Would you say this is the best you've ever seen us play at Championship level?
I was too young to remember the previous promoted sides under Brian Little and MON (and anybody previous).
I remember the Micky Adam's promotion but didn't we limp over the line in administration and with a squad that was never good enough to stay up?
I could almost start a thread about this, would be fascinating to hear peoples views on our best "promoted" side.
As a general rule, I think that football evolves and improves over the years. Therefore, I think this City Championship side would piss all over any of their promoted predecessors just because they are fitter, faster, smarter, etc.
The MA side was a strange one. Promotion was achieved pretty easily despite us being in some disarray off the pitch. Individually and collectively, we weren't up to much but Adams did an excellent job with the team developing a siege mentality and functional football. For some reason that I really can't fathom at the moment, Deane and Dickov often proved unplayable. Another factor that year was the new stadium syndrome and fans supporting vocally and in numbers. That season hasn't been replicated since in terms of atmosphere at least. Some of the lesser Championship teams came to our place defeated before kick off.
The MON side was brilliantly put together in such a short time. His additions of Claridge, Lennon and Izzet were inspired. But we were often shite that season. Somehow the siege mentality that MON developed after that Sheff Utd game made a team out of a bunch of individuals although it was only a terrific late run that resulted in a play off place and promotion. The emergence of Heskey was also key.
The BL side was a perfect example of a team as opposed to individuals. They had a terrific spirit and will to win despite being very limited technically. By the time we got promoted, we played really quite ugly, functional football. The first season under BL was easily the best in terms of quality of football. But over time I think he decided that good football wasn't important and our defeat of the pretty boys of Derby in the play off final proved his point.
One final point. I don't see a relationship between ability at Championship level and Premier League level at all. However you get promoted, you start again. If we win the league this year, it gives us no better chance of doing well next season than were we to have gone up last season by scraping a play off place in the final moments of the season.
The Premier League is a totally different competition. Fewer games, much more pressure, more intensity, more errors punished, more attention, more intelligence, etc. Some players that we think are okay at Championship level will be better at the higher level. Likewise, there will be casualties among those we have relied heavily on this season.