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Itranspired he could survive losing against Grimsby. He weathered a decisive European final versus one of the worst Spurs sides for many years. He withstood losing at home against domestic rivals, finishing 15th, an unwavering system, squandering some of the club’s best academy products, a poor winning percentage, calling his team the poorest the club has ever seen. But there was one adversary with whom the Portuguese coach was not permitted to dance. If you challenge the sporting director, you had better succeed.

Unfortunately, similar to numerous top-flight right-back during Blackburn Rovers' title-winning 1994-95 season, Amorim came at the executive and seems to have failed. The most casual observer can see the paradoxical situation: a coach who frequently berated at his players for losing individual battles crumbling in the face of the intense pressure and formidable presence of one of England's top division's most feared sporting directors.

And frankly, this whole bruising episode seems to paint Jason Wilcox in a different perspective. Perhaps it might have been tempting, given his brief stint in a similar role with the Saints, to view him as merely a functionary in the United exoskeleton: a man who owed his position as much to his close relationship with ex-colleague a fellow executive as any verifiable talent. How wrong everyone was. In brilliantly outsmarting United’s feted manager, just as he bested the unfortunate Dan Ashworth earlier, he has proved himself as one of the sport’s true generals: a strategic mind that United’s mid-table rivals are now rightly wary.

The Tactical Clash Regarding System & Philosophy

For example, it was Jason Wilcox who being involved in the hierarchy that hired the 3-4-3 fundamentalist the coach originally, was instrumental in trying to persuade Amorim to abandon his favored 3-4-3. Unsurprisingly, these entreaties were resisted. But perhaps these judgements carry more weight when delivered by a man with the impeccable football pedigree he possesses, holder of international appearances and a role in a championship team decades past.

Perhaps in time he may be persuaded to outline his thought processes publicly. Maybe one day questions may arise why Amorim is departing with a full payout, without any compensation reduction clause in place. The director speaks rarely in public, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers of this sport – men like Jason Wilcox – simply operate on a plane exceeding our prosaic understanding. If he ever did speak, most likely we would perceive is a series of high-frequency signals and complex calculations. Wanting is not equivalent to being prepared to receive.

The Ultimate Authority In the Throne

Naturally, in training our focus on the sporting director we are obscuring the true genius behind the club's current leadership. Jason Wilcox is, after all, simply carrying out the commands of his superior the billionaire owner, who privately has made very clear his preference for a four-man defense. According to reports, the owner has also proposed deploying the forward in a wing-back role. The owner is eager for the club to embrace data science and analytics. According to ESPN, in an executive meeting soon after his minority ownership, he declared that United’s style to football “shall be determined in this room”.

After all, Sir Jim is a specialist in these intricate footballing stuff, drawing from his previous experience in industry and sailing. Above all he remains immensely wealthy, and it is known, the wealthy are the best of us: more perceptive, more wise, strategically brilliant, fundamentally superior. Whom else would you trust to oversee a strategic plan of cost-cutting, the construction of a modern arena that appears similar to someone’s leftover knitting, the acquisition of a new striker?

A New Football Order: Directors Over Managers

This is a trend that is becoming prevalent in top-tier of the game. For decades, teams mistakenly delegated major sporting choices to subordinate staff such as coaches, talent spotters – players themselves. Perhaps it was once possible for a young, visionary coach with ideas and drive to go into an organization and implement their plan supported to fruition. But how many companies have such individuals established? What number of large-scale layoffs have they managed? Far preferable to invest genuine authority where it belongs: the executive class, the casually dressed executives, the guys with impressive professional resumes. It is wiser to decide the strategy in the boardroom and hire someone who can tailor their offering to suit. If coaches were formerly chefs, they are now more akin to Deliveroo drivers: not creating the product, but still finally accountable should it be delivered poorly or fails of the box.

Nowadays, their job is increasingly not about crafting the philosophy and more about selling it: the front-facing representative of the operation, the public face for a club they have minimal power to change. A coach at Chelsea leads a team of very young players into the Champions League and secures two medium-sized trophies, and effectively gets sacked for talking. A manager at Celtic sees his reputation ruined whereas those individuals who appointed him live to blunder indefinitely.

A Neoliberal Game: Accountability Only for the Coaches

And perhaps in a small way this represents neoliberalism at work: the rise of a privileged elite who are infallible, whose choices remain untouchable, whose errors can invariably be resolved by sacking without explanation. Appoint the 3-4-3 coach and then fire him for using excessively 3-4-3. Hire the project manager and later bin him for taking excessive time. And most importantly show gratitude; for the incremental season ticket price rises, for your new summer signings, for the reality that the grownups – regardless of their expertise – are in charge.