I think I may have mentioned it before, but the reason were not packed near every game is cos the SFA neglected the potential of Highland football for too long. It was what, a little over 100 years the SFA had to elect any of the highland teams in, and all because of the apparent A9 conditions, they chose not to, which in turn, sent all fans wanting league football off to Aberdeen or Glasgow, and in turn, causing glory hunters who adamantly support Celtic/Rangers/Aberdeen, yet haven't even set a toenail into any of the grounds. C*unty have the exact same problem, but it's easily disguised by the fact the stands are so small, it looks like more seats are filled.
I really can't pinpoint when all our fans ditched us, looking through highlights of many a game on YouTube, the North and Main stands were pretty full no matter who we're playing. Looking at the North Stand, especially the section I sit in, on YouTube, there's absolute tons of people, now, there's a mere handful. It's really disappointing to see how much of the general public will turn out for one game, then a slight drop in results and those "fans" scatter like cockroaches. The Premiership, and making a consistent effort to push for Europa League spots, is going to bring the fans back. The coefficient has made it all the more likely another spot in Europe will be coming to the league. That said, I don't like dampening our achievements, but I think the lack of Rangers gave us the chance to snag a Europa League spot. We did (nearly) do it a couple years before, but were hauled back by a loss to C*unty. Robbo has been one of the most successful managers we've ever had, he managed to secure back to back Scottish Cup Semis in the early days of our Premiership campaign, again last season, and hopefully, this season too. If he manages that, and we get through the Playoffs, I'm certain we'll get bums on seats (and hopefully more pies, considering there's rarely enough ?)