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Transpired he was able to withstand defeat by lower-league opposition. Survive a decisive European final versus a particularly poor Spurs sides in living memory. He withstood losing at home to West Ham and Wolves, a lowly league position, an unwavering system, laying waste to 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 against whom the Portuguese coach was not permitted to tango. You come at Jason Wilcox, you had better succeed.

Unfortunately, like many a top-flight defender in Blackburn’s championship 1994-95 season, Amorim came at the executive and seems to have failed. The most distracted of readers can see the paradoxical situation: a manager who often railed at his players for failing in one-on-one duels succumbing when confronted by the intense pressure and animal charisma of one of England's top division's most intimidating sporting directors.

In truth, this entire painful saga seems to paint the director in a whole new light. Perhaps it might have been easy, given his brief stint in a similar role with the Saints, to view Jason Wilcox as merely a drudge within the club's structure: a man who owed his position as much to his close relationship with ex-colleague a fellow executive rather than any demonstrable skill. How wrong we all were. By masterfully outsmarting United’s feted head coach, as he outmanoeuvred the unfortunate Dan Ashworth earlier, he has demonstrated to be among football's strategic masterminds: a tactical intellect of which the club's mid-table rivals will now be justifiably concerned.

The Tactical Conflict Regarding Formation & Philosophy

For example, this was Jason Wilcox who having been part of the leadership that hired the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim in the first place, was instrumental in attempting to convince him to abandon his beloved 3-4-3. Unsurprisingly, these pleas faced pushback. But perhaps these judgements carry more weight when issued from the mouth with the impeccable soccer background he possesses, a veteran of international appearances and a role in a title-winning side decades past.

Maybe eventually Jason Wilcox may be persuaded to explain his thought processes to the rest of us. Maybe one day he might be asked regarding why the coach is walking away with full compensation, with no compensation reduction clause activated. But Jason Wilcox speaks rarely in public, for excellent reasons. 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, probably all we would hear would be ultrasonic blips and complex calculations. Desiring an explanation is not equivalent to being prepared to receive.

The Ultimate Authority Behind the Throne

But of course, in training our focus on Jason Wilcox we overlook the real power behind the club's current leadership. Jason Wilcox is, after all, merely executing the commands of his ultimate superior the billionaire owner, who in private has emphasized his preference for a back four. It is reported, the owner has also proposed deploying the forward in a wing-back role. The owner is eager for the club to embrace data science and analytics. Per reports, during a leadership summit early in his minority ownership, he declared that United’s style of play “shall be determined in this room”.

Ultimately, Sir Jim is an expert in this technical football matters, drawing from his previous experience in petrochemicals and yachting. Above all he is incredibly rich, and it is known, the rich are the best of us: more perceptive, more wise, strategically brilliant, simply superior. Whom else could one trust to oversee a strategic plan of austerity, the construction of a modern arena that appears a lot like an abstract design, the acquisition of Benjamin Sesko?

The Modern Football Hierarchy: Executives Over Coaches

This represents a shift that is becoming prevalent at the elite levels football. For decades, clubs foolishly delegated big footballing decisions to low-level employees such as coaches, talent spotters – even footballers. Maybe previously feasible for a young, visionary coach with a philosophy and energy to join a club and see their vision supported to fruition. But how many businesses have such individuals set up? What number of mass redundancies have they overseen? Better by far to place genuine authority where it belongs: the leadership tier, the casually dressed executives, the individuals with the jaw-dropping LinkedIn profiles. It is wiser to determine the tactics in the boardroom and appoint a coach who will adapt their methods to suit. If coaches were formerly chefs, they have become more like Deliveroo drivers: not creating the product, yet finally accountable if it arrives cold or fails of the box.

In the meantime, a coach's role has become not about crafting the philosophy 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 very young players into Europe and wins domestic cups, and effectively gets sacked for talking. Wilfried Nancy sees his standing damaged whereas the people who appointed him live to blunder indefinitely.

A Modern Corporate Game: Accountability Only for the Coaches

And perhaps in a small way this represents neoliberalism in action: the elevation of a gilded elite who are infallible, whose decisions remain untouchable, whose errors can invariably be sacked away without explanation. Appoint the system coach only to dismiss him for playing excessively that system. Hire the project manager and then discard them for requiring too long. And above all show gratitude; for the incremental increases in ticket costs, for your new summer signings, for the fact that the grownups – regardless of their expertise – remain in control.