I have for some reason been ind of obsessed with rabona since it came out. I definitely agree with your points but somehow it still intrigues me. I would love if there were better data aggregation and visualization tools. there is a lot of randomness involved so i think that the stats they give you about game results would be much more useful if you could see them over periods of time and manipulate the data in other ways to extract more meaning.
I have 2 teams in league 1. one has been there forever and one I just got there in the last month. I find to get the best players you have to get your youth center up to a good level and just scout hundreds of players. don't sign anyone less than 60, preferably 65. I also favor players with high tp stats and tend to prefer players with high skills who may be lacking in endurance or speed since those decline most with age you have to keep training them anyway.
I spent 5 bucks on extra rbn in the beginning and havent spent any since except for maybe a dollars worth of freezing unfreezing to transfer players between my 2 teams (you can transfer frozen players). I think the key is getting your stadium leveled up as fast as possible so you can afford the youth center and tons of scouting and high salaries that high level players eventually get.
This strategy still hasn't gotten me to the loc but I think once I get my youth center leveled enough it will work.