That's all very true, we had solid experienced defenders. Van Dijk would have offered a bit more in terms of creativity and set pieces.
The whole CMS v Murray issue was his biggest mistake though. I liked the way he wanted an English 3rd tier team to play in a Barcelona style of play, and...
If the board had put the extra needed for the signing of his target Van Dijk , we may have been promoted a few years earlier, and also holding on to a diamond to sell to the highest bidder.