Just letting you all know that I know who the next coach will be but have been sworn to secrecy by The Red Sash.
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Over a nice bottle of Penfolds I assume? 
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ANNOUNCE J HIRD
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“Do you have lustrous blond locks and a winning smile? Can you avoid camping cameramen and Mike Fitzpatrick? Are your ears conspicuous? Have you considered a career as a BODY DOUBLE?”
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Gotta say, I’m impressed by people’s commitment to keep hitting the heart button on the 1,264th posting of that appearing-through-the-smoke image.
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It’s the epitome of messionic…bring us back to the light James.
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HIRDOUNCE ANN!
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Aside from winning games of footy, that entrance might be the best entertainment the club has ever provided. No exaggeration.
It’ll go down as one of history’s greatest photos.
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An outstanding image.
That night playing the old enemy we had Watsons, Danihers, Maddens but no-one sent the crowds crazy like J A H. EFC fans yelling for him, CFCs against. Our club was saying whatever you think of the saga, this is one of ours and we are proud.
Now the darkness is deeper still. Our fastest exit from finals contention despite 10 teams now getting there. Hoping the team scores half what the opposition does. Watching other clubs speak of finals like rich kids going to Japan to ski, when you get a sled at Lake Mountain. If we’d been relegated at least we’d win a few games! But we are under the ice, watching the top teams skate. The only time our players succeed is if they are invited to Brisbane. Worse than the '70s.
Hird can’t fix it all. Recruiting, development, injuries, selection, tactics. But he can inspire like no-one else. I doubt any other team has a Hird. Let’s ride the dragon.
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James Hird thinks Essendon can win finals in the next three-four years, makes pitch to Toby Greene
James Hird has made a bold pitch to lure Toby Greene to the Bombers should he be named Essendon coach, also revealing when he thinks the club can claim a finals victory.
Jon RalphJames Hird has told the Essendon coaching selection panel he believes their list is capable of finals wins in the near future as he pushes to lure Toby Greene as a senior club leader.
The Dons coaching selection panel is assessing the last four candidates this week ahead of a meeting with Mark McVeigh’s Sydney on Sunday.
But Hird has shown how multi-faceted his plan is as he approaches star free agents including Greene and Lachie Neale to consider moving to Essendon if he is successful.
Hird has made clear to all parties he is not getting ahead of himself but has ambitious plans to return Essendon to greatness, which includes using some of the vast cap space for experienced players.
His pitch to GWS captain Greene is believed to have included the star playing up to 30 games at a packed MCG to finish his career after years of sparse Giants Stadium crowds.
The Dons have struggled for relevance in recent seasons but have the lure of Anzac Day and Dreamtime at the ‘G clashes for Greene.
Hird believes Greene is exactly the kind of tough footballer and great leader who would round off Essendon’s list build and shoot up the ladder.
He would be Hird’s first call if he won the job but the former Dons captain and coach also has a list of priority targets which would not impact the club’s decision to go to the draft.
Brisbane’s Lachie Neale is another player high on Hird’s list even as the looks to move to Collingwood.
Neither seem likely to head to Essendon but it is a measure of Hird’s ambition to blend the exciting young kids with some experienced talent.
Essendon does not have a current premiership player on its list and Zach Merrett will depart while Jordan Ridley will consider it if there are rival suitors.
While the Dons would be unlikely to win a flag in the next three or four seasons, Hird has told confidantes he believes they can win finals within that time.
Greene is mulling a move to Geelong or staying at GWS on a three-season deal as he considers family issues and the chances of the Giants winning a flag.
Greene will relinquish the captaincy at the Giants even if he does stay, with the club offering him a three-year deal of around $2 million to stay.
But there is a changing of the guard at the Giants, with Jake Stringer and Jesse Hogan long odds to remain at the club as it attempts to bring through elite young draftees.
EARLIER: HIRD’S BOLD PROMISE TO TURBOCHARGE DONS REVEALED
Essendon legend James Hird has promised to turbocharge the club’s recruitment program - while still chasing the game’s stars - as part of a strong presentation with the club’s coaching search panel.
Both Hird and Sydney assistant coach Mark McVeigh presented to the five-person subcommittee on Thursday and Friday and have told confidantes they believe they made strong impressions.
Those interviews only finished on Friday afternoon and also included Fremantle assistant coach Jaymie Graham and Adelaide’s Murray Davis.
Essendon plays McVeigh’s Sydney next Sunday but the Dons have not committed to making a decision before next weekend.
Some candidates were reportedly given an indication that the Dons might take another week before making a decision and could even whittle the process from four to two.
But Essendon legend Matthew Lloyd said across the weekend a decision could be made as early as this Monday.
One or more of those candidates could meet with the entire Essendon board before being ratified in the same manner as Ken Hinkley at Tasmania.
The club’s last coaching appointment of Brad Scott came with a unanimous recommendation from the subcommittee but with board member Kevin Sheedy quickly making public his objection to Hird being overlooked.
Some board members believed Sheedy should have stood down for breaching boardroom confidentiality however he remained until the end of 2024.
Hird spent two-and-a-half hours with the five-person panel on Thursday and has a strong plan to help save the club and immediately improve the list.
He has strong development priorities and also wealthy backers including former Essendon president Paul Little, who might be prepared to pay any football department tax if the Dons spend up on a development program.
Hird is also understood to have gotten on the front foot with want-away stars including Lachie Neale and Toby Greene to ensure they do not make a final decision before the Dons announce their new coach.
Neale has been linked to Essendon but is destined to find his way to Collingwood on a lucrative three-year deal.
If Hird does miss out it will be with the subcommittee pointing to his lack of recent coaching experience.
The weight of Hird’s involvement in the coaching selection race has sat heavily with the five-person selection panel, who are aware of the ramifications of their decision.
If they hire Hird and the decision backfires they will be on the hook for bringing back a man who for all his brilliance was associated with the club’s darkest hour during the peptides saga.
But if they decide to move on without appointing Hird then there will be a strong supporter backlash given so many of the red and black faithful are keen on his return.
The club made clear development was a critical priority for the club when it announced its subcommittee.
“Development and connection are major priorities for our emerging list, as are our culture, environment and overall football structure. Our new coach will be aligned with our strategy,” CEO Tim Roberts said.
Essendon interim coach Dean Solomon had spoken to both Hird and McVeigh about potentially working with him if he had opted to contest the coaching race and been successful.
But Sydney assistant McVeigh has his family in the Harbour City and would not relocate them to fulfil the same position.
And Hird has made clear he is reluctant to return as an assistant coach only, given his successful business portfolio which he combines with his work at Port Melbourne.
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HIRD THE HAPPY CLAPPER
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I think 3-4 years is an ambitious timeline, but if we get it right it’s achievable. Brisbane were stone motherless last at the end of 2017 and managed to finish in the top 4 in 2019. Get the off-field right and the on-field will follow.
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Haha, that’s awesome
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Good to see Hird giving Ralph a bit of a rundown about his interview so he can spoon feed it to the masses.
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Three to four years to winning finals is fkg delusional lol.
I mean, I get why you’d sell that as a pitch to the board, but it’s not happening.
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How has no one done an AI image of Hird riding a dragon yet?
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How many years will that take? Or is it just capped at 30, and could be more like 4 packed MCG games?
ANZAC day, Kings Birthday and maybe Rd 1 vs Hawthorn.
So, a decade.
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