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Iturns out the manager was able to withstand defeat by Grimsby. He weathered losing a crucial continental showpiece against a particularly poor Tottenham teams for many years. He could survive home defeats against West Ham and Wolves, a lowly league position, an unwavering system, squandering some of the club’s most promising homegrown talent, a poor winning percentage, labeling the squad the poorest the club has ever seen. But there was a single opponent with whom the Portuguese coach was not permitted to dance. You come at the sporting director, and you best not miss.

Unfortunately, like many a Premiership right-back in Blackburn’s championship campaign, Amorim took on the executive and appears to have failed. Even the most casual observer can see the irony here: a manager who often railed at his players for failing in individual battles succumbing when confronted by the white heat and animal charisma of a England's top division's most intimidating sporting directors.

And frankly, this whole bruising episode seems to paint the director in a whole new light. Perhaps it might have been easy, based on his nine months of experience with the Saints, to view Jason Wilcox as little more than a functionary within the club's structure: a man whose appointment was due largely to his close relationship with ex-colleague a fellow executive rather than any demonstrable skill. How mistaken everyone was. In brilliantly outsmarting the club's celebrated manager, just as he bested the hapless Dan Ashworth before him, he has demonstrated to be among football's true generals: a strategic mind that United’s mid-table rivals are now justifiably concerned.

The Strategic Conflict Over Formation & Philosophy

To illustrate, it was Jason Wilcox , after being involved in the leadership that hired the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim in the first place, was instrumental in trying to persuade Amorim to abandon his favored formation. Unsurprisingly, these pleas faced pushback. However, these judgements carry more weight when issued by a man with the unimpeachable soccer background he possesses, holder of three England caps and a role in a championship team from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time Jason Wilcox may be persuaded to outline his reasoning to the rest of us. Perhaps at some point questions may arise regarding why the coach is walking away with a full payout, without any compensation reduction clause activated. The director speaks rarely publicly, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers of this sport – men like Jason Wilcox – function on a plane exceeding our mundane comprehension. Were he to speak, most likely we would perceive would be high-frequency signals and four-dimensional whirring. Desiring an explanation is not 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 true genius behind the modern United throne. Jason Wilcox is, after all, merely executing the directives of his ultimate line manager Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who privately has made very clear his desire for a back four. According to reports, the owner has also suggested deploying the forward as a right wing-back. The owner is eager for United to embrace data science and metrics. Per reports, during a leadership summit soon after his investment, he announced that United’s style of play “will be determined in this room”.

After all, Sir Jim is a specialist in this technical football matters, drawing from his previous experience in petrochemicals and sailing. Most importantly he is incredibly rich, and as we all know, the rich are the best of us: more perceptive, sagacious, strategically brilliant, simply superior. Who else would you trust to oversee an enlightened programme of cost-cutting, the construction of a modern arena that appears a lot like someone’s leftover knitting, the signing of a new striker?

The Modern Soccer Hierarchy: Directors Over Managers

This represents a shift we are increasingly seeing at the elite levels football. For decades, clubs foolishly delegated big footballing decisions to low-level employees like managers, scouts – even footballers. Perhaps it was once feasible for an up-and-coming, innovative manager with ideas and drive to join a club and see their vision through to completion. But how many businesses have these guys established? How many mass redundancies have they overseen? Better by far to place the real power where it belongs: the leadership tier, the open-necked shirt brigade, the individuals with the jaw-dropping LinkedIn profiles. It is wiser to determine the tactics in the boardroom and hire a coach who can tailor their offering accordingly. If coaches were once chefs, they have become more akin to delivery personnel: not creating the food, but still ultimately answerable should it be delivered poorly or fails to meet standards.

In the meantime, their job has become not about crafting the philosophy and more about marketing it: the front-facing representative on the front desk, the public face for a club they can do little to influence. A coach at Chelsea leads a team of very young players into Europe and secures two medium-sized trophies, and effectively is dismissed for speaking out. Wilfried Nancy sees his reputation ruined whereas those individuals who hired him continue to make errors indefinitely.

A Modern Corporate Football: Responsibility Only for the Few

And perhaps on some microcosmic level this is simply corporate governance at work: the rise of a privileged elite who are infallible, whose decisions are always sacrosanct, whose errors can always be resolved by sacking without explanation. Hire the 3-4-3 coach and then fire him for playing excessively that system. Hire the process guy and later discard him for taking too long. And most importantly show gratitude; for the incremental season ticket price rises, for your new summer signings, for the fact that the grownups – regardless of their expertise – remain in control.