This wasn't what we expected.
Even the most hopeful of Watford fans would have gladly taken a season of hanging around in mid-table, not really threatening to go up but, more importantly, not in any danger of going down.
We know we have a small, largely inexperienced squad. Manager Malky Mackay worked wonders under similar financial restrictions last season but even then we had a brush with the drop.
So, this season, security was the key. Or so we thought.
A dozen games in and we are third. The tabloids are referring to as 'promotion chasers' in their match reports.
Tuesday's win over Ipswich was hard-earned. It looked as if we'd win relatively comfortably when we led 2-0 at half-time, but so far this season we've shown a fair degree of nerves in the closing stages of home...