New Derby County chairman Adam Pearson is confident they can become a top-ten Premiership regular.
"This club can sustain a top-ten place in the Premier League," he told The Times. "It has the fan-base, the traditions, the facilities, the stadium, the training ground - everything is in place and with the right manager and the right board, I would back myself to deliver a team that sustains that kind of performance.
"There are lessons that can be learnt in a first [Premier League] season that, if implemented successfully in a second season at the top level, mean there is every reason you can survive. That two-year period in the Premier League is crucial because after that it does become rather a straightforward task.
"It requires mismanagement to fall out of the Premier League. Everything is set - the wage structures, the revenues, the playing squad needs tweaking rather than overhauling. You'd have to be doing your job poorly not to ensure that the two or three players you are targeting are not significantly better than those in your team. So, unless you have an unbelievable injury crisis or encounter unprecedented off-field problems, you will survive in the Premier League, if you've been in there for two years, by doing your job adequately."
