bornadog
12-11-2014, 05:32 PM
Robbo confirming shortly and reporting per his tweet.
Carro also on to it here:
Mark Thompson's future at Essendon now looks increasingly remote after a tense meeting early on Wednesday with club chiefs.The talks between the 2014 coach, Bombers chairman Paul Little and CEO Xavier Campbell are understood to have seen Thompson believing his professional relationship with the club was close to finished.
Thompson was chastised by Little for his failure to meet the deadline to pay his AFL-sanctioned $30,000 fine, a failure the chairman believes has embarrassed the club.
However Essendon, which has refused to cover Thompson's fine, remains hopeful it will be paid.
Campbell confirmed that he and Little had met Thompson but refused to give details of the talks.
The chief executive said there had been no final decision on Thompson's future.
Wednesday's meeting came as the Bombers were waiting on a decision regarding the Western Bulldogs coaching job for which Essendon's football boss Neil Craig has been a contender along with the Saints' new coaching director Luke Beveridge.
Craig joined Essendon in April, sharing the head of football responsibilities with Rob Kerr who is overseeing the club's list. Both men are contracted to the club for next year with Craig assuring Essendon he would only move to leave the club for a senior coaching position and not a senior mentoring role which the Bulldogs had also entertained.
While Thompson was officially answerable to Craig during the 2014 season he struggled with the new structure and left some at the club in no doubt regarding his views regarding the football department pecking order.
Thompson, who coached Geelong to two premierships but who was not spoken to by the Gold Coast nor the Western Bulldogs for their senior roles, has always felt he was made a scapegoat by the AFL of the Essendon drugs program.
Fairfax Media reported in July last year that Thompson had raised objections on two occasions to the number of injections and other medical treatments that were punctuating the club's 2012 football program.
Should the fine remain unpaid Thompson's case is expected to come before the AFL Commission when it next meets.
EDIT
From Robbo:
MARK Thompson will not work at Essendon next year after talks today broke down with club officials.
‘’I’m out, I’m done,’’ Thompson told the Herald Sun.
“There’s not a job there for me.
“I was happy to work there, but a role could not be agreed upon.’’
Thompson today met with Essendon chairman Paul Little and chief executive Xavier Campbell, where it agreed Thompson’s coaching career at Essendon was finished.
The club had tried to work out a role, but had become increasingly frustrated with Thompson in recent weeks because the club could not contact him.
“In the end, it just didn’t work at all,’’ Thompson said.
It means the coaching dream ticket formed in 2011 of Thompson and James Hird has ended after a controversial two years.
Thompson was stand-in coach while Hird was suspended for the 2014 season and Thompson admitted at the club best-and-fairest in October that he wanted to continue coaching.
Neil Craig’s position as head of football performance meant Thompson would’ve been answerable to Craig if he stayed, a situation which bemused Thompson.
Even if Craig is appointed coach of the Western Bulldogs in the next 48 hours, which is a possibility, Thompson won’t return to Essendon.
Carro also on to it here:
Mark Thompson's future at Essendon now looks increasingly remote after a tense meeting early on Wednesday with club chiefs.The talks between the 2014 coach, Bombers chairman Paul Little and CEO Xavier Campbell are understood to have seen Thompson believing his professional relationship with the club was close to finished.
Thompson was chastised by Little for his failure to meet the deadline to pay his AFL-sanctioned $30,000 fine, a failure the chairman believes has embarrassed the club.
However Essendon, which has refused to cover Thompson's fine, remains hopeful it will be paid.
Campbell confirmed that he and Little had met Thompson but refused to give details of the talks.
The chief executive said there had been no final decision on Thompson's future.
Wednesday's meeting came as the Bombers were waiting on a decision regarding the Western Bulldogs coaching job for which Essendon's football boss Neil Craig has been a contender along with the Saints' new coaching director Luke Beveridge.
Craig joined Essendon in April, sharing the head of football responsibilities with Rob Kerr who is overseeing the club's list. Both men are contracted to the club for next year with Craig assuring Essendon he would only move to leave the club for a senior coaching position and not a senior mentoring role which the Bulldogs had also entertained.
While Thompson was officially answerable to Craig during the 2014 season he struggled with the new structure and left some at the club in no doubt regarding his views regarding the football department pecking order.
Thompson, who coached Geelong to two premierships but who was not spoken to by the Gold Coast nor the Western Bulldogs for their senior roles, has always felt he was made a scapegoat by the AFL of the Essendon drugs program.
Fairfax Media reported in July last year that Thompson had raised objections on two occasions to the number of injections and other medical treatments that were punctuating the club's 2012 football program.
Should the fine remain unpaid Thompson's case is expected to come before the AFL Commission when it next meets.
EDIT
From Robbo:
MARK Thompson will not work at Essendon next year after talks today broke down with club officials.
‘’I’m out, I’m done,’’ Thompson told the Herald Sun.
“There’s not a job there for me.
“I was happy to work there, but a role could not be agreed upon.’’
Thompson today met with Essendon chairman Paul Little and chief executive Xavier Campbell, where it agreed Thompson’s coaching career at Essendon was finished.
The club had tried to work out a role, but had become increasingly frustrated with Thompson in recent weeks because the club could not contact him.
“In the end, it just didn’t work at all,’’ Thompson said.
It means the coaching dream ticket formed in 2011 of Thompson and James Hird has ended after a controversial two years.
Thompson was stand-in coach while Hird was suspended for the 2014 season and Thompson admitted at the club best-and-fairest in October that he wanted to continue coaching.
Neil Craig’s position as head of football performance meant Thompson would’ve been answerable to Craig if he stayed, a situation which bemused Thompson.
Even if Craig is appointed coach of the Western Bulldogs in the next 48 hours, which is a possibility, Thompson won’t return to Essendon.