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Itbecame clear he was able to withstand defeat by Grimsby. Survive an important continental showpiece versus one of the worst Spurs sides for many years. He withstood home defeats to domestic rivals, finishing 15th, his rigid approach, undermining some of the club’s most promising homegrown talent, a poor winning percentage, calling the squad the worst in Manchester United history. Yet, there existed one adversary against whom the Portuguese coach would not be allowed to tango. You come at Jason Wilcox, and you best not miss.

Unfortunately, similar to numerous Premiership right-back in Blackburn’s championship campaign, the coach took on Jason Wilcox and seems 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 in the face of the white heat and formidable presence of one of England's top division's most intimidating sporting directors.

And frankly, this whole painful saga appears to portray Jason Wilcox in a different perspective. Perhaps it might have been tempting, given his nine months in a similar role with the Saints, to regard Jason Wilcox as merely a drudge in the United exoskeleton: a man whose appointment was due largely to his friendship with his former boss a fellow executive rather than any verifiable talent. How wrong we all were. In brilliantly outsmarting the club's celebrated head coach, as he outmanoeuvred the unfortunate Dan Ashworth before him, Jason Wilcox has proved himself to be among the sport’s true generals: a strategic mind that the club's mid-table rivals will now be justifiably concerned.

The Tactical Clash Over Formation and Philosophy

To illustrate, this was the director who having been part of the leadership that appointed the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim in the first place, played a key role in trying to persuade Amorim to abandon his beloved 3-4-3. Naturally, these entreaties met a certain resistance. However, these judgements carry more weight when delivered by a man with the impeccable football pedigree of Jason Wilcox, holder of international appearances and a role in a championship team from 31 years ago.

Maybe eventually Jason Wilcox might agree to outline his reasoning publicly. Perhaps at some point he might be asked why Amorim is departing with a full payout, with no penalty clause activated. The director speaks rarely publicly, for excellent reasons. The true intellectuals of this sport – individuals such as him – function at a level exceeding our prosaic understanding. If he ever did speak, probably all we would hear would be ultrasonic blips and four-dimensional whirring. Desiring an explanation is not quite equivalent to being prepared to receive.

An Ultimate Authority Behind the Throne

But of course, in training our focus on the sporting director we are obscuring the true genius behind the modern United throne. The director is, after all, simply carrying out the commands of his ultimate superior Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who privately has emphasized his preference for a back four. According to reports, Ratcliffe has also proposed playing Bryan Mbeumo in a wing-back role. Ratcliffe is keen for the club to adopt data science and metrics. According to ESPN, in an executive meeting early in his minority ownership, he declared that United’s style to football “shall be decided in this room”.

Ultimately, Ratcliffe is an expert in these intricate footballing stuff, drawing from his previous experience in industry and sailing. Most importantly he remains incredibly rich, and it is known, the wealthy are superior: more perceptive, sagacious, strategically brilliant, fundamentally better. Who else would you trust to manage a strategic plan of cost-cutting, the construction of a modern arena that looks a lot like an abstract design, the acquisition of a new striker?

The New Football Hierarchy: Directors Over Coaches

This is a trend that is becoming prevalent in top-tier of the game. Historically, teams mistakenly delegated major sporting choices to subordinate staff such as coaches, scouts – even footballers. Perhaps it was once possible for an up-and-coming, innovative manager with ideas and drive to go into a club and see their vision through to completion. Yet how many businesses have these guys established? How many mass redundancies have they managed? Better by far to invest the real power where it rightly belongs: the executive class, the open-necked shirt brigade, the individuals with the jaw-dropping professional resumes. Better by far to determine the strategy in the boardroom and appoint someone who will adapt their offering to suit. If coaches were formerly chefs, they are now more akin to delivery personnel: not really responsible for the food, but still ultimately answerable should it be delivered poorly or leaks out of the box.

In the meantime, their job has become not about defining the vision and more about marketing it: the front-facing representative of the operation, the public face for a club they have minimal power to influence. Enzo Maresca leads a team of literal children into Europe and secures domestic cups, and effectively gets sacked for talking. A manager at Celtic finds his reputation ruined whereas those individuals who hired him live to blunder indefinitely.

A Neoliberal Game: Accountability for the Few

And possibly in a small way this is simply corporate governance in action: the rise of a gilded overclass who are infallible, whose choices remain untouchable, whose mistakes can always be sacked away without explanation. Appoint the system coach only to fire him for using excessively 3-4-3. Bring in the project manager and then bin him for taking excessive time. And above all show gratitude; for your modest increases in ticket costs, for your new summer signings, for the fact that the grownups – regardless of their expertise – are in charge.