Blues skipper Luke Chambers says Norwich City are “nowhere near” the level they were during the 2014/15 season when the sides met in the Championship play-offs.
The Canaries, currently 13th, one place behind the Blues on goal difference, won the two-legged semi-final 4-2 on aggregate and reached the Premier League after beating Middlesbrough 2-0 at Wembley.
However, they lasted only one season in the top flight and are now in their final campaign with parachute payments.
Chambers, whose headed goal was seconds from ending Town’s long wait for a derby victory at Carrow Road yesterday until Timm Klose’s late, late equaliser, felt the home team’s reaction to grabbing the draw was illustrative of their decline.
"They're running around like they've won the cup in the 95th minute when they've spent £200m or whatever in the last five years," Chambers told BBC Radio Suffolk. "It just shows you the state of affairs at the moment.”
He added: "They're not the team that I feel they were three years ago when we played them.
"They're nowhere near that level, hence their league position. Our aim now is to try and finish above them for the rest of the season."