🔗 Share this article

Itranspired Ruben Amorim endured a loss to lower-league opposition. He weathered losing a crucial European final against a particularly poor Spurs sides for many years. He withstood losing at home against domestic rivals, a lowly league position, the tactical inflexibility, squandering some of the club’s most promising homegrown talent, the 32% win rate, labeling his team the worst the club has ever seen. But there was a single opponent against whom Ruben Amorim was not permitted to dance. You come at Jason Wilcox, you had better succeed.

Unfortunately, like many a Premiership defender in Blackburn’s title-winning campaign, Amorim came at Jason Wilcox and seems to have failed. The most distracted of readers can see the irony here: a coach who often railed at his players for losing one-on-one duels succumbing in the face of the intense pressure and animal charisma of one of the Premier League’s most intimidating sporting directors.

And frankly, this whole bruising episode seems to paint Jason Wilcox in a different perspective. Perhaps it might have been easy, based on his brief stint of experience at Southampton, to view Jason Wilcox as little more than a drudge within the club's structure: a man 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 head coach, as he outmanoeuvred the hapless a previous executive before him, he has proved himself to be among football's true generals: a strategic mind of which United’s competitors are now justifiably concerned.

The Strategic Clash Regarding Formation and Philosophy

To illustrate, it was Jason Wilcox who having been part of the leadership that appointed the 3-4-3 fundamentalist Amorim originally, was instrumental in trying to persuade him to ditch his beloved 3-4-3. Naturally, these pleas were resisted. But perhaps these judgements carry more weight when issued by a man of a man the impeccable football pedigree he possesses, holder of international appearances and a contributor to a championship team decades past.

Maybe eventually 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, without any compensation reduction clause in place. But Jason Wilcox seldom speaks in public, and with very good reason. The real thinkers of this sport – men like him – simply operate on a plane beyond our own 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 the same as being prepared to comprehend it.

An Ultimate Authority In the Throne

Naturally, by focusing our attention on the sporting director we are obscuring the real power behind the modern United throne. The director is, in reality, simply carrying out the directives of his line manager the billionaire owner, who privately has emphasized his desire for a back four. It is reported, Ratcliffe has also suggested deploying the forward as a right wing-back. Ratcliffe is keen for the club to adopt data science and metrics. Per reports, in an executive meeting early in his investment, he announced that United’s style of play “shall be decided in this room”.

Ultimately, Ratcliffe is a specialist in this technical footballing stuff, leveraging his background in petrochemicals and sailing. Most importantly he is immensely wealthy, and it is known, the rich are the best of us: more perceptive, sagacious, strategically brilliant, simply superior. Who else could one trust to manage an enlightened programme of austerity, the construction of a new stadium that appears similar to an abstract design, the acquisition of Benjamin Sesko?

A New Soccer Hierarchy: Directors Above Managers

This represents a shift that is becoming prevalent in top-tier football. For decades, clubs foolishly entrusted big footballing decisions to low-level employees such as coaches, scouts – players themselves. Maybe previously feasible for an up-and-coming, visionary coach with a philosophy and energy to go into an organization and implement their plan through to completion. But how many businesses have such individuals established? How many mass redundancies have they overseen? Better by far to invest the real power where it belongs: the executive class, the open-necked shirt brigade, the guys with the jaw-dropping professional resumes. Better by far to decide the tactics by the directors and appoint someone who can tailor their offering accordingly. If coaches were once chefs, they have become more akin to Deliveroo drivers: not responsible for the product, yet finally accountable if it arrives poorly or fails of the box.

In the meantime, their job is increasingly less about crafting the philosophy and more about marketing it: the front-facing representative on the front desk, the public face for a club they have minimal power to change. Enzo Maresca takes a squad of literal children into the Champions League and wins domestic cups, and effectively is dismissed for speaking out. A manager at Celtic sees his reputation ruined while those individuals who appointed him continue to make errors indefinitely.

A Modern Corporate Game: Responsibility Only for the Coaches

And possibly in a small way this represents neoliberalism at work: the rise of a gilded overclass who can never be wrong, whose decisions remain sacrosanct, whose mistakes can invariably be resolved by sacking without justification. Appoint the 3-4-3 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 summer signings, for the fact that the adults – regardless of their expertise – are in charge.