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Transpired he was able to withstand a loss to lower-league opposition. Survive a decisive continental showpiece versus one of the worst Tottenham teams in living memory. He withstood home defeats to West Ham and Wolves, finishing 15th, his rigid approach, laying waste to the team's best homegrown talent, a poor winning percentage, labeling the squad the worst the club has ever seen. Yet, there existed a single opponent against whom the Portuguese coach was not permitted to dance. If you challenge the sporting director, and you best not miss.

Unfortunately, like many a top-flight defender in Blackburn’s championship campaign, Amorim came at Jason Wilcox and appears to have failed. Even the most casual observer can see the irony here: a coach who frequently berated his squad for failing in individual battles succumbing in the face of the intense pressure and formidable presence of one of the Premier League’s most intimidating football executives.

And frankly, this whole bruising episode appears to portray Jason Wilcox in a whole new light. It may have been tempting, given his brief stint in a similar role at Southampton, to regard Jason Wilcox as little more than a drudge within the club's structure: a man whose appointment was due largely to his friendship with ex-colleague a fellow executive rather than any verifiable talent. How wrong we all were. In brilliantly outsmarting United’s feted manager, just as he bested the hapless Dan Ashworth earlier, he has proved himself to be among football's strategic masterminds: a tactical intellect of which the club's mid-table rivals will now be rightly wary.

A Tactical Clash Over System & Philosophy

To illustrate, this was Jason Wilcox , after being involved in the hierarchy that hired the rigid 3-4-3 advocate the coach in the first place, played a key role in trying to persuade him to abandon his favored formation. Unsurprisingly, these entreaties were resisted. However, these judgements hold greater authority when issued by a man of a man the unimpeachable football pedigree of Jason Wilcox, holder of international appearances and a role in a title-winning side from 31 years ago.

Maybe eventually he may be persuaded to outline his thought processes to the rest of us. Maybe one day he might be asked why Amorim is departing with a full payout, with no penalty clause in place. The director speaks rarely publicly, for excellent reasons. The true intellectuals of this sport – individuals such as him – simply operate at a level beyond our own mundane comprehension. Were he to speak, probably we would perceive is a series of high-frequency signals and four-dimensional whirring. Wanting is not the same as being prepared to comprehend it.

The Supreme Power In the Throne

Naturally, by focusing our attention on the sporting director we are obscuring the real power behind the club's current leadership. Jason Wilcox is, in reality, merely executing the commands of his line manager the billionaire owner, who privately has made very clear his desire for a four-man defense. According to reports, Ratcliffe has also proposed deploying the forward as a right wing-back. Ratcliffe is keen for United to embrace data science and analytics. Per reports, in an executive meeting early in his investment, he declared that the team's approach to football “will be determined in this room”.

After all, Ratcliffe is a specialist in these intricate football matters, leveraging his background in petrochemicals and yachting. Above all he is incredibly rich, and as we all know, the rich are the best of us: more perceptive, more wise, strategically brilliant, simply superior. Whom else could one trust to manage an enlightened programme of austerity, the construction of a modern arena that appears similar to someone’s leftover knitting, the acquisition of Benjamin Sesko?

The New Soccer Order: Directors Above Managers

This represents a shift that is becoming prevalent at the elite levels of the game. Historically, teams mistakenly delegated big footballing decisions to low-level employees such as coaches, scouts – even footballers. Perhaps it was once possible for a young, innovative manager with a philosophy and drive to join an organization and see their vision supported to fruition. But how many businesses have such individuals established? What number of mass redundancies have they overseen? Far preferable to place the real power where it belongs: the executive class, the open-necked shirt brigade, the individuals with impressive professional resumes. Better by far to determine the tactics by the directors and appoint someone who will adapt their offering accordingly. If managers were formerly chefs, they are now more akin to delivery personnel: not really creating the product, yet finally accountable if it arrives poorly or fails of the box.

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 change. A coach at Chelsea leads a team of literal children into the Champions League and secures two medium-sized trophies, and essentially gets sacked for speaking out. Wilfried Nancy finds his reputation ruined whereas those individuals who appointed him live to blunder another day.

The Modern Corporate Game: Accountability Only for the Few

And perhaps on some microcosmic level this is simply corporate governance in action: the elevation of a privileged elite who are infallible, whose decisions remain sacrosanct, whose errors can invariably be sacked away without explanation. Appoint the 3-4-3 coach only to dismiss them for using too much 3-4-3. Bring in the project manager and then bin them for requiring too long. And most importantly be grateful; for your modest increases in ticket costs, for the latest summer signings, for the reality that the adults – regardless of their expertise – remain in control.