Town manager George Burley says that last season's relegation was perhaps a case of getting too much too soon in the first Premiership campaign. After a fifth place two years ago the Blues stumbled to relegation second time around.

Burley said: "It was possibly the case of too much too soon. There are always lessons to be learned and in an ideal world you go one step at a time.

"We jumped 10 hurdles the season before last. We went from odds-on to be relegated to getting into Europe.

"That brought along all the expectations and hype last year and everyone went along with it. That's what football, and life for that matter, are like.

"But if we had been third from bottom a year before, nobody would have blinked an eye."

Burley feesl that Town were not consistent enough last season: "We performed well in one-offs but not often enough. But we are not going to hide from the fact we did not play well.

"The fans have been treated to some great football over the last two years. And we are proud of what we have done.

"But you have got to play at your best to get anything in the Premier League and we did not do that week in, week out. We were too Jekyll and Hyde."

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