When the 2015/16 campaign was over, a lot of Aston Villa supporters were feeling very optimistic for the 12 months which would lie ahead of them, but fast forward to now and it's a completely different story.

The first mistake came in getting Roberto Di Matteo as manager.

It's a well known fact that to become successful in the Championship you need a boss with experience on his CV of this division, with a few exceptions such as Rafa Benitez.

It is a very tough league to get out of and Steve Bruce isn't an idiot to that statement, he already did it with Hull City a few years back but that took some time as well just as it will at Villa Park.

Whatever went wrong last season is now in the past, it needs to completely be forgotten about for the club to progress.

Aston Villa's transfer policy was dramatically changed in the summer; the new owner obviously knew the team had great potential but also needed the right balance of players who have had success in both the Championship and top-flight.

Take the likes of Mile Jedinak and Tommy Elphick as examples, they both gained promotion to the Premier League with Crystal Palace and Bournemouth respectively, and have put in a solid shift throughout this campaign for Villa.

That was under Di Matteo, however, and after a poor league performance his sacking was inevitable but Bruce is definitely a man who doesn't want to inherit someone else's squad, he wants to make it his own and so he did in the January transfer window.

Six first-team arrivals came through the doors at Bodymoor Heath that month and the boss didn't go for future prospects but the exact opposite - players who were abundant in confidence - for instance; Scott Hogan banging the goals in for fun at Brentford, Nottingham Forest skipper Henri Lansbury being a 'no-nonsense' sort of footballer.

Overall, looking at the side there isn't a weak position other than the goalkeeper, currently having Sam Johnstone on loan from Manchester United.

If Steve Bruce makes one or two major key additions to the team between May and August then I can't see why a title isn't realistic, because it is.

It will be a very important summer for the club.

As well as bringing in players who are able to further improve the squad, they also need to shift the deadwood - Gabby Agbonlahor and Micah Richards are the two main victims.

Alongside this, Aston Villa also need to continue their fine run of form until the end of the season.

Just one defeat from their last seven outings has lifted them into the top-half comfortably.

Of course it's difficult to predict what will happen in the 2017/18 campaign when we still don't know all the teams who'll be competing in the Championship ,with relegation from the top-flight and promotion via League One still to be confirmed but I am confident in saying Aston Villa will dominate the division next year, just as they hoped would happen this season.

Villa supporters, do you agree with this opinion? Can the club win the league next year? What recruitments does Steve Bruce need to make in order for this to be achievable? Give us your thoughts in the comments below!