The task remains brutal - but Sheffield Wednesday have done something some thought impossible

They're bottom. They're the division's lowest scorers. They have lost more matches than any other side and no side has won fewer. But walking away from their 3-1 win over an in-form, play-off chasing Blackburn Rovers, there's a little something rumbling, quietly for now, but building.

The season can effectively be split into two. What came before the October international break was a horror show in how not to build on the madness of May. Wednesday presented as a side out of their depth and bewildered, without a clear plan or a single victory. The results were horrific and the data worse.

The arrival of Danny Röhl as manager has lit a little something. Some eyes rolled - no pun intended - with the presentation of certain stats in recent weeks as Wednesday went from game to game nursing the same old tale of performance progression and little else. One win in eight matches under the German coach didn't exactly scream 'wand waving messiah', after all. In fairness, neither does two in nine.

But to stare solely at scorelines is to be ignorant of just how low the bar had been set and from where Wednesday were working from. Their only weaknesses in those first 10 matches were that they couldn't score, they couldn't defend and that they appeared completely unable to compete at this level. And that's simply not the case anymore.

They've been consistently competitive in every match over the last few weeks, something many onlookers thought would have been impossible. They could and perhaps should have won more, results against two of the division's fancied sides in Leicester City and Blackburn showing they can not only mix it with the big dogs, but that they can eek out points.

The mood at S6 not long ago was as snake-belly low as it ever has been in modern times but even with the table looking as it is, no longer, replaced by that quiet rumbling. Röhl's approach is warm and personable, his interaction with supporters masterful and genuine. He speaks clearly and to the point in media engagements, offering straight answers to straight questions in a way not all of his predecessors have managed.

While it's his name that has most often been belted from the terraces and in columns such as this in recent weeks - and rightly so - his players must also receive huge praise having dragged themselves up from the doldrums, as above, only weeks ago accused of being completely out of their depth and unable to compete. They've shown they can.

Where these gains take them remains to be seen. Those around them are picking up points from higher ground and to get carried away with a second win of the season would be foolish in the extreme. With 81 points still available and safety still very much the ambition, there's no doubt they must improve further still and the 'good run' those around them are craving must be an outstanding one. For now the 'build for next season' white-flaggery can wait.

Last weekend this paper compared Sheffield Wednesday to a child learning to ride a bike, momentarily finding some balance in matches before inevitably falling over and grazing their knee. The last two matches have shown they can ride.

The Tour de France lies ahead of them.