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Turns out Ruben Amorim endured losing against lower-league opposition. He weathered an important continental showpiece versus a particularly poor Spurs sides for many years. He withstood losing at home against West Ham and Wolves, a lowly league position, an unwavering system, squandering the team's most promising academy products, the 32% win rate, labeling the squad the poorest the club has ever seen. But there was a single opponent against whom the Portuguese coach would not be allowed to dance. You come at Jason Wilcox, you had better succeed.

Regrettably, similar to numerous top-flight right-back in Blackburn’s title-winning campaign, the coach came at the executive and appears to have missed. The most distracted of readers will notice the paradoxical situation: a manager who frequently berated at his players for losing one-on-one duels crumbling when confronted by the intense pressure and animal charisma of a the Premier League’s most feared football executives.

In truth, this entire bruising episode appears to portray the director in a different perspective. It may have been tempting, given his nine months of experience at Southampton, to regard him as little more than a drudge within the club's structure: a man who owed his position as much to his close relationship with ex-colleague Omar Berrada rather than any verifiable talent. How mistaken everyone was. In brilliantly outsmarting United’s feted manager, just as he bested the unfortunate a previous executive earlier, Jason Wilcox has proved himself to be among football's strategic masterminds: a strategic mind that the club's mid-table rivals are now justifiably concerned.

A Strategic Conflict Regarding System and Philosophy

For example, this was Jason Wilcox , after being involved in the hierarchy that appointed the rigid 3-4-3 advocate the coach originally, played a key role in trying to persuade Amorim to abandon his favored formation. Naturally, these entreaties faced pushback. But perhaps these judgements hold greater authority when delivered by a man of a man the impeccable soccer background he possesses, holder of international appearances and a contributor to a title-winning side from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time he might agree to outline his thought processes to the rest of us. Maybe one day he might be asked why Amorim is walking away with a full payout, without any penalty clause in place. But Jason Wilcox seldom speaks in public, and with very good reason. The real thinkers in football – men like him – function on a plane exceeding our mundane comprehension. If he ever did speak, probably we would perceive is a series of ultrasonic blips and four-dimensional whirring. Desiring an explanation is not quite equivalent to being prepared to comprehend it.

The Ultimate Authority Behind the Throne

Naturally, in training our focus on Jason Wilcox we are obscuring the true genius behind the club's current leadership. Jason Wilcox is, in reality, simply carrying out the directives of his ultimate line manager the billionaire owner, who privately has made very clear his preference for a four-man defense. It is reported, the owner has also proposed deploying the forward as a right wing-back. Ratcliffe is keen for the club to embrace data science and metrics. Per reports, in an executive meeting soon after his minority ownership, he announced that United’s style of play “shall be decided by this group”.

After all, Sir Jim is a specialist in these intricate footballing stuff, drawing from his previous experience in industry and sailing. Most importantly he is incredibly rich, and as we all know, the wealthy are the best of us: more insightful, more wise, strategically brilliant, fundamentally superior. Who else could one trust to oversee an enlightened programme of cost-cutting, the construction of a modern arena that looks a lot like someone’s leftover knitting, the acquisition of a new striker?

The New Soccer Hierarchy: Directors Above Managers

This is a trend we are increasingly seeing in top-tier of the game. Historically, teams mistakenly delegated big footballing decisions to subordinate staff such as coaches, scouts – even footballers. Maybe previously possible for an up-and-coming, innovative manager with ideas and drive to join an organization and see their vision through to completion. But how many businesses have such individuals set up? How many mass redundancies have they managed? Far preferable to invest the real power where it rightly belongs: the executive class, the casually dressed executives, the individuals with impressive professional resumes. It is wiser to determine the strategy by the directors and hire a coach who can tailor their offering to suit. If coaches were once chefs, they have become more akin to delivery personnel: not really responsible for the product, yet finally accountable should it be delivered poorly or fails of the box.

In the meantime, a coach's role has become not about defining the vision and more about marketing it: the receptionist of the operation, the public face of an organisation they can do little to influence. A coach at Chelsea takes a squad of very young players into Europe and wins domestic cups, and effectively is dismissed for talking. A manager at Celtic sees his reputation ruined whereas those individuals who hired him continue to make errors indefinitely.

The Modern Corporate Football: Accountability for the Coaches

And possibly in a small way this represents corporate governance at work: the rise of a gilded elite who can never be wrong, whose decisions are always sacrosanct, whose mistakes can always be sacked away without explanation. Hire the 3-4-3 coach and then dismiss him for using too much that system. Bring in the process guy and then bin them for taking excessive time. And most importantly be grateful; for the incremental increases in ticket costs, for the latest summer signings, for the reality that the grownups – regardless of their expertise – remain in control.