The Coach's Fatal Mistake? Challenging The Executives and the Unassailable Executive Tier

Tbecame clear Ruben Amorim could survive defeat by lower-league opposition. Survive a decisive continental showpiece against one of the worst Spurs sides for many years. He withstood losing at home to West Ham and Wolves, finishing 15th, an unwavering system, squandering some of the club’s most promising academy products, a poor winning percentage, labeling his team the poorest in Manchester United history. But there was a single opponent against whom Ruben Amorim was not permitted to engage. If you challenge the sporting director, you had better succeed.

And frankly, this whole bruising episode appears to portray the director in a whole new light. It may have been tempting, given his brief stint in a similar role at Southampton, to regard him as little more than a functionary in the United exoskeleton: a man whose appointment was due largely to his friendship with ex-colleague Omar Berrada as any demonstrable skill. How wrong everyone was. In brilliantly outsmarting United’s feted head coach, just as he bested the hapless a previous executive before him, Jason Wilcox has proved himself as one of football's true generals: a strategic mind of which United’s mid-table rivals are now rightly wary.

A Strategic Conflict Regarding Formation and Philosophy

For example, it was the director who having been part of the leadership that appointed the rigid 3-4-3 advocate the coach originally, played a key role in attempting to convince Amorim to ditch his beloved 3-4-3. Naturally, these pleas faced pushback. However, such directives hold greater authority when issued by a man with the impeccable football pedigree he possesses, a veteran of international appearances and a contributor to a championship team from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time he may be persuaded to outline his thought processes to the rest of us. Maybe one day he might be asked why Amorim is walking away with a full payout, without any compensation reduction clause in place. The director seldom speaks publicly, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers of this sport – men like him – function on a plane exceeding our mundane comprehension. Were he to speak, probably all we would hear is a series of ultrasonic blips and complex calculations. Desiring an explanation is not the same as being ready to receive.

The Ultimate Power Behind Command

Naturally, in training our focus on Jason Wilcox we overlook the real power behind the club's current leadership. The director is, after all, merely executing the commands of his superior the billionaire owner, who privately has emphasized his desire for a back four. It is reported, Ratcliffe has also suggested playing Bryan Mbeumo in a wing-back role. The owner is eager for the club 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 to football “shall be decided in this room”.

Ultimately, Sir Jim 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 wealthy are the best of us: more insightful, sagacious, more tactically astute, fundamentally superior. Who else would you trust to oversee a strategic plan of austerity, the building of a modern arena that looks similar to an abstract design, the signing of a new striker?

The Modern Soccer Order: Directors Over Coaches

This represents a shift we are increasingly seeing in top-tier football. Historically, clubs foolishly delegated major sporting choices to subordinate staff like managers, scouts – even footballers. Perhaps it was once feasible for a young, visionary coach with a philosophy and drive to join a club and implement their plan through to completion. But how many companies have such individuals established? How many large-scale layoffs have they managed? Better by far to place genuine authority where it belongs: the executive class, the open-necked shirt brigade, the individuals with impressive professional resumes. It is wiser to determine the tactics by the directors and appoint someone who can tailor their methods to suit. If coaches were formerly chefs, they are now more like delivery personnel: not responsible for the food, but still ultimately answerable if it arrives poorly or fails of the box.

Nowadays, a coach's role is increasingly not about defining the vision and more about marketing it: the front-facing representative on the front desk, the public face for a club they have minimal power to change. Enzo Maresca leads a team of literal children into Europe and secures domestic cups, and essentially gets sacked for talking. A manager at Celtic sees his reputation ruined whereas those individuals who hired him continue to make errors another day.

The Modern Corporate Game: Accountability Only for the Coaches

And perhaps in a small way this is simply neoliberalism in action: the rise of a privileged overclass who are infallible, whose choices are always sacrosanct, whose mistakes can invariably be resolved by sacking without explanation. Hire the system coach only to fire him for using excessively that system. Bring in the process guy and later bin them for taking excessive time. And above all be grateful; for your modest increases in ticket costs, for the latest player acquisitions, for the reality that the grownups – however well qualified – are in charge.