JAMES Hird wants to coach Essendon into next season, despite another thrashing throwing more doubt on the club great's future in the role.
Essendon's disastrous season hit a new low point on Saturday, when Adelaide cruised to a 112-point belting of the Bombers at Etihad Stadium.
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It followed the Bombers' 110-point defeat to St Kilda in round 14 and their 87-point loss to the Western Bulldogs two weeks ago, and saw them concede 11 last-quarter goals as the Crows ran away with the win.
Essendon is conducting a review of its football program and is expected to have recommendations by the end of the home and away season about how to take the club forward after a dismal year.
Hird reiterated he was having no part in the review of the club's football department, but acknowledged the pressure on him and his future as coach of the club would intensify after another heavy defeat.
Click here to watch James Hird's full post-match media conference
"I think I can do the job, but our performance this year has been quite poor," he said after the Crows' loss.
"And anytime you win five games for the year and … [have] three or four big blowouts, justifiably criticism will come and your job will get questioned.
"The club has to look at what the right thing to do is. I think I can do it, but that doesn't mean that everyone else does."
Five talking points: Essendon v Adelaide
Hird is contracted until the end of 2016, having had his deal extended in 2013 when the AFL suspended him for 12 months in the fallout of the supplements saga.
Post-game he chatted with chief executive Xavier Campbell to ensure the club's messaging to supporters was on the same page, and Hird said he wanted to stay the course and coach the club next year.
"I certainly want to be the coach next year, and I think I can coach the football club. That's where my head's at," he said.
Despite speculation Hird might consider walking away from his coaching post, he said he wants to lead the club into next season.
The Bombers' scoring struggles were once again on show against the Crows, registering their 12th game this season with 10 goals or less.
The loss saw Hird's winning coaching record fall below 50 per cent in his fourth season in charge, but he said he believed with a healthier list and without the WADA cloud hanging over the club, that he is the right man for the job.
"I still think the way I coach, the style I coach, the game plan we put up, is one that can be competitive," he said.
"This review will come up with what other people think I did or didn't do well, but for me I also have to look at and be fairly critical of what I do well and don't do well and try to do better."
Hird admitted some Essendon players had lost their love of the game as a result of the three-year scandal, and that there could be as many as eight changes to the club's list at the end of the year.
But he also said there is a "responsibility" for the football industry to give the players some "clear air" as they continue to deal with the uncertainty that lies ahead.
"Everyone would acknowledge in the football world and the sporting world that our players have done nothing wrong. They're victims of circumstance," Hird said.
"Who's to blame? I've taken responsibility, some people have taken responsibility. But the people who are the victims are the players. Why should they lose passion because they were victims?
"I suppose all I ask is the industry allows them to go on and play. While there's a story every second day being written, and I understand people have their jobs, that's really not fair on our players."
Brent Stanton steals a moment after Essendon's huge loss to Adelaide. Picture: Darrian Traynor, AFL Media 
ESSENDON'S SEASON OF WOE
Since a round eight defeat of last-placed Brisbane Lions at Etihad Stadium, the Bombers have managed just one win in 11 rounds.
The average margin from those 10 losses is a whopping 55 points, with James Hird's side unable to kick 10 goals in eight of those defeats.
R9 - Lost to Richmond by 13
R10 - Lost to Geelong by 69
R11 - Lost to West Coast by 50
R13 - Lost to Hawthorn by 38
R14 - Lost to St Kilda by 110
R15 - Defeated Melbourne by 9
R16 - Lost to North Melbourne by 25
R17 - Lost to Port Adelaide by 13
R18 - Lost to Western Bulldogs by 87
R19 - Lost to GWS Giants by 32
R20 - Lost to Adelaide by 112
- with AAP
