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Transpired the manager was able to withstand defeat by lower-league opposition. He weathered an important continental showpiece versus one of the worst Spurs sides in living memory. He could survive home defeats against West Ham and Wolves, a lowly league position, his rigid approach, squandering some of the club’s best homegrown talent, a poor winning percentage, labeling 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, and you best not miss.

Regrettably, like many a top-flight defender in Blackburn’s championship campaign, Amorim took on Jason Wilcox and appears to have failed. Even the most casual observer will notice the irony here: a manager who often railed his squad for failing in one-on-one duels succumbing when confronted by the intense pressure and animal charisma of a England's top division's most intimidating football executives.

And frankly, this entire bruising episode seems to paint the director in a different perspective. Perhaps it might have been easy, given his nine months in a similar role at Southampton, to regard him as merely a drudge in the United exoskeleton: an individual whose appointment was due largely to his friendship with ex-colleague a fellow executive rather than any demonstrable skill. How mistaken we all were. By masterfully outmanoeuvring the club's celebrated manager, just as he bested the hapless a previous executive earlier, he has proved himself as one of football's true generals: a tactical intellect of which the club's competitors are now justifiably concerned.

A Strategic Clash Over System & Philosophy

For example, this was Jason Wilcox who having been part of the leadership that hired the rigid 3-4-3 advocate the coach originally, played a key role in attempting to convince Amorim to ditch his favored 3-4-3. Naturally, these entreaties were resisted. However, such directives carry more weight when issued from the mouth of a man the unimpeachable football pedigree of Jason Wilcox, holder of international appearances and a contributor to a title-winning side from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time Jason Wilcox may be persuaded to explain his reasoning to the rest of us. Maybe one day questions may arise regarding why the coach is departing with full compensation, without any compensation reduction clause in place. But Jason Wilcox seldom speaks in public, and with very good reason. The real thinkers of this sport – men like Jason Wilcox – simply operate at a level beyond our own mundane comprehension. If he ever did speak, most likely all we would hear is a series of high-frequency signals and four-dimensional whirring. Wanting is not quite the same as being ready to receive.

An Supreme Power In Command

Naturally, in training our focus on the sporting director we overlook the real power behind the club's current leadership. The director is, in reality, simply carrying out the commands of his line manager Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who in private has made very clear his preference for a four-man defense. It is reported, Ratcliffe has also proposed playing Bryan Mbeumo in a wing-back role. Ratcliffe is keen for United to adopt analytics and metrics. According to ESPN, in an executive meeting soon after his minority ownership, he declared that United’s style of play “will be determined by this group”.

After all, Ratcliffe is a specialist in these intricate football matters, drawing from his previous experience in industry and yachting. Above all he is incredibly rich, and as we all know, the rich are the best of us: more insightful, more wise, more tactically astute, fundamentally superior. Who else could one trust to oversee a strategic plan of austerity, the building of a modern arena that looks similar to someone’s leftover knitting, the signing of a new striker?

The New Football Order: Executives Above Managers

This represents a shift that is becoming prevalent in top-tier of the game. Historically, teams mistakenly entrusted big footballing decisions to low-level employees like managers, scouts – even footballers. Perhaps it was once possible for an up-and-coming, innovative manager with a philosophy and drive to join an organization and see their vision through to completion. Yet how many companies have these guys set up? How many mass redundancies have they managed? Better by far to invest the real power where it rightly belongs: the leadership tier, the open-necked shirt brigade, the individuals with impressive professional resumes. Better by far to determine the strategy in the boardroom and hire a coach who will adapt their methods accordingly. If coaches were once chefs, they have become more like delivery personnel: not really creating the product, but still ultimately answerable if it arrives cold or leaks out to meet standards.

In the meantime, a coach's role has become less about crafting the philosophy and more about marketing it: the receptionist of the operation, the visible figurehead for a club they have minimal power to change. Enzo Maresca takes a squad of very young players into the Champions League and wins domestic cups, and essentially is dismissed for talking. A manager at Celtic sees his reputation ruined whereas those individuals who hired him live to blunder another day.

A Modern Corporate Game: Accountability Only for the Few

And possibly in a small way this represents neoliberalism at work: the rise of a gilded overclass who are infallible, whose choices are always untouchable, whose mistakes can invariably be resolved by sacking without justification. Appoint the system coach only to fire them for playing too much that system. Bring in the project manager and then discard him for taking too long. And most importantly show gratitude; for your modest increases in ticket costs, for the latest summer signings, for the fact that the grownups – however well qualified – are in charge.