I'm not deflating the competition... what is factual is that the top PL clubs who have found themselves in the Europa League consistently treat it like the League Cup, playing reserves and youth players until they reach the later stages when they might play the first team. That there is the top clubs deflating the competition. Not me. For the record, I usually don't care one iota about opposing fans, majority of which I wouldn't piss on if they were on fire. Go back to the early stages of the competition... we even deflated the competition until we realised the league was a dumpster fire.
Personally, I feel you are overinflating this competition probably due to the fact we've won fuck all for so long. On Thursday when we wake up, this win will not change the narrative. As good as it will feel to get a few monkeys off our back, I trust me I will savour every minute of it, this achievement will not for one minute paper over the piss poor league form.
You are basing achievement on one metric which is winning Europe's secondary competition (which we still haven't won). Think about the health of our football club for a minute... what is the bigger achievement? Finishing top five and reaching later stagers of Champions League, or fighting relegation and winning the Europa League. If you look at it purely from silverware then fine, you win... but monetize it and you will quickly lose this argument. Also, who is better equipped next season to actually progress in the Champions League. Certainly not the team who just finished 17th but won the Europa League. For all Poch's faults (and trust me, I don't want him back), in four out of five seasons in charge he got us into the Champions League including reaching a final. I would say that is an amazing achievement under this Chairman.