History doesn't keep you safe from relegation, and right now Everton's 68-year run in English football's top flight counts for nothing.
Tradition, pedigree and huge fan bases didn't save Newcastle or Aston Villa from the drop in recent seasons. And I'm afraid Everton are not immune to suffering the same fate.
I like Frank Lampard, I have endless respect for his achievements as a player and, on paper, his squad should be good enough to stay up.
They have England's first-choice goalkeeper, Brazil's centre-forward and a host of international experience at Goodison Park. But the one thing they don't have is the know-how and streetwise 'savvy' to negotiate the tension of a relegation battle.
Right now, as things stand, I think Norwich and Watford are gone – and if I had to choose between Burnley or Everton to drop with them, I have to say the Toffees look likelier to fall.
Sean Dyche has been there, done it and managed to grind out results when Burnley have flirted with danger in the past – and that last-minute win against Everton at Turf Moor in midweek has given them a fighting chance of doing so again.
The Clarets have only won four games all season – but they have this gift for producing wins when they are most needed. Everton, on the other hand, have a horrid run-in on paper, and six points from 15 games all season is the worst away record in all four divisions.
I know what it's like to be involved in a relegation battle. You become gripped by the tension, anxiety and fear. You are weighed down by the responsibility of knowing that relegation could cost people their jobs at the club.
And you forget how to win football matches. I really hope Lampard and Dyche both stay up, but it's looking increasingly likely that one of them will drop.
With games beginning to run out, for the first time I'm beginning to think it might be Everton's time to go down.
