Iturns out the manager was able to withstand a loss to Grimsby. He weathered a decisive European final versus one of the worst Tottenham teams for many years. He could survive losing at home to domestic rivals, a lowly league position, an unwavering system, undermining some of the club’s best homegrown talent, the 32% win rate, labeling his team the worst in Manchester United history. Yet, there existed one adversary against whom Ruben Amorim would not be allowed to tango. You come at the sporting director, you had better succeed.
Regrettably, similar to numerous top-flight defender in Blackburn’s championship 1994-95 season, the coach took on Jason Wilcox and appears to have missed. The most casual observer can see the paradoxical situation: a manager who often railed at his players for losing individual battles crumbling when confronted by the intense pressure and animal charisma of one of the Premier League’s most feared football executives.
In truth, this whole bruising episode appears to portray Jason Wilcox in a different perspective. It may have been tempting, based on his brief stint in a similar role with the Saints, to view him as merely a drudge in the United exoskeleton: a man whose appointment was due largely to his close relationship with ex-colleague Omar Berrada rather than any demonstrable skill. How wrong we all were. By masterfully outmanoeuvring United’s feted manager, just as he bested the hapless a previous executive earlier, Jason Wilcox has proved himself to be among the sport’s true generals: a strategic mind of which United’s competitors are now rightly wary.
To illustrate, it was Jason Wilcox , after having been part of the leadership that appointed the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim originally, was instrumental in attempting to convince him to abandon his favored formation. Unsurprisingly, these pleas were resisted. However, such directives carry more weight when issued from the mouth of a man the impeccable football pedigree of Jason Wilcox, holder of three England caps and a role in a championship team from 31 years ago.
Maybe eventually he may be persuaded to outline his reasoning to the rest of us. Maybe one day questions may arise regarding why the coach is departing with full compensation, with no penalty clause in place. But Jason Wilcox speaks rarely publicly, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers in football – men like him – simply operate at a level exceeding our prosaic understanding. Were he to speak, most likely all we would hear would be high-frequency signals and four-dimensional whirring. Desiring an explanation is not quite equivalent to being prepared to comprehend it.
Naturally, 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 ultimate superior Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who privately has made very clear his desire for a four-man defense. It is reported, the owner has also suggested deploying the forward in a wing-back role. Ratcliffe is keen for United to embrace data science and analytics. Per reports, during a leadership summit soon after his investment, he announced that the team's approach to football “will be decided by this group”.
After all, Sir Jim is an expert in these intricate footballing stuff, leveraging his background in industry and yachting. Above all he is incredibly rich, and it is known, the rich are the best of us: more insightful, more wise, more tactically astute, 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?
This represents a shift that is becoming prevalent at the elite levels football. Historically, teams mistakenly entrusted major sporting choices to subordinate staff like managers, scouts – even footballers. Maybe previously possible for a young, visionary coach with a philosophy and energy to join an organization and see their vision through to completion. But how many businesses have such individuals established? What number of mass redundancies have they managed? Far preferable to invest genuine authority where it belongs: the leadership tier, the casually dressed executives, the individuals with impressive LinkedIn profiles. It is wiser to determine the tactics by the directors and hire someone who can tailor their methods accordingly. If managers were once chefs, they have become more akin to delivery personnel: not responsible for the food, yet ultimately answerable if it arrives poorly or fails to meet standards.
In the meantime, their job is increasingly not about crafting the philosophy and more about selling it: the receptionist of the operation, the public face for a club they have minimal power to influence. Enzo Maresca takes a squad of literal children into Europe and wins two medium-sized trophies, and essentially gets sacked for speaking out. Wilfried Nancy finds his reputation ruined whereas the people who appointed him continue to make errors another day.
And possibly in a small way this is simply neoliberalism at work: the elevation of a privileged overclass who can never be wrong, whose choices are always sacrosanct, whose errors can always be resolved by sacking without justification. Appoint the 3-4-3 coach and then dismiss him for playing excessively that system. Hire the project manager and then bin them for taking too long. And above all be grateful; for the incremental increases in ticket costs, for the latest summer signings, for the fact that the adults – however well qualified – are in charge.
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