I think there were a few problems the 70s Sups faced

1. keeping up with the times - when MJC first started, the new "peace and love" theme was perfect. But they were, visually, still very "Vegas-y" and needed to evolve more. by 71, they should have been working to move away a bit from the glitter image into something new and fresh

2. jean didn't have the mega super-star personality. I don't know that it's completely wrong that she didn't. but coming after a huge Diana Ross personality, the change was stark. vocally Jean was amazing. but she didn't have that presence. I always sort of felt the same about Martha Reeves. great vocalist but when i've seen many of her live tv clips, it just doesn't seem like there's as much of spark. Gladys Knight seemed to have a much brighter, warmer personality. Jean didn't. just the differences between the women.

3. sloppy management of group - the old motown approach of flooding the market was not the best move. they should have been more thoughtful with what was released and when. and they should have focused more on quality lps. New Ways blew it - mostly a very very strong lp lineup. but the cover and title were problems.