The gulf between the Championship and the Premier League is getting harder for promoted teams to bridge, but not impossible, says Leicester City manager Nigel Pearson.
City head to fellow promoted side QPR tomorrow for a huge clash in the fight for survival, with both sides in the bottom three.
Unsurprisingly, Burnley, who came up with City in the automatic places, occupy the other relegation spot and Pearson said the position of all three promoted clubs demonstrates how difficult the adjustment is.
The statistics also show how tough it can be to survive in the first season in the Premier League. The bottom three places have been filled by at least one newly-promoted club in all but two of the 21 seasons since the Premier League's introduction and, in the 1997-98 season, all three clubs, Bolton, Barnsley and Crystal Palace, were relegated.
The only seasons in which all three teams survived were 2001-02 and 2011-12.
In 2002, those clubs were Fulham, Blackburn and Bolton, who are all now in the Championship, while, from the survivors of 2012, QPR were relegated the next season and Norwich last season.
"If you look at the last few seasons, the statistics would bear that out," said Pearson.
"I am sure all three sides fancy themselves still to do well, but the adjustment is not easy.
"The quality at both ends of the field is something that can, at times, be the problem.
"You will get punished for smaller mistakes at the back at this level but, likewise, you have to be able to convert your chances and if you have a combination of those two things that aren't happening for you, then things aren't going to work for you.
"It is a very difficult league for sides to come in and do consistently well and we have shown so far we have not been able to do that and that has been the case for all three promoted sides. That isn't to say that won't be the case all season."
City head to Loftus Road with only Dean Hammond (calf) and Matt Upson unavailable.
For QPR, Rio Ferdinand is available again after serving his suspension for an inappropriate tweet, but Richard Dunne serves a one-game ban.
Alejandro Faurlin is out for the season with a cruciate problem, while Adel Taarabt is out with a groin injury and midfielder Sandro will also be missing with a knee problem.
