We need to talk about Hull City. No, we really do.
Four wins during a five-match unbeaten run have been eye-catching enough but when you consider those victories have come against Wrexham, Millwall, West Bromwich Albion and Middlesbrough it is time we took notice.
Those victories have also come without the Championship’s joint second top scorer, Joe Gelhardt, who may still be out for at least another fortnight before he can add to his 10 goals, while winger Mohamed Belloumi has also joined the casualty list.
Under their previously unheralded boss Sergej Jakirovic, the Tigers have quietly sneaked into fourth place, two points outside the automatic promotion places.
“I’m very pleased because we are playing well and we will try to push this but it will not be easy because everyone is struggling with injuries,” said Jakirovic after Monday’s win at Middlesbrough.
A title winner in his native Bosnia as well as Croatia, he knows how to get the job done but sustaining it with limited trading ability in the January transfer window will be a test of his skills.
Also, before any fans in East Yorkshire get too excited they may like to look at Thursday’s opponents Stoke when they arrive at the MKM Stadium (15:00 GMT).
Second at the end of November, the Potters’ poor run of five defeats from their past seven outings finds them now in 10th place, four points short of the top six.
Fortunes can fluctuate quickly in football, particularly in the chaos that is the Championship.