You're right. TW should have made the finals every year over his coaching tenure. He should have found the best players out there, traded for them with our draft picks, instilled the 'Tigers Spirit of Old' in the list and instill fear back into the opposition clubs immediately! This is what wins premierships doesn't it! Well it did in the glory days didn't it?! 
I am not saying that and I don't see many who are. That's your impression.
I for one did not expect finals in year 1 and 2 and could quite happily have worn the pain a wooden spoon or even two had Wallace made truly tough decisions on our playing list. Sadly of course he didn't and he only pruned the edges of the obvious duds.
Bravo Terry, anyone could have made those decisions, pity you didn't cut a whole heap deeper and make some truly hard calls.
Again 3 draft picks in 2005. Hello!
No doubt in mine and many folks minds that Wallace overachieved in the first two years and had a distorted view of the list. This was indicated by continuing to play footballers who had let other coaches down before him previously thinking he could turn them into something that they weren't.
Terry's ego believed that he could play finals with the core of the playing list whilst rebuilding.
Essentially he wanted to have his cake and eat it too.
All the rhetoric out of the club at the time was that it was felt that senior players 'deserved' to somehow play in finals and that we had to remain competitive. Unfortunately we just wallowed in mediocrity in '05/'06 until the poo finally hit the fan in 2007 and Terry finally woke up to himself that he had to call time on some old Tiger stalwarts.
Hindsight
indicates this had to happen much earlier. Big deal if we came last, we'd have picked up the number one draft picks as consolation. Wallace erred. Going for Kent Kingsley on the verge of 2007 had me tearing my hair out. If ever there was a shortsighted decision it was that one. It highlighted to me where Wallace thought we were at. We were soon to find out how badly he'd misjudged it.
Still in 2007, after a disastrous start again saw finals out of the question, at least Wallace did finally wake up to himself & make the tough calls. Fortunately enough it meant we were able to pick up young gun Cotchin.
Better late than never I guess but a shame we wasted two years. Lucky for Terry though he was given 5 years and not 3 to 'rebuild'.
I always think of the journey Mark Thompson took as mimicing TW coaching voyage through no accident of course. I'm sure everyone is well versed on the history of the rebuilding Geelong took during the 7 years Thompson had and how close he came to being sacked over the journey but most notably the year before they won the flag. Now why I'm under no illusions that we will win the GF within the next 2 years, the rebirth process of the club has definite parrallels because, of course, TW used the Geelong process as a model to first claim the Tiger coaching position and then attempt to reform the list.
I hate the Geelong comparison with our situation. Hate it. Our rebuild has followed Geelong's how exactly?
For starters Thompson made the finals in his first couple of years and has never won a wooden spoon.
These are bald facts although I am sure someone will try to spin it up as I have seen previously in this thread.
Thompson has built a side of big, strong bodies and angled towards a younger demographic.
Our team is based largely of unproven young, lightweight speeders with a core of rapidly aging champs who are still integral to our performances. It's getting better the last couple of seasons I'll admit but it's been a bumpy road. I am still unconvinced our kips can step up to fill the breach in a couple of key areas.
No to say that TW is being 'kept away from building our list' would be a bit of a stretch and even a tad niave IMHO. TW did not have as big of a say, I'll grant you, during last draft but all senior coaches have a big imput into recruitment. Whatever happens from this point on TW has been intricial to the development of the list and will take some of the glory and all of the blame depending on the outcome.
Tad naive huh?
No doubt in my mind that Wallace's input in the list building processes has been significantly reduced upon Miller's departure. Bear in mind Wallace has a history of having little input in recruiting, it's the recycled players he has brought to the club where he has had more of an impact.
M Graham, P Bowden, Kingsley & finally McMahon for 19 was the straw that broke the camels back for Terry's power plays and where he probably still a part of the process, his influence will have been greatly reduced in the current setup.
Finally we now have someone who's there to make Wallace accountable for the decisions that are made by the club regarding recycled players we select.
