Any team running an official fan forum has rocks in their heads.
It's like HR asking for honest opinions of the business.
The company line must be towed at all costs.
That is what plenty of clubs did back then. 20 years ago right or wrong ,club run Fan Forums were a way for clubs to communicate with fans and attract fans to the site.
Your point about the towing company line and being a HR nightmare is a valid one.
Many a time threads started by disgrunted fans (whatever the club) did make it in the Sydney papers.
The emergence of other social media platforms gave clubs a way out.
It is no coincidence that PI was wound up during the Elliott era.
I recall thread that popped up with the acronym FOE. Short for f**k off Elliott. It quickly got taken down. But many posters (me included) signed our posts off with F.O.E.