Amorim's Critical Mistake? Challenging The Executives and the Infallible Leadership Class

Transpired he could survive losing against Grimsby. Survive an important European final versus one of the worst Tottenham teams in living memory. He withstood home defeats against West Ham and Wolves, finishing 15th, the tactical inflexibility, undermining some of the club’s best academy products, a poor winning percentage, calling the squad the poorest the club has ever seen. But there was one adversary with whom Ruben Amorim was not permitted to tango. You come at Jason Wilcox, and you best not miss.

In truth, this entire painful saga appears to portray Jason Wilcox in a different perspective. Perhaps it might have been tempting, based on his brief stint of experience with the Saints, to view him as merely a functionary in the United exoskeleton: an individual whose appointment was due as much to his close relationship with ex-colleague a fellow executive rather than any demonstrable skill. How mistaken everyone was. In brilliantly outsmarting the club's celebrated head coach, as he outmanoeuvred the unfortunate a previous executive earlier, he has proved himself as one of the sport’s true generals: a tactical intellect of which United’s mid-table rivals are now justifiably concerned.

A Strategic Clash Regarding Formation & Ideology

For example, this was Jason Wilcox , after having been part of the hierarchy that appointed the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim originally, was instrumental in trying to persuade Amorim to ditch his beloved 3-4-3. Unsurprisingly, these entreaties were resisted. However, these judgements carry more weight when delivered from the mouth with the impeccable football pedigree he possesses, holder of three England caps and a contributor to a championship team from 31 years ago.

Maybe eventually he may be persuaded to explain his reasoning publicly. Maybe one day he might be asked why Amorim is departing with full compensation, with no penalty clause activated. The director speaks rarely in public, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers in football – individuals such as him – function at a level exceeding our mundane comprehension. If he ever did speak, most likely we would perceive would be high-frequency signals and complex calculations. Wanting is not the same as being prepared to comprehend it.

An Ultimate Power In Command

Naturally, in training our focus on the sporting director we overlook the real power behind the club's current leadership. Jason Wilcox is, in reality, merely executing the commands of his ultimate superior Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who privately has made very clear his desire for a four-man defense. According to reports, the owner has also suggested playing Bryan Mbeumo in a wing-back role. Ratcliffe is keen for United to embrace data science and metrics. According to ESPN, during a leadership summit early in his minority ownership, he declared that the team's approach to football “will be decided in this room”.

Ultimately, Ratcliffe is a specialist in this technical footballing stuff, leveraging his background in petrochemicals and yachting. Most importantly he is incredibly rich, and it is known, the wealthy are superior: more insightful, sagacious, strategically brilliant, simply superior. Who else would you trust to manage an enlightened programme of cost-cutting, the construction of a modern arena that appears similar to an abstract design, the acquisition of Benjamin Sesko?

A Modern Soccer Order: Executives Above Coaches

This is a trend that is becoming prevalent at the elite levels football. Historically, teams mistakenly entrusted major sporting choices to low-level employees like managers, scouts – players themselves. Maybe previously feasible for an up-and-coming, innovative manager with a philosophy and drive to join an organization and see their vision through to completion. Yet how many companies have such individuals set up? What number of mass redundancies have they managed? Better by far to invest the real power where it belongs: the leadership tier, the open-necked shirt brigade, the guys with impressive professional resumes. It is wiser to determine the strategy in the boardroom and hire someone who will adapt their methods to suit. If coaches were once chefs, they have become more like delivery personnel: not really creating the product, yet finally accountable if it arrives poorly or leaks out of the box.

In the meantime, a coach's role has become not about defining the vision 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 takes a squad of very young players into Europe and wins two medium-sized trophies, and effectively is dismissed for speaking out. A manager at Celtic finds his reputation ruined while those individuals who hired him continue to make errors indefinitely.

The Neoliberal Football: Responsibility for the Few

And perhaps in a small way this represents neoliberalism at work: the rise of a privileged overclass who can never be wrong, whose decisions remain sacrosanct, whose mistakes can always be sacked away without justification. Appoint the 3-4-3 coach and then dismiss them for playing too much 3-4-3. Bring in the process guy and then discard them for requiring excessive time. And most importantly be grateful; for the incremental increases in ticket costs, for the latest summer signings, for the fact that the grownups – regardless of their expertise – remain in control.