The last 4 Championship season, the teams occupying the top 3 in Jan, where there at the end of the season. One side occasionally put together a good run, and sometimes they may get in the play-offs.
The likes of us, Preston, Bristol City, Hull etc, if we by some freak of football ended up fluking going up, it would be an absolute disaster. As none of these sides are nearly good enough to compete on the Prem.
I see Liverpool on TV 3 times a week, so I am in no rush whotsoever to see us lose 6 or 7 nil at home to them. There is no prestige in that. I am old school, if you go up, you have to try and compete. Something Burnley never have in all the years of being up there. They have made no impact in the slightest. They haven't laid a glove on that league, so it begs the question, what is the point. If they do come down, which is looking more likely, what have they ever achieved up there? A few boardmembers are a few million quid better off, but thye still have a crap stadium, and hardley any new fans. They will come down no different than they went up. And will soon settle back in to being a mid-table Champ club like us and Preston.
This is our level. If we do choose to keep the academy, then we need to stay here and keep developing players best we can. At least we can compete here. I am of the belief, if you do plan on going up, you have to have a long-term plan of staying there. I think we would come back down after a disastrous season alot weaker, and probably at that point Venkys would take the TV money, and sell what ever assets we have left. As no other owner would be interested in the slightest. And while they would still walk away with a loss, it will be better than nothing. At this point we will struggle to have a football club with what is left, and we would likely end up being another Bury FC. Which will start happening to a number of league clubs.
We are fine where we are.