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Turns out Ruben Amorim was able to withstand losing against lower-league opposition. He weathered losing a crucial European final against a particularly poor Spurs sides in living memory. He could survive home defeats to West Ham and Wolves, a lowly league position, the tactical inflexibility, squandering the team's most promising homegrown talent, the 32% win rate, calling the squad the worst the club has ever seen. Yet, there existed a single opponent against whom Ruben Amorim was not permitted to tango. If you challenge Jason Wilcox, and you best not miss.

Regrettably, similar to numerous top-flight right-back in Blackburn’s championship campaign, the coach came at the executive and appears to have failed. The most casual observer 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 white heat and animal charisma of one of the Premier League’s most intimidating football executives.

In truth, this entire painful saga appears to portray the director in a different perspective. It may have been tempting, based on his brief stint in a similar role with the Saints, to view Jason Wilcox as merely a functionary in the United exoskeleton: a man whose appointment was due largely to his friendship with ex-colleague a fellow executive as any verifiable talent. How mistaken everyone was. By masterfully outmanoeuvring United’s feted head coach, just as he bested the unfortunate a previous executive before him, he has proved himself to be among football's true generals: a strategic mind that the club's mid-table rivals will now be rightly wary.

The Tactical Clash Over System and Ideology

For example, this was the director who being involved in the leadership that hired the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim in the first place, was instrumental in attempting to convince him to ditch his favored 3-4-3. Naturally, these pleas met a certain resistance. But perhaps such directives hold greater authority when delivered by a man of a man the impeccable football pedigree he possesses, a veteran of international appearances and a role in a championship team from 31 years ago.

Maybe eventually Jason Wilcox might agree to explain his reasoning to the rest of us. Perhaps at some point questions may arise regarding why the coach is departing with full compensation, with no penalty clause activated. But Jason Wilcox seldom speaks in public, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers in football – men like him – simply operate at a level beyond our own prosaic understanding. Were he to speak, probably we would perceive would be ultrasonic blips and complex calculations. Wanting is not the same as being prepared to receive.

An Supreme Authority In Command

But of course, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we overlook the true genius behind the club's current leadership. The director 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 proposed deploying the forward as a right wing-back. The owner is eager for the club to adopt data science and metrics. Per reports, in an executive meeting early in his investment, he announced that the team's approach to football “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 incredibly rich, and it is known, the wealthy are superior: more perceptive, sagacious, more tactically astute, fundamentally better. Who else could one trust to manage an enlightened programme of austerity, the construction of a new stadium that looks a lot like an abstract design, the signing of a new striker?

A Modern Soccer Hierarchy: Directors Over Managers

This represents a shift that is becoming prevalent in top-tier of the game. Historically, clubs foolishly entrusted big footballing decisions to low-level employees like managers, scouts – players themselves. Perhaps it was once feasible 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 set up? What number of large-scale layoffs have they overseen? Far preferable to place the real power where it belongs: the executive class, the open-necked shirt brigade, the guys with impressive LinkedIn profiles. It is wiser to determine the strategy in the boardroom and hire someone who can tailor their offering to suit. If managers were formerly chefs, they have become more akin to delivery personnel: not responsible for the food, yet finally accountable should it be delivered cold or fails of the box.

In the meantime, their job is increasingly not about crafting the philosophy and more about marketing it: the receptionist of the operation, the public face of an organisation they have minimal power to influence. Enzo Maresca leads a team of very young players into Europe and wins domestic cups, and essentially gets sacked for speaking out. Wilfried Nancy sees his reputation ruined while those individuals who appointed him continue to make errors indefinitely.

A Modern Corporate Game: Accountability for the Few

And perhaps in a small way this is simply corporate governance in action: the elevation of a gilded overclass who are infallible, whose decisions are always untouchable, whose mistakes can invariably be resolved by sacking without justification. Appoint the system coach only to fire him for playing excessively that system. Bring in the project manager and later discard him for taking too long. And most importantly be grateful; for the incremental season ticket price rises, for your new player acquisitions, for the reality that the adults – regardless of their expertise – remain in control.