I'll give you the Cardiff at Ashton Gate bit, but "starting ok and then lost your way" sounds like your last half dozen seasons under Johnson and Holden. Cotterill got you back up but in reality it's been downhill ever since.
So back to the original question then. We've been crap but have taken a positive decision to change direction over here with a young manager (rightly or wrongly), but what do you need to do to make a positive change over there?
Despite RR's love affair with Pearson, is he the right man to take you forward? Does he need big money to make any real difference? A safe pair of hands to keep you up or just another aggressive Warnock/McCarthyesque dinosaur in the making?