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Itbecame clear the manager endured defeat by Grimsby. Survive losing a crucial European final versus one of the worst Spurs sides in living memory. He could survive losing at home to West Ham and Wolves, a lowly league position, the tactical inflexibility, squandering the team's most promising academy products, the 32% win rate, labeling his team the poorest the club has ever seen. Yet, there existed one adversary with whom the Portuguese coach was not permitted to tango. You come at Jason Wilcox, and you best not miss.

Regrettably, like many a Premiership right-back during Blackburn Rovers' title-winning 1994-95 season, Amorim took on the executive and appears to have missed. Even the most casual observer can see the paradoxical situation: a manager who frequently berated at his players for failing in individual battles crumbling when confronted by the white heat and animal charisma of one of the Premier League’s most feared football executives.

In truth, this whole bruising episode seems to paint the director in a whole new light. Perhaps it might have been easy, given his brief stint of experience with the Saints, to view him as merely a functionary within the club's structure: an individual whose appointment was due as much to his close relationship with ex-colleague a fellow executive rather than any verifiable talent. How mistaken everyone was. In brilliantly outsmarting the club's celebrated manager, just as he bested the unfortunate Dan Ashworth before him, he has demonstrated to be among football's true generals: a tactical intellect of which the club's competitors are now justifiably concerned.

A Tactical Clash Regarding Formation and Ideology

To illustrate, it was the director who having been part of the leadership that appointed the 3-4-3 fundamentalist Amorim originally, was instrumental in attempting to convince him to abandon his beloved formation. Unsurprisingly, these entreaties faced pushback. But perhaps these judgements carry more weight when issued from the mouth with the unimpeachable soccer background of Jason Wilcox, holder of three England caps and a contributor to a title-winning side from 31 years ago.

Maybe eventually Jason Wilcox may be persuaded to outline his reasoning to the rest of us. Perhaps at some point questions may arise why Amorim is departing with full compensation, without any penalty clause in place. But Jason Wilcox speaks rarely publicly, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers in football – men like Jason Wilcox – function on a plane beyond our own prosaic understanding. Were he to speak, most likely we would perceive is a series of ultrasonic blips and complex calculations. Wanting is not quite equivalent to being ready to comprehend it.

An Ultimate Power In Command

But of course, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we overlook the real power behind the club's current leadership. Jason Wilcox is, after all, merely executing the directives of his ultimate line manager the billionaire owner, who in private has made very clear his desire for a four-man defense. According to reports, the owner has also proposed deploying the forward as a right wing-back. Ratcliffe is keen for United to adopt data science and metrics. Per reports, in an executive meeting soon after his investment, he declared that the team's approach to football “will be determined in this room”.

After all, Ratcliffe is a specialist in this technical footballing stuff, drawing from his background in industry and yachting. Above all he remains immensely wealthy, 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 oversee a strategic plan of austerity, the construction of a modern arena that appears similar to an abstract design, the acquisition of a new striker?

The New Soccer Hierarchy: Executives Above Managers

This represents a shift that is becoming prevalent at the elite levels of the game. Historically, teams mistakenly entrusted big footballing decisions to subordinate staff like managers, scouts – even footballers. Maybe previously feasible for an up-and-coming, visionary coach with a philosophy and energy to join an organization and see their vision supported to fruition. Yet how many companies have these guys set up? How many large-scale layoffs have they overseen? Better by far to invest the real power where it rightly belongs: the executive class, the open-necked shirt brigade, the guys with impressive LinkedIn profiles. Better by far to determine the tactics in the boardroom and hire a coach who can tailor their methods to suit. If managers were once chefs, they are now more like delivery personnel: not really creating the product, yet ultimately answerable should it be delivered poorly or leaks out of the box.

Nowadays, their job 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 change. A coach at Chelsea takes a squad of very young players into the Champions League and secures domestic cups, and essentially is dismissed for talking. A manager at Celtic sees his reputation ruined whereas the people who appointed him live to blunder another day.

A Modern Corporate Game: Accountability for the Few

And possibly in a small way this represents corporate governance at work: the elevation of a privileged overclass who are infallible, whose decisions are always untouchable, whose errors can always be resolved by sacking without justification. Hire the 3-4-3 coach only to fire him for playing too much 3-4-3. Hire the process guy and then discard him for taking too long. And above all show gratitude; for your modest increases in ticket costs, for the latest summer signings, for the reality that the grownups – however well qualified – are in charge.