Decent points Ivor. Do you think, though, that the longevity of the plan currently in place at SCFC is the beauty of it? If, and it's a big if, everyone behind the club can remain patient enough, for long enough, we should hopefully be producing our own players in the future, all indoctrinated in our style of football. I'm not saying it'll happen next year, and I'm not saying we've sufficient replacements (far from it) lying around waiting, but if there's one thing that we've proven it's that if the player understands the system, and your system is more efficient and well-drilled than the other system, you will, more often than not, prevail. Take the last two home games for example. For me, both away teams played a similar style, the difference being Manchester United have class and are clinical. There are teams in the Premiership who will do that to you, and score at any opening you give them, but they're restricted to European challengers. Against all the rest, we've shown we can mix it.
If we do go down (which we both doubt, happily) we would probably lose Ash, Vorm, Taylor and maybe Allen & Rangel, I think. Sinclair needs to do something if he wants to cement a reputation as a flying PL winger, while Dyer, as much as we love him and outstanding as he's been, is shy in the goals and assists department (while excellent in terms of ball retention) and a replacement could be found, I'm fairly sure. I'm not sure on Allen as I think he likes the idea of being a bastion of footballing and ethical virtue in this crazy world we live in... I could be wrong but I hope I'm not! In the Championship, with more funds than we could have previously dreamed of, is it not too much to think we could find players early in the summer who would quickly adapt to a system which is growing in fame? To risk stating the obvious, there aren't as many good teams in the NPC as in the PL, and with another year of "playing the system" under their belts, those players remaining (with added PL experience which should stand them in good stead) should do just fine I think. We might not come straight back up first time if our prior squad was decimated but I bet we'd give it a good go, wouldn't go bust in the process, and would continue to grow year on year.
I'm so excited about the future of the Swans. I wish I could see 20 years into the future, but I can't, and all I hope is the path they've embarked on is still the same one they're treading when I'm old and withered.