Where did you get the the impression that I would be happy to mosey about at the top table without really challenging for silverware, my presence on here alone should tell you otherwise!
I certainly don't consider myself unrealistically optimistic either, and I don't know how many different ways to say this but if we hadn't built a new stadium I'd be worried, if we didn't have a manager as capable as AW I'd be worried, if our debt stood well into nine figures with nothing to show for it I'd be worried, if we didn't have one of the best academies in the world, I'd be worried and if we had an aging team living off past glories with no future or no money to rebuild then yes I'd be worried!
So as I'm sure, you'll see where I'm going with all this, the fact is I think the future is pretty bright, but there's no doubt that we are going thru a period of change which will inevitably lead to a lean period because of failures and mistakes especially where the young players themselves are concerned, and that's not to say that the boss is totally perfect either but I think he has a vision of the academy being the bedrock of the club so that eventually we can keep the perfect blend of age and experience and build upon that with shrewd signings, and I think that is definately a policy worth pursuing!
As for GG he has certainly played an enormous part in our history and I have thought many a time that it was the success we enjoyed under his tenure that was the stepping stone to Wenger coming! But as much as I have a soft spot for George not least for 26/5/89
we needed to change our image cos (and at the risk of sounding like Yoda) we were never going to continue to the next level, on the back of attracting new fans or sponsors cos nobody wants to see that sort of football anymore, and as I'm sure many will agree it's still a work in progress before we can truly call ourselves a 'big' club, but IMHO and in my experience we are doin ok cos slow and steady is the way to build things that last, you know easy come easy go and all that stuff, which in fact reminds me of a wee motto me and my mates used to have in the days of the back four - steadfast and sure!
As far as financial muscle is concerned this is where I think ManU were very lucky in that they picked a very good time to hit a purple patch and rode the wave of renewed fervour for football after the dark days of 70s/80s led by Sky and the formation of the Prem and the money it provided along with poster boy Becks and an excellent marketing machine which won them fans from areas of the country like London for instance that have their own top teams
and then of course the massive far east market as well and the whole thing has just snowballed from there!
Similarly, I think that we were also extremely fortunate to land Le Boss when we did otherwise would we have secured all that Champ's League money and all those titles with a style that has won us a new generation of fans??? even what havin arguably the best player in the world at the club has done for our profile cannot be overestimated!!! ........... had things not happened as they did, then I think we really would have been in serious danger of bein left behind!
I don't know what the relevance of ManU not winning a trophy for 27 yrs prior to their recent rise to power has got to do with today because in those days the title regularly changed hands, whereas today the gap between the rich and the poor is huge and no more so than where the Mancs sre concerned and they have never enjoyed such financial superiority over the rest of the clubs as they have in the past ten yrs or so! Do you think the fact that Chelsea won their first ever league title and then proceeded to defend it was a conincidence to RA taking control??? and until he came along with literally billions in cash, ourselves and Utd had a complete monopoly on the title apart as I said before, the house that Jack built which altho, as par for the course it cost him a fortune, he UNfortunately built it on sand, and as we all know relegation followed swiftly!
Again where the weight issue is concerned, the point I thought I had made clearly was that it was AW's genius that has kept us in the CL every single year since he took over, and the fact he did it on a low budget whilst redirecting funds to a new stadium and a new ground is, I think, staggering, I seriously doubt there are many if any managers in the game who could've carried that off inc. GG, this is what I mean by punching above our weight - as in financial terms which is why many our calling for a takeover cos they are afraid of us getting left behind!
I wish you wouldn't twist my words I distinctly said that we were a RELATIVE pauper next to the two richest clubs in the world especially off the back of the Grove project and will remain so until we at least recoup the 100M + for the redevelopment of Highbury!
Yes Anfield's capacity is only 7000 greater than ours which again lends more weight to the theory that small capacity does seriously hinder any progress, but I still think their match gate would've been nearly a couple of hundred grand more than ours in real terms anyway cos it must surely cost more to run a stadium in one of the dearest capital cities in the world as opposed to L'pool, I don't know that for sure but it's just a thought!
Finally, I really hope because I'm calling for some sense of SHORT TERM perspective in light of the dramatic changes at our club, that you are not suggesting that I have somehow given up the ghost and accepted mediocrity a la Spurs, I think as I've said many times before that we need to be patient for just one more season or even half a season to find out whether AW's faith in his youngsters was misplaced or not cos make no mistake he knows this is arguably the biggest season of his career and he is staking his considerable reputation on them!
Finally (again
) I think I can safely say that everyone on here feels the same as you, we love AFC first and foremost, and are not necessarily going to jump ship should he leave for another club, which I s'pose I'd better say for the record I don't think he'll ever do!
EH?? 
