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Iturns out the manager could survive losing against lower-league opposition. Survive losing a crucial European final versus one of the worst Tottenham teams for many years. He withstood home defeats against West Ham and Wolves, finishing 15th, the tactical inflexibility, undermining some of the club’s best homegrown talent, the 32% win rate, calling his team the worst the club has ever seen. Yet, there existed one adversary with whom the Portuguese coach was not permitted to engage. You come at Jason Wilcox, and you best not miss.

Regrettably, similar to numerous Premiership defender in Blackburn’s championship campaign, Amorim took on the executive and appears to have missed. Even 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 white heat and formidable presence of one of England's top division's most intimidating sporting directors.

And frankly, this entire bruising episode appears to portray the director in a whole new light. It may have been tempting, based on his brief stint of experience with the Saints, to regard him as merely a functionary in the United exoskeleton: a man who owed his position as much to his friendship with ex-colleague a fellow executive as any demonstrable skill. How mistaken we all were. By masterfully outsmarting United’s feted manager, as he outmanoeuvred the hapless a previous executive earlier, he has demonstrated as one of football's true generals: a strategic mind of which the club's competitors will now be justifiably concerned.

The Strategic Conflict Regarding System & Ideology

To illustrate, this was Jason Wilcox , after being involved in the hierarchy that hired the 3-4-3 fundamentalist Amorim originally, was instrumental in attempting to convince him to ditch his beloved formation. Unsurprisingly, these entreaties were resisted. However, these judgements hold greater authority when issued by a man of a man the impeccable soccer background he possesses, holder of international appearances and a role in a title-winning side from 31 years ago.

Maybe eventually Jason Wilcox may be persuaded to outline his reasoning to the rest of us. Perhaps at some point he might be asked regarding why the coach is walking away with a full payout, with no penalty clause activated. The director speaks rarely in public, for excellent reasons. The true intellectuals of this sport – men like Jason Wilcox – function at a level exceeding our mundane comprehension. Were he to speak, probably all we would hear would be ultrasonic blips and four-dimensional whirring. Wanting is not equivalent to being ready to receive.

The Supreme Power In Command

But of course, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we overlook the real power behind the modern United throne. The director is, in reality, simply carrying out the commands of his ultimate superior the billionaire owner, who privately has made very clear his desire for a back four. It is reported, the owner has also suggested deploying the forward in a wing-back role. Ratcliffe is keen for the club to adopt data science and analytics. Per reports, in an executive meeting soon after his investment, he announced that the team's approach to football “will be determined by this group”.

After all, Ratcliffe is a specialist in this technical footballing stuff, leveraging his background in petrochemicals and sailing. Above all he remains immensely wealthy, and as we all know, the wealthy are the best of us: more perceptive, more wise, strategically brilliant, simply superior. Who else would you trust to manage a strategic plan of cost-cutting, the building of a modern arena that appears similar to an abstract design, the acquisition of a new striker?

The New Soccer Order: Directors Over Coaches

This is a trend that is becoming prevalent at the elite levels football. Historically, clubs foolishly delegated big footballing decisions to subordinate staff like managers, talent spotters – even footballers. Maybe previously possible for a young, innovative manager with ideas and energy to join a club and implement their plan through to completion. But how many companies have such individuals established? What number of mass redundancies have they overseen? Better by far to place the real power where it belongs: the executive class, the casually dressed executives, the individuals with the jaw-dropping professional resumes. It is wiser to decide the tactics by the directors and appoint a coach who can tailor their methods to suit. If coaches were once chefs, they have become more like delivery personnel: not really responsible for the product, yet ultimately answerable if it arrives poorly or fails to meet standards.

Nowadays, a coach's role is increasingly less about defining the vision and more about selling it: the front-facing representative of the operation, the public face for a club they have minimal power to change. A coach at Chelsea takes a squad of literal children into Europe and wins domestic cups, and essentially is dismissed for speaking out. A manager at Celtic finds his standing damaged whereas the people who appointed him continue to make errors another day.

A Neoliberal Game: Responsibility Only for the Few

And possibly in a small way this represents neoliberalism in action: the elevation of a privileged elite who are infallible, whose decisions remain untouchable, whose mistakes can invariably be resolved by sacking without justification. Hire the 3-4-3 coach and then fire him for using too much 3-4-3. Bring in the process guy and then bin them 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 grownups – regardless of their expertise – remain in control.