But then you said yourself there, the past. West ham were bad in the past for example, but right this minute they are performing better, and last season just as good (same points). If anything, it is a worrying flare in how much we have stagnated and gone backwards if a poor (and relegated) team can progress to the point in being better or at least matching us after all that.
I am just saying there is some sort of belief that we are better than we actually are at times, like some undeserved mantle that we are too good to be where we are even though a lot of years we apparently 'under perform'. We struggled to win last season, We are struggling to win this year as well. That is a constant here, never mind the league, the results are only marginally better going from defeats to draws. Still keeps us midtable and still puts us no closer to being where so many fans expect us to be year on year.