As much as it might seem remiss to criticise a team for not racking up relentless wins this year after only last season fighting relegation for most of the campaign, the nature of competitive sport is that objectives are inherently fluid.
Overperform against early expectations and, naturally, thoughts turn to what kind of glory might be achievable. Underperform by a distance and in English football specifically, merely avoiding relegation can quickly become all-important.
