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Iturns out the manager was able to withstand a loss to Grimsby. Survive an important continental showpiece versus one of the worst Tottenham teams for many years. He withstood home defeats against domestic rivals, finishing 15th, the tactical inflexibility, undermining some of the club’s best homegrown talent, a poor winning percentage, labeling his team the poorest the club has ever seen. But there was one adversary against whom the Portuguese coach would not be allowed to tango. You come at Jason Wilcox, and you best not miss.

Unfortunately, like many a top-flight right-back during Blackburn Rovers' championship campaign, the coach came at the executive and seems to have failed. Even the most casual observer will notice the irony here: a manager who frequently berated at his players for failing in one-on-one duels crumbling in the face of the intense pressure and animal charisma of one of the Premier League’s most intimidating football executives.

And frankly, this entire bruising episode appears to portray Jason Wilcox in a whole new light. Perhaps it might have been easy, given his brief stint in a similar role with the Saints, to view him as little more than a drudge within the club's structure: a man whose appointment was due as much to his close relationship with ex-colleague a fellow executive rather than any demonstrable skill. How wrong everyone was. In brilliantly outmanoeuvring the club's celebrated manager, just as he bested the unfortunate a previous executive before him, Jason Wilcox has proved himself as one of football's true generals: a strategic mind of which the club's competitors are now justifiably concerned.

The Strategic Clash Over System and Philosophy

For example, this was Jason Wilcox who being involved in the hierarchy that appointed the rigid 3-4-3 advocate the coach originally, was instrumental in trying to persuade Amorim to ditch his favored formation. Naturally, these entreaties met a certain resistance. However, such directives hold greater authority when issued by a man of a man the impeccable football pedigree he possesses, a veteran of international appearances and a contributor to a championship team decades past.

Perhaps in time Jason Wilcox may be persuaded to outline his reasoning publicly. Perhaps at some point he might be asked why Amorim is walking away with a full payout, with no penalty clause in place. The director speaks rarely in public, and with very good reason. The real thinkers in football – individuals such as him – function at a level beyond our own mundane comprehension. If he ever did speak, probably all we would hear would be ultrasonic blips and four-dimensional whirring. Desiring an explanation is not quite the same as being ready to receive.

An Ultimate Authority Behind Command

Naturally, in training our focus on the sporting director we overlook the real power behind the modern United throne. Jason Wilcox is, in reality, simply carrying out the commands of his ultimate line manager Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who privately has made very clear his preference for a four-man defense. It is reported, the owner has also suggested playing Bryan Mbeumo as a right wing-back. Ratcliffe is keen for United to embrace analytics and metrics. According to ESPN, during a leadership summit soon after his investment, he declared that the team's approach to football “will be determined in this room”.

Ultimately, Ratcliffe is a specialist in these intricate footballing stuff, leveraging his background in industry and yachting. Most importantly he remains incredibly rich, and it is known, the wealthy are superior: more insightful, sagacious, more tactically astute, simply better. Who else could one trust to oversee an enlightened programme of cost-cutting, the construction of a new stadium that appears similar to an abstract design, the signing of a new striker?

The New Soccer Order: Directors Above Managers

This is a trend that is becoming prevalent at the elite levels football. Historically, teams mistakenly entrusted major sporting choices to subordinate staff such as coaches, scouts – players themselves. Perhaps it was once possible for an up-and-coming, innovative manager with ideas and drive to go into a club and see their vision through to completion. But how many companies have such individuals set up? How many large-scale layoffs have they managed? Better by far to place the real power where it belongs: the executive class, the open-necked shirt brigade, the guys with impressive LinkedIn profiles. Better by far to determine the strategy in the boardroom and hire someone who will adapt their methods to suit. If coaches were once chefs, they are now more akin to Deliveroo drivers: not creating the product, but still ultimately answerable if it arrives cold or fails to meet standards.

Nowadays, their job has become less about crafting the philosophy and more about selling it: the front-facing representative on the front desk, the visible figurehead for a club they can do little to change. Enzo Maresca takes a squad of literal children into the Champions League and secures domestic cups, and effectively is dismissed for talking. Wilfried Nancy sees his standing damaged whereas the people who appointed him continue to make errors indefinitely.

A Neoliberal Football: Accountability Only for the Few

And perhaps in a small way this is simply corporate governance at work: the rise of a gilded overclass who are infallible, whose choices remain sacrosanct, whose errors can invariably be sacked away without explanation. Appoint the 3-4-3 coach only to fire him for using excessively that system. Bring in the process guy and later bin him for requiring too long. And above all be grateful; for your modest season ticket price rises, for your new summer signings, for the fact that the grownups – regardless of their expertise – are in charge.