Pundit Jobi McAnuff believes Blackburn Rovers boss Tony Mowbray has done a 'brilliant job' with his side this term in the absence of last season's stars Adam Armstrong and Harvey Elliott, speaking on the Sky Sports EFL Podcast.
The Lancashire outfit currently sit in fifth place having been unbeaten in their previous four games, bouncing back superbly from the 7-0 home defeat to league leaders Fulham earlier in the month and winning ten points from a possible 12.
With that and other second-tier sides' inconsistency, they have climbed up to fifth position and at this stage, look set to record a much-improved second-tier finish compared to last term, when they ended up in 15th place despite their attacking talent.
They have Ben Brereton Diaz to thank for filling the void Armstrong and Elliott have left up top, scoring 16 goals in 20 league games this season and establishing himself as one of the division's most threatening forwards.
Midfielder Joe Rothwell has also been a bright spark this term in a young squad alongside teenager Tyrhys Dolan, displaying maturity beyond their years to bounce back from setbacks and have shown little fear on the pitch this season despite their squad's inexperience.
Former Reading and Leyton Orient winger McAnuff believes manager Mowbray should be given credit for their current position - and believes he deserves more praise for the work he's doing at Ewood Park.
Speaking about the 58-year-old on Sky Sports' EFL Podcast, he said: "When you look at the results, he clearly is getting a bit of a rough ride at times.
"I'm not quite sure what the expectation would be at Blackburn going into this season. If they are anywhere near the play-offs, for me, they're having a fantastic season and they have been up there all season, so I think he's done a brilliant job.
"He's found a way of still being effective with losing that firepower and that creativity and that takes a lot of work, that takes a lot of coaching to actually look at that group of players and say right, how do we now be the best version of ourselves to go and get results? And he's found a way to do that, so he's done an amazing job there."
The Verdict:
Many outsiders would agree with McAnuff on this one, because they have an inexperienced squad and with that, a loss in form on the odd occasion can be forgivable as the likes of youngster Dolan and loanee Reda Khadra continue to learn more and more about the Championship.
But they have been exceptional recently and the way they managed to bounce back from a 7-0 defeat was exceptional. Mowbray has to take some of the credit for that, because that setback could have been detrimental to their entire season.
They may have had a man sent off against the current league leaders, but that was still a humiliating result in front of their home crowd and the 58-year-old has obviously given them the belief to continue playing with the same confidence, a remarkable achievement.
Mowbray has also dealt extremely well with Rovers' recruitment woes in the summer. The word 'woes' may be harsh considering they managed to bring in some promising young loan players, but the fact they were unable to bring in a striker was a real blow.
It wasn't just a blow, but unacceptable considering Armstrong's departure to Southampton, but Blackburn's boss has taken it in his stride and this makes him one of the most underrated managers in the EFL.