🔗 Share this article

Iturns out the manager could survive a loss to lower-league opposition. Survive a decisive European final versus a particularly poor Tottenham teams for many years. He withstood home defeats to West Ham and Wolves, a lowly league position, his rigid approach, undermining some of the club’s best homegrown talent, the 32% win rate, calling the squad the worst the club has ever seen. Yet, there existed one adversary against whom Ruben Amorim would not be allowed to dance. You come at the sporting director, you had better succeed.

Unfortunately, similar to numerous Premiership defender in Blackburn’s championship campaign, the coach came at Jason Wilcox and appears to have missed. The most casual observer will notice the irony here: a coach who often railed his squad for losing individual battles succumbing when confronted by the white heat and animal charisma of a the Premier League’s most intimidating football executives.

And frankly, this entire painful saga seems to paint the director in a whole new light. It may have been tempting, based on his nine months in a similar role with the Saints, to regard Jason Wilcox as little more than a drudge in the United exoskeleton: a man who owed his position as much to his friendship with his former boss Omar Berrada rather than any verifiable talent. How mistaken everyone was. By masterfully outmanoeuvring the club's celebrated manager, just as he bested the hapless Dan Ashworth earlier, he has demonstrated as one of football's true generals: a tactical intellect that United’s mid-table rivals will now be justifiably concerned.

A Tactical Clash Over System & Philosophy

To illustrate, this was the director who having been part of the leadership that appointed the rigid 3-4-3 advocate the coach originally, was instrumental in attempting to convince Amorim to abandon his beloved formation. Unsurprisingly, these entreaties faced pushback. However, such directives hold greater authority when delivered by a man with the unimpeachable soccer background of Jason Wilcox, a veteran of international appearances and a contributor to a title-winning side from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time he may be persuaded to outline his thought processes to the rest of us. Maybe one day questions may arise why Amorim is departing with full compensation, with no compensation reduction clause activated. But Jason Wilcox speaks rarely publicly, and with very good reason. The real thinkers in football – individuals such as him – simply operate on a plane exceeding our prosaic understanding. If he ever did speak, most likely we would perceive is a series of high-frequency signals and complex calculations. Desiring an explanation is not quite the same as being prepared to comprehend it.

The Supreme Power Behind Command

But of course, in training our focus on the sporting director we are obscuring the true genius behind the modern United throne. Jason Wilcox is, in reality, merely executing the directives of his ultimate superior the billionaire owner, who in private has made very clear his preference for a four-man defense. It is reported, Ratcliffe has also suggested playing Bryan Mbeumo in a wing-back role. The owner is eager for the club to embrace data science and analytics. Per reports, in an executive meeting early in his investment, he announced that United’s style of play “will be decided by this group”.

Ultimately, Ratcliffe is an expert in these intricate football matters, drawing from his background in industry and yachting. Above all he remains incredibly rich, and as we all know, the wealthy are superior: more insightful, more wise, strategically brilliant, simply better. Who else would you trust to oversee an enlightened programme of austerity, the building of a new stadium that appears similar to an abstract design, the acquisition of a new striker?

A New Football Order: Executives Over Coaches

This represents a shift that is becoming prevalent at the elite levels football. For decades, clubs foolishly delegated major sporting choices to low-level employees such as coaches, talent spotters – players themselves. Maybe previously possible for an up-and-coming, innovative manager with ideas and drive to go into an organization and implement their plan supported to fruition. But how many companies have these guys established? What number of large-scale layoffs have they managed? Better by far to invest the real power where it rightly belongs: the leadership tier, the open-necked shirt brigade, the guys with impressive professional resumes. Better by far to decide the strategy in the boardroom and appoint a coach who can tailor their offering accordingly. If managers were once chefs, they have become more like Deliveroo drivers: not really creating the product, yet ultimately answerable should it be delivered poorly or fails to meet standards.

Nowadays, a coach's role is increasingly less about defining the vision and more about selling it: the receptionist on the front desk, the visible figurehead of an organisation they have minimal power to change. Enzo Maresca leads a team of literal children into the Champions League and wins domestic cups, and effectively is dismissed for speaking out. Wilfried Nancy finds his standing damaged while the people who appointed him live to blunder indefinitely.

The Neoliberal Game: Accountability Only for the Coaches

And possibly on some microcosmic level this represents neoliberalism at work: the elevation of a gilded overclass who are infallible, whose choices remain untouchable, whose errors can invariably be resolved by sacking without explanation. Hire the system coach and then fire them for using excessively 3-4-3. Bring in the process guy and later discard them for requiring too long. And most importantly show gratitude; for the incremental season ticket price rises, for your new player acquisitions, for the fact that the grownups – regardless of their expertise – are in charge.