On the discussion about talent that is bought and talent is
'home-grown', I agree that with all the top teams, talent is
bought. I don't believe any team relying only on internal talent
can reach and maintain it's position at the top.
To be the best, you have to also get the best from elsewhere as
well. You can't always look inwards although that would give you a
good foundation and structure, but to grow overall you need to look
outside as well.
But even after buying all the best players you can, it takes a good
manager to get them to be able to play together. I feel Mourinho
and Ferguson both have done well in getting the best out of their
signings and having their signings work well as a team. Real Madrid
didn't have poor managers, but the problem was that the players had
more power than the manager. Also, the Real Madrid Board didn't
treat their managers with very much respect. It didn't matter how
good the manager was, somtimes, the manager just doesn't have the
respect or co-operation of either the board or the dressing
room.