Windy, I love the passion too but it's just not enough. With a better striker we'd have beaten Villa last season, his misses were astonishing.
What I think we've been desperately missing is the ability to uncover a gem. Seriously, when was the last time we brought in a player and they just blossomed into something outstanding? Carroll was a reserve, and even then was about 5 years ago. It's a long time. Look at the ins and outs at Southampton by contrast. Who were Mane, Fonte, van Dijk, Schneiderlin, Chambers, Clyne, etc.? How many have we had? Even those who flirted with being decent have quickly faded again; Tiote most notably.
Our contrast under Carr has been unfathomably bad. Our mantra for scouting has been more about stealing players who are already ok; the contract clause for Cabaye, the low fee for Wijnaldum, everyone in history was robbed by Sissoko somehow (especially Spurs), etc. But they weren't unknown. Then there's the idiocy we've displayed with both Cabella and Thauvin - clear disasters before they even happened. I think this is what's holding us back - an abysmal scouting set up coupled with a terrible youth set up. It'll take a while yet for Rafa to clear some of this garbage up.