I think you could make the case we're a club on the rise and by extension this reflects on an improved performance by the owners. Improvement on "dropping from a stable, mid table prem club to League 1 in half a decade odd" is a very low bar to be jumping from though, and top 10% seems a massive stretch.

I dunno, I dont think there's that much difference between the bottom half of the PL and the top quarter of the Championship and while immediate relegation would be quite likely, a few shrewd signings, good man management and a slice of luck we'd have every chance of surviving. Someone mentioned us having a season like Forest, while they may well come back down, they're currently out of the relegation zone and in better shape than a few of their rivals. The whole point is to raise our floor, as in how far down could the club realistically fall in the medium term. A few seasons in the PL and we could realistically be a club that will be unlikely to finish in the bottom half of the Championship in the foreseeable future. From there you can build from being a Norwich or Watford into a Brentford or Brighton and see where it takes you.

Maybe theres hope for Gally yet!

How do you even give a motm there? Maybe Trav as the captain given the entire team played great.

Outstanding result. Second half was very composed and in the end were good value for the score. Passing was much improved after the break and we controlled the tempo perfectly. Other than a 10 minute period where we got riled up by their shithousery they weren't really in the game at all. Lots of very good performances. Hyam, Thomas, Szmodics and Travis probably the picks for me but no poor performers. Not sure how I'm supposed to sleep now.

Settle down Sammy.

Sammie on fire atm. Unlucky.

Good spell this.

Good game. High tempo with some nice stuff played by both sides. We've looked threatening on the break but have dodged a few bullets at our own end. Back 4 have been very good, especially Hyam.

City or City tier opponent then. A winner who dodges both Manchester clubs from here would consider themselves very lucky.

We'll likely have to go through City at some point to win it too though.

Not so average Joe.

We'd need to get promoted to be a shot at Gyokeres.

Very impressive performance. We were committed, organised, energetic with a few moments of class. Thats about all you need in this division. Travis MoM for me, but JRC not far away. Loads of solid performances in there as well. Well done to Gally too, 2 straightforward chances but never wrong to see your 9 bag a brace. Hopefully it spurs him a bit.

Another great goal. JRC shredding them today.

Geez the more you watch that goal the better it gets. Szmodics with the clever run and cool finish but my God that pass from Travis was superlative.

Fmd beautiful!!

Sweet. Looks like Saturday's going to be a late one then.

Probably, but football's a weird game that can throw up all sorts of weirdness over the short course of 2 games. Once you're there you just never know.

No worries. It would have been great being a stakeholder in those times.

Last time I saw a foul throw called was in u10s.

Another loss for good looking Birmingham too.

Hes not going to jeopardise a move anywhere if he bangs in 20 goals next year and proves he's not a flash in the pan. If he can't do that in the Championship he wouldn't have been able to do it in La Liga either, which raises a whole host of problems for his future too. I think the truth is likely that a lot of the interest has dried up due to his recent form. A player can't just wind down the clock and get a better deal when out of contract despite his form dropping considerably. Hype can disappear quickly, and when there's no agreement in place its very easy for a party just to walk away. Like I said in another thread, he may just welcome the opportunity to have his next 12 months sorted, making solid money, getting his life in order and further developing his game without pressure. Or not, maybe he opts to take his chances in the summer and we're in the same position we were already. I think its a good sign for the club that this option is even being talked about though.

I'd gop a step further and say that most of the world's problems stem from entities not being beholden to the correct stakeholders.

A simpler time.