I can't understand the complacency when basically the same group wasn't good enough last season, and when you've finished in the Champion's League places 1 out of the last 5 years.
"We'll run (more or less) the same team out that didn't succeed last year , grow the youngsters up on the training ground gradually, and do some wise business shipping failed players out. And if all goes well maybe we can compete for European football... where our ambitions again won't match those of the teams surrounding us" ...
This is slop you'd dish up to supporters of the Spam or some other mid-table club that doesn't harbor any delusions about winning trophies, not a big club as we feel we are
I understand the sentiment and this is not just about transfers, we've had 3 different managers in that time too, as much as we have needed change on player front, we need stability in management,
I don't know if we are running the same team though, better, worse or a similar level, the question is whether the new set of players will be better than the old, you don't know and neither do I. On the point about signing big names, it hasn't worked for us because the players we've bought who stood out haven't traditionally been big names,
Modric/Bale/Dembele/Berbatov/Alli - these weren't players who came in with huge reputations or massive fees, do I think Solanke is the next Berbatov? Probably not, but he could improve us and we need time to judge his impact, like all of the new boys, we need to give them a chance based upon what they do for us.
You might be right, we could have bought slop, but you really can't call it that till you've tasted what's been served up.
I just get the feeling Gray, Bergvall, Solanke and Oddobert, at least a couple of those might be better than slop. I am not saying we should expect these players will win the league for us but if they improve us, then surely that's not a bad thing?