Although not yet truly challenging in the upper third of the Championship table, most of Blackburn Rovers' supporters will be content because of one thing - stability.
Rovers were a laughing stock last season after ending the Steve Kean debacle by first employing their shortest-serving manager (Henning Berg, 57 days) and then opting for a man who lasted only 10 days more (Michael Appleton).
Since then, the 1995 Premier League champions have been in the hands of Gary Bowyer and, touch wood, things look secure under his management.
Here, Sports Mole looks over a stop-start first half of 2013-14 for Blackburn.
August
The season began fairly well for Rovers as they earned a deserved point at Derby County thanks to Leon Best's superbly-taken late equaliser.
One blip was the serious shoulder injury suffered by Ruben Rochina, who had been their most creative player in that match but has only just started making appearances again in December.
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Things took a turn for the worse after that encouraging start as the next three games were lost and cynics were wondering whether Bowyer would get the boot.
League One side Carlisle United knocked them out of the Capital One Cup on penalties before defeats to Nottingham Forest and Doncaster Rovers followed.
The slump wouldn't last long though as Rovers won the final two games of the month against Barnsley and Bolton Wanderers to clamber away from the bottom three.
September
Inconsistency continued as Rovers began September without a win for three games.
Granted, the first two games away to high-flying duo Burnley and Leicester City weren't easy, but the goalless home draw with Huddersfield Town would have disappointed many.
The month ended on a high though as a first away victory was earned at Bournemouth, with the ever-prolific Jordan Rhodes bagging a first-half brace.
October
Rhodes proved to be the difference as Rovers began October with slim victory over then in-form Watford. That would be their only maximum of the month though.
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The indifferent away form continued with defeat at Wigan and a draw at Blackpool, with a lethargic home loss to Charlton sandwiched in between.
November
Like October, November began with a 1-0 home victory but also ended in the same manner.
Middlesbrough fell at the start of the month before in-form Leeds United failed to break down Bowyer's boys on November 30.
In between, Rovers were beaten heavily at Brighton & Hove Albion before continuing their run of low-scoring home games with a 0-0 nil draw against Reading.
December
Blackburn's form may have improved noticeably in December but it wasn't all good news for the club as one of their players was arrested in connecting with match-fixing revelations.
DJ Campbell was one of six players arrested, casting an unnecessary shadow over the club as their fortunes improved.
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The final month of the year began with a dogged draw at pacesetters Queens Park Rangers before victories were eked out over struggling sides Millwall and Yeovil Town.
Next was another easy game on paper against lowly Sheffield Wednesday but the Owls frustrated Rovers and earned a goalless point on Boxing Day.
2013 ended with another disappointing result at home as Birmingham City visited and scored three goals in the first half. Inspired by Rhodes, Blackburn threatened a comeback but couldn't pull it off and dropped to 12th place at the halfway mark.
Their number-one priority in the upcoming transfer window might not be to bring in players but to hold on to their biggest asset in Rhodes.
It's a given that the Scottish international is linked with a move to the Premier League but Bowyer is sure to do everything in his power to keep the Championship's second top scorer.
Pascal Lemesre
