Hird sacked

[Toy Saint]

Which coach will be next to go?

I reckon Paul Roos is nowhere near as good as his reputation.

Remember Hird, Buckley & Voss were considered the superstars of their generation (they didn't include Harvey), they werre all appointed rookie coaches...and none of them have have enjoyed much success

[Gordo']

poofffttt !!! the bloke looked like a drummer to me! no flowering loss there.

[Con Gorozidis]

Which coach will be next to go?

I reckon Paul Roos is nowhere near as good as his reputation.

Remember Hird, Buckley & Voss were considered the superstars of their generation (they didn't include Harvey), they werre all appointed rookie coaches...and none of them have have enjoyed much success

Roos has already arranged a hand-over to Goodwin?
I think all coaches are safe for another 12 months.

[samuraisaint]

Good news for the saints. If Melbourne do the right thing and the Bombers win a game then pick 4 is back in play for us.

Now we're singing from the same hymnbook Brother!

[Saint wagga]

Sad day to see Hirdy go! He was such a champion player, one of my absolute favs. If there was thing I was hoping for, it would be that he could go out on his own terms, that the Dons would get off at WADA and he'd resign after that. I hate to think of those fat cats at the afl and the journos who think they got 'Their Man'...

The punishment for what the Dons did has been so much more than deserved already imo. So much damage done to so many people. A powerhouse club, an iconic club has become a irrelevant on the field for too long now.

If wada appeal comes to nothing, it will put the final nail in the biggest storm in a teacup issue in our sporting history. Big wigs at the heart of the blow up deserve public ridicule to the same extent as Hirdy. Guys like demiitriou and gillon, Fitzpatrick, they are all deserve heat for how the whole thing has played out.

Can't wait for November and this whole thing to be done.

[Waltzing St Kilda]

Sad day to see Hirdy go! He was such a champion player, one of my absolute favs. If there was thing I was hoping for, it would be that he could go out on his own terms, that the Dons would get off at WADA and he'd resign after that. I hate to think of those fat cats at the afl and the journos who think they got 'Their Man'...

The punishment for what the Dons did has been so much more than deserved already imo. So much damage done to so many people. A powerhouse club, an iconic club has become a irrelevant on the field for too long now.

If wada appeal comes to nothing, it will put the final nail in the biggest storm in a teacup issue in our sporting history. Big wigs at the heart of the blow up deserve public ridicule to the same extent as Hirdy. Guys like demiitriou and gillon, Fitzpatrick, they are all deserve heat for how the whole thing has played out.

Can't wait for November and this whole thing to be done.

Wow.

[Toy Saint]

Sad day to see Hirdy go! He was such a champion player, one of my absolute favs. If there was thing I was hoping for, it would be that he could go out on his own terms, that the Dons would get off at WADA and he'd resign after that. I hate to think of those fat cats at the afl and the journos who think they got 'Their Man'...

The punishment for what the Dons did has been so much more than deserved already imo. So much damage done to so many people. A powerhouse club, an iconic club has become a irrelevant on the field for too long now.

If wada appeal comes to nothing, it will put the final nail in the biggest storm in a teacup issue in our sporting history. Big wigs at the heart of the blow up deserve public ridicule to the same extent as Hirdy. Guys like demiitriou and gillon, Fitzpatrick, they are all deserve heat for how the whole thing has played out.

Can't wait for November and this whole thing to be done.

And if the WADA case proves that they were blatant drug cheats like Lance Armstrong, will you be happy for the culprits to be suspended for 2 years like Saad?

[Teflon]

its funny reading the flood of Essendon supporters who are still in support of hird .. I don't get it
they are commenting that caro got her man, that the AFL finally got what they wanter etc etc... I don't get the blind loyalty I think if it was our club and someone did what hird did to the club regardless of how many games they played for the club I would be livid and I would have been calling for them to be sacked from the day it was released that there were dodgy dealings ...

Im not sure. he is our Harvey and because he never went elsewhere to coach like Harvey is is probably even more popular to Essendon than Harvey is to us. I have no doubt many would stick up for harvs in the exact same situation. No doubt at all. I would think it is the loud minority who are now sticking up for Hird. Having said that I still have a few mates who will stick up for him. Maybe it is the majority. I think we would have many for Harvs in the same situation.

There's NO WAY you have mates.

[Teflon]

Sad day to see Hirdy go! He was such a champion player, one of my absolute favs. If there was thing I was hoping for, it would be that he could go out on his own terms, that the Dons would get off at WADA and he'd resign after that. I hate to think of those fat cats at the afl and the journos who think they got 'Their Man'...

The punishment for what the Dons did has been so much more than deserved already imo. So much damage done to so many people. A powerhouse club, an iconic club has become a irrelevant on the field for too long now.

If wada appeal comes to nothing, it will put the final nail in the biggest storm in a teacup issue in our sporting history. Big wigs at the heart of the blow up deserve public ridicule to the same extent as Hirdy. Guys like demiitriou and gillon, Fitzpatrick, they are all deserve heat for how the whole thing has played out.

Can't wait for November and this whole thing to be done.

Thanks Tania.

[Con Gorozidis]

Good news for the saints. If Melbourne do the right thing and the Bombers win a game then pick 4 is back in play for us.

Now we're singing from the same hymnbook Brother!

Well looking back over the draw and the ladder, the Bombers have to win 2 from 3. Might be asking too much.
But by golly if Melbourne dont win this week there should be a Royal Commission

[Con Gorozidis]

What are people's views on Bomber Thompson. Can they bring him back now?
Or will they totally start from scratch with an outsider? I assume the latter.

[MCG-Unit]

.....Adelaide have suffered much much much more hardship than the Bombers and they pulverised Ess by 100 points at Etihad.....

They should have stuck with Bomber Thompson......

Haven't read the whole thread - but I completely agree with this.

[Con Gorozidis]

Did anyone see the whole press conference?
He used the word 'crucified' to describe himself. He is essentially casting himself as Christ and AFL/ASADA as the Romans. What an absolutely egotistical deluded c u next Tuesday.

[Con Gorozidis]

So Dustin Fletcher in his book says he would get an injection in the morning and Dank would forget and tell him he needed one in the afternoon. I mean, this is not normal. Sh*t was out of control.

[magnifisaint]

Did anyone see the whole press conference?
He used the word 'crucified' to describe himself. He is essentially casting himself as Christ and AFL/ASADA as the Romans. What an absolutely egotistical deluded c u next Tuesday.

Nice choice of words. Haven't Hird that one before.

[matrix]

lol at forgot who had what injection
so even if it was all legal, ok lets have a laugh and say it was...the regime still wasnt even in the ball park of controlled and monitored

f*** me drunk

[bergholt]

If wada appeal comes to nothing, it will put the final nail in the biggest storm in a teacup issue in our sporting history.

I agree that it didn't need to be such an enormous issue, but Essendon and Hird have only themselves to blame for blowing it up. All they needed to do was come clean, cop their punishment and move on. By far the most repellent part of the whole saga had been their "we didn't do anything" attitude. And that's what caused everything else.

[ozrulestrace]

Sad day to see Hirdy go! He was such a champion player, one of my absolute favs. If there was thing I was hoping for, it would be that he could go out on his own terms, that the Dons would get off at WADA and he'd resign after that. I hate to think of those fat cats at the afl and the journos who think they got 'Their Man'...

The punishment for what the Dons did has been so much more than deserved already imo. So much damage done to so many people. A powerhouse club, an iconic club has become a irrelevant on the field for too long now.

If wada appeal comes to nothing, it will put the final nail in the biggest storm in a teacup issue in our sporting history. Big wigs at the heart of the blow up deserve public ridicule to the same extent as Hirdy. Guys like demiitriou and gillon, Fitzpatrick, they are all deserve heat for how the whole thing has played out.

Can't wait for November and this whole thing to be done.

And if the WADA case proves that they were blatant drug cheats like Lance Armstrong, will you be happy for the culprits to be suspended for 2 years like Saad?

I hope so and that Hird gets his right whack and is also banned from the sport, because iI get the imoression, from the media overview and the collective sobbing of the Bombers supporters onces he leaves it's like he faces up to nothing further.

Will Essendon continue to pick up his legal bills during the CAS hearings?

[ozrulestrace]

So Dustin Fletcher in his book says he would get an injection in the morning and Dank would forget and tell him he needed one in the afternoon. I mean, this is not normal. Sh*t was out of control.

Dustin Fletcher I think had blood on his hands over the dismissal of Matthew Knights, what comes around goes around.

[plugger66]

So Dustin Fletcher in his book says he would get an injection in the morning and Dank would forget and tell him he needed one in the afternoon. I mean, this is not normal. Sh*t was out of control.

Dustin Fletcher I think had blood on his hands over the dismissal of Matthew Knights, what comes around goes around.

Yep of course he did. Another who wont make a difference. I think the quoted post of Cons would probably show why the players didn't think it was PEDS. You would think if they were going to cheat it would have the best organisation possible. Doubt the east germans just did injections anytime they felt like it. Anyway the players have surely been punished nearly enough. Doubt it will be a huge punishment if found guilty.

[markp]

Shame he's gone.....I really wanted to do him slowly......

.....the players are innocent.....what a crock......they secretely had hunderds of injections in the stomach....

..........so what were they thinking......they thought it was all OK.......as if

So most all decided to cheat on mass? I don't think that makes any sense at all. Players back then would do anything the club asked. Now they wouldn't. One good thing out of all this.

They chose not to ask too many questions, not to check anything, and to say nothing.

Do you think vitamins mcveigh really thought he/they had only been given vitamins when he swore it so black and blue on radio and tv?

[Toy Saint]

What are people's views on Bomber Thompson. Can they bring him back now?
Or will they totally start from scratch with an outsider? I assume the latter.

If Essendon had any brains at all they should take a very wide berth from Bomber Thompson, I'm of the view that he was most likely pro-active in the drugs scandal. I recall a press confrence, shortly after Bomber arrived at Essendon (strange exit from Cats), and he said that it was their plan to 'build the boys up so they had strong bodies like the Geelong boys".

Quite frankly, I'm keen for ASADA to retest samples from Geelong in the Thompson era, the findings may be consistent with Essendon players.

For the sake of the competition, Essendon should distance themselves from Bomber. They should cop their fair wack from WADA (should be 12 months), then begin from scratch with a new coach and develop a clean culture.

[spert]

Interesting that Dean Robinson worked with Bomber at Geelong before moving on to Essendon.Those puffed-up Geelong bodies were a giveaway as to what was going on down there..just sayin'

[IanRush]

What are people's views on Bomber Thompson. Can they bring him back now?
Or will they totally start from scratch with an outsider? I assume the latter.

If Essendon had any brains at all they should take a very wide berth from Bomber Thompson, I'm of the view that he was most likely pro-active in the drugs scandal. I recall a press confrence, shortly after Bomber arrived at Essendon (strange exit from Cats), and he said that it was their plan to 'build the boys up so they had strong bodies like the Geelong boys".

Quite frankly, I'm keen for ASADA to retest samples from Geelong in the Thompson era, the findings may be consistent with Essendon players.

For the sake of the competition, Essendon should distance themselves from Bomber. They should cop their fair wack from WADA (should be 12 months), then begin from scratch with a new coach and develop a clean culture.

7 year limit for testing fast running out.

I’d say the tests you’re after are Collingwood’s mid to late 2010 blood and urine tests.

[Saint wagga]

Sad day to see Hirdy go! He was such a champion player, one of my absolute favs. If there was thing I was hoping for, it would be that he could go out on his own terms, that the Dons would get off at WADA and he'd resign after that. I hate to think of those fat cats at the afl and the journos who think they got 'Their Man'...

The punishment for what the Dons did has been so much more than deserved already imo. So much damage done to so many people. A powerhouse club, an iconic club has become a irrelevant on the field for too long now.

If wada appeal comes to nothing, it will put the final nail in the biggest storm in a teacup issue in our sporting history. Big wigs at the heart of the blow up deserve public ridicule to the same extent as Hirdy. Guys like demiitriou and gillon, Fitzpatrick, they are all deserve heat for how the whole thing has played out.

Can't wait for November and this whole thing to be done.

And if the WADA case proves that they were blatant drug cheats like Lance Armstrong, will you be happy for the culprits to be suspended for 2 years like Saad?

I dont think the WADA case is out to prove they were blatant drug cheats - even comparing them to Armstrong shows how far from the actual issue the whole saga has come. We aren't trying to prove that the whole squad was juiced up to the eyeballs in known proven performance enhacing substances like EPO and HGH like Lance Armstrong was. Read Tyler Hamilton's book 'the secret race' or David Walsh's books on the Armstrong stuff and if you still think there is even a comparison there, we can discuss that...

We are talking about technicalities here, wording, 'comfortable satisfaction'...even the substances, or to be extact, substance...it's so small time, not even a proven performance enhacing substance in an athletic context.

I think it's clear from what we have heard (and half the problem is we shouldn't have heard any of it, it should all have been behind closed doors hearings and completely confidential until final verdicts - That is the one of the biggest punishments for player and club)...that Essendon just wanted to run a supplements program that was cutting edge but legal, they had plenty of cash to spend in the footy department. WHo doesn't want to do that! That the governance was so poor has already been highlighted, allowing Dank to work in far too much isolation and without medical supervision.

But at the end of the day, it's going to come down to words/scraps of circumstantial evidence/legal speak etc... that will decide the players fate. We aren't going to uncover any rampart performance enhancing use. It just didn't happen.

I don't hate Essendon, i want them to become a powerful on field force again, because they have a massive supporter base and when they are up and about, like the tigers, blues etc...Footy is better for it...much like clubs like Parramatta and the bulldoge in the NRL, they are barometer clubs.

I also want to add that I dont' think any of this is a 'win' for clean sport...if anything it's highlighted how farcical the whole system of drug testing and hearings are. It has erroded public confidence in our sporting codes, their edministration, the link between polotics and the fat cat sports admin bodies and also erroded confidence in the way these issues are investigated to the highest level. It's also highlighted how hard it is to judge cases alongside eachother and come to a fair punishment eg: Saad.

It has also reminded me of how infuential the media can be in pushing agendas and basically getting an outcome that is desired by them. And that stinks! As BJ pointed out, every person that has leaked confidential information is a bottom feader and if ever outed, gee whiz, they should get whats coming their way!