There's a great Albert Einstein quote about foolishness. You'll probably have heard it: "Someone who does the same thing over and over again expecting different results" is, by this definition, a fool. Sheer, simple brilliance, befitting the man who transformed the foundations of science with a three-letter equation (you'll know that one, too).
Of course, as far as we know, Einstein never actually said it. But it still appears every now and then, a conviction-carrying particle popping into existence when someone has Important Points to make, not least in obfuscating intros to sports columns.
Einstein's apocryphal slur certainly fits today's post-truth world. It doesn't matter if he didn't really say it; he was clever, and it sounds like the sort of thing a clever person would say, so it's fine. Reality is a point of view. I won the election because I said so. Facts, schmacts.
Ruben Amorim will take charge of his 50th Manchester United match against Sunderland on Saturday. The mainstream media would have you believe that he's lost 19 and only won 18 of his first 49 games; that in the Premier League, he's taken 32 points from 35 matches, which is roughly as good as Neil Warnock's Cardiff City when they were relegated in 2018/19.
The naysayers will force-feed you a narrative of zero consecutive wins in 10 months, of the club's worst table finish in the Premier League era in 2024/25, of conceding the first goal in a league game 21 times since last November. They'll misdirect you towards Amorim deriding his own players in public, claiming they're not up for the fight while admitting he's not sure he is, either. "Sometimes, I want to quit" doesn't mean he wants to quit, you know.
MORE: The stats that paint a sorry picture for Ruben Amorim at Man United
And then there's The System. Don't mention The System. But also, do. Paint it in red and run it up a flagpole — or a lamp post — and don't let "the man" take it down.
The System is fundamental, sacrosanct. It's the Declaration of Independence in 3-4-2-1: life, liberty, and Patrick Dorgu. It is also everything, and nothing. The System is not to blame when United lose, Amorim insists, but should be applauded when they win. He would gladly change formation if he thought it would help, he said a month ago, while also saying "not even the Pope" could make him do things differently. Who needs to start the new goalkeeper when you've got principles?
The System depends on a pair of mobile central midfielders, specialised wing-backs and ruthless goal-scorers. So what if United have none of these? You can't make it too easy. And when other managers speak openly about knowing how to beat it, some with the kindly air of a father reminding you the stove is hot, Amorim is resolute. "The way we concede goals, create chances, that is nothing to do with the system," he said this week. "We need to do the same thing, in the same way, every day, and we are not doing it the same every day. Some of you guys have a different opinion, but that's okay." Banish the apostates and stay the course. Next time, it will work. Or next time. Or the time after that. You know that Einstein quote isn't real, right?
It's United's hierarchy who deserve the greatest acclaim, ignoring the sight of a skilled and charming professional descending into despair and favouring a cold, hard, fact-based gut feeling. Minority owner Sir Jim Ratcliffe, CEO Omar Berrada and director of football Jason Wilcox have shown little appetite to remove a head coach with the worst win rate of any United boss in the Premier League era. They want him to have a full season to prove himself, not make knee-jerk decisions like, say, sacking a manager less than four months after giving him a new contract. Crisitunity Football Club does things differently.
Where some might picture the United board room as the panelled embodiment of the 'This is fine' meme, INEOS see only marginal gains towards Project 150, the goal of winning the Premier League and Women's Super League titles in the club's 150th year in 2028. Amorim, they appear to believe, is the man who will lead them there, however much stupid reality gets in the way. And that belief is paramount: after all, the conviction of being right, in spite of all empirical evidence to the contrary, is how you get to run a country these days.
So, roll on the visit of Sunderland, and the chance for Amorim to do what no United manager since Alex Ferguson has done: win their 50th game. And this time, it will be different. Never mind the results against Brentford, or Manchester City, or Grimsby; ignore the fact Regis Le Bris' promoted team are already four points further up the table. The System will work. Goals will be scored. Mistakes won't be made. Just like the Stretford End song, he'll turn the Reds around.
And if not... well, they're not going bust by Christmas any more. Success is relative. Einstein said that. Look it up.