Goals, style, rooftop pool – but will Fulham stay afloat in Premier League?

What goes up must come down. Then go back up. Then come down. Then go back up again. That is the law that Fulham seem determined to prove, with Saturday’s peremptory 2-0 win over Blackburn moving them closer to their third promotion from the Championship in five seasons. There is still a way to go, of course, but it looks like they will soon return to the Premier League. Isn’t that exciting?

It is OK to say no. It is fair to venture that the more interesting stories in this season’s Championship are to be found almost everywhere else. Such as at Luton Town, who have earned themselves a whiff of the top flight only eight years after clambering out of non-league; or at Middlesbrough, who have not only beaten Manchester United and Tottenham Hotspur in the FA Cup since Chris Wilder took charge but who moved back into the play-off places on Saturday at the expense of their manager’s old flame, Sheffield United; or indeed at Blackburn, who are to be admired for also being in contention for a play-off spot in a season in which they have suffered the heaviest home defeat in their history, November’s 7-0 humbling by, yes, Fulham.

Big deal, right? Fulham were supposed to win the league. Several important players left after their relegation from the Premier League in 2021 but they retained a powerful squad and were tagged as pre-season favourites for promotion. But that does not mean their conquest of the second tier was inevitable. The two clubs who went down with them were also expected to challenge hard: Sheffield United are fighting to get back into the play-off places and West Brom, with internal wrangles, are finding it even tougher.

While West Brom’s owner is looking for buyers for the Baggies, Fulham’s owner, Shahid Khan,