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Transpired the manager was able to withstand defeat by lower-league opposition. He weathered losing a crucial European final against one of the worst Tottenham teams in living memory. He withstood losing at home against West Ham and Wolves, a lowly league position, an unwavering system, laying waste to the team's best homegrown talent, a poor winning percentage, labeling his team the poorest the club has ever seen. But there was one adversary with whom the Portuguese coach would not be allowed to dance. If you challenge the sporting director, and you best not miss.

Unfortunately, like many a Premiership right-back during Blackburn Rovers' title-winning campaign, Amorim came at the executive and seems to have failed. Even the most distracted of readers will notice the irony here: a manager who frequently berated his squad for losing individual battles succumbing in the face of the white heat and animal charisma 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. Perhaps it might have been easy, based on his nine months in a similar role at Southampton, to regard him as merely a functionary within the club's structure: an individual who owed his position as much to his close relationship with ex-colleague a fellow executive rather than any verifiable talent. How wrong everyone was. In brilliantly outmanoeuvring the club's celebrated head coach, as he outmanoeuvred the hapless Dan Ashworth earlier, he has demonstrated as one of football's strategic masterminds: a strategic mind of which the club's mid-table rivals will now be rightly wary.

A Tactical Conflict Over Formation and Philosophy

To illustrate, this was Jason Wilcox who being involved in the leadership that appointed the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim originally, was instrumental in attempting to convince Amorim to abandon his beloved formation. Unsurprisingly, these pleas faced pushback. However, such directives carry more weight when issued by a man with the impeccable soccer background of Jason Wilcox, holder of three England caps and a role in a championship team from 31 years ago.

Maybe eventually Jason Wilcox might agree to outline his thought processes publicly. Perhaps at some point questions may arise regarding why the coach is departing with a full payout, with no penalty clause activated. But Jason Wilcox seldom speaks publicly, and with very good reason. The true intellectuals of this sport – individuals such as him – simply operate at a level exceeding our mundane comprehension. Were he to speak, most likely we would perceive is a series of ultrasonic blips and four-dimensional whirring. Desiring an explanation is not quite the same as being ready to comprehend it.

An Supreme Power Behind Command

But of course, in training our focus on the sporting director we are obscuring the real power behind the club's current leadership. Jason Wilcox is, after all, simply carrying out the directives of his line manager the billionaire owner, who in private has made very clear his preference for a four-man defense. It is reported, the owner has also proposed deploying the forward as a right wing-back. The owner is eager for the club to adopt data science and metrics. According to ESPN, in an executive meeting early in his investment, he announced that United’s style of play “shall be determined in this room”.

After all, Ratcliffe is an expert in this technical football matters, drawing from his background in industry and yachting. Most importantly he is immensely wealthy, and it is known, the rich are the best of us: more perceptive, more wise, strategically brilliant, simply superior. Whom else would you trust to oversee 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?

The Modern Soccer Hierarchy: Executives Above Coaches

This represents a shift that is becoming prevalent at the elite levels of the game. Historically, teams mistakenly entrusted big footballing decisions to subordinate staff such as coaches, scouts – players themselves. Perhaps it was once possible for a young, innovative manager with ideas and energy to go into an organization and see their vision supported to fruition. Yet how many businesses have such individuals established? What number of large-scale layoffs have they overseen? Far preferable to invest genuine authority where it rightly belongs: the executive class, the casually dressed executives, the guys with impressive LinkedIn profiles. It is wiser to determine the tactics in the boardroom and hire someone who will adapt their methods accordingly. If coaches were formerly chefs, they have become more like delivery personnel: not really responsible for the product, yet finally accountable should it be delivered cold or leaks out to meet standards.

Nowadays, their job has become not about crafting the philosophy and more about selling it: the receptionist on the front desk, the visible figurehead for a club they can do little to change. Enzo Maresca leads a team of very young players into the Champions League and secures domestic cups, and effectively gets sacked for speaking out. Wilfried Nancy sees his reputation ruined whereas the people who hired him live to blunder indefinitely.

The Modern Corporate Football: Accountability for the Few

And perhaps on some microcosmic level this represents neoliberalism in action: the elevation of a gilded elite who can never be wrong, whose choices remain untouchable, whose errors can invariably be resolved by sacking without justification. Hire the 3-4-3 coach only to dismiss him for using excessively that system. Bring in the process guy and later discard them for requiring excessive time. And most importantly show gratitude; for the incremental season ticket price rises, for your new player acquisitions, for the fact that the grownups – however well qualified – are in charge.