I can understand those transfers though Prolific when you consider we were signing a La Liga winning manager, and on the back of competing in the top four under Houllier for so long.
I get that we have fallen behind our usual placing. Most fans, me included, were used to regular finishes in the top 4/5 and we have not done that for 3 seasons. What I don't understand, is how you can compare us to teams like West Brom, Swansea and West Ham. There is no similarity in squad strength, first team strength, fanbase, stadium size, investment, pts from previous season, form, or even commercial reach.
You take the full season, and see that there is a 12 and 15 pt gap to each. You take the last half-season (when its fair to say managers have had time to change things) and West Brom got 16 pts, Swansea 21 pts, West Ham 23 pts, and ourselves 36 pts. Where is the comparison. There isn't. It is misplaced, and shows lack of deep thought at all.
Some opinions are different, and some people can be as right looking at things from the top to the bottom, or left to right. But some opinions are based on nothing, and some opinions are just wrong. I'm sorry to say Mick, I know where yours sits, especially given how little evidence you've given to support the claim.