Essendon coach Ben Rutten has avoided the axe, while chairman Paul Brasher resigned from his position ahead of the club’s embarrassing 84-point loss to Port Adelaide on Sunday evening.
The Bombers have endured a horror season after a finals appearance last year, dropping to 15th on the AFL ladder with seven wins in the opening 21 rounds.
Rumors began swirling early Monday about Rutten’s future, but after an impromptu board meeting, Rutten’s fate at the helm was spared.
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Brasher’s departure could open the door for the Bombers to make a last-second move to try to land former Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson, who is reportedly set to sign a five-year deal with North Melbourne.
Essendon chief executive Xavier Campbell confirmed Rutten was not being sacked as coach and confirmed the club had not had any discussions with Clarkson.
“Ben is still our coach,” Campbell said.
“There are ongoing discussions at board level. They will continue this week.
“I haven’t spoken to Alastair Clarkson.”
Clarkson’s name was linked to the Bombers after news of Brasher’s departure became public knowledge.
Essendon issued a statement on Monday afternoon confirming Brasher was leaving the club, the statement made no mention of Rutten.
ABC reporter Sam Wilkinson wrote: “No mention of Ben Rutten.”
Other Bombers fans were less than impressed with the statement.
“To be mentioned by our coach. Clearly zero trust. Make the call and move on,” one fan wrote.
Another added: “You can’t make it up, it’s not about Rutten or the coaching position.”
Essendon recorded several unwanted milestones on Sunday, including Rutten’s biggest defeat as a manager, his most points conceded as a manager and Essendon’s second biggest defeat against the Power.
On Fox Footy’s coverage, a spectator was heard shouting after the final siren: “This is so embarrassing.”
Speaking to reporters at the post-match press conference, Rutten criticized his team’s “shameful effort” after fans booed the players at Marvel Stadium.
“They were bitterly disappointed,” he said.
“It was the kind of game that our members and supporters who came to the game or were watching on TV … it’s not the kind of thing they should be seeing.
“It was a disgraceful effort by our guys. It’s not something we want to stand for and it’s not something our members and supporters should have to watch at any time.”
In May, Brasher announced an internal review of the club with opinion divided over whether it should have been an external review.
He told members the club was “examining all aspects of our football programme”, with director of football Sean Wellman overseeing the review.
“I think you’re going to see real improvement in the second half of the year,” Brasher said at the time.
“We don’t want honorable losses. We’re happy with the effort, but that’s the baseline and we’re looking to improve on that and not make light of losing on good sides by narrow margins.”
David Barham will be Essendon’s new chairman, according to multiple reports.
On Sunday, North Melbourne legend David King hit out at the Bombers for not making a serious move on Clarkson.
“For six months, if not 12 months, Alastair Clarkson has been sitting idle ready to be snapped up by a football club,” he told Fox Footy’s. First Crack.
“Why hasn’t Essendon taken that step?
“Now they lack system, lack motivation and lack standards as a football club and I think the Essendon faithful are fed up with that.
“Why do they play a coach who is still in development when there is the absolute finished product?
“Okay, you have to jump through a lot of hoops to get over the line, but if (Clarkson) signs for North Melbourne this week and Essendon could have got him with the list they have right now, I think it’s a mistake they’ll regret for years”.
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