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Itranspired the manager could survive defeat by Grimsby. Survive losing a crucial European final versus a particularly poor Spurs sides for many years. He could survive home defeats to domestic rivals, finishing 15th, an unwavering system, laying waste to some of the club’s best homegrown talent, a poor winning percentage, labeling his team the poorest the club has ever seen. But there was one adversary with whom the Portuguese coach was not permitted to tango. If you challenge the sporting director, and you best not miss.

Unfortunately, like many a Premiership defender during Blackburn Rovers' championship campaign, the coach came at the executive and seems to have failed. The most distracted of readers will notice the paradoxical situation: a coach who frequently berated his squad for failing in one-on-one duels crumbling when confronted by the intense pressure and animal charisma of one of the Premier League’s most feared football executives.

In truth, this entire painful saga seems to paint Jason Wilcox in a whole new light. It may have been tempting, given his brief stint of experience with the Saints, to view him as merely a functionary within the club's structure: a man who owed his position as much to his friendship with his former boss a fellow executive rather than any verifiable talent. How mistaken everyone was. By masterfully outmanoeuvring the club's celebrated manager, as he outmanoeuvred the hapless Dan Ashworth before him, he has proved himself to be among the sport’s true generals: a strategic mind of which United’s mid-table rivals will now be justifiably concerned.

A Strategic Clash Regarding System and Philosophy

For example, it was the director who being involved in the leadership that appointed the 3-4-3 fundamentalist Amorim in the first place, played a key role in trying to persuade him to abandon his favored 3-4-3. Unsurprisingly, these pleas faced pushback. But perhaps these judgements carry more weight when delivered from the mouth of a man the unimpeachable soccer background he possesses, a veteran of international appearances and a role in a title-winning side from 31 years ago.

Perhaps in time Jason Wilcox might agree to explain his thought processes publicly. Perhaps at some point he might be asked why Amorim is departing with full compensation, without any penalty clause in place. The director seldom speaks in public, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers in football – men like Jason Wilcox – simply operate on a plane exceeding our prosaic understanding. Were he to speak, probably we would perceive is a series of high-frequency signals and complex calculations. Wanting is not quite the same as being ready to comprehend it.

An Ultimate Authority In Command

Naturally, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we are obscuring the real power behind the club's current leadership. The director is, in reality, merely executing the commands of his ultimate line manager Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who privately has made very clear his desire for a four-man defense. It is reported, Ratcliffe has also proposed playing Bryan Mbeumo in a wing-back role. Ratcliffe is keen for United to adopt analytics and metrics. According to ESPN, in an executive meeting early in his investment, he declared that the team's approach to football “will be decided by this group”.

Ultimately, Ratcliffe is an expert in this technical footballing stuff, leveraging his previous experience in industry and sailing. Above all he remains immensely wealthy, and as we all know, the rich are superior: more insightful, more wise, strategically brilliant, simply better. Whom else would you trust to oversee an enlightened programme of cost-cutting, the construction of a new stadium that appears a lot like someone’s leftover knitting, the acquisition of a new striker?

A Modern Soccer Hierarchy: Directors Above Managers

This is a trend that is becoming prevalent in top-tier of the game. For decades, teams mistakenly entrusted big footballing decisions to subordinate staff such as coaches, talent spotters – even footballers. Maybe previously feasible for a young, visionary coach with a philosophy and drive to join a club and see their vision supported to fruition. But how many companies have such individuals established? What number of large-scale layoffs have they managed? Far preferable to place genuine authority where it belongs: the leadership tier, the open-necked shirt brigade, the individuals with impressive professional resumes. It is wiser to decide the tactics in the boardroom and hire someone who will adapt their offering to suit. If coaches were formerly chefs, they are now more akin to Deliveroo drivers: not really creating the food, but still ultimately answerable if it arrives cold or leaks out to meet standards.

In the meantime, their job has become not about crafting the philosophy and more about selling it: the receptionist on the front desk, the public face of an organisation they have minimal power to influence. Enzo Maresca leads a team of very young players into the Champions League and wins domestic cups, and effectively gets sacked for talking. A manager at Celtic finds his reputation ruined while the people who appointed him continue to make errors indefinitely.

The Modern Corporate Football: Accountability Only for the Coaches

And perhaps in a small way this represents corporate governance in action: the rise of a gilded overclass who are infallible, whose decisions remain sacrosanct, whose mistakes can always be resolved by sacking without explanation. Hire the 3-4-3 coach and then fire them for using excessively that system. Bring in the process guy and later discard him for requiring excessive time. And most importantly show gratitude; for your modest season ticket price rises, for the latest summer signings, for the reality that the grownups – regardless of their expertise – remain in control.