Supporters are not the problem, but they sure as hell don't help.
The last 42 years have led to a very unique club, one which had fifteen years of arrogant success followed by 27 (and counting) years of pain. It has led to a schizophrenic supporter group which yearns for a return to the glory days, has no patience for rebuilding, expects every new recruit to be the next Royce Hart or bust and has no stomach for any more failure. To make matters worse, the club has misled and teased so many times in recent years that it has well and truly used up all of its brownie points with the supporter group.
There is an enormous amount of pressure on everyone at the club as a consequence. We are not like any other fans, except maybe Collingwood fans. We keep turning up to games, consider it our god-given right to criticise and hurl abuse and our mood swings from wildly optimistic to depressingly dark, usually several times in the same match. Every act is played out in the public eye and under intense scrutiny. After doing battle on the field, we often see our players steel themselves just to leave the arena, knowing that the battle to get to the dressing-room will be even harder than anything they have had to face out on the ground.
I'll bet the next coach would love a transitional period like they got at Hawthorn, or are currently getting at Melbourne, where many fans just go away to do the gardening until they the growing pains are over. It won't happen at Tigerland. Everything they do happens on the back page of the Herald-Sun and in front of the baying masses.
Its a tough gig being a Tiger. We are Collingwood without the money.
