Amorim's Fatal Mistake? Taking On Wilcox and an Infallible Leadership Class

Transpired he could survive defeat by Grimsby. Survive an important continental showpiece against a particularly poor Tottenham teams in living memory. He withstood home defeats to domestic rivals, finishing 15th, his rigid approach, laying waste to the team's best academy products, a poor winning percentage, calling the squad the poorest in Manchester United history. Yet, there existed a single opponent against whom the Portuguese coach would not be allowed to dance. If you challenge the sporting director, and you best not miss.

And frankly, this whole painful saga appears to portray the director in a different perspective. It may have been tempting, given his brief stint in a similar role at Southampton, to regard him as merely a drudge in the United exoskeleton: an individual whose appointment was due as much to his friendship with his former boss Omar Berrada rather than any verifiable talent. How mistaken everyone was. In brilliantly outsmarting United’s feted head coach, just as he bested the unfortunate a previous executive before him, he has proved himself as one of football's true generals: a strategic mind that United’s mid-table rivals will now be justifiably concerned.

A Strategic Conflict Over Formation & Ideology

To illustrate, it was Jason Wilcox , after being involved in the hierarchy that appointed the rigid 3-4-3 advocate Amorim originally, was instrumental in attempting to convince him to abandon his favored 3-4-3. Naturally, these entreaties were resisted. But perhaps these judgements carry more weight when delivered by a man of a man the unimpeachable soccer background he possesses, a veteran of international appearances and a contributor to a title-winning side from 31 years ago.

Maybe eventually he might agree to explain his reasoning publicly. Perhaps at some point questions may arise why Amorim is walking away with a full payout, with no penalty clause activated. But Jason Wilcox seldom speaks publicly, and with very good reason. The real thinkers in football – individuals such as Jason Wilcox – function at a level exceeding our mundane comprehension. If he ever did speak, probably all we would hear would be ultrasonic blips and complex calculations. Wanting is not quite the same as being prepared to comprehend it.

The Supreme Authority Behind Command

But of course, by focusing our attention on Jason Wilcox we are obscuring the real power behind the modern United throne. Jason Wilcox is, after all, merely executing the directives of his line manager the billionaire owner, who privately has made very clear his preference for a back four. It is reported, the owner has also proposed deploying the forward as a right wing-back. The owner is eager for United to embrace analytics and analytics. Per reports, in an executive meeting soon after his investment, he announced that the team's approach of play “will be decided by this group”.

After all, Sir Jim is a specialist in this technical football matters, drawing from his previous experience in industry and sailing. Above all he is immensely wealthy, and it is known, the rich are the best of us: more insightful, more wise, strategically brilliant, simply superior. Who else would you trust to manage an enlightened programme of cost-cutting, the building of a new stadium that looks a lot like someone’s leftover knitting, the acquisition of a new striker?

The New Football Hierarchy: Directors Above Coaches

This represents a shift we are increasingly seeing in top-tier football. Historically, clubs foolishly entrusted major sporting choices to subordinate staff such as coaches, talent spotters – players themselves. Perhaps it was once feasible for a young, visionary coach with a philosophy and energy to go into a club and see their vision through to completion. But how many companies have such individuals established? How many mass redundancies have they overseen? Better by far to place the real power where it belongs: the leadership tier, the open-necked shirt brigade, the guys with the jaw-dropping LinkedIn profiles. Better by far to decide the strategy in the boardroom and hire someone who can tailor their methods to suit. If coaches were once chefs, they are now more akin to Deliveroo drivers: not creating the product, yet finally accountable if it arrives poorly or fails of the box.

In the meantime, their job has become not about defining the vision and more about selling it: the front-facing representative of the operation, the public face of an organisation they can do little to influence. A coach at Chelsea leads a team of literal children into the Champions League and wins domestic cups, and effectively gets sacked for talking. A manager at Celtic sees his standing damaged while the people who hired him live to blunder indefinitely.

A Neoliberal Football: Responsibility for the Coaches

And perhaps in a small way this represents neoliberalism at work: the rise of a privileged elite who are infallible, whose decisions remain untouchable, whose mistakes can invariably be sacked away without explanation. Hire the 3-4-3 coach and then fire him for using too much 3-4-3. Bring in the project manager and later bin them for requiring excessive time. And above all be grateful; for the incremental season ticket price rises, for your new summer signings, for the fact that the adults – however well qualified – are in charge.