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Itranspired the manager was able to withstand losing against Grimsby. Survive a decisive continental showpiece against a particularly poor Spurs sides in living memory. He withstood home defeats to domestic rivals, finishing 15th, an unwavering system, laying waste to some of the club’s most promising academy products, the 32% win rate, calling his team the worst in Manchester United history. But there was one adversary against whom the Portuguese coach would not be allowed to engage. If you challenge Jason Wilcox, and you best not miss.

Regrettably, like many a Premiership right-back in Blackburn’s title-winning 1994-95 season, Amorim came at the executive and seems to have failed. Even the most casual observer will notice the irony here: a manager who frequently berated his squad for failing in individual battles succumbing when confronted by the intense pressure and formidable presence of a England's top division's most intimidating football executives.

And frankly, this entire bruising episode appears to portray Jason Wilcox in a different perspective. It may have been easy, based on his brief stint of experience at Southampton, to regard him as merely a functionary in the United exoskeleton: a man whose appointment was due as much to his friendship with his former boss a fellow executive rather than any demonstrable skill. How mistaken everyone was. In brilliantly outsmarting the club's celebrated head coach, just as he bested the hapless Dan Ashworth earlier, Jason Wilcox has demonstrated to be among the sport’s strategic masterminds: a strategic mind of which United’s competitors are now justifiably concerned.

The Strategic Clash Regarding Formation and Philosophy

To illustrate, it was the director who being involved in the hierarchy that appointed the rigid 3-4-3 advocate the coach originally, played a key role in trying to persuade Amorim to ditch his beloved 3-4-3. Naturally, these entreaties met a certain resistance. But perhaps these judgements carry more weight when issued from the mouth of a man the unimpeachable soccer background of Jason Wilcox, holder of three England caps and a contributor to a title-winning side from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time Jason Wilcox might agree to explain his reasoning publicly. Perhaps at some point he might be asked why Amorim is walking away with full compensation, without any penalty clause activated. But Jason Wilcox speaks rarely in public, 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 all we would hear is a series of ultrasonic blips and complex calculations. Desiring an explanation is not quite equivalent to being prepared to receive.

The Supreme Authority In Command

But of course, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we are obscuring the true genius behind the modern United throne. Jason Wilcox is, after all, merely executing the directives of his ultimate superior Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who in private has made very clear his preference for a back four. According to reports, Ratcliffe has also proposed deploying the forward as a right wing-back. Ratcliffe is keen for the club to adopt analytics and analytics. Per reports, during a leadership summit early in his minority ownership, he announced that the team's approach to football “will be determined by this group”.

After all, Sir Jim is a specialist in these intricate football matters, leveraging his background in industry and yachting. Most importantly he remains immensely wealthy, and as we all know, the wealthy are the best of us: more insightful, more wise, strategically brilliant, simply better. Who else could one trust to manage an enlightened programme of austerity, the construction of a new stadium that appears similar to someone’s leftover knitting, the acquisition of a new striker?

A Modern Football Hierarchy: Executives Over Coaches

This is a trend that is becoming prevalent in top-tier of the game. For decades, clubs foolishly entrusted big footballing decisions to subordinate staff such as coaches, talent spotters – even footballers. Maybe previously possible for a young, innovative manager with a philosophy and drive to join an organization and implement their plan through to completion. Yet how many businesses have these guys set up? How many mass redundancies have they overseen? Better by far to invest the real power where it rightly belongs: the executive class, the open-necked shirt brigade, the individuals with the jaw-dropping professional resumes. It is wiser to determine the tactics in the boardroom and appoint someone who can tailor their offering to suit. If managers were once chefs, they have become more akin to delivery personnel: not responsible for the food, but still finally accountable should it be delivered cold or fails to meet standards.

Nowadays, their job has become less about defining the vision and more about selling it: the receptionist on the front desk, the public face of an organisation they can do little to influence. A coach at Chelsea takes a squad of literal children into the Champions League and secures domestic cups, and essentially gets sacked for talking. Wilfried Nancy sees his standing damaged whereas the people who hired him live to blunder indefinitely.

The Neoliberal Game: Responsibility Only for the Few

And possibly on some microcosmic level this represents neoliberalism in action: the elevation of a gilded overclass who are infallible, whose choices remain untouchable, whose mistakes can invariably be sacked away without explanation. Appoint the system coach only to dismiss him for using excessively 3-4-3. Bring in the project manager and later discard him for taking too long. And most importantly show gratitude; for the incremental increases in ticket costs, for your new player acquisitions, for the reality that the grownups – regardless of their expertise – are in charge.