Hird has one of the best footy IQ’s out there, there is no doubt he is a great coach. I don’t believe because he didn’t oversee a supplements problem correctly, he then should be relinquished him from potentially being our coach in the future. I’m sure there have been lots of coaches that have made administrative errors and moved on, unfortunately the narrative around hirds was a complete all out media attack on him, the club but most importantly the players.
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His coaching was 6/10
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Yes indeed.
If the Saga never happened, I think Hird could’ve been a very good coach. IMO he’d have been better than Voss at the very least and equal with Buckley. For those that would want him to return, one of the biggest question marks, aside from the obvious, would be how can a coach return to the caper after 10 years out of full-time coaching? Yes he was an assistant at GWS but that’s a different kettle of fish to being the main man.
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What’s the measure for this footy IQ? And why does it automatically translate to being a great coach?
This can’t be the only answer but felt like the boys wanted to play for him. Now it was so long ago that I’ve probably forgotten all about what was actually happening and they didn’t actually want to play for him, but not so sure if you get that same response from a playing group that mostly weren’t alive when he was playing at his best. But he has major aura, still. So maybe that is the X factor we lack. For the record I’m not saying Hird should coach at all.
They set the tone.
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how good would having a 6/10 coach at essendon be. one can dream i suppose
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No doubt for mine if Hird was in charge of the likes of Duz, Martin, Caldwell, Caddy, Kako, Roberts, Reid and Ridley (if fit and healthy) .. and McG / Nguyen.. we’d see more than a bit of an improvement in outcomes.
Sadly we likely won’t.
The risk is it’d just take too much of a toll on him personally given the past. And those just waiting for him to falter. That’s a price we and James need not pay any longer.
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A lot of those are near the edge though…SWMNBN time in footy media is almost over surely.
I’d happily take Hird as coach if he had coached in a fulltime, main man capacity within the last couple of years. He must still harbour some ambitions considering he applied for the coaching job only 3 years ago. It’s a mystery why he didn’t then find a head or assistant coaching role somewhere else in order to build some experience. If he had, I think Brad would be feeling more than a bit nervous today.
I’m sure it is.
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I might go and read about Bruce Francis insights into matrix organisations. Just some light reading to get the juices flowing.
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I have always been one of Hird’s biggest fans….. still am.
But, he is not what we need as our coach. And to be honest, I think he should stay out of it and stay in the media for his own sake.
If recent events have shown us anything, we need a young coach not long out of the game that has done an apprenticeship at a successful club. Melbourne have done very well getting King.
Scott was an atrocious decision for this reason alone.
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As is trying to ignore the parts played by people that led to , and during, the program by trying to focus only on those actions of people subsequent to the Saga.
We ain’t gonna agree on this, clearly. But it’s possible to believe that great injustices were done to the club and people by the system , and that also catastrophic mistakes were made by that same club and same people.
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Ignorance is bliss
Mistakes made were in hiring Dank and it wasn’t Hird who hired him. It was not Hird who did not want to sack Dank. It was he who sought his sacking. It was not Hird who did the deal with ASADA and the AFL to not fight and ‘ensure’ the players were not charged. It was Evans.
It’s all in the SAGA thread.
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We need gimmees not jimmees. 
Sure. But how much successful coaching has Hird accomplished? Not just visually appealing football, what do the wins and losses look like? Hird 41/43 and draw at the dons. Scott is on 22/23 and a draw.
Chris Fagan is obviously an exception to your rule.
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