🔗 Share this article

Tbecame clear he endured defeat by lower-league opposition. Survive a decisive continental showpiece versus one of the worst Spurs sides for many years. He could survive losing at home to domestic rivals, a lowly league position, an unwavering system, 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 with whom Ruben Amorim was not permitted to dance. You come at Jason Wilcox, you had better succeed.

Regrettably, similar to numerous top-flight right-back in Blackburn’s championship 1994-95 season, Amorim came at the executive and appears to have failed. Even the most distracted of readers will notice the irony here: a coach who often railed at his players for failing in one-on-one duels crumbling when confronted by the intense pressure and formidable presence of a England's top division's most feared football executives.

And frankly, this whole bruising episode seems to paint the director in a whole new light. Perhaps it might have been tempting, based on his brief stint of experience with the Saints, to view Jason Wilcox as little more than a drudge within the club's structure: an individual whose appointment was due largely to his friendship with his former boss a fellow executive as any demonstrable skill. How mistaken everyone was. By masterfully outmanoeuvring United’s feted head coach, just as he bested the unfortunate Dan Ashworth before him, Jason Wilcox has demonstrated as one of the sport’s strategic masterminds: a tactical intellect of which United’s mid-table rivals are now justifiably concerned.

A Tactical Clash Regarding System & Ideology

For example, it was Jason Wilcox , after being involved in the leadership that hired the 3-4-3 fundamentalist the coach in the first place, was instrumental in trying to persuade him to abandon his beloved formation. Naturally, these pleas faced pushback. But perhaps such directives carry more weight when delivered by a man with the impeccable soccer background of Jason Wilcox, holder of international appearances and a role in a title-winning side from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time he may be persuaded to explain 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 compensation reduction clause in place. But Jason Wilcox speaks rarely publicly, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers of this sport – men like him – function on a plane exceeding our mundane comprehension. If he ever did speak, most likely all we would hear is a series of ultrasonic blips and four-dimensional whirring. Wanting is not the same as being ready to receive.

The Ultimate Power Behind the Throne

But of course, by focusing our attention on the sporting director we are obscuring the true genius behind the modern United throne. The director is, after all, simply carrying out the directives of his ultimate line manager Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who privately has made very clear his desire for a four-man defense. It is reported, Ratcliffe has also suggested deploying the forward in a wing-back role. Ratcliffe is keen for United to adopt data science and analytics. According to ESPN, during a leadership summit early in his minority ownership, he announced that the team's approach of play “shall be decided in this room”.

Ultimately, Ratcliffe is an expert in this technical footballing stuff, drawing from his previous experience in petrochemicals and yachting. Most importantly he is incredibly rich, and as we all know, the rich are the best of us: more perceptive, sagacious, strategically brilliant, simply superior. Whom else could one trust to manage a strategic plan of cost-cutting, the construction of a modern arena that looks a lot like someone’s leftover knitting, the signing of a new striker?

The Modern Football Order: Directors Over Managers

This represents a shift that is becoming prevalent in top-tier football. For decades, teams mistakenly delegated big footballing decisions to low-level employees such as coaches, talent spotters – even footballers. Perhaps it was once possible for a young, visionary coach with a philosophy and drive to join an organization and see their vision supported to fruition. Yet how many companies have such individuals established? How many mass redundancies have they managed? Far preferable to place the real power where it belongs: the executive class, the open-necked shirt brigade, the individuals with impressive LinkedIn profiles. It is wiser to decide the strategy in the boardroom and appoint a coach who will adapt their methods accordingly. If coaches were formerly chefs, they have become more like Deliveroo drivers: not responsible for the food, yet ultimately answerable should it be delivered cold or leaks out of the box.

In the meantime, a coach's role has become less about crafting the philosophy and more about marketing it: the front-facing representative of the operation, the visible figurehead for a club they can do little to change. A coach at Chelsea takes a squad of very young players into Europe and secures two medium-sized trophies, and essentially gets sacked for talking. A manager at Celtic sees his standing damaged whereas those individuals who appointed him live to blunder indefinitely.

The Neoliberal Football: Responsibility Only for the Few

And possibly in a small way this is simply corporate governance at work: the rise of a privileged elite who are infallible, whose decisions are always sacrosanct, whose mistakes can always be resolved by sacking without explanation. Appoint the 3-4-3 coach and then fire him for using too much that system. Bring in the process guy and then discard them for taking excessive time. And above all show gratitude; for your modest increases in ticket costs, for your new player acquisitions, for the fact that the adults – regardless of their expertise – are in charge.