WHEN Liam Rosenior was part of a Reading side relegated from the Premier League in May 2008, naivety had him believing his return would be just around the corner.
The top flight was all the defender had known for four seasons with Fulham and Reading. It had become his comfortable home.
However, almost 100 appearances among the elite of the Premier League were responsible for breeding something close to complacency in a young Rosenior, and the punishment would be five lost years in the Championship lamenting what he had once "taken for granted."
For a former England under-21s regular with ambitions to be the "best full-back in the country," it has been a long road back.
But when a hard-earned comeback finally arrives with Hull City seven weeks from today in a season-opener at Chelsea, the 28-year-old will be urging his green team-mates to seize every last opportunity.
"It's been a long time waiting but I didn't give up on it," he said.
"I hadn't realised how hard it was to get back. I thought it would be easy for me. I took it for granted when I was there and that experience has made me realise how privileged you are to play in the Premier League.
"I'll be passing that on to the younger lads. People like Robbie Brady, James Chester and Corry Evans, they've got fantastic potential and they need to grasp it.
"They need to make sure they stay in this league for the rest of their careers. I wish I had that understanding back when I was playing at 20 and 21 in the Premier League."
Much to the approval of supporters, Rosenior's top-flight ticket was stamped this week with the signing of a new two-year deal at the KC Stadium.
As a leading figure in City's resurrection since his arrival on a free transfer in October 2010, Rosenior has seen the club rebuilt under Nigel Pearson, Nick Barmby and Steve Bruce. The topping out duly came with promotion on the final day of last season.
Further work is needed to make Bruce's side a success in the Premier League but a studious summer is giving Rosenior plenty of hope.
As well as the free transfers of George Boyd and Maynor Figueroa, the additions of Curtis Davies and Ahmed Elmohamady for a combined fee in the region of £4m have further bolstered the ranks this week. Wholesale changes, according to Rosenior, must be avoided.
"If you look at other clubs, and I won't name names, but they've attempted revolutions and ended up back in the Championship with £50m wage bills," added Rosenior.
"If it's not broken, why fix it?
"We've got a great team spirit and good players. Why would you want to break that up for bringing in players you're not sure about?
"Everyone pulls in the same direction here and that's what we're going to need if we're to succeed in the Premier League.
"We can't settle for being here for one year, we want to build and be here for a long time. People will write us off but that's to our advantage. I'm all for it.
"When people underestimate you, you can soon surprise them. We've got a lot of good players here who can do well in the Premier League."
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