It really felt like the season started on Saturday.
That might be a bit of a reductive thing to say, but if you look at the Premier League table, you can make a strong case for it.
We now sit outside the relegation zone. Having things “in our hands” - even in October - is what we want, obviously. But we’ve never been cut adrift, and that fact has always been at the core of why I’ve been fairly calm about our start.
We’ve also not been devoid of wins. Two in the Carabao Cup - yes, to lower league opposition, but West Ham were (at the time) the 21st team in the Premier League and we were only a place or two above them.
There are - and have been - problems, we’ll not shy away from that. One swallow doesn’t make a summer, and one win doesn’t make a season. But I said before the Hull game that I’ve seen enough to believe that this is nothing more than a slow start. And I’m more resolute in my belief now.
The Tigers put up a pitiful performance by all accounts, but as Dan said in his ratings - you get three points for a win no matter who the opponent is or how they perform.
The importance of Saturday’s game is now dwarfed by our trip to Coventry on the weekend. Yes, we’ve not even got a point off them in 45 years - it’s been nearly 60 since a win.
But this isn’t a Manchester City-type record. We’ve played the Sky Blues just five times since our last win and, frankly, we should be targeting another on the weekend.
At the time of writing, they sit just one point above us in the form table (and in the league table, such is its early stage), with six points in their last six, all of which have come in their last two games.
We’ll all be watching tonight’s clash with Spurs with bated breath. It’ll be a fascinating game. Now, if Cov beat the league’s bottom side, then rock up and turn us over to make it four in a row on Saturday, their fans might want to check their passport expiry dates. Good on ‘em if so.
But I have a feeling all our boys needed was a bit of confidence. To remember that winning feeling, because the majority of this side are more than well acquainted with it in the Premier League. Maybe felling the Tigers has awoken a similarly dangerous beast on the banks of the Thames.