I guess measuring progress depends on what you feel is important.
On the one hand, we have how much have we followed the model and not been diverted from the long term project. On the other you have, have we improved our league position.
I am more in the second camp whilst accepting the model should be the general approach. However, there are real dangers of decline if we are not pragmatic.
If we keep selling players once they become good and replacing them with inexperienced prospects who will need time to develop it's difficult to see progress. In that case will we keep or grow our fanbase? I am not convinced.
I feel frustrated that we haven't maintained a play off push because we didn’t have a big enough squad because the model wouldn't allow it. A couple of seasons like this and the decline could become irreversible in my view.
It's a balancing act. On one hand, you're absolutely right that recycling the team every year is not going to be the most optimal way to get promoted. On the other, we still fund the next phase our team development. We may have our disagreements about
where we need to improve, but we're in agreement that we need more to get to the next level as the last two seasons we've ran out of squad.
Take Ben Sheaf, for example. He is performing at a level comparable to Hamer last year, in their respective roles. He is at the top of his value right now because he has 2 years left on his contract, iirc expiry is 2026. The club needs to make a decision because if we don't think we can get promoted next season (officially the target is playoffs), then his value decreases this time next season. This season, we can sell on our terms, next season that dynamic could flip.
This summer, if we can get a deal like we did for Hamer or Vik, then selling Sheaf is probably the right decision. It will allow us to fill out our squad more with the quality we need to get to the
promised land. The beauty of selling Hamer and Vik last season is that it set up the club with 5-6 players who should fetch £10-20+ million fees in the future.
That's how we stay on top in the transfer market.