Apologies guys, I was out of the country not long before I wrote that post, and then again since, hence my lack of contribution to the conversation. I take some of the comments that my opinion piece was repetitive of previous threads and media coverage, again I'm going to blame this on my lack of presence in the country.
Some interesting thoughts, some of which I agree with, some I don't. We can only analyse what is in front of us at the time of expressing opinion, and that is where I based my thoughts. The stat was given to me by what I consider a reliable source, but I understand these can often be made up.
The important thing for me is we are behind where we were last year, whichever way you look at it. The team haven't been playing anywhere near as well and we have a lot of work to do IMO. HOWEVER before the glass half empty comment returns, I think (as mentioned in my original post) there is definitely light at the end of the tunnel. A couple of good signings, and if we can pick up more points in some of the key matches (Chelsea, City, Arsenal, Newcastle, Everton) then I think we will finish in the top 4.