I didn't say Tottenham were doing well because other teams were doing badly. I simply said that since the other teams have been poor, Tottenham should be
expected to be third, since you have been in the top 4/3 every season for a while now.
Less than third would be a failure.
If you finish below:
- A United side that dropped loads of points in the first half of the season, and currently undergoing an injury crisis.
- An Arsenal side that is also underfunded despite being much worse than Tottenham
- A Chelsea side allergic to scoring goals with a manager who may not be there at the end of the season
Then it's a failure, you have a good side, despite your midfield problems you should comfortably finish ahead of these teams. In my opinion it just isn't that great for you to be above United, Arsenal and Chelsea. It would be great to finish ahead of Liverpool or City though I wouldn't expect you to, because they're better sides.
This idea that I've said you wouldn't be third had these teams been better is simply untrue, and in not quite sure why you don't get that.