That is 22-carat bollocks from Arse fans, if that's what they're saying (and I suppose some are). All pretty good players, but none of them were key in any of our trophies. None of them hold a candle to the spine of Hart (when he was in his pomp), Kompany, Silva/Touré and Sergio.
No, the foundations were laid, quietly and with no fuss whatsoever, by the arrival of of Txiki and Ferran. That was genius, and it was long-term planning by our ownership.
This is the best-run club in the world, probably. What I've noticed is that there is parallel planning going on, and there has been since the takeover. What I mean by that is planning at two speeds, even three — one short-term, aiming at success in the coming season, maybe the coming two seasons, ideally a trophy but no disaster if there isn't; and then medium-term planning, for the next five to ten years (the development of the academy being a prime example, and it's paying off handsomely right now).
And maybe long term planning too, really, at an even more stately pace — the development of the South Stand and now the North Stand would be examples of that. So would the development of City Football Group worldwide.
At geopolical level, the Chinese do this, believe me. It is what is going to make them the superpower of the mid to late 21st century.