Beatrix Potter, Harry Potter, Cherry Potter

[ramAnag]

then look at the number of teams that have come bak stronger from a spell in 3rd division and gone through the chmpionships to the top - Manchester City, Aston Villa, Southampton, leeds, Forest (almost), Norwich a couple of times, Wolves, Sheffield United, Fulham - a lot of teams dropped back, rebuilt and were stronger for it.

Anyway its better to clutch at straws than sit in foolish hope that we can cling on to championship status and go down next year instead. I dont see any investment coming in that will allow us to buy the right players. So lets embrace our fate and not grieve what might have been.

Take your point but I think it’s almost fifty years since Villa were down there, approaching 25 for Man. City and ten years even for Southampton. Not sure we’ve got that long...and given the choice, which seems increasingly unlikely, I’d prefer to avoid relegation and not find out.

[Geoff Parkstone]

Take your point but I think it’s almost fifty years since Villa were down there, approaching 25 for Man. City and ten years even for Southampton. Not sure we’ve got that long...and given the choice, which seems increasingly unlikely, I’d prefer to avoid relegation and not find out.

What makes you think we will be any better next season?

[ramAnag]

What makes you think we will be any better next season?

Accept that too. Would have thought we’d be a better proposition for potential investors as a Championship club rather than a League One one, but the Championship is going to be as tough as ever next season and without such investment I imagine it’ll just be another season of struggle...as Adi says....

[swaledale]

What makes you think we will be any better next season?

This league 1 nonsense is a fallacy. yes some clubs came back stronger, some did this because they had the investment to be able to rebuild. if we don't have further investment and are reliant on Mel, then we will be reliant on revenue which would be much less in league 1 and further our decline.

There is the opportunity to reset in the summer, get some players off the wage bill and even without a takeover we would still have a better budget than at least half of the championship.

Rooney, assuming he remains the manager, would be able to get players in after having time to establish what is needed (assuming we can afford it of course) rather than scrabbling around mid season for available loans to make up the numbers.

I don't think it would take too many players to make this team a top half club, add in perhaps a couple of quality loans and who knows, if Barnsley can do it on their budget, its well within Derby's grasp.