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Transpired he endured losing against Grimsby. Survive losing a crucial European final against one of the worst Tottenham teams in living memory. He withstood home defeats against domestic rivals, a lowly league position, an unwavering system, squandering some of the club’s best academy products, a poor winning percentage, calling the squad the poorest the club has ever seen. Yet, there existed one adversary with whom the Portuguese coach would not be allowed to dance. If you challenge Jason Wilcox, you had better succeed.

Regrettably, similar to numerous top-flight defender during Blackburn Rovers' title-winning 1994-95 season, Amorim took on the executive and seems to have missed. The most casual observer will notice the irony here: a coach who often railed his squad for losing one-on-one duels succumbing when confronted by the intense pressure and formidable presence of one of England's top division's most intimidating football executives.

In truth, this whole painful saga seems to paint the director in a different perspective. It may have been easy, given his nine months in a similar role at Southampton, to regard Jason Wilcox as merely 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 wrong we all were. By masterfully outmanoeuvring United’s feted manager, as he outmanoeuvred the hapless Dan Ashworth before him, he has demonstrated to be among football's strategic masterminds: a strategic mind that the club's competitors are now justifiably concerned.

The Tactical Clash Over Formation & Philosophy

For example, this was the director , after having been part of the leadership that hired the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim originally, was instrumental in attempting to convince him to ditch his beloved formation. Unsurprisingly, these entreaties met a certain resistance. But perhaps these judgements carry more weight when issued by a man of a man the unimpeachable soccer background of Jason Wilcox, holder of international appearances and a contributor to a championship team decades past.

Maybe eventually he may be persuaded to outline his thought processes to the rest of us. Maybe one day questions may arise regarding why the coach is walking away with full compensation, without any penalty clause in place. The director speaks rarely in public, and with very good reason. The true intellectuals of this sport – individuals such as him – function on a plane beyond our own prosaic understanding. If he ever did speak, most likely we would perceive would be ultrasonic blips and four-dimensional whirring. Wanting is not the same as being ready to receive.

The Supreme Power In Command

But of course, in training our focus on Jason Wilcox we are obscuring the true genius behind the club's current leadership. The director is, in reality, merely executing the directives of his line manager Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who in private has emphasized his desire for a four-man defense. It is reported, Ratcliffe has also proposed playing Bryan Mbeumo as a right wing-back. Ratcliffe is keen for United to adopt data science and analytics. Per reports, in an executive meeting early in his investment, he declared that United’s style of play “shall be decided in this room”.

Ultimately, Ratcliffe is an expert in this technical footballing stuff, leveraging his previous experience in industry and yachting. Above all he remains incredibly rich, and it is known, the rich are superior: more perceptive, sagacious, strategically brilliant, simply better. Who else would you trust to manage an enlightened programme of austerity, the building of a new stadium that looks a lot like an abstract design, the acquisition of Benjamin Sesko?

The Modern Football Hierarchy: Directors Above Coaches

This represents a shift that is becoming prevalent in top-tier football. Historically, clubs foolishly entrusted major sporting choices to subordinate staff like managers, talent spotters – even footballers. Perhaps it was once feasible for an up-and-coming, innovative manager with ideas and drive to go into a club and see their vision supported to fruition. Yet how many companies have such individuals set up? What number of large-scale layoffs have they managed? Far preferable to invest the real power where it rightly belongs: the leadership tier, the open-necked shirt brigade, the individuals with impressive professional resumes. It is wiser to determine the tactics by the directors and appoint a coach who will adapt their methods accordingly. If managers were once chefs, they are now more like delivery personnel: not really creating the food, yet ultimately answerable if it arrives cold or fails to meet standards.

In the meantime, their job has become not about crafting the philosophy and more about marketing it: the receptionist of the operation, the visible figurehead for a club they can do little to influence. A coach at Chelsea leads a team of very young players into the Champions League and wins domestic cups, and essentially gets sacked for speaking out. Wilfried Nancy sees his standing damaged while those individuals who appointed him live to blunder another day.

The Neoliberal Football: Accountability for the Coaches

And perhaps on some microcosmic level this represents neoliberalism at work: the rise of a gilded overclass who can never be wrong, whose decisions remain sacrosanct, whose mistakes can always be resolved by sacking without explanation. Appoint the 3-4-3 coach and then fire him for playing too much that system. Bring in the process guy and later discard him for requiring too long. And above all show gratitude; for your modest increases in ticket costs, for the latest summer signings, for the reality that the grownups – regardless of their expertise – remain in control.