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Itranspired the manager endured defeat by Grimsby. Survive an important continental showpiece versus a particularly poor Tottenham teams in living memory. He could survive home defeats against West Ham and Wolves, finishing 15th, an unwavering system, undermining the team's most promising academy products, a poor winning percentage, labeling his team the poorest the club has ever seen. But there was a single opponent against whom the Portuguese coach would not be allowed to engage. You come at Jason Wilcox, you had better succeed.

Regrettably, like many a 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 paradoxical situation: a manager who frequently berated at his players for failing in individual battles succumbing in the face of the intense pressure and animal charisma of one of England's top division's most feared football executives.

In truth, this entire painful saga appears to portray Jason Wilcox in a different perspective. It may have been tempting, based on his nine months of experience at Southampton, to view Jason Wilcox as little more than a drudge within the club's structure: an individual whose appointment was due largely to his close relationship with his former boss a fellow executive as any demonstrable skill. How mistaken everyone was. In brilliantly outmanoeuvring United’s feted head coach, just as he bested the unfortunate a previous executive earlier, he has demonstrated as one of football's strategic masterminds: a tactical intellect that United’s mid-table rivals will now be justifiably concerned.

A Strategic Clash Over 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 in the first place, was instrumental in attempting to convince him to ditch his beloved 3-4-3. Naturally, these pleas were resisted. But perhaps such directives carry more weight when issued by a man of a man the impeccable soccer background he possesses, holder of international appearances and a role in a championship team decades past.

Maybe eventually he may be persuaded to outline his thought processes publicly. Perhaps at some point questions may arise 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 true intellectuals in football – individuals such as Jason Wilcox – simply operate at a level exceeding our prosaic understanding. Were he to speak, most likely all we would hear is a series of ultrasonic blips and complex calculations. Desiring an explanation is not the same as being prepared to comprehend it.

The Ultimate Authority In the Throne

Naturally, in training our focus on Jason Wilcox we overlook the real power behind the club's current leadership. Jason Wilcox is, in reality, simply carrying out the directives of his ultimate superior the billionaire owner, who in private has emphasized his desire for a four-man defense. It is reported, the owner has also proposed 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 United’s style of play “shall be decided 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 is incredibly rich, and as we all know, the wealthy are the best of us: more perceptive, more wise, strategically brilliant, simply better. Whom else could one trust to oversee a strategic plan of cost-cutting, the construction of a new stadium that appears similar to someone’s leftover knitting, the signing of a new striker?

A Modern Football Order: Executives Over Coaches

This represents a shift that is becoming prevalent in top-tier of the game. Historically, teams mistakenly entrusted big footballing decisions to subordinate staff like managers, scouts – even footballers. Perhaps it was once feasible for an up-and-coming, visionary coach with a philosophy and energy to go into an organization and implement their plan through to completion. But how many businesses have such individuals set up? What number of large-scale layoffs have they overseen? Better by far to invest genuine authority where it rightly belongs: the executive class, the open-necked shirt brigade, the individuals with impressive LinkedIn profiles. Better by far to decide the tactics by the directors and appoint a coach who will adapt their offering to suit. If coaches were formerly chefs, they are now more like delivery personnel: not really responsible for the product, but still finally accountable should it be delivered poorly or fails of the box.

Nowadays, a coach's role has become not about crafting the philosophy and more about selling it: the receptionist on the front desk, the public face of an organisation they have minimal power to influence. A coach at Chelsea takes a squad of literal children into the Champions League and wins two medium-sized trophies, and essentially is dismissed for speaking out. A manager at Celtic sees his standing damaged whereas the people who appointed him live to blunder another day.

A Modern Corporate Football: Accountability Only for the Few

And possibly in a small way this represents neoliberalism in action: the elevation of a gilded overclass who are infallible, whose choices remain untouchable, whose errors can always be resolved by sacking without explanation. Appoint the 3-4-3 coach and then dismiss them for playing too much 3-4-3. Bring in the process guy and then bin them for taking excessive time. And most importantly show gratitude; for your modest season ticket price rises, for your new player acquisitions, for the fact that the grownups – however well qualified – are in charge.