Wolverhampton Wanderers manager Paul Lambert has refused to rule out the possibility of the side making an unlikely push for the playoffs this season.
The Midlands club were installed as one of the pre-season promotion favourites following their summer takeover by big-spending Chinese conglomerate Fosun International, but a string of poor performances under Walter Zenga - including a nine-game winless streak - saw them briefly flirt with the relegation zone.
Results have improved since Lambert replaced Zenga in November, however, and Wolves are now on a run of just one defeat in six games but remain 13 points off the Championship top six with 20 games to go.
"There's no stipulation on 'you must do this or that'. I know the long-term project and the long-term targets," Lambert told the Express & Star. "In the short term it's about getting as far up as we can. Whether that's the playoffs [we'll see], but as long as it's viable then we'll 100% go for it and finish as high as we can.
"People have got to remember the way the season started, new owners, losing a manager, a new manager comes in and then he goes... so there's been a wee bit of turnover. Fans are thinking 'what's going on?' and there's been uncertainty, so we're catching that up now. We're probably behind the eight ball for a few months.
"Maybe now we're starting to get something that we think can be really good, but it's just a small step up so far."
Next up for Wolves is a trip to Lambert's former side Norwich City on Saturday.
