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Transpired he was able to withstand defeat by Grimsby. He weathered losing a crucial continental showpiece versus one of the worst Spurs sides for many years. He withstood home defeats against domestic rivals, finishing 15th, an unwavering system, squandering some of the club’s best academy products, a poor winning percentage, calling the squad the worst the club has ever seen. But there was a single opponent with whom the Portuguese coach would not be allowed to dance. You come at the sporting director, and you best not miss.

Regrettably, similar to numerous top-flight defender in Blackburn’s title-winning campaign, Amorim took on the executive and appears to have missed. The most distracted of readers will notice the irony here: a coach who often railed his squad for failing in one-on-one duels succumbing in the face of the white heat and formidable presence of a England's top division's most intimidating football executives.

In truth, this whole bruising episode appears to portray the director in a whole new light. Perhaps it might have been easy, given his brief stint in a similar role with the Saints, to regard him as merely a functionary within the club's structure: a man who owed his position largely to his close relationship with ex-colleague a fellow executive rather than any demonstrable skill. How wrong we all were. By masterfully outsmarting the club's celebrated manager, as he outmanoeuvred the unfortunate Dan Ashworth earlier, he has demonstrated to be among the sport’s true generals: a tactical intellect that United’s mid-table rivals are now rightly wary.

The Strategic Clash Regarding System and Philosophy

To illustrate, this was Jason Wilcox who being involved in the hierarchy that hired the rigid 3-4-3 advocate the coach originally, played a key role in attempting to convince Amorim to abandon his beloved 3-4-3. Naturally, these pleas met a certain resistance. But perhaps such directives carry more weight when delivered by a man with the unimpeachable football pedigree he possesses, holder of international appearances and a contributor to a championship team decades past.

Maybe eventually Jason Wilcox might agree to outline his reasoning publicly. Perhaps at some point questions may arise why Amorim is walking away with a full payout, without any penalty clause in place. The director seldom speaks in public, for excellent reasons. The real thinkers of this sport – men like him – simply operate at a level beyond our own prosaic understanding. 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 In Command

Naturally, in training our focus on the sporting director we are obscuring the true genius behind the club's current leadership. The director is, in reality, merely executing the directives of his ultimate line manager Sir Jim Ratcliffe, who privately has made very clear his desire for a four-man defense. It is reported, the owner has also suggested deploying the forward in a wing-back role. The owner is eager for United to adopt data science and analytics. According to ESPN, during a leadership summit soon after his investment, he declared that United’s style to football “shall be decided in this room”.

After all, Sir Jim is an expert in these intricate 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 superior. Whom else could one trust to oversee an enlightened programme of cost-cutting, the construction of a modern arena that looks similar to an abstract design, the acquisition of a new striker?

The Modern Soccer Hierarchy: Directors Above Coaches

This represents a shift that is becoming prevalent in top-tier of the game. Historically, clubs foolishly delegated major sporting choices to low-level employees such as coaches, scouts – players themselves. Perhaps it was once feasible for an up-and-coming, visionary coach with ideas and energy to join an organization and implement their plan through to completion. Yet how many businesses have these guys established? How many mass redundancies have they managed? Far preferable to place the real power where it rightly belongs: the leadership tier, the open-necked shirt brigade, the individuals with impressive professional resumes. It is wiser to determine the tactics by the directors and appoint a coach who can tailor their offering to suit. If coaches were formerly chefs, they have become more akin to delivery personnel: not really responsible for the product, but still ultimately answerable should it be delivered cold or fails of the box.

In the meantime, their job is increasingly not about defining the vision and more about marketing it: the receptionist of the operation, the visible figurehead for a club they can do little to influence. A coach at Chelsea leads a team of very young players into Europe and secures two medium-sized trophies, and essentially gets sacked for talking. Wilfried Nancy sees his reputation ruined whereas the people who hired him live to blunder another day.

The Neoliberal Football: Accountability for the Few

And perhaps in a small way this is simply neoliberalism at work: the elevation of a gilded elite who are infallible, whose choices are always untouchable, whose errors can always be resolved by sacking without explanation. Appoint the 3-4-3 coach and then fire him for using too much 3-4-3. Bring in the process guy and then bin them for taking too long. And most importantly show gratitude; for your modest increases in ticket costs, for the latest player acquisitions, for the reality that the adults – however well qualified – remain in control.