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Transpired the manager was able to withstand defeat by lower-league opposition. He weathered a decisive continental showpiece against a particularly poor Spurs sides in living memory. He could survive home defeats against West Ham and Wolves, a lowly league position, his rigid approach, squandering the team's most promising academy products, the 32% win rate, calling the squad the worst in Manchester United history. But there was a single opponent against whom the Portuguese coach would not be allowed to dance. If you challenge Jason Wilcox, and you best not miss.

Regrettably, similar to numerous Premiership right-back during Blackburn Rovers' championship 1994-95 season, the coach came at the executive and seems to have missed. Even the most casual observer will notice the irony here: a manager who often railed at his players for failing in individual battles crumbling in the face of the intense pressure and formidable presence of a England's top division's most feared sporting directors.

And frankly, this whole bruising episode appears to portray 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 merely a functionary in the United exoskeleton: a man who owed his position as much to his friendship with ex-colleague Omar Berrada rather than any demonstrable skill. How mistaken everyone was. By masterfully outsmarting the club's celebrated head coach, as he outmanoeuvred the hapless Dan Ashworth earlier, he has demonstrated as one of the sport’s true generals: a strategic mind of which United’s competitors will now be rightly wary.

A Tactical Conflict Regarding System & Philosophy

To illustrate, this was the director , after being involved in the leadership that appointed the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim originally, was instrumental in attempting to convince Amorim to abandon his favored 3-4-3. Unsurprisingly, these pleas met a certain resistance. However, these judgements carry more weight when delivered by a man of a man the unimpeachable soccer background he possesses, holder of three England caps and a contributor to a championship team from 31 years ago.

Maybe eventually he might agree to outline his thought processes publicly. Maybe one day questions may arise regarding why the coach is walking away with full compensation, without any penalty clause activated. But Jason Wilcox speaks rarely in public, and with very good reason. The true intellectuals of this sport – men like Jason Wilcox – simply operate on a plane exceeding our prosaic understanding. If he ever did speak, most likely we would perceive would be ultrasonic blips and four-dimensional whirring. Desiring an explanation is not quite the same as being ready to comprehend it.

An Supreme Authority In the Throne

But of course, in training our focus on Jason Wilcox we overlook the true genius behind the club's current leadership. Jason Wilcox is, in reality, simply carrying out the commands of his ultimate superior the billionaire owner, who in private has made very clear his preference for a four-man defense. According to reports, the owner has also suggested playing Bryan Mbeumo as a right wing-back. Ratcliffe is keen for the club to embrace data science and metrics. According to ESPN, during a leadership summit early in his minority ownership, he declared that United’s style of play “shall be determined in this room”.

Ultimately, Sir Jim is a specialist in this technical footballing stuff, drawing from his previous experience in industry and sailing. Above all he is incredibly rich, and it is known, the wealthy are the best of us: more insightful, more wise, strategically brilliant, fundamentally better. Whom else would you trust to manage an enlightened programme of cost-cutting, the construction of a new stadium that looks a lot like someone’s leftover knitting, the acquisition of Benjamin Sesko?

A Modern Football Hierarchy: Directors Over Managers

This is a trend we are increasingly seeing at the elite levels football. Historically, clubs foolishly entrusted big footballing decisions to subordinate staff such as coaches, talent spotters – even footballers. Perhaps it was once possible for a young, visionary coach with a philosophy and energy to join a club and see their vision through to completion. Yet how many companies have these guys established? How many mass redundancies have they managed? Far preferable to invest genuine authority where it rightly belongs: the leadership tier, the casually dressed executives, the individuals with the jaw-dropping LinkedIn profiles. It is wiser to determine the tactics by the directors and appoint someone who can tailor their offering accordingly. If managers were once chefs, they are now more akin to delivery personnel: not responsible for the product, but still finally accountable should it be delivered poorly or leaks out to meet standards.

Nowadays, a coach's role has become not about crafting the philosophy and more about marketing it: the receptionist 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 wins domestic cups, and essentially is dismissed for talking. A manager at Celtic finds his reputation ruined while those individuals who appointed him continue to make errors indefinitely.

A Modern Corporate Football: Accountability Only for the Few

And perhaps in a small way this represents corporate governance at work: the elevation of a privileged overclass who can never be wrong, whose decisions remain untouchable, whose mistakes can invariably be sacked away without justification. Hire the 3-4-3 coach only to dismiss them for playing too much 3-4-3. Bring in the process guy and later bin him for requiring excessive time. And above all be grateful; 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.