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As Essendon coach James Hird faced the media after the loss to Port Adelaide Saturday night, it was obvious we were seeing a man under pressure.
One thing that always frustrates football supporters is free kicks. The opposition never deserve the ones they get, our own teams deserve more. But with so much that happens in a game it is more often than not going to be other factors that influence the outcome of a match.
If one thing has become obvious, it is the inability of James Hird to admit blame or take responsibility for anything that happens at Essendon.
The first baffling thing from the press conference last night was James Hird making comment on the umpires. Certainly there were a couple of baffling decisions like we generally get in all games. But when your team has received six free-kicks inside 50 that provide direct goals, most would be pretty happy.
Essendon received six more free kicks than the opposition, it would seem strange to take issue with the umpires and the one free kick awarded to the opposition.
The comments from Hird on Paddy Ryder has not been met with much approval from the general public. Hird described Ryder’s game as “lucky”. Port Adelaide coach Ken Hinkley was delighted with Ryder who is finding his feet at a new club.
While Ryder did not have a lot of the ball he competed well, provided good support for Matt Lobbe in ruck, was involved in eight score involvements and most importantly kicked four goals. The comments from Hird smacked of someone who is self-absorbed and appears to be in self-protection mode.
So should James Hird feel his job is under threat? Depending on who you speak to some believe the Essendon board wanted Hird gone before the year started, others point to the fact Hird signed a contract extension.
It is difficult to judge the coaching performance of Hird given all the off-field distractions and incidents. From a purely football point of view Essendon possibly thought after playing finals last year they would be in a similar spot this year, not 14th as the ladder currently shows.
The views on James Hird also seem to be mixed from the Essendon fans. During the whole supplement saga the club has thanked the fans for their continued support.
Last night’s crowd of 23,705 the lowest crowd for an Essendon home match at Docklands in fifteen years and is not a great sign. It was an improved performance from Essendon but having six losses in the last seven matches is not the kind of results fans like to see.
It will be fascinating to see how the Essendon situation plays out.
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