And the academy award goes to.........

[annewilo]

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/afl/essendon-expected-to-announce-mark-thompson-as-assistant-coach/story-e6frf9jf-1225950981071

What a load of rubbish. Staged managed to look like they didnt know he was coming and just walked in to training and said he was coming on board.

If you can watch the press conference as well. Hird and Thompson didnt appear. So it's obvious they are in damage control and limiting the fall out from Geelong!!!

Essendon are not only dirty on the filed but dirty off field moreso.

[GreekLunatic]

They can get all the coaches they like when u dont have the cattle u cant do jack crap.

[Nick - Pie Man]

Beating them will be even more enjoyable from now on

[TurkishPie]

when you include the whole Knights scenario and how Hird was not interested in coaching.. what a joke

[GreekLunatic]

Have we started a trend here with MM and Bucks seems like every club wants to do it our way. hey Caro now i wanna see u bag the bummers.

[Lone Ranger]

Its fine for Thompson to what to go be a part of something exciting with an old mate but just goes to show what happens when you shoot your big mouth off about loyalty and the like, and then you endup doing something arguably very similar.
In fact, probably worse than Ablett. Gary said nothing and then left. Thompson implied he would not do something like that, and now has done it.

[Wokko]

Looks like Essendon are rediscovering their mojo, any club that starts taking a "screw you all" attitude (Pies with Ball last year for example) are one step closer to success.

I can't stand them, but this is exactly what they needed to be doing.

[Neil Appleby]

[Lazza]

[Podpicken]

Thompson - officially the biggest hypocrite wanker in football history.

[88MPH]

This has been an open secret in the football community for some time. Irrespective of the spin and media management that you will hear from Essendon over the next few days the FACTS are these:

FACT 1: James Hird said to Essendon in mid-August "I will only consider coaching if I can get my business deals sorted, and you can get me an outstanding senior assistant coach".

FACT 2: Hird spoke to Mark Thompson in around the first week of the finals and sounded him out. He basically said "Bomber if you promise to come with me I will coach Essendon"

FACT 3: Thompson said to Hird "I think that I have probably run my race at Geelong with this group and would be happy to support you at Essendon so long as the workload is nothing like what I have to carry as senior coach at Geelong"

FACT 4: By that stage Essendon had already arranged to interview/had interviewed the other candidates for the senior coaching job as they did not officially know whether or not Hird was in. They therefore had to complete the interview process facade whilst all the time knowing that Hird's answer was dependant on Thompson's move.

FACT 5: Thompson told Hird 4 days prior to the Geelong Best & Fairest count that he was on board.

FACT 6: Essendon had to wait for "clear air" to officially announce Thompson's appointment and took the "sting" out of the story by leaking to selective media outlets in advance of the official "announcement" that Thompson was on the move. This was designed to let the story get out so as to let Geelong and the wider football community slowly absorb the impact of the resignation and appointment prior to the day of the announcement so that when the time came for the official word from Essendon most people in the footy industry would say "yeah, well, we knew that already".

Irrespective of what you hear in the coming days, these are the facts.

[Proud Pies]

i think it's funny how a Senior Premiership Coach (2 Premierships from 3 GF appearances) and resigned his position due to burn out, is now a Senior ASSISTANT Coach to James Hird.

[John Wren]

who cares. and what does it really matter in the scheme of things. losers can please themselves.

[Magpie Since 1986]

Who gives a toss? Geelong regularly try to steal our staff: Caracella, Balme and recently Mark Neeld, they deserve to get some back.

[TurkishPie]

i really feel for Knights in all of this, he got shafted sideways..