So we could have two coaches in succession with a succession plan to get out of coaching?

Just coach Melbourne, it is the best exit strategy going around

He wont stay longer than 3 years? Then how will he continue in some capacity

Confused

Not confusing at all, senior coach is a big gig that requires a huge commitment not just mentally but physically (how many Melbourne coaches in recent years have looked totally defeated at times).

Roosy will move into a footy department role that he can oversee things potentially from afar, leaving him more time to live his life and spend time with his wife.

The fact that Ling has said he doesn't know if wants to be coach seems to have put him out of the race at this stage but we should still maintain relations to get him as an assistant. Rawlings seems to be firming a bit more by the minute, hopefully either way Roos will stay on for 3 years (it looks that way).

I couldn't watch this episode but hopefully it'll be online at some stage. Roos is a very easy talker and can fend off the headline fishing from Caro and Hutchy.

If you think he missed that kick by a cm then you clearly didn't see the 25m the player had on the inside that was vacant.

Are you suggesting that Grimes kick the ball to no-one in particular/vacant ground 25 metres in from the boundary. As much as Roos wouldn't have liked the kick out of bounds on the full I'm damned sure he wouldn't like that idea at all.

If Roos stayed on a Director of Footy, or player development consultant or something, then I'd be very comfortable. Hugely impressed with his conviction over Carlisle!

I've consistently dismissed Thompson as the successor because it just doesn't feel right. I felt it may be too many chiefs and not enough Indians. Too many strong personalities.

But I do acknowledge the amazing chemistry between he and Roos on AFL360.

They are very much on the same page.

Bomba can't stay on at Essendon under Hird.

I just don't think it will be tenable and I don't think he'd want to.

He also didnt want the senior coaching role to begin with and took it over exceptionally reluctantly.

Out of sheer necessity really.

So what are Bomba's options?

Presumably he'd be looking at a position at another club.

Before the drug saga at Essendon he did express a joy at being just an assistant, shielded from the spotlight and the politics.

He has experience guiding a relatively inexperienced senior coach from the position of assistant.

Some would say with relative success.

Could he come to Melbourne?

He was quite comfortable taking a back seat previously.

Could he handle being an assistant to Roos? I definitely think so.

Could he be at MFC as an additional senior advisor to an inexperienced Ling or Hayes as senior coach?

I'd be surprised if he didnt relish such a role.

Guidance in addition to Roos, that would make Roos' imminent departure less significant?

I'm beginning to see it more and more as a possibility.

Maybe a pipedream, but I think it would work well for us.

wouldnt surprise me if Bomber Thompson reunited with Ling at the MFC

I was just thinking about his role in the drugs saga and if I would even want him at the Demons. To be honest I think he had very little to do with any of their doping program, and I dont even think he likes being at Essendon. A couple of times this season he has mentioned he really doesn't like working there and that Essendon aren't a great club. I get the feeling he cant wait to get out the door, and who could really blame him. While he has stayed to cop the heat and questions and the pressure of coaching a team thats just copped 34 infraction notices from ASADA, James Hird has been hiding overseas on a 1 million dollar paid vacation.

I reckon Thompson will leave at seasons end for sure, the question is if he will continue coaching and if so where?

Perhaps a second succession plan, Roos for 2, Bomber for 2, then Ling takes over after learning under both?

wouldnt surprise me if Bomber Thompson reunited with Ling at the MFC

I was just thinking about his role in the drugs saga and if I would even want him at the Demons. To be honest I think he had very little to do with any of their doping program, and I dont even think he likes being at Essendon. A couple of times this season he has mentioned he really doesn't like working there and that Essendon aren't a great club. I get the feeling he cant wait to get out the door, and who could really blame him. While he has stayed to cop the heat and questions and the pressure of coaching a team thats just copped 34 infraction notices from ASADA, James Hird has been hiding overseas on a 1 million dollar paid vacation.

I reckon Thompson will leave at seasons end for sure, the question is if he will continue coaching and if so where?

Really? When? I just can't imagine any senior coach criticising his own club. I accept that Thompson is coaching under exceptional circumstances but it's hard to believe any coach could get away with such comments.

Perhaps a second succession plan, Roos for 2, Bomber for 2, then Ling takes over after learning under both?

Not enough stability for me. If (and it's a big if) Bomber came on in a similar fashion to Roos, I'd want him there for at least 4 years.

Really? When? I just can't imagine any senior coach criticising his own club. I accept that Thompson is coaching under exceptional circumstances but it's hard to believe any coach could get away with such comments.

it was on AFL 360 about a month ago , his exact quote was

"I still barrack for Geelong... Unfortunately I work at essendon"

I've heard Bomba say "Essendon aren't a great club" or "Essendon haven't been a great club" at times this season, but that's been when the team is not doing well or in reference to the failures of protocol during the drugs saga, and I have interpreted it to mean the standards in place are not high enough and that the club is not run as well as it should be. I believe there's the inference that he came to the club to be part of the remedy for that, but he's not the footy ops mgr or the CEO, so he has limited control over that.

Shouldn't be much of a surprise that he has higher standards, having come from Geelong.

it was on AFL 360 about a month ago , his exact quote was

"I still barrack for Geelong... Unfortunately I work at essendon"

Pretty sure that was in reference to Geelong having played Essendon and Essendon losing, no?

it was on AFL 360 about a month ago , his exact quote was

"I still barrack for Geelong... Unfortunately I work at essendon"

I've heard Bomba say "Essendon aren't a great club" or "Essendon haven't been a great club" at times this season, but that's been when the team is not doing well or in reference to the failures of protocol during the drugs saga, and I have interpreted it to mean the standards in place are not high enough and that the club is not run as well as it should be. I believe there's the inference that he came to the club to be part of the remedy for that, but he's not the footy ops mgr or the CEO, so he has limited control over that.

Shouldn't be much of a surprise that he has higher standards, having come from Geelong.

Thanks guys. That context makes a difference. It also suggests to me that far from necessarily leaving Essendon Thompson might consider his work is only partly done and wants to stay to finish the job. Whether he would stay if Hird returns as senior coach, is up for debate. Personally, I think he would stay. (I know that's not the view of Carline Wilson. I see no shame in having a different view to her.)

Thompson seemed extremely reluctant to take on this interim role during Hirds....cough...sabbatical. It wouldn't shock me if he's very disenfranchised with the place and took the role as a personal favour to them, what will be interesting is his reaction when Hird returns.

I do believe he is a viable option, and with Roos constantly hanging around with him who knows what could happen. If he came to be a candidate I would look for him to be a 5 year contract coach, not another succession plan or at the very least not a short term succession plan.

Also made reference to finding a balance between clipping players over the ears (Neeld) and giving them a hug (Bailey).

I heard 'fault'. Maybe I just hear what I want to hear. Haha.

Either way, clearly wasn't a fan of how the players had been trained.

nah, was default, as in when the players aren't sure they just bomb it long hoping for the best.

Still very much apart of our game-plan (see Dawes long bomb to no one on the weekend) which Roosy is trying to get rid of.

I don't understand the view that Thompson must be disappointed or disenfranchised with Essendon and keen to leave. While it's been a consistent position put by the media that everyone involved in Essendon would want to leave, that's not happened. Whether Essendon people are right or wrong, they all appear to be totally committed to the club and seemingly convinced of their innocence, other than for some poor governance during the period Dean Robinson and Dank were at the club. I can't see any evidence that Thompson wants to leave. If he does, would I accept him at Melbourne? Of course.

What I am finding difficult is the number of posters who lambast everything to do with Essendon and everyone involved there but appear to be prepared to put all that behind them the moment they believe there's a chance that Thomspon might coach our club.

Rawlings, Ling or Dew for mine.

It's a long bow to be talking up Bomber based upon the fact that he gets along well with Roos on a TV footy chat show. Yes, he may be out of work next year, but I don't consider two massive personalities in the FD at Melbourne to be a wise move. I thought Bomber said he wasn't interested in another senior gig after Geelong and only took charge at Ess out of loyalty???

I've never heard of Thompson saying Essendon isn't a great club. That quote would have been run in the media for weeks on end. The most he said was that he still barracked for Geelong and "unfortunately I'm at Essendon" which I interpreted as nothing more than a humourous slip of the tongue. He's a premiership captain from Essendon whose nickname is "bomber" ffs. He doesn't hate Essendon.

His reactions during the doping saga suggest to me that he had nothing to do with what went down, and if anything his resentment towards the club is over the fact that he's now left holding the baby. Besides which, if anything, he will be even more careful over such matters in the future.

I would love him at Melbourne. He turned Geelong into arguably the greatest team of the modern era and one of the greatest of all time. He's now got Essendon humming at the most important time of the year. His record speaks for itself. Plus he's a character and a likeable person. Sign him up if we can, absolutely and without reservation.

Roosy was impressive as always. Hutchy said at the end of the interview we could talk to you all night and I thought yeah, I would have happily sit here listening to Roosy for a few hours. Still hard to believe he's actually our coach.

As for the rest of the show, was the first time I've seen it and it was pretty bad. Four people with terrible opinions at a table arguing with each other. And Caro... What a horrible, spiteful person.

The only times Caro showed any genuine interest in anything for the entire show was firstly, when she tried to bait Paul Roos about not going to Gills dinner (to which he gave her absolutely nothing to work with which obviously irritated her), and secondly, when it was mentioned that someone's wife had an argument with Mark Robinson - her eyes just lit up like a fat kid in a candy store!

The only times Caro showed any genuine interest in anything for the entire show was firstly, when she tried to bait Paul Roos about not going to Gills dinner (to which he gave her absolutely nothing to work with which obviously irritated her), and secondly, when it was mentioned that someone's wife had an argument with Mark Robinson - her eyes just lit up like a fat kid in a candy store!

It was Malthouse's wife wasn't it? Yeah she loved hearing that piece of news.

It was cringeworthy watching her try to bait Roosy on the dinner that precisely no-one but her gave a stuff about.

She is such a slimeball. An ugly human in every sense.

It was Malthouse's wife wasn't it? Yeah she loved hearing that piece of news.

It was cringeworthy watching her try to bait Roosy on the dinner that precisely no-one but her gave a stuff about.

She is such a slimeball. An ugly human in every sense.

I'm still waiting for the day that she writes an article about either;

a) something positive

b) something to do with the actual on field game of football

It was Malthouse's wife wasn't it? Yeah she loved hearing that piece of news.

It was cringeworthy watching her try to bait Roosy on the dinner that precisely no-one but her gave a stuff about.

She is such a slimeball. An ugly human in every sense.

Can you imagine if her and Barrett procreated?

The offspring would be something halfway between an old jar of pickles and a prolapsed rectum.

Can you imagine if her and Barrett procreated?

The offspring would be something halfway between an old jar of pickles and a prolapsed rectum.

LOL, Oh my........I dunno if I can actually picture that..........Quote of the week!

Can you imagine if her and Barrett procreated?

The offspring would be something halfway between an old jar of pickles and a prolapsed rectum.

Yeezus.

I can't imagine it and I'm planning to keep it that way.

Hard now to see where the successor will come from.

Ling and Kirk are now out it seems.

Dews name came up again and I wonder about Bomber Thompson. Can't see him staying at Essendon, likes Roosy and was very positive about our game against Port.

The field seems way open again.

The consensus is Chip is gone and that comes as no surprise.

Unless Jacques Merde does the right thing by EFC and the footy world in general, and doesn't return.

Bomber is definitely a Roos sort of person, got anymore on this or just purely speculation?

Thompson lost me after the cancer comments. He was at Essendon in 2012 so I am not sure I want him around our players.

I must say I was disturbed by those comments too, as I was with his flippant comments on Jeff White's horrendous injury and its circumstances.

I have always felt he was a smug bastard....but maybe I could be persuaded.

Hypothetical:

How would people feel if Roos only served his two years and Bomber Thompson took over from there?

wouldnt surprise me if Bomber Thompson reunited with Ling at the MFC

I was just thinking about his role in the drugs saga and if I would even want him at the Demons. To be honest I think he had very little to do with any of their doping program, and I dont even think he likes being at Essendon. A couple of times this season he has mentioned he really doesn't like working there and that Essendon aren't a great club. I get the feeling he cant wait to get out the door, and who could really blame him. While he has stayed to cop the heat and questions and the pressure of coaching a team thats just copped 34 infraction notices from ASADA, James Hird has been hiding overseas on a 1 million dollar paid vacation.

I reckon Thompson will leave at seasons end for sure, the question is if he will continue coaching and if so where?

Not so sure about that - he was IMO in Merde's first year the puppeteer with his hand up the puppet Merde's ass on match days. It would surprise me if he wasn't involved or at least aware of the "experiment" and didn't stand up and say what he should have. And if he really didn't know then maybe he should have.

Thompson seemed extremely reluctant to take on this interim role during Hirds....cough...sabbatical. It wouldn't shock me if he's very disenfranchised with the place and took the role as a personal favour to them, what will be interesting is his reaction when Hird returns.

I do believe he is a viable option, and with Roos constantly hanging around with him who knows what could happen. If he came to be a candidate I would look for him to be a 5 year contract coach, not another succession plan or at the very least not a short term succession plan.

Yes - we need a longer term plan, not another stand in, good as Roos is / has been / will be for our development.

_{Roos said he was after someone with the same thinking and philosophies as him and someone who wouldn't deviate too much from the current game plan,.}

_{This is going to be pretty difficult to achieve in a short time frame I would think which is a concern,}

_{Lyon actually asked a good question (which I nearly fell off my couch when I heard it) and was "what happens if we cant find a successor"}

_{Roos said that's a really good question but didn't answer it either unfortunately.}

_{With Roos only committing to a max of 3 yrs what would happen if we didn't get a successor?}

_{I don't want a successor chosen because there are no other options available.}

_{Roos also said he didn't want either the succession planning or his contract extension to become a distraction.}

_{IMO it is becoming one.}