In my experience, one of the challenges in conversations like this on the Forum (and they are numerous) is that OOTP is so customizable and game play comes in so many different flavors that it is very difficult to generalize. (I mean, it's always easy to generalize, but the validity of the generalizations is another thing altogether.
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Do I believe that it is easy for a somewhat savvy player to build a perpetually winning team, even without doing too much of what most of us would consider gaming the system? Yes, I do.
But just because that is my experience, using the settings and approach I do, doesn't mean it is a universal experience.
And while I get the argument that one shouldn't have to use individual "house rules" to experience more of a challenge, it does seem to me that there are many ways to play the game that are already built-in that can lead to greater challenges. (Less scouting accuracy, more random talent change, stats only, etc.)
I suppose I'm not really even responding just to this thread but to something I have seen so much of in the time I've been playing OOTP and spending time in this community. It is common for someone to come here to vent about an aspect of the game they think is flawed or even broken, make bold generalized statements that I'm sure seem self-evident to them but often have little to do with how many others experience the game. And I'm not saying that they are wrong, just that a more nuanced approach would likely lead to more productive conversations.
It is both a strength and arguably a weakness that OOTP provides such a broad array of gaming experiences and approaches. I personally love the breadth of options but it also does make it hard to reach any universal truths about the game. My wish would just be that people posting here would try to step outside of their own perspective first and acknowledge that their experience isn't everyone's experience. (But, hey, do what you will. This is just my idealistic view of how things should be, not how they are.)