Quote Originally Posted by Herbert_Chapman's_Zombie View Post

I made the point a few months ago that between 1998 and 2005 we finished 1st, 2nd, 2nd, 2nd, 1st, 2nd, 1st, 2nd

Then there was a decline to a lower tier between 2006 and 2016 where we finished 4th, 4th, 3rd, 4th, 3rd, 4th, 3rd, 4th, 4th, 3rd, 2nd
Agreed, although it has to be acknowledged that that step down to a "top 4" club instead of a "top 2" club happened when Chelsea and City bought their way in. As I said above, there isn't a "top 2" any more.

Now arguably we’ve fallen down another step
Arguably, but one year outside the top 4 and then only by 2 points does not definitively show that. This season will add another data point and right now it's very hard to call where that data point will lie.
We won't finish top 2 but 3rd is arguably and 4th definitely up for grabs. Impossible to tell right now.