The Coach's Critical Error? Taking On Wilcox and the Infallible Leadership Class

Itranspired Ruben Amorim could survive a loss to Grimsby. He weathered an important European final against a particularly poor Tottenham teams for many years. He withstood losing at home against domestic rivals, a lowly league position, an unwavering system, undermining the team's best homegrown talent, the 32% win rate, calling the squad the worst the club has ever seen. But there was one adversary with whom the Portuguese coach was not permitted to dance. If you challenge Jason Wilcox, and you best not miss.

And frankly, this whole bruising episode appears to portray the director in a different perspective. It may have been tempting, given his nine months of experience with the Saints, to view him as merely a drudge in the United exoskeleton: an individual whose appointment was due largely to his close relationship with his former boss Omar Berrada as any verifiable talent. How mistaken we all were. By masterfully outsmarting the club's celebrated head coach, just as he bested the hapless Dan Ashworth earlier, he has proved himself as one of football's true generals: a strategic mind that United’s mid-table rivals will now be justifiably concerned.

A Strategic Clash Regarding System & Ideology

To illustrate, this was the director who being involved in the leadership that appointed the rigid 3-4-3 advocate the coach in the first place, played a key role in trying to persuade Amorim to ditch his beloved 3-4-3. Naturally, these entreaties faced pushback. However, such directives carry more weight when delivered from the mouth of a man the impeccable football pedigree of Jason Wilcox, holder of international appearances and a contributor to a title-winning side from 31 years ago.

Maybe eventually he may be persuaded to outline his thought processes to the rest of us. Maybe one day he might be asked why Amorim is departing with a full payout, without any compensation reduction clause in place. The director speaks rarely publicly, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers of this sport – men like him – simply operate on a plane beyond our own prosaic understanding. Were he to speak, probably all we would hear is a series of ultrasonic blips and four-dimensional whirring. Wanting 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 true genius behind the club's current leadership. Jason Wilcox is, after all, simply carrying out the commands of his superior Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who privately has made very clear his desire for a back four. It is reported, Ratcliffe has also suggested playing Bryan Mbeumo in a wing-back role. Ratcliffe is keen for United to adopt analytics and analytics. Per reports, during a leadership summit early in his investment, he declared that United’s style of play “will be decided by this group”.

After all, Sir Jim is an expert in this technical footballing stuff, drawing from his background in industry and yachting. Most importantly he remains incredibly rich, and as we all know, the rich are superior: more insightful, more wise, more tactically astute, simply better. Whom else could one trust to manage a strategic plan of cost-cutting, the construction of a new stadium that appears similar to someone’s leftover knitting, the signing of Benjamin Sesko?

The New Football Hierarchy: Executives Above Managers

This is a trend that is becoming prevalent at the elite levels of the game. Historically, teams mistakenly entrusted major sporting choices to low-level employees such as coaches, scouts – even footballers. Perhaps it was once possible for a young, innovative manager with a philosophy and energy to go into an organization and see their vision supported to fruition. But how many companies have such individuals set up? What number of mass redundancies have they managed? Far preferable to place genuine authority where it belongs: the leadership tier, the open-necked shirt brigade, the individuals with impressive professional resumes. Better by far to decide the tactics in the boardroom and hire someone who can tailor their methods to suit. If coaches were once chefs, they have become more like delivery personnel: not really responsible for the food, but still finally accountable if it arrives cold or leaks out to meet standards.

In the meantime, their job has become 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. A coach at Chelsea leads a team of very young players into Europe and wins domestic cups, and effectively is dismissed for talking. A manager at Celtic finds his standing damaged while those individuals who appointed him live to blunder indefinitely.

A Modern Corporate Game: Accountability Only for the Coaches

And perhaps on some microcosmic level this represents corporate governance in action: the elevation of a privileged elite who are infallible, whose decisions are always untouchable, whose mistakes can always be sacked away without justification. Hire the system coach and then dismiss them for using excessively that system. Hire the project manager and then discard them for requiring excessive time. And above all show gratitude; for the incremental season ticket price rises, for the latest player acquisitions, for the fact that the adults – however well qualified – are in charge.