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Tbecame clear the manager endured a loss to Grimsby. He weathered a decisive continental showpiece against one of the worst Tottenham teams in living memory. He could survive home defeats to West Ham and Wolves, finishing 15th, the tactical inflexibility, undermining some of the club’s most promising academy products, a poor winning percentage, labeling his team the worst 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, and you best not miss.

Regrettably, similar to numerous top-flight defender in Blackburn’s championship campaign, the coach came at the executive and appears to have failed. The most distracted of readers can see the paradoxical situation: a coach who frequently berated at his players for losing one-on-one duels succumbing in the face of the intense pressure and animal charisma of one of the Premier League’s most feared football executives.

And frankly, this entire bruising episode seems to paint Jason Wilcox in a different perspective. It may have been easy, based on his brief stint of experience at Southampton, to view him as merely a functionary within the club's structure: an individual who owed his position largely to his close relationship with ex-colleague Omar Berrada rather than any verifiable talent. How wrong we all were. By masterfully outmanoeuvring the club's celebrated head coach, just as he bested the unfortunate Dan Ashworth before him, he has demonstrated as one of football's strategic masterminds: a strategic mind of which United’s mid-table rivals are now rightly wary.

The Tactical Conflict Over System and Philosophy

For example, this was Jason Wilcox , after being involved in the hierarchy that hired the 3-4-3 fundamentalist the coach originally, was instrumental in attempting to convince Amorim to ditch his favored formation. Unsurprisingly, these pleas met a certain resistance. However, these judgements hold greater authority when issued by a man with the impeccable soccer background of Jason Wilcox, holder of three England caps and a role in a title-winning side from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time he may be persuaded to outline his reasoning to the rest of us. Perhaps at some point he might be asked why Amorim is walking away with full compensation, without any compensation reduction clause in place. The director seldom speaks in public, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers of this sport – individuals such as Jason Wilcox – simply operate on a plane exceeding our prosaic understanding. Were he to speak, most likely we would perceive would be high-frequency signals and four-dimensional whirring. Desiring an explanation is not the same as being prepared to comprehend it.

The Supreme Authority Behind the Throne

Naturally, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we overlook the real power behind the modern United throne. The director is, after all, merely executing the commands of his line manager the billionaire owner, who privately has made very clear his desire for a back four. It is reported, Ratcliffe has also suggested playing Bryan Mbeumo as a right wing-back. The owner is eager for the club to adopt analytics and analytics. According to ESPN, during a leadership summit soon after his minority ownership, he declared that United’s style of play “will be decided in this room”.

After all, Sir Jim is a specialist in this technical football matters, leveraging his previous experience in petrochemicals and sailing. Above all he is immensely wealthy, and as we all know, the wealthy are the best of us: more perceptive, sagacious, strategically brilliant, fundamentally superior. Whom else would you trust to manage an enlightened programme of austerity, the construction of a new stadium that appears similar to an abstract design, the signing of Benjamin Sesko?

The Modern Football Hierarchy: Directors Above Managers

This is a trend that is becoming prevalent in top-tier football. Historically, clubs foolishly entrusted major sporting choices to subordinate staff such as coaches, talent spotters – even footballers. Maybe previously feasible for a young, innovative manager with a philosophy and energy to join an organization and see their vision through to completion. But how many companies have these guys set up? How many mass redundancies have they managed? Better by far to place the real power where it rightly belongs: the executive class, the open-necked shirt brigade, the individuals with the jaw-dropping LinkedIn profiles. Better by far to determine the strategy by the directors and hire someone who can tailor their offering accordingly. If managers were formerly chefs, they have become more like delivery personnel: not responsible for the food, but still finally accountable should it be delivered poorly or fails to meet standards.

In the meantime, their job has become less 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. A coach at Chelsea leads a team of very young players into the Champions League and wins domestic cups, and essentially gets sacked for speaking out. A manager at Celtic sees his reputation ruined whereas those individuals who appointed him live to blunder another day.

A Neoliberal Game: Accountability for the Few

And possibly on some microcosmic level this is simply neoliberalism in action: the rise of a privileged elite who can never be wrong, 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 playing too much 3-4-3. Hire the process guy and then bin them for requiring too long. And above all be grateful; for your modest increases in ticket costs, for the latest player acquisitions, for the fact that the grownups – regardless of their expertise – are in charge.