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Turns out the manager was able to withstand a loss to Grimsby. He weathered losing a crucial continental showpiece against a particularly poor Spurs sides in living memory. He could survive losing at home to domestic rivals, finishing 15th, an unwavering system, undermining some of the club’s best homegrown talent, a poor winning percentage, calling the squad the poorest the club has ever seen. Yet, there existed a single opponent with whom the Portuguese coach was not permitted to engage. If you challenge Jason Wilcox, you had better succeed.

Unfortunately, like many a top-flight defender during Blackburn Rovers' championship 1994-95 season, the coach came at Jason Wilcox and appears to have failed. Even the most distracted of readers can see the irony here: a coach who often railed at his players for failing in individual battles succumbing in the face of the white heat and formidable presence of one of the Premier League’s most intimidating sporting directors.

And frankly, this whole painful saga appears to portray the director in a different perspective. It may have been tempting, based on 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 friendship with ex-colleague Omar Berrada as 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 proved himself to be among football's strategic masterminds: a strategic mind that the club's mid-table rivals will now be justifiably concerned.

The Tactical Conflict Regarding System & Philosophy

For example, it was Jason Wilcox , after having been part of the hierarchy that appointed the rigid 3-4-3 advocate the coach originally, was instrumental in attempting to convince him to ditch his favored 3-4-3. Naturally, these entreaties were resisted. But perhaps such directives hold greater authority when delivered by a man of a man the unimpeachable football pedigree he possesses, a veteran of three England caps and a role in a championship team decades past.

Perhaps in time he may be persuaded to explain his thought processes to the rest of us. Perhaps at some point questions may arise why Amorim is walking away with a full payout, with no penalty clause in place. But Jason Wilcox speaks rarely in public, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers of this sport – individuals such as him – simply operate on a plane exceeding our mundane comprehension. If he ever did speak, probably we would perceive would be ultrasonic blips and complex calculations. Desiring an explanation is not quite the same as being ready to receive.

The Supreme Power Behind the Throne

But of course, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we overlook the true genius behind the modern United throne. The director is, after all, merely executing the directives of his superior Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who privately has emphasized his desire for a four-man defense. It is reported, the owner has also suggested deploying the forward in a wing-back role. Ratcliffe is keen for United to embrace analytics and metrics. According to ESPN, during a leadership summit early in his investment, he announced that the team's approach of play “will be decided in this room”.

Ultimately, Sir Jim is an expert in these intricate football matters, drawing from his previous experience in industry and yachting. Most importantly he is immensely wealthy, and as we all know, the rich are the best of us: more insightful, more wise, strategically brilliant, fundamentally superior. Whom else could one trust to manage an enlightened programme of cost-cutting, the building of a new stadium that looks similar to someone’s leftover knitting, the signing of a new striker?

The Modern Soccer Order: Executives Above Managers

This represents a shift we are increasingly seeing at the elite levels football. For decades, clubs foolishly delegated major sporting choices to low-level employees like managers, talent spotters – even footballers. Maybe previously feasible for a young, visionary coach with a philosophy and energy to join an organization and implement their plan supported to fruition. But how many companies have these guys set up? What number of mass redundancies have they overseen? Far preferable to place the real power where it rightly belongs: the executive class, the open-necked shirt brigade, the guys with impressive professional resumes. Better by far to determine the strategy by the directors and appoint someone who will adapt their offering to suit. If coaches were once chefs, they have become more akin to Deliveroo drivers: not creating the product, but still ultimately answerable should it be delivered cold or leaks out to meet standards.

Nowadays, their job is increasingly not about defining the vision and more about selling it: the receptionist of the operation, the visible figurehead of an organisation they can do little to influence. Enzo Maresca takes a squad of literal children into the Champions League and secures domestic cups, and effectively gets sacked for speaking out. A manager at Celtic sees his reputation ruined whereas those individuals who hired him continue to make errors indefinitely.

The Neoliberal Football: Accountability for the Coaches

And possibly on some microcosmic level this is simply corporate governance in action: the elevation of a gilded overclass who can never be wrong, whose decisions are always untouchable, whose errors can invariably be resolved by sacking without explanation. Hire the 3-4-3 coach only to dismiss them for playing excessively that system. Bring in the project manager and then bin him for requiring too long. And most importantly be grateful; for the incremental increases in ticket costs, for the latest summer signings, for the reality that the adults – however well qualified – are in charge.