Amorim's Fatal Mistake? Challenging Wilcox and an Infallible Executive Tier

Transpired the manager could survive losing against lower-league opposition. He weathered a decisive continental showpiece versus one of the worst Spurs sides in living memory. He withstood home defeats against West Ham and Wolves, finishing 15th, his rigid approach, squandering the team's best homegrown talent, the 32% win rate, calling the squad the poorest in Manchester United history. But there was a single opponent with whom the Portuguese coach was not permitted to dance. You come at Jason Wilcox, you had better succeed.

And frankly, this whole bruising episode seems to paint Jason Wilcox in a different perspective. It may have been tempting, based on his brief stint in a similar role at Southampton, to view him as little more than a drudge within the club's structure: an individual who owed his position as much to his close relationship with ex-colleague a fellow executive as any verifiable talent. How wrong we all were. In brilliantly outmanoeuvring United’s feted manager, just as he bested the hapless Dan Ashworth before him, Jason Wilcox has proved himself to be among the sport’s true generals: a tactical intellect of which the club's competitors will now be rightly wary.

A Tactical Clash Regarding System and Ideology

For example, it was the director who having been part of the leadership that appointed the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim in the first place, was instrumental in attempting to convince him to ditch his beloved 3-4-3. Naturally, these pleas faced pushback. However, such directives hold greater authority when issued from the mouth with the unimpeachable soccer background of Jason Wilcox, a veteran of three England caps and a contributor to a title-winning side from 31 years ago.

Maybe eventually Jason Wilcox might agree to outline his reasoning to the rest of us. Maybe one day questions may arise why Amorim is departing with full compensation, with no penalty clause activated. But Jason Wilcox seldom speaks publicly, for excellent reasons. The true intellectuals in football – individuals such as Jason Wilcox – function at a level beyond our own mundane comprehension. Were he to speak, probably all we would hear would be ultrasonic blips and complex calculations. Desiring an explanation is not quite equivalent to being prepared to receive.

The Supreme Power In the Throne

But of course, by focusing our attention on the sporting director we overlook the true genius behind the club's current leadership. Jason Wilcox is, in reality, merely executing the directives of his superior the billionaire owner, who in private has emphasized his desire for a back four. According to reports, Ratcliffe has also suggested playing Bryan Mbeumo in a wing-back role. The owner is eager for United to embrace analytics and metrics. Per reports, during a leadership summit early in his investment, he declared that the team's approach to football “will be decided in this room”.

After all, Sir Jim is a specialist in this technical football matters, drawing from his background in petrochemicals and yachting. Most importantly he is incredibly rich, and it is known, the wealthy are the best of us: more perceptive, sagacious, more tactically astute, fundamentally better. Who else could one trust to manage a strategic plan of austerity, the construction of a modern arena that looks a lot like an abstract design, the acquisition of a new striker?

The Modern Football Order: Executives Above Managers

This is a trend we are increasingly seeing in top-tier of the game. For decades, clubs foolishly entrusted major sporting choices to low-level employees such as coaches, talent spotters – even footballers. Perhaps it was once feasible for a young, visionary coach with a philosophy and energy to go into a club and see their vision supported to fruition. But how many companies have these guys set up? What number of 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 professional resumes. It is wiser to determine the tactics in the boardroom and hire a coach who can tailor their methods accordingly. If managers were once chefs, they are now more like delivery personnel: not creating the product, but still ultimately answerable if it arrives cold or fails of the box.

Nowadays, their job is increasingly less about crafting the philosophy and more about selling it: the front-facing representative on the front desk, the visible figurehead for a club they can do little to influence. A coach at Chelsea takes a squad of very young players into Europe and secures domestic cups, and effectively gets sacked for speaking out. Wilfried Nancy sees his reputation ruined whereas the people who appointed him live to blunder indefinitely.

A Neoliberal Football: Accountability Only for the Coaches

And possibly on some microcosmic level this represents neoliberalism in action: the elevation of a gilded elite who are infallible, whose choices are always sacrosanct, whose mistakes can invariably be resolved by sacking without explanation. Hire the system coach only to fire him for using excessively 3-4-3. Hire the project manager and later discard them for taking excessive time. And above all be grateful; for the incremental increases in ticket costs, for the latest summer signings, for the reality that the grownups – however well qualified – remain in control.