The answers to this question are very difficult, some posters have provided some great responses.
For me the problems of our football club are:
1. Dwindling support - this might be a bit misplaced, but I genuinely think Scottish football fans are falling out of love with Scottish football. Having the EPL on our doorstep has had an impact on this, Scotland's failure to qualify for any competition in over 16 years has had an impact on this. We as a nation can turn on the TV on a Saturday evening and watch EPL highlights for 50minutes followed by highlights from all the other lower leagues of England for a further 1 hour and 20 minutes. It's Sunday before a broadcaster shows Scottish football on TV. By that time any football fan has just sat through potentially 80 English league fixtures, many played out in glamorous surroundings with packed, state of the art stadiums. Then our football comes on, it's of a poorer quality, the stadiums are dumps that have had almost no investment since the 1960's. It's nigh impossible to market that product against our neighbours product. Almost everyone I know has an English team - I don't I have 1 team only, but it seems I'm a rare breed.
The there is the national team, their is literally over a generation, probably two generations in Scotland who have never witnessed their the national team take to a major tournament. This does nothing other than preserve the negativity surrounding the domestic product. To think that there are players in our current team (Erwin, Ferguson, Leitch) who were in nappies the last time Scotland reached a major tournament shows is mental. A full generation have missed any sort of national success.
These things I think have severed a bond with the domestic game that existed from the mid 1990's and back.
2. Youth - our youth policy simply hasn't worked for the last 5 years or so. We've produced Murphy and pretty much no one else for any fee since the tenure of Gannon (which takes us to the 5 year datum point I'm referring to). Why this is the case is beyond me. People have mentioned poor management from the financial folks at the club. If agree. The short-terimism has been a fucking massive failure. Having said that we have one or two long term youth contracts (McHugh and Cummins) which haven't exactly made a great case for the use of a long term view.
The recent success, and pressure to continue it, has fucked us a little with regards to youth development in my opinion. The incentive to finish second last year was massive as we know what the financial difference was between 2nd and 3rd. The manager just can't stick a lad on under those circumstances. Should the club just have thought 'let's bite the bullet here this season and finish 7th or wherever and blood through some youngsters'? Possibly. But if you then walk down the stairs and confer this idea with Mr McCall he could easily turn round and say that the crop of kids at his disposal simply aren't good enough to command a place, not now or not ever. Ultimately he sees them in training he must know their abilities. I'm 99% certain that the club will have made it known to him, year on year, that it's crucial to being youngsters through. But if it's his view that they aren't good enough, maybe it's our scouts and youth coaches that need the arse kicking, not McCall.
3. Structure- I agree that we need a money man at the top of the club. Socialism doesn't work in competitive and commercial enterprises in my opinion. You can't rule by a committee. I'm not making the case for a dictator, but a solid, tough, astute business head is required to lead the club in all financial discussions and ventures.
4. The Rangers Effect - I do think the loss of Rangers has impacted us. It's impacted interest in the league as well, from all fans of Scottish football. It's just no very good when the larger teams are floating around B-roads getting to off the radar places. That's not just aimed at Rangers, but Hibs and Hearts as well. People before me have mentioned the poor attendances by Saints fans, by ICT fans, etc this situation doesn't help us at all, I understand why it's happened but it's acted to hinder us.
