The Coach's Critical Error? Taking On Wilcox and the Unassailable Executive Class

Tbecame clear the manager endured defeat by lower-league opposition. Survive a decisive continental showpiece versus one of the worst Tottenham teams for many years. He could survive home defeats against West Ham and Wolves, a lowly league position, his rigid approach, laying waste to the team's most promising homegrown talent, the 32% win rate, calling the squad the worst the club has ever seen. Yet, there existed a single opponent against whom the Portuguese coach would not be allowed to tango. If you challenge Jason Wilcox, and you best not miss.

And frankly, this entire bruising episode appears to portray Jason Wilcox in a whole new light. Perhaps it might have been tempting, based on his nine months in a similar role with the Saints, to view Jason Wilcox as little more than a drudge within the club's structure: a man whose appointment was due as much to his close relationship with ex-colleague Omar Berrada rather than any verifiable talent. How mistaken everyone was. In brilliantly outmanoeuvring the club's celebrated manager, just as he bested the hapless Dan Ashworth before him, Jason Wilcox has demonstrated to be among the sport’s strategic masterminds: a strategic mind of which the club's competitors are now justifiably concerned.

A Tactical Conflict Over Formation & Philosophy

For example, this was the director who being involved in the leadership that appointed the 3-4-3 fundamentalist the coach in the first place, was instrumental in attempting to convince Amorim to ditch his beloved formation. Unsurprisingly, these entreaties faced pushback. But perhaps these judgements carry more weight when delivered from the mouth with the impeccable football pedigree of Jason Wilcox, a veteran of three England caps and a role in a championship team from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time he may be persuaded to outline his reasoning to the rest of us. Maybe one day questions may arise regarding why the coach is walking away with a full payout, with no penalty clause in place. The director seldom speaks publicly, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers in football – individuals such as Jason Wilcox – simply operate at a level beyond our own prosaic understanding. If he ever did speak, most likely we would perceive is a series of high-frequency signals and four-dimensional whirring. Desiring an explanation is not the same as being ready to receive.

The Supreme Authority In the Throne

But of course, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we are obscuring the real power behind the modern United throne. The director is, in reality, merely executing the directives of his ultimate superior Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who in private has made very clear his desire for a four-man defense. It is reported, the owner has also suggested playing Bryan Mbeumo in a wing-back role. The owner is eager for the club to adopt data science and analytics. Per reports, during a leadership summit early in his minority ownership, he declared that United’s style to football “shall be determined by this group”.

After all, Sir Jim is a specialist in these intricate footballing stuff, drawing from his background in industry and sailing. Above all he remains incredibly rich, and as we all know, the wealthy are superior: more insightful, more wise, strategically brilliant, fundamentally superior. Who else would you trust to oversee an enlightened programme of austerity, the construction of a modern arena that appears a lot like someone’s leftover knitting, the signing of Benjamin Sesko?

The New Football Order: Executives Over Coaches

This represents a shift we are increasingly seeing in top-tier of the game. For decades, clubs foolishly entrusted big footballing decisions to low-level employees like managers, talent spotters – even footballers. Maybe previously possible for an up-and-coming, innovative manager with a philosophy and drive to go into an organization and see their vision through to completion. But how many businesses have these guys established? How many mass redundancies have they managed? Far preferable to invest genuine authority where it rightly belongs: the executive class, the casually dressed executives, the individuals with impressive professional resumes. Better by far to determine the strategy in the boardroom and appoint someone who will adapt their methods to suit. If managers were once chefs, they are now more like Deliveroo drivers: not really responsible for the product, but still ultimately answerable should it be delivered cold or fails to meet standards.

In the meantime, a coach's role is increasingly less about crafting the philosophy and more about marketing it: the front-facing representative on the front desk, the visible figurehead of an organisation they can do little to change. A coach at Chelsea leads a team 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 whereas the people who hired him live to blunder another day.

A Neoliberal Game: Responsibility Only for the Coaches

And perhaps on some microcosmic level this represents corporate governance at work: the elevation of a privileged overclass who can never be wrong, whose choices remain untouchable, whose mistakes can invariably be sacked away without justification. Hire the 3-4-3 coach only to fire them for using excessively 3-4-3. Hire the process guy and later discard them for requiring too long. And above all show gratitude; for your modest increases in ticket costs, for the latest summer signings, for the reality that the grownups – however well qualified – remain in control.