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Itranspired the manager could survive defeat by lower-league opposition. He weathered a decisive European final versus one of the worst Spurs sides in living memory. He withstood losing at home against West Ham and Wolves, finishing 15th, his rigid approach, laying waste to some of the club’s best homegrown talent, the 32% win rate, calling his team the poorest the club has ever seen. Yet, there existed one adversary with whom the Portuguese coach would not be allowed to tango. You come at Jason Wilcox, you had better succeed.

Unfortunately, similar to numerous Premiership right-back in Blackburn’s title-winning 1994-95 season, Amorim took on the executive and appears to have failed. Even the most distracted of readers will notice the paradoxical situation: a coach who often railed at his players for failing in one-on-one duels succumbing in the face of the white heat and formidable presence of a the Premier League’s most intimidating football executives.

And frankly, this entire bruising episode seems to paint Jason Wilcox in a whole new light. It may have been easy, given his brief stint in a similar role with the Saints, to regard Jason Wilcox as merely a drudge in the United exoskeleton: an individual whose appointment was due as much to his friendship with ex-colleague a fellow executive as any demonstrable skill. How wrong everyone was. In brilliantly outmanoeuvring United’s feted manager, just as he bested the unfortunate a previous executive earlier, Jason Wilcox has proved himself as one of football's true generals: a strategic mind of which United’s competitors will now be justifiably concerned.

A Tactical Clash Regarding Formation and Philosophy

To illustrate, it was Jason Wilcox who being involved in the leadership that appointed the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim in the first place, was instrumental in attempting to convince him to abandon his favored 3-4-3. Unsurprisingly, these pleas faced pushback. However, such directives carry more weight when issued by a man with the impeccable football pedigree of Jason Wilcox, holder of three England caps and a contributor to a title-winning side from 31 years ago.

Maybe eventually he might agree to outline his reasoning to the rest of us. Maybe one day questions may arise regarding why the coach is departing with full compensation, with no penalty clause activated. The director seldom speaks publicly, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers in football – individuals such as Jason Wilcox – function on a plane exceeding our mundane comprehension. Were he to speak, most likely all we would hear is a series of ultrasonic blips and complex calculations. Desiring an explanation is not quite equivalent to being prepared to receive.

The Supreme Power In the Throne

But of course, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we overlook the real power behind the club's current leadership. Jason Wilcox is, in reality, simply carrying out the commands of his line manager the billionaire owner, who in private has emphasized his desire for a back four. It is reported, Ratcliffe has also suggested deploying the forward in a wing-back role. Ratcliffe is keen for the club to adopt analytics and metrics. Per reports, in an executive meeting early in his minority ownership, he declared that the team's approach to football “will be determined in this room”.

Ultimately, Sir Jim is a specialist in this technical footballing stuff, leveraging his previous experience in industry and yachting. Most importantly he is incredibly rich, and it is known, the rich are superior: more insightful, more wise, more tactically astute, simply superior. Whom else would you trust to oversee an enlightened programme of austerity, the building of a new stadium that appears a lot like someone’s leftover knitting, the acquisition of a new striker?

A New Football Order: Directors Over Managers

This represents a shift that is becoming prevalent at the elite levels of the game. Historically, clubs foolishly entrusted big footballing decisions to low-level employees such as coaches, talent spotters – even footballers. Maybe previously feasible for an up-and-coming, visionary coach with a philosophy and energy to join a club and implement their plan supported to fruition. But how many businesses have these guys established? What number of large-scale layoffs have they overseen? Better by far to place genuine authority where it rightly belongs: the leadership tier, the casually dressed executives, the guys with the jaw-dropping professional resumes. It is wiser to determine the strategy by the directors and hire a coach who can tailor their methods to suit. If coaches were once chefs, they are now more like Deliveroo drivers: not creating the product, but still finally accountable should it be delivered cold or leaks out of the box.

Nowadays, a coach's role is increasingly less about defining the vision and more about selling it: the receptionist on the front desk, the visible figurehead of an organisation they have minimal power to influence. Enzo Maresca takes a squad of very young players into the Champions League and secures domestic cups, and effectively gets sacked for talking. Wilfried Nancy finds his reputation ruined whereas those individuals who hired him continue to make errors another day.

A Modern Corporate Football: Accountability for the Coaches

And possibly in a small way this is simply corporate governance in action: the rise of a privileged elite who are infallible, whose choices remain untouchable, whose mistakes can invariably be resolved by sacking without explanation. Hire the system coach only to dismiss them for playing excessively 3-4-3. Bring in the process guy and later discard him for taking too long. And above all show gratitude; for your modest season ticket price rises, for your new player acquisitions, for the reality that the adults – however well qualified – remain in control.