We have been here before and are seasoned enough to be at the ready. Reality hurts but the facts don’t lie.

After last Saturday’s final whistle and yet another utterly avoidable defeat against a very modest Preston at St. Andrew’s, my thoughts immediately centred on the wasted years that seem to grow season upon season.  Pointless dwelling on the occasional highs which give false dawns, as eventually damp squibs always appear as the winners.

Three defeats on the bounce plus hamstrings galore have certainly put a dampener on proceedings. Seventeenth position in the table with twenty games to go has more or less decided what many feel will be our target for the remainder of this season. Survival. Again.

Whilst the harsh disappointment of Friday night’s defeat by Hull City still lingers, the reality of the current situation at our club couldn’t be clearer. In a nutshell, the club needs looking after.

​After getting what we needed and hoped for against Reading last Friday, Blues now look nicely placed. Not just the current league positioning, but the feeling that the second half of the season could be anything we want it to be.