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Turns out he was able to withstand a loss to Grimsby. He weathered a decisive European final versus one of the worst Tottenham teams in living memory. He withstood losing at home against domestic rivals, finishing 15th, his rigid approach, undermining some of the club’s best academy products, the 32% win rate, labeling his team the poorest the club has ever seen. Yet, there existed one adversary against whom the Portuguese coach would not be allowed to tango. If you challenge the sporting director, and you best not miss.

Unfortunately, similar to numerous top-flight right-back during Blackburn Rovers' championship 1994-95 season, Amorim took on Jason Wilcox and appears to have failed. The most casual observer will notice the paradoxical situation: a manager who often railed at his players for failing in one-on-one duels crumbling when confronted by the intense pressure and animal charisma of a England's top division's most intimidating sporting directors.

And frankly, this entire bruising episode seems to paint the director in a different perspective. It may have been easy, based on his brief stint of experience at Southampton, to view him as merely a drudge in the United exoskeleton: an individual who owed his position as much to his close relationship with ex-colleague Omar Berrada as any demonstrable skill. How mistaken everyone was. In brilliantly outmanoeuvring the club's celebrated manager, as he outmanoeuvred the unfortunate a previous executive earlier, Jason Wilcox has proved himself to be among football's strategic masterminds: a tactical intellect that the club's competitors will now be rightly wary.

A Tactical Conflict Over Formation & Philosophy

For example, this was the director who having been part of the leadership that hired the 3-4-3 fundamentalist the coach in the first place, played a key role in trying to persuade Amorim to ditch his favored formation. Unsurprisingly, these pleas faced pushback. But perhaps such directives carry more weight when issued from the mouth of a man the unimpeachable soccer background he possesses, holder of international appearances and a contributor to a championship team from 31 years ago.

Maybe eventually Jason Wilcox may be persuaded to explain his reasoning to the rest of us. Perhaps at some point questions may arise regarding why the coach is departing with a full payout, without any compensation reduction clause activated. But Jason Wilcox speaks rarely publicly, and with very good reason. The real thinkers in football – individuals such as Jason Wilcox – simply operate on a plane exceeding our mundane comprehension. Were he to speak, probably we would perceive would be ultrasonic blips and four-dimensional whirring. Desiring an explanation is not equivalent to being ready to receive.

An Ultimate Authority In the Throne

But of course, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we overlook the real power behind the modern United throne. The director is, after all, merely executing the commands of his line manager Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who privately has emphasized his desire for a back four. According to reports, Ratcliffe has also suggested playing Bryan Mbeumo as a right wing-back. The owner is eager for United to adopt data science and analytics. Per reports, during a leadership summit soon after his minority ownership, he announced that United’s style of play “shall be decided by this group”.

After all, Sir Jim is a specialist in these intricate footballing stuff, leveraging his previous experience in industry and sailing. Most importantly he remains immensely wealthy, and it is known, the wealthy are superior: more insightful, more wise, more tactically astute, fundamentally superior. Whom else would you trust to manage an enlightened programme of austerity, the construction of a new stadium that looks similar to someone’s leftover knitting, the signing of a new striker?

A New Soccer Hierarchy: Directors Over Managers

This represents a shift we are increasingly seeing in top-tier of the game. Historically, clubs foolishly delegated big footballing decisions to subordinate staff like managers, scouts – players themselves. Perhaps it was once feasible for a young, innovative manager with ideas and energy to join a club and see their vision supported to fruition. Yet how many companies have such individuals set up? How many mass redundancies have they overseen? Far preferable to invest the real power where it belongs: the leadership tier, the casually dressed executives, the guys with the jaw-dropping professional resumes. It is wiser to decide the tactics in the boardroom and hire a coach who can tailor their offering accordingly. If coaches were once chefs, they are now more like Deliveroo drivers: not responsible for the food, but still ultimately answerable should it be delivered cold or fails to meet standards.

Nowadays, a coach's role is increasingly less 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 leads a team of very young players into the Champions League and wins two medium-sized trophies, and essentially gets sacked for speaking out. Wilfried Nancy sees his reputation ruined while those individuals who appointed him continue to make errors another day.

The Neoliberal Game: Accountability Only for the Few

And perhaps on some microcosmic level this represents corporate governance in action: the rise of a privileged elite who can never be wrong, whose decisions remain sacrosanct, whose mistakes can always be sacked away without explanation. Appoint the 3-4-3 coach and then fire them for using too much that system. Bring in the process guy and later discard them for taking excessive time. And most importantly show gratitude; for the incremental season ticket price rises, for the latest summer signings, for the reality that the adults – however well qualified – remain in control.