IT was Joy Division who said ‘when routine bites hard and ambitions are low’.

But, even after the waning division of joy over the last four years, the ambitious nature of Rovers fans remains high.

Far from accepting that the glory days are long gone, the Ewood massive expect the same quality and results as they did a decade ago.

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And now that Rovers sneak under the national media radar into a position of relative strength, this expectation will grow.

But is that a good thing?

We Rovers fans are traditionally a curmudgeonly bunch that nonetheless still demands the moon on a stick.

There is a suspicion that we all secretly believe another Jack Walker will reveal himself, Alan Shearer will take a quantum leap back to 1992 and Pep Guardiola will fall in love with Holland’s Pies and Thwaites mild.

Last season, on the way to a finish that was only two points off a play-off place – only a year after a chaotic four-manager season and relegation tussle – Bowyer’s team were booed off three times after Christmas.

This season already has seen rumblings towards ousting the man who has taken us from the cusp of relegation and potential ruin to our current enviable position.

We have, on the whole, a young squad and the rejection of a £12m bid for its talisman points to the clubs long-term aim to keep that squad together.

So, what SHOULD we expect from this season? That our bitter rivals turned a 35-year hoodoo into what will now be a five-year unbeaten run, and slipped into the league we had previously overachieved in, did sting every Rovers fan somewhat.

But, do we envy them now?

Would the undercoat of a play-off place and near miss this season prime the club for a gloss finish of automatic promotion next season and, more importantly, send us up with a strong united squad that, with a few additions, could maintain a top level place?

Or would we prefer to briefly live the dream again?

As it is, Rovers are currently playing some genuinely exciting football – usually once they’ve had 45 minutes to warm up.

And where in the past the conceding of a goal has led to heads dropping, the current crop appears to have the desire to battle back and play patient football.

So perhaps we fans should follow their example. The away support has been consistently positive for some time now and if the home atmosphere can also be become tolerant and yet vociferous then it could go some way to turning Ewood into a fortress.

Those opening lyrics come from a song called Love Will Tear Us Apart.

Let’s not let our love for our club end up with us all pulling in different directions.