The Coach's Fatal Error? Taking On Wilcox and an Unassailable Executive Tier

Turns out he was able to withstand a loss to Grimsby. He weathered losing a crucial European final against one of the worst Tottenham teams for many years. He withstood losing at home against domestic rivals, finishing 15th, an unwavering system, undermining some of the club’s best homegrown talent, the 32% win rate, labeling the squad the poorest the club has ever seen. But there was a single opponent against whom Ruben Amorim was not permitted to engage. You come at Jason Wilcox, you had better succeed.

And frankly, this entire bruising episode appears to portray the director in a different perspective. Perhaps it might have been tempting, based on his brief stint of experience at Southampton, to view Jason Wilcox as merely a functionary 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 demonstrable skill. How wrong we all were. In brilliantly outmanoeuvring United’s feted manager, as he outmanoeuvred the hapless Dan Ashworth before him, he has proved himself to be among football's strategic masterminds: a tactical intellect that United’s mid-table rivals are now rightly wary.

A Tactical Conflict Regarding Formation and Ideology

To illustrate, it was Jason Wilcox , after being involved in the hierarchy that appointed the rigid 3-4-3 advocate the coach originally, was instrumental in attempting to convince him to ditch his beloved formation. Naturally, these pleas met a certain resistance. However, these judgements carry more weight when delivered from the mouth with the unimpeachable football pedigree of Jason Wilcox, a veteran of three England caps and a contributor to a championship team from 31 years ago.

Maybe eventually he might agree to explain his thought processes publicly. Maybe one day questions may arise regarding why the coach is departing with a full payout, without any penalty clause activated. The director speaks rarely publicly, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers in football – individuals such as him – function at a level beyond our own prosaic understanding. If he ever did speak, most likely all we would hear is a series of ultrasonic blips and complex calculations. Wanting is not quite the same as being ready to comprehend it.

The Ultimate Power Behind the Throne

But of course, by focusing our attention on the sporting director we are obscuring the real power behind the club's current leadership. Jason Wilcox is, after all, simply carrying out the directives of his ultimate line manager Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who privately has emphasized his preference for a four-man defense. It is reported, Ratcliffe has also proposed playing Bryan Mbeumo as a right wing-back. Ratcliffe is keen for United to embrace data science and analytics. According to ESPN, in an executive meeting soon after his minority ownership, he declared that the team's approach of play “shall be determined by this group”.

After all, Sir Jim is an expert in these intricate footballing stuff, drawing from his background in petrochemicals and yachting. Most importantly he remains immensely wealthy, and as we all know, the rich are the best of us: more insightful, more wise, strategically brilliant, simply superior. Who else could one trust to oversee an enlightened programme of cost-cutting, the construction of a new stadium that looks similar to an abstract design, the signing of a new striker?

The Modern Soccer Hierarchy: Executives Over Coaches

This represents a shift we are increasingly seeing at the elite levels football. For decades, clubs foolishly delegated major sporting choices to subordinate staff like managers, talent spotters – even footballers. Maybe previously possible for a young, visionary coach with a philosophy and drive to join an organization and see their vision supported to fruition. Yet how many businesses have such individuals set up? How many large-scale layoffs have they managed? Better by far to place genuine authority where it belongs: the leadership tier, the open-necked shirt brigade, the guys with impressive professional resumes. Better by far to determine the strategy in the boardroom and appoint a coach who will adapt their methods accordingly. If coaches were formerly chefs, they are now more like Deliveroo drivers: not really responsible for the product, yet finally accountable should it be delivered poorly or leaks out to meet standards.

Nowadays, their job is increasingly less about defining the vision and more about selling it: the receptionist of the operation, the public face of an organisation they have minimal power to change. Enzo Maresca takes a squad of literal children into the Champions League and wins domestic cups, and effectively gets sacked for speaking out. A manager at Celtic finds his standing damaged while those individuals who hired him continue to make errors another day.

The Neoliberal Football: Responsibility for the Coaches

And perhaps on some microcosmic level this is simply corporate governance at work: the rise of a gilded overclass who are infallible, whose choices are always untouchable, whose errors can always be sacked away without justification. Hire the system coach only to fire them for playing excessively that system. Bring in the project manager and later discard him for taking too long. And most importantly be grateful; for your modest season ticket price rises, for the latest player acquisitions, for the reality that the adults – however well qualified – remain in control.