It's only "the fans" fault, now, if they fail to demand an improvement plan from Dr. S. You can never achieve success by blaming the customer. Know it and never forget it, or continue to lose. It is one of the laws of business physics.
First, there are always 5-10% fanship that show up win, lose or draw (God Bless them). There are another 15% that might show up on occasion and possibly in the wake of some hype... but they are fickle and leave easily. The 75% that you see filling the stands in successful programs are there only if they believe they have associated themselves with something that they can wear the emblem and not be laughed at. They are there for pure entertainment. I want all of them to participate, and it will require ratcheting up our program, starting with the leader.
There is no program on record that has badgered, belittled, begged and belittled their fanbase into anything successful. Any analysis of programs in a similar state to UL that have succeeded have done so thru excellent leadership at the top of the institution. They have operated the program like a business. The large financial backers are like banking institutions (not the recent variety, but those more responsible with their money). Bankers (fans with money) want to see a business plan ripe with investment rewards. Not BS. Not, please, please can I have the money. A plan, with management's skin on the line. They already give "fun money" to the program, for minor advertisement and local citizen guilt avoidance therapy.
We might keep rolling the same old worn out pair of dice and see some success... who knows? If we are going to actually move in the direction of sustained success, we are going to have to see some fundamental changes to the UL football program constitution. That requires initiation from the chief.
The biggest component to the new plan is a commitment to have disgusting football staff salaries available with a hook that states "instant death penalty for results unbecoming a program paying these high prices". Young, incredibly gifted and eager upstart coaches will take the opportunity and will succeed. That plan, and that plan alone will get Daddy Warbucks on the board of UL funding. Nothing else... sorry. Law of business physics trumps the wishing well every single time.