, there existed one adversary against whom the Portuguese coach would not be allowed to engage. You come at Jason Wilcox, and you best not miss.

Regrettably, like many a Premiership defender during Blackburn Rovers' championship 1994-95 season, the coach took on the executive and appears to have missed. The most distracted of readers will notice the paradoxical situation: a coach who frequently berated his squad for failing in individual battles succumbing when confronted by the intense pressure and animal charisma of a the Premier League’s most intimidating football executives.

And frankly, this entire painful saga appears to portray Jason Wilcox in a whole new light. Perhaps it might have been tempting, given his brief stint in a similar role with the Saints, to view Jason Wilcox as little more than a drudge within the club's structure: a man whose appointment was due largely to his close relationship with ex-colleague a fellow executive rather than any demonstrable skill. How wrong everyone was. By masterfully outsmarting the club's celebrated head coach, as he outmanoeuvred the unfortunate Dan Ashworth before him, Jason Wilcox has proved himself as one of the sport’s true generals: a strategic mind that United’s competitors will now be rightly wary.

The Strategic Clash Over Formation & Philosophy

For example, it was Jason Wilcox who being involved in the hierarchy that hired the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim originally, was instrumental in trying to persuade him to ditch his beloved 3-4-3. Naturally, these entreaties faced pushback. But perhaps such directives carry more weight when issued from the mouth of a man the impeccable football pedigree he possesses, holder of international appearances and a role in a championship team decades past.

Perhaps in time Jason Wilcox may be persuaded to explain his thought processes publicly. Maybe one day he might be asked regarding why the coach is walking away with full compensation, without any compensation reduction clause in place. The director speaks rarely in public, and with very good reason. The real thinkers in football – individuals such as him – function at a level exceeding our mundane comprehension. If he ever did speak, most likely all we would hear would be high-frequency signals and four-dimensional whirring. Desiring an explanation is not quite the same as being ready to receive.

The Ultimate Authority In Command

Naturally, by focusing our attention on the sporting director we overlook the real power behind the modern United throne. The director is, after all, simply carrying out the directives of his ultimate line manager the billionaire owner, who in private has emphasized his preference for a back four. According to reports, the owner has also proposed playing Bryan Mbeumo in a wing-back role. The owner is eager for the club to adopt analytics and analytics. According to ESPN, during a leadership summit soon after his minority ownership, he declared that United’s style to football “will be decided by this group”.

After all, Sir Jim is an expert in this technical footballing stuff, leveraging his previous experience in industry and yachting. Most importantly he is immensely wealthy, and it is known, the wealthy are superior: more perceptive, more wise, strategically brilliant, simply better. Who else would you trust to manage a strategic plan of cost-cutting, the building of a modern arena that looks similar to someone’s leftover knitting, the signing of Benjamin Sesko?

The Modern Soccer Order: Executives Over Managers

This represents a shift we are increasingly seeing at the elite levels football. Historically, clubs foolishly delegated big footballing decisions to subordinate staff like managers, talent spotters – even footballers. Maybe previously feasible for an up-and-coming, innovative manager with ideas and energy to go into a club and see their vision through to completion. But how many companies have these guys set up? What number of large-scale layoffs have they overseen? Better by far to invest the real power where it belongs: the executive class, the open-necked shirt brigade, the guys with impressive LinkedIn profiles. Better by far to decide the tactics by the directors and appoint someone who will adapt their methods accordingly. If managers were formerly chefs, they are now more like delivery personnel: not really creating the food, but still ultimately answerable if it arrives cold or leaks out of the box.

In the meantime, their job has become not about crafting the philosophy and more about marketing 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 literal children into Europe and secures two medium-sized trophies, and essentially is dismissed for speaking out. Wilfried Nancy finds his reputation ruined whereas those individuals who appointed him continue to make errors indefinitely.

A Modern Corporate Game: Accountability Only for the Coaches

And perhaps in a small way this represents neoliberalism in action: the elevation of a privileged elite who are infallible, whose choices remain untouchable, whose mistakes can invariably be resolved by sacking without justification. Hire the system coach only to dismiss them for using excessively 3-4-3. Bring in the process guy and then bin him for taking too long. And above all be grateful; for the incremental season ticket price rises, for your new player acquisitions, for the fact that the adults – however well qualified – remain in control.