Aim has to be a higher finish at least.....
On the implementation/change of style, I often wonder if this is a bit of a 'modern fad' brought on by the likes of Pep etc? Thinking back to both Premier League promotions our team generally had an identity best described as 'hard working' and 'direct' for the most part (especially under Warnock), but few fans grumbled because we were successful with it (red rebrand aside).
I personally used to bristle a little bit about the 'hoofball' tag we were often labelled with because whilst we DID go direct a lot, we showed on plenty of occasions that we could also play it around a bit and score excellent team goals too - but of course these get glossed over because it didn't fit the narrative and I wonder if there is a bit of blindness where Erol is concerned too?
On the flip side, we had Trollope who tried to revolutionise our style of play but results were really poor - the crowd turned on him/the team as a result of this.
When it comes down to it, the biggest thing fans nowadays want is a winning team, regardless of how they play... only after they get used to winning frequently do they then start grumbling about 'style' (the West Ham conundrum all over - lets ditch our most successful manager in a generation because the football has become dull - didn't hear too many complaints when their European Trophy was being lifted though eh??)
How long would a manager last if we became a mid-table / flirt with the play-offs every other year type of team that played lovely football but never got anywhere (bit like Dave Jones's team in the end)??? A year or two max in these times probably.
I honestly think under Erol our style will evolve a little more but we need to be patient with it, it won't happen overnight and things will undoubtedly go wrong - will the crowd (all baying for more attractive football) be forgiving enough to allow mistakes to happen whilst the team build confidence and familiarity with new systems/patterns of play? Can't see it myself to be honest.
I know it IS possible to have both style AND results but (to echo one of Clingo's comments about fans nowadays expecting 'instant' results) patience will be paramount and when you think about it, very few teams actually achieve it and sustain it.
