MARK Thompson is en route to Los Angeles, a rather fitting destination given the soap opera in which he is becoming an increasingly important figure.

 

He flew out of Melbourne on Thursday morning thinking he was every chance to become the permanent senior coach of the Bombers, with the thinking that any decision by James Hird to appeal the recent Federal Court decision that went against himself and the Bombers, would trigger a move by the club to replace Hird as coach.

 

Hird lodged the appeal but remains coach of the Bombers for the next few days, which means much for Thompson to consider as he soaks up the rays on Venice Beach and takes a ride on the Space Mountain at Disneyland.

 

The strong likelihood is that Thompson will be an AFL senior coach next year. If Hird and Essendon part ways, then he would become the overwhelming favourite to coach the Bombers on a permanent basis.

 

But there is also Gold Coast. The Suns want a coach with premiership experience. Unless Kevin Sheedy, David Parkin, Denis Pagan or Leigh Matthews come out of retirement, which they won't, and with John Worsfold seeking at least another 12 months on the sidelines, there aren’t too many flag-winning coaches waiting for the phone to ring.

 

There isn’t quite the same urgency for the coaches to be appointed. Next season won't start until early April because of the cricket World Cup, so the two clubs with definite vacancies – Gold Coast and Adelaide – have a bit more time to do their due diligence and make sure their new senior coach is absolutely suited to the job.

 

Not that Thompson would need too much vetting for either the Bombers or the Suns. He had the Essendon fans eating out of the palms of his hands at Wednesday night's Crichton Medal count as he made plain he would like to continue to coach the club.

 

From a footballing perspective, it would be a sound move to keep Thompson at the helm. The Bombers were an improved side this year and made the finals, and Thompson is itching for the opportunity to solve the one big remaining puzzle at the club – the nagging inconsistency not just from week to week, but sometimes from quarter to quarter.

 

The Suns would also be an intriguing prospect and worthy of some thought. There is the reunion with Gary Ablett, but also that mouthwatering midfield including David Swallow, Jaeger O'Meara, Harley Bennell, Dion Prestia and Jack Martin. Add the Charlie Dixon, Sam Day and Tom Lynch forward line and the Rory Thompson and Steven May anchored backline and Thompson has the pieces in place to take these Suns on the same journey as he did with Geelong when he took over in 2000.

 

Thompson has pleasant choices to make; the Bombers less so. Retaining Hird as coach is the right outcome for the club's bottom line and would play well with what remains a significant number of the club's members and supporters.

 

But there is now a serious schism between the coach and club as a result of Hird's decision to continue down the legal path. When sections of the player group and presumably senior management and the board believe Hird should step aside, it now becomes clear that Essendon is a club divided and chairman Paul Little and new chief executive Xavier Campbell face a difficult few months in getting all the club to sing from the same song sheet once more.

 

Essendon has been facing uncertain times for nearly 20 months now, but the problems facing the club will be sheeted home in particular over the next two weeks. What free agent would commit to the Bombers next season while there is such uncertainty as to the make-up of the team? The same goes for any other player looking for a fresh start.

 

That's why the Bombers were wise to reject the option of an appeal to the Federal Court. It is time for this entire supplements scandal to reach its conclusion. If people outside Essendon are heartily sick of the words 'ASADA', 'drugs', 'Dank' and 'Hird', how difficult must it be for those within?

 

The Bombers must move swiftly from here. Thompson appeals as the great healer at Essendon, better placed than anyone to bring all parts of the club together. But should the Bombers dally and then finally remove Hird, they run the risk of losing Thompson as well. With Simon Goodwin now at Melbourne and Nathan Bassett a chance to coach the Crows, the 2014 coaching panel would have just about departed en masse.

 

This would leave a huge void at the club and the new senior coach, likely a first-timer, would be faced with an almost insurmountable task. For those who remember just how powerful a club Essendon was even a decade ago, the turn of events there since February last year is hard to fathom and it remains staggering that it continues to spiral out of control.