Amorim's Critical Mistake? Taking On Wilcox and the Infallible Executive Class

Iturns out the manager was able to withstand losing against lower-league opposition. He weathered an important European final versus one of the worst Spurs sides for many years. He could survive losing at home to West Ham and Wolves, a lowly league position, the tactical inflexibility, laying waste to the team's best academy products, a poor winning percentage, labeling the squad the poorest the club has ever seen. But there was a single opponent against whom Ruben Amorim was not permitted to dance. If you challenge Jason Wilcox, you had better succeed.

And frankly, this entire bruising episode appears to portray the director in a different perspective. It may have been tempting, given his brief stint in a similar role with the Saints, to view him as little more than a functionary within the club's structure: a man who owed his position largely to his close relationship with ex-colleague a fellow executive as any demonstrable skill. How mistaken everyone was. In brilliantly outmanoeuvring United’s feted head coach, as he outmanoeuvred the hapless Dan Ashworth before him, he has proved himself as one of football's strategic masterminds: a tactical intellect of which United’s mid-table rivals are now rightly wary.

The Strategic Conflict Over Formation & Ideology

For example, it was Jason Wilcox who being involved in the leadership that appointed the rigid 3-4-3 advocate the coach originally, was instrumental in attempting to convince him to ditch his favored formation. Naturally, these entreaties faced pushback. But perhaps such directives hold greater authority when issued from the mouth of a man the impeccable soccer background of Jason Wilcox, holder of three England caps and a role in a championship team from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time Jason Wilcox may be persuaded to explain his thought processes to the rest of us. Maybe one day he might be asked regarding why the coach is departing with a full payout, with no compensation reduction clause in place. But Jason Wilcox seldom speaks publicly, and with very good reason. The true intellectuals of this sport – men like him – function at a level exceeding our prosaic understanding. If he ever did speak, probably we would perceive would be high-frequency signals and complex calculations. Desiring an explanation is not quite equivalent to being ready to receive.

An Ultimate Power In the Throne

But of course, in training our focus on the sporting director we overlook the real power behind the modern United throne. The director is, after all, merely executing the directives of his line manager the billionaire owner, who in private has emphasized his preference for a four-man defense. It is reported, the owner has also proposed deploying the forward as a right wing-back. Ratcliffe is keen for the club to adopt data science and metrics. Per reports, during a leadership summit early in his investment, he announced that the team's approach to football “shall be determined in this room”.

After all, Ratcliffe is an expert in this technical football matters, drawing from his previous experience in petrochemicals and yachting. Most importantly he remains immensely wealthy, and as we all know, the rich are superior: more perceptive, sagacious, more tactically astute, fundamentally superior. Whom else could one trust to oversee a strategic plan of austerity, the building of a new stadium that appears similar to someone’s leftover knitting, the signing of Benjamin Sesko?

The Modern Football Hierarchy: Directors Above Managers

This represents a shift that is becoming prevalent in top-tier football. For decades, clubs foolishly delegated major sporting choices to low-level employees like managers, scouts – players themselves. Perhaps it was once feasible for a young, innovative manager with a philosophy and energy to join an organization and see their vision supported to fruition. But how many companies have these guys established? How many mass redundancies have they overseen? Far preferable to place the real power where it rightly belongs: the executive class, the casually dressed executives, the individuals with impressive LinkedIn profiles. It is wiser to determine the strategy by the directors and hire someone who can tailor their offering to suit. If managers were once chefs, they have become more akin to Deliveroo drivers: not responsible for the product, yet finally accountable should it be delivered poorly or leaks out of the box.

In the meantime, their job has become not about crafting the philosophy and more about marketing it: the receptionist of the operation, the visible figurehead of an organisation they have minimal power to change. A coach at Chelsea leads a team of very young players into Europe and wins domestic cups, and essentially is dismissed for talking. Wilfried Nancy sees his standing damaged while the people who appointed him live to blunder another day.

The Neoliberal Football: Responsibility Only for the Coaches

And possibly in a small way this is simply corporate governance in action: the elevation of a privileged overclass who can never be wrong, whose choices remain untouchable, whose errors can always be sacked away without justification. Appoint the system coach and then dismiss them for using excessively 3-4-3. Bring in the process guy and then discard them for requiring excessive time. And above all show gratitude; for the incremental season ticket price rises, for your new player acquisitions, for the reality that the adults – regardless of their expertise – are in charge.