Hird gone - Egan interim coach, Little gone after WADA appeal. TROLLS WILL BE CARDED

[Ancient Tiger]

Would Mark Thompson come back? Would any one want him back?

 

[Ned_Flanders]

Maybe he can do a Bomber-style senior assistant role?

Worked well last time.

I thinks it's just a timing thing for him

Great coach, he just has to be in the right place personally to come back

 

[TheFrenchCut]

The right decision.

Now the club can do what needs to be done, get a new fresh face into the club to lead them into the future possibly someone like Dew? Deconstruct the board and executives and make replacements without rushing the process, and begin the process of delisting the spuds, trade the middle to top aged players without ripping out the heart of the club ala Melbourne and basically get youth and vibrance back into the club to compliment the youth already there like Heppell and Daniher

We really don't need to do this.

 

[efcboy]

Would Mark Thompson come back? Would any one want him back?

Hell no he caused this mess

 

[Loonerty]

Would Mark Thompson come back? Would any one want him back?

There's a better chance that we win the flag than Thompson coming back to Essendon I think.

 

[Phone]

thank god

 

[boncer34]

AFL is a cut-throat business, current results mean everything. He has survived a lot, maybe he lost the playing group?

He hasn't.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Would Mark Thompson come back? Would any one want him back?

No

No

 

[Wundo]

Two years of Worsfold for mine followed by a younger bloke.

Or Worsfold as an assistant.

Or Clarko.

Unlikely.

 

[ManWithNoName]

Maybe he can do a Bomber-style senior assistant role?

Worked well last time.

When asked if he'd work at Adelaide next year he said he's going back to Perth after the season.

 

[yodellinhank]

He's coaching arguably the three most talented players on the list in Daniher, Carlisle and Edwards.

Daniher is a great athlete with no footy smarts who can't kick straight. JC is a naturally blessed, self obsessed guy who can mark anything he wants... if he wants. Edwards can be anything or he can be nothing, and he is a cherry on top of a cake that we don't have (and if we did, it was left out in the rain.)

 

[Marley10]

It's better for him and the club

 

[Ancient Tiger]

No

No

You were one of his biggest supporters so I would take your word for it Bunk.

 

[Bunk Moreland]

Unlikely.

O rly

 

[Phone]

An explanation on the timing of this would be appreciated. Not sure why it couldn't be done immediately post-season.

I don't see what this achieves tbh. We did it with Knights and it ****ing sucked. when you know you're axing him, axe him.

 

[Foxx]

Thank **** for that! Redardless of fault, Essendon need a fresh start.
And get rid of anyone else that was in the football department when all this shit went down!

 

[Bunk Moreland]

You were one of his biggest supporters so I would take your word for it Bunk.

I have no real issue with him but it'd be a stupid move at this point I think.

We need somebody totally uninvested in this group to make the right football decisions.

 

[pantskyle]

He hasn't.

You owe me a beer.

 

[ManWithNoName]

Statement

Today the Club announced its decision to accept James Hird’s resignation as senior coach.

This decision is the culmination of many weeks of open discussion between the Club and James, which ultimately led to James tendering his resignation last night.

Our on field performances in 2015 have clearly been unacceptable. As the season progressed, it has become increasingly apparent to the Board that change was needed.

To his credit, James has always accepted that he is ultimately accountable for the performance of the team.

There have been a number of mitigating factors around our performance in 2015, including injuries to key players and the ASADA / WADA process.

However, across every measure, season 2015 has fallen well short of our expectations, and James’ expectations.

It is time for a fresh start, a point that James recognises.

The players need a fresh voice, our members need a sense of hope and the Club needs to be able to look to 2016 and beyond with a renewed sense of optimism.

On behalf of the Board of the Essendon Football Club, I wish to thank James for being a loyal and dedicated servant of Essendon over the past 25 years.

His love and passion for the Club can never be questioned.

James is also one of the most resilient men I have met. In the midst of unprecedented pressure James has stood tall, and been steadfast throughout in his belief of what was right.

He will forever be remembered as a champion of this Club. A legend.

The man who combined immense talent with fierce competitiveness; loyalty; endurance and a sense of fair play.

A player and a captain who was admired by all; loved by Bomber fans;

James Hird’s place in the history of our club should never be questioned.

I have spent in excess of 2 years working closely with James. We didn't agree on everything, but we always agreed that the players were our no 1 priority.

In relation to his departure, the Board and James have agreed on a negotiated settlement. The terms of this shall remain confidential.

A process for selecting a new coach will be confirmed over coming days, and we will provide details on that process in due course.

In the meantime, Matthew Egan will coach the team for the remainder of the season in a caretaker capacity. Matthew has been an assistant coach at the Club for the last four years, he knows the players intimately and will be supported by the other coaches.

The internal football department review, being conducted by CEO Xavier Campbell, will be finalised in the next month.

The review is broad ranging and has focussed on:
- Structure
- Reporting and Evaluation
- Roles and Responsibilities
- List Management and Recruiting
- And external benchmarking

Finally, I thought it also timely to discuss my own position as Chairman in light of today’s announcement.

When I inherited the role of Chairman, I resolved to see the ASADA investigation through to its conclusion and allow the next Chairman of Essendon clear air to lead this Club into its next great era.

As such I plan to stay on as Chairman of the EFC until I can steer the Club and its players through the final stage of the WADA appeal, which is likely to conclude during 2016.

As discussed, we are close to completing the review of our football operations, which now will include the search for a new senior coach.

Overseeing these changes, together with the orderly transition to a new Chairman, will be my key focus during this period.

Paul Little AO
Chairman

 

[CrowAboutIt]

When asked if he'd work at Adelaide next year he said he's going back to Perth after the season.

After our Richmond win he said if we made finals he'd have to apply for the job.

 

[Kakkle]

Matthew Egan is the coach for the next 3 games.

 

[Tassieboy]

Would Mark Thompson come back? Would any one want him back?

No.

 

[Howard Moon]

Worsfolds a pharmacist yer?

Let's take him.

 

[DrMike]

If you ignore WADA completely and only look at on-field performances, the board have done the right thing. This is the first year when I've known for a fact the gameplan/coach is a big part of the problem. Full pre-season, same coach, not too many injuries and the season's gone from worse to even worse.

While that's true you've lost a lot of personnel and depth, with the risk of losing even more. This I think is going to be the hardest thing for any new coach to have to deal with. It will takes years to rebuild to a competitive level. Whoever comes in will need to have the support of board and members that they're in for the long haul. Would not be surprised if someone is offered a 4-5 year contract, or 4+2 based on KPI's.

Regardless of what happened, this is just one less thing holding back the club from moving forward, it's hard as supporters but probably for the best.

 

[ManWithNoName]

Egan coach for the rest of the year.