I'm a broken record on this. We used to be different and bold. In marketing terms, we had some product differentiation from the slime. Then the Steves decided that wasn't working, and we should just copy the slime. Get rid of the good bit of the song. Get rid of the anchor. Get rid of all colours that aren't purple and white. And of course they've only got worse with embracing the stadium "experience" of non stop noise.
Lets go back to being quirky and different. In our marketing and our game day experience. And that has to start at the very top. Sorry Steve, but you are not the one to do it. Yes, some of your gimmicks (the guitar solo) are great - but they are superficial - pretend - just for show. Deep down, you just aren't a Freo type of person, while Cameron Schwab probably was.
And on the field, I was prepared to give Lyon a chance. I still rate him - but again, he's not a Freo type. Malcolm Blight would be my choice of a Freo type of coach. The Scott brothers, Mark Williams, and yes, Brett Kirk are all people who'd be more attuned to Freo than Lyon. Again, unlike a lot of people here, I don't hate Lyon, I just don't think he fits in with what Freo should be.
And our recruiters have let us down, particularly in overlooking local indigenous talent. Maybe the Simpson and Yarran experiences scared us off. Dare I say it but when it comes to recruiting, even the Eagles are more adventurous than us.
There is no room in WA for an "Eagles Lite". We either dare to be different, or settle in for a long period of boring mediocrity.