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Itranspired he could survive defeat by lower-league opposition. Survive losing a crucial European final versus one of the worst Tottenham teams in living memory. He could survive home defeats against West Ham and Wolves, finishing 15th, his rigid approach, undermining some of the club’s best academy products, the 32% win rate, labeling the squad the poorest the club has ever seen. But there was a single opponent with whom the Portuguese coach was not permitted to dance. If you challenge Jason Wilcox, and you best not miss.

Regrettably, similar to numerous Premiership defender in Blackburn’s title-winning campaign, Amorim came at the executive and seems to have failed. The most distracted of readers will notice the irony here: a coach who often railed his squad for losing individual battles succumbing when confronted by the white heat and formidable presence of a the Premier League’s most intimidating football executives.

In truth, this entire painful saga appears to portray the director in a whole new light. It may have been easy, given his nine months in a similar role with the Saints, to view him as little more than a drudge within the club's structure: an individual who owed his position as much to his friendship with ex-colleague Omar Berrada as any verifiable talent. How mistaken we all were. In brilliantly outmanoeuvring United’s feted manager, as he outmanoeuvred the hapless Dan Ashworth earlier, he has demonstrated as one of football's true generals: a strategic mind of which United’s mid-table rivals will now be justifiably concerned.

A Strategic Conflict Regarding Formation & Ideology

To illustrate, this was the director , after having been part of the hierarchy that hired the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim originally, was instrumental in trying to persuade him to ditch his beloved formation. Naturally, these entreaties faced pushback. But perhaps such directives hold greater authority when issued from the mouth of a man the impeccable soccer background of Jason Wilcox, holder of three England caps and a role in a championship team decades past.

Maybe eventually Jason Wilcox may be persuaded to explain his thought processes publicly. Perhaps at some point he might be asked why Amorim is walking away with full compensation, with no penalty clause in place. But Jason Wilcox speaks rarely publicly, and with very good reason. The real thinkers in football – individuals such as him – simply operate at a level exceeding our mundane comprehension. 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 comprehend it.

The Ultimate Authority Behind the Throne

Naturally, by focusing our attention on the sporting director we overlook the real power behind the modern United throne. Jason Wilcox is, in reality, merely executing the commands of his ultimate line manager Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who privately has emphasized his desire for a four-man defense. It is reported, Ratcliffe has also suggested deploying the forward as a right wing-back. The owner is eager for United to adopt data science and analytics. Per reports, in an executive meeting soon after his minority ownership, he announced that the team's approach to football “shall be determined by this group”.

Ultimately, Sir Jim is a specialist in these intricate footballing stuff, drawing from his previous experience in petrochemicals and sailing. Most importantly he is incredibly rich, and it is known, 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 modern arena that appears similar to an abstract design, the signing of Benjamin Sesko?

The Modern Football Hierarchy: Executives Above Coaches

This represents a shift we are increasingly seeing in top-tier football. Historically, clubs foolishly delegated big footballing decisions to subordinate staff such as coaches, talent spotters – players themselves. Maybe previously feasible for an up-and-coming, innovative manager with ideas and drive to join an organization and see their vision through to completion. Yet how many businesses have such individuals set up? How many 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 the jaw-dropping professional resumes. It is wiser to decide the tactics by the directors and appoint someone who can tailor their methods to suit. If managers were formerly chefs, they are now more akin to Deliveroo drivers: not responsible for the product, but still finally accountable should it be delivered poorly or fails to meet standards.

Nowadays, their job is increasingly less about crafting the philosophy and more about selling it: the receptionist of the operation, the public face of an organisation they can do little to influence. A coach at Chelsea leads a team of literal children into the Champions League and wins two medium-sized trophies, and effectively gets sacked for talking. A manager at Celtic sees his reputation ruined while those individuals who hired him live to blunder indefinitely.

The Modern Corporate Football: Responsibility for the Coaches

And possibly on some microcosmic level this represents neoliberalism in action: the rise of a gilded elite who are infallible, whose choices remain untouchable, whose mistakes can invariably be resolved by sacking without explanation. Hire the system coach only to dismiss him for playing excessively 3-4-3. Hire the process guy and later bin him for requiring too long. And most importantly be grateful; for your modest increases in ticket costs, for the latest player acquisitions, for the fact that the grownups – regardless of their expertise – are in charge.