Personally, I think we have been trotting out this need for patience and talking about ‘long term’ plans for decades and it’s got us absolutely nowhere. So much changes over 2 or 3 years that I think it’s pointless trying to implement some kind of consistent plan over that period.
Richarlison, for example, is odds on to leave next summer. In fact, our whole obsession with resale value means that anyone that’s half decent should be sold within 3 or 4 years. Let me guess, we have to factor in constantly selling our best players into our never ending five year plans?
The big clubs treat each and every season as a season where winning is possible, they don’t do this mad thing where they wait five years for the stars to align in a perfect set of circumstances and then give it a go.
It’s the equivalent of waiting until you’re 35, working in senior management, and have finally bought a house until you ask a bird for a snog!
Honestly, you don’t wait until you are 35! You make do the with the Adidas popper pants that your mum has bought you and go for it anyway! And you actually get results, good results!
All this 5 year plan nonsense is essentially admitting defeat before you have even started. The RS never talk about five year plans. They’ve spent the last 30 years saying “This year is our year”, and although it has taken them 30 years and the onset of a worldwide pandemic to finally be correct, it’s such a better attitude than going into each season thinking that you are five years away from being able to compete as part of a never ending five year plan!
Add the fact that Ancellotti is only going to be here for a few years, and we really need to challenge now and stop waiting for the stars to align!