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Itranspired he could survive a loss to lower-league opposition. Survive an important continental showpiece versus a particularly poor Spurs sides for many years. He could survive losing at home against West Ham and Wolves, a lowly league position, the tactical inflexibility, undermining the team's best academy products, the 32% win rate, labeling his team the worst the club has ever seen. But there was one adversary against whom the Portuguese coach would not be allowed to engage. You come at Jason Wilcox, and you best not miss.

Regrettably, like many a top-flight defender in Blackburn’s championship campaign, Amorim took on the executive and appears to have missed. The most casual observer will notice the paradoxical situation: a manager who often railed at his players for failing in individual battles succumbing in the face of the white heat and animal charisma of a the Premier League’s most feared football executives.

And frankly, this whole bruising episode seems to paint the director in a whole new light. It may have been tempting, based on his brief stint in a similar role with the Saints, to view him as merely a drudge in the United exoskeleton: a man whose appointment was due largely to his close relationship with his former boss a fellow executive as any demonstrable skill. How mistaken we all were. In brilliantly outsmarting the club's celebrated manager, just as he bested the hapless a previous executive earlier, Jason Wilcox has demonstrated to be among football's true generals: a tactical intellect that United’s competitors are now rightly wary.

A Tactical Conflict Over Formation & Philosophy

To illustrate, it was Jason Wilcox , after having been part of the hierarchy that hired the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim originally, played a key role in trying to persuade Amorim to abandon his favored 3-4-3. Naturally, these entreaties faced pushback. But perhaps these judgements carry more weight when delivered from the mouth of a man the impeccable football pedigree of Jason Wilcox, holder of international appearances and a role in a championship team decades past.

Maybe eventually he might agree to outline his reasoning to the rest of us. Maybe one day he might be asked why Amorim is departing with a full payout, without any penalty clause in place. But Jason Wilcox seldom speaks in public, and with very good reason. The real thinkers in football – individuals such as Jason Wilcox – function at a level beyond our own 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 equivalent to being ready to comprehend it.

An Ultimate Power In Command

Naturally, by focusing our attention on the sporting director we overlook the real power behind the modern United throne. The director is, after all, 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, Ratcliffe has also suggested playing Bryan Mbeumo in a wing-back role. Ratcliffe is keen for United to embrace analytics and analytics. According to ESPN, during a leadership summit soon after his investment, he declared that United’s style of play “will be determined by this group”.

After all, Ratcliffe is an expert in this technical football matters, drawing from his background in petrochemicals and yachting. Most importantly he remains immensely wealthy, and as we all know, the wealthy are superior: more insightful, sagacious, strategically brilliant, fundamentally superior. Who else would you trust to oversee an enlightened programme of austerity, the construction of a modern arena that looks a lot like someone’s leftover knitting, the signing of a new striker?

A Modern Soccer Hierarchy: Executives Above Coaches

This represents a shift that is becoming prevalent in top-tier football. Historically, teams mistakenly delegated big footballing decisions to subordinate staff like managers, scouts – even footballers. Perhaps it was once feasible for a young, innovative manager with a philosophy and energy to go into an organization and implement their plan supported to fruition. But how many companies have such individuals set up? What number of mass redundancies have they overseen? Better by far to invest the real power where it rightly belongs: the leadership tier, the open-necked shirt brigade, the individuals with the jaw-dropping LinkedIn profiles. It is wiser to determine the tactics by the directors and appoint a coach who can tailor their methods to suit. If managers were formerly chefs, they are now more like Deliveroo drivers: not responsible for the food, but still finally accountable should it be delivered cold or fails to meet standards.

Nowadays, their job is increasingly less about crafting the philosophy and more about marketing it: the receptionist on the front desk, the public face of an organisation they have minimal power to influence. Enzo Maresca takes a squad of very young players into the Champions League and secures two medium-sized trophies, and effectively is dismissed for speaking out. Wilfried Nancy sees his reputation ruined while the people who hired him continue to make errors another day.

A Neoliberal Football: Accountability Only for the Few

And perhaps in a small way this is simply neoliberalism in action: the rise of a gilded elite who are infallible, whose choices remain sacrosanct, whose errors can invariably be resolved by sacking without justification. Hire the 3-4-3 coach only to fire them for using too much that system. Hire the project manager and later discard them for taking too long. And most importantly show gratitude; for the incremental season ticket price rises, for the latest summer signings, for the fact that the adults – however well qualified – remain in control.