There is/was a mentality surrounding football that gaining entry to the pro leagues would bring fame and fortune...and spending money to do that would pay dividends. People who'd never been to games in their lives would start flocking to see the local team playing the 'big boys'.
As we, and many others, have come to realise, that's not the case. What you're then left with is clubs which are, put simply, financially unsustainable.
We've seen various attempts, schemes, promotions, offers etc. over the years that are designed to grow the fanbase. Even a Scottish Cup win and European football hasn't shifted the needle by much...if anything.
If our new sustainable business model is dependent on growing crowds, we're screwed. The previous regime knew that, they were just REALLY bad at executing the side hustles needed to supplement income....and equally bad at valuing fans who were providing the income we were getting.
Whilst I don't like/agree with everything Alan Savage is doing/done, I do think he's spot on with things like the need for a more affordable stadium. Recent comments may hint at the fact the planned tie-up for a move aren't going to happen soon, so work to reduce costs (and increase income) where we are are entirely sensible... saving £1000/month on energy is probably more realistic, and easier, than trying to put an extra 50 bums on seats every game.
With regards to Hamilton, there have been a lot of rumours about some of the business practices taking place at/through there over the years, and there was even a time when the club had a 'feck it, we don't need fan money' and were doing things like charging 20p entry and only had something like 200 season ticket holders. This day was always coming for them, and my only surprise is that it took this long.
Scottish Football needs a paradigm shift, and soon, if this trend is to change.