🔗 Share this article

Transpired the manager endured defeat by lower-league opposition. He weathered a decisive European final against one of the worst Spurs sides for many years. He withstood home defeats against domestic rivals, finishing 15th, his rigid approach, undermining the team's most promising academy products, the 32% win rate, calling his team the worst in Manchester United history. But there was one adversary with whom Ruben Amorim would not be allowed to engage. You come at Jason Wilcox, you had better succeed.

Regrettably, similar to numerous Premiership defender in Blackburn’s championship campaign, Amorim came at the executive and appears to have failed. Even the most distracted of readers can see the paradoxical situation: a coach who often railed at his players for failing in one-on-one duels succumbing when confronted by the white heat and formidable presence of one of England's top division's most intimidating sporting directors.

In truth, this whole painful saga appears to portray the director in a different perspective. Perhaps it might have been easy, given his brief stint of experience with the Saints, to view him as merely a drudge in the United exoskeleton: an individual who owed his position as much to his close relationship with his former boss Omar Berrada as any verifiable talent. How mistaken everyone was. In brilliantly outsmarting United’s feted manager, just as he bested the unfortunate Dan Ashworth earlier, Jason Wilcox has demonstrated to be among football's true generals: a tactical intellect of which the club's competitors are now rightly wary.

The Tactical Clash Regarding Formation and Philosophy

To illustrate, this was the director , after having been part of the leadership that hired the rigid 3-4-3 advocate the coach in the first place, was instrumental in attempting to convince Amorim to ditch his beloved formation. Unsurprisingly, these entreaties faced pushback. But perhaps these judgements carry more weight when issued from the mouth of a man the unimpeachable soccer background of Jason Wilcox, holder of international appearances and a role in a championship team decades past.

Perhaps in time he may be persuaded to outline his thought processes to the rest of us. Perhaps at some point he might be asked why Amorim is departing with full compensation, without any penalty clause in place. But Jason Wilcox speaks rarely publicly, and with very good reason. The real thinkers in football – men like him – function at a level beyond our own mundane comprehension. Were he to speak, probably we would perceive would be ultrasonic blips and four-dimensional whirring. Wanting is not equivalent to being ready to comprehend it.

An Ultimate Power Behind Command

Naturally, by focusing our attention on the sporting director we are obscuring the true genius behind the modern United throne. Jason Wilcox is, after all, simply carrying out the directives of his ultimate superior the billionaire owner, who privately has made very clear his desire for a back four. According to reports, Ratcliffe has also suggested playing Bryan Mbeumo in a wing-back role. Ratcliffe is keen for United to adopt analytics and metrics. According to ESPN, during a leadership summit early in his investment, he declared that United’s style to football “will be determined by this group”.

Ultimately, Sir Jim is an expert in these intricate footballing stuff, drawing from his background in industry and sailing. Most importantly he remains incredibly rich, and as we all know, the rich are superior: more insightful, sagacious, more tactically astute, fundamentally superior. Whom else could one trust to manage a strategic plan of cost-cutting, the building of a modern arena that appears similar to an abstract design, the signing of a new striker?

The New Football Order: Directors Over Coaches

This is a trend that is becoming prevalent at the elite levels of the game. For decades, clubs foolishly entrusted big footballing decisions to low-level employees such as coaches, talent spotters – even footballers. Maybe previously possible for a young, visionary coach with ideas and energy to join a club and implement their plan through to completion. Yet how many businesses have such individuals set up? How many mass redundancies have they overseen? Far preferable to place the real power where it rightly belongs: the leadership tier, the casually dressed executives, the individuals with impressive LinkedIn profiles. Better by far to decide the tactics in the boardroom and hire someone who can tailor their methods accordingly. If managers were once chefs, they have become more akin to Deliveroo drivers: not really responsible for the product, yet finally accountable should it be delivered cold or leaks out to meet standards.

In the meantime, a coach's role has become not about defining the vision and more about selling it: the front-facing representative of the operation, the visible figurehead of an organisation they can do little to influence. Enzo Maresca takes a squad of literal children into the Champions League and wins two medium-sized trophies, and effectively gets sacked for talking. A manager at Celtic finds his standing damaged while those individuals who hired him live to blunder indefinitely.

The Neoliberal Game: Responsibility for the Coaches

And perhaps on some microcosmic level this is simply neoliberalism in action: the elevation of a privileged elite who can never be wrong, whose decisions remain untouchable, whose errors can always be resolved by sacking without explanation. Appoint the 3-4-3 coach only to dismiss him for using excessively 3-4-3. Hire the project manager and then discard them for taking excessive time. And above all show gratitude; for your modest season ticket price rises, for the latest summer signings, for the fact that the adults – however well qualified – are in charge.