I CAN'T get used to this. Here we are in April and instead of having a host of meaningless end of season games we're facing a run in where the potential to grab a European place is quite realistic.

Curse you Mark Hughes! We're used to the season meandering to a close with dwindling gates and very little action to take us into the Summer.

You come in and first it's an FA Cup semi final one season and then it's a possible Champions League berth.

One year I can look upon as something of an aberration but two years running makes it look like a habit.

Yes of course I'm being flippant and I'm enjoying every minute of our current success but there is a downside to being successful. It's that old chestnut speculation.

Where in the past few years, we've been relatively free of this in the Summer (well since the "will they, won't they leave" scenario of Duff and Dunn) this season there could well be continued speculation of at least half of our first team - and the manager.

And there, in a nutshell is the price of success to a small club such as ours.

When Chelsea, Manchester United or Liverpool come calling it's difficult to rebuff them.

It's not a case of needing to sell anyone for money but at the end of the day how can you deny that person the opportunity to play for a bigger club in front of bigger crowds and the adulation that comes with it?

The simple answer is that you can't, especially when even a prohibitive transfer fee will not deter the likes of Chelsea.

If this sounds defeatist then I must apologise but already we're picking the papers up and first it's Pedersen, then Reid and now Bellamy to leave.

And that's not counting the perennial "Hughes to succeed Fergie at United" line that gets trotted out after every good result.

It almost makes you wish that the press would revert to type and call us bully boys again!!

Unfortunately, it's something that we've just got to live with and compared to the alternative of no speculation but battling relegation it's preferable.

Ask any Birmingham big club' City fan and they'll agree with you.

But there is something that the fans of this great club of ours can do to try to nullify all this speculation and that is to get out there and SUPPORT YOUR TEAM.

We've all seen the words Be the 12th man' up on the big screen at Ewood and it's this that can not only push us on to win games but can also show the players the kind of atmosphere and adulation that may make them think twice about looking at pastures new.

With this season promising to be the most successful for the best part of a decade it's the least we can do to get out there and give out the support that I believe they deserve.

At the end of the day we're all in this together, if we're expecting 100 per cent from the players every game it's only right that we give the same.