At surface level, Southampton's surge up the Premier League table might look like a consequence of circumstance. No European football and plenty of rest between matches means that after 14 games, they're right in the mix for a top-six place.
There is far more to it than that. Southampton's strong start to this unorthodox season is the first shoots of growth after an off-field restructuring that promises to bloom even greater as time goes on.
Since February, following the return of Matt Crocker to the club from The Football Association as director of football, manager Ralph Hasenhuttl has been overseeing the enforcement of what has become known as 'The Southampton Playbook'.