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Itranspired he was able to withstand a loss to Grimsby. He weathered an important European final against a particularly poor Spurs sides for many years. He could survive losing at home against domestic rivals, a lowly league position, an unwavering system, undermining the team's most promising homegrown talent, a poor winning percentage, labeling the squad the poorest the club has ever seen. But there was one adversary against whom Ruben Amorim was not permitted to engage. You come at the sporting director, and you best not miss.

Unfortunately, like many a Premiership right-back in Blackburn’s title-winning campaign, Amorim came at the executive and seems to have missed. Even the most casual observer can see the irony here: a manager who frequently berated his squad for failing in one-on-one duels succumbing when confronted by the intense pressure and formidable presence of one of England's top division's most intimidating sporting directors.

In truth, this entire bruising episode appears to portray 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 view him as little more than a functionary within the club's structure: a man whose appointment was due as much to his close relationship with ex-colleague a fellow executive as any verifiable talent. How wrong we all were. In brilliantly outsmarting United’s feted manager, as he outmanoeuvred the unfortunate Dan Ashworth earlier, he has demonstrated to be among the sport’s true generals: a strategic mind of which United’s mid-table rivals will now be rightly wary.

A Strategic Clash Regarding Formation and Ideology

For example, it was the director who having been part of the hierarchy that hired the rigid 3-4-3 advocate the coach in the first place, was instrumental in attempting to convince Amorim to abandon his favored 3-4-3. Unsurprisingly, these entreaties were resisted. However, these judgements hold greater authority when issued by a man of a man the impeccable soccer background he possesses, holder of international appearances and a role in a title-winning side from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time he may be persuaded to explain his thought processes publicly. Maybe one day he might be asked regarding why the coach is walking away with a full payout, without any penalty clause activated. But Jason Wilcox seldom speaks in public, for excellent reasons. The true intellectuals of this sport – men like Jason Wilcox – simply operate on a plane beyond our own mundane comprehension. Were he to speak, probably we would perceive would be ultrasonic blips and complex calculations. Wanting is not equivalent to being ready to receive.

The Ultimate Power In the Throne

But of course, in training our focus on the sporting director we are obscuring the true genius behind the club's current leadership. The director is, after all, simply carrying out the directives of his superior the billionaire owner, who privately has emphasized his preference for a back four. According to reports, Ratcliffe has also suggested deploying the forward in a wing-back role. The owner is eager for the club to embrace analytics and metrics. According to ESPN, during a leadership summit soon after his minority ownership, he declared that United’s style to football “will be decided by this group”.

After all, Ratcliffe is an expert in these intricate footballing stuff, drawing from his background in industry and sailing. Most importantly he is immensely wealthy, and it is known, the wealthy are superior: more insightful, more wise, more tactically astute, simply better. Who else would you trust to manage a strategic plan of cost-cutting, the building of a modern arena that looks similar to someone’s leftover knitting, the signing of Benjamin Sesko?

The New Soccer Hierarchy: Executives Above Coaches

This is a trend that is becoming prevalent in top-tier of the game. For decades, teams mistakenly entrusted major sporting choices to subordinate staff like managers, scouts – even footballers. Perhaps it was once possible for a young, visionary coach with a philosophy and drive to join a club and implement their plan through to completion. But how many businesses have these guys established? What number of mass redundancies have they managed? Better by far to place genuine authority where it belongs: the executive class, the open-necked shirt brigade, the guys with the jaw-dropping professional resumes. Better by far to determine the tactics in the boardroom and appoint a coach who will adapt their offering to suit. If coaches were formerly chefs, they are now more like delivery personnel: not responsible for the food, but still ultimately answerable if it arrives poorly or leaks out to meet standards.

In the meantime, their job is increasingly less about defining the vision and more about selling it: the front-facing representative 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 the Champions League and secures two medium-sized trophies, and effectively gets sacked for talking. Wilfried Nancy finds his reputation ruined whereas the people who hired him live to blunder another day.

A Neoliberal Football: Responsibility for the Coaches

And perhaps in a small way this represents corporate governance in action: the rise of a privileged overclass who are infallible, whose choices remain untouchable, whose mistakes can invariably be sacked away without explanation. Appoint the 3-4-3 coach only to dismiss him for using excessively that system. Bring in the project manager and later discard him for taking excessive time. And most importantly be grateful; for your modest increases in ticket costs, for the latest player acquisitions, for the fact that the grownups – however well qualified – remain in control.