Few fans of the Midlands clubs would have reason to regret the passing of the century's firat decade, at least in a footballing context.
The millennium began in encouraging fashion, as Leicester lifted the 2000 League Cup, but that proved to the last piece of major silverware that ANY of the region's clubs would pick up.
Once Martin O'Neill left for Celtic, City sank into a decline from which we are only now showing signs of recovery. Elsewhere, Forest were notable for their absence from the top flight throughout the entire decade, while Derby's last season at that level needs no further evaluation..
Meanwhile the clubs to the west fared little better. Villa had a couple of false dawns, under John Gregory and then David O'Leary, but, 2000 FA Cup Final apart, couldn't launch any serious challenge for honours, Birmingham and West Brom both spent much of the decade yo-yoing between the top two leagues, Coventry finally took the drop from the Premier League (hopefully never to return!
) while Wolves continued their long spell of underachievement.
But there are hopes that things may be looking up. Villa have an excellent chance of reaching the League Cup final (as well as contending for a Champions League slot), Birmingham, having massively exceeded most expectations in recent months, look set for a top-10 finish at the very least, while both Wolves and Stoke have a fighting chance of survival in an incredibly crowded relegation dogfight.
It's also possible that two more Midlands clubs will appear on Premier fixture lists next season, as the baggies, trees and Foxes all begin the year in the Championship top six.
Could this be the decade where the Midlands finally emerges from the footballing doldrums? Let's hope so!
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