Essendon coach John Worsfold says players don’t need to be booed to feel disappointed

Essendon coach John Worsfold says Bomber fans have every right to express their view — with loud booing echoing around Marvel Stadium during the loss to St Kilda — but insist the heckling couldn’t make his players feel any worse.

Essendon captain Dyson Heppell leads his dejected teammates off the ground. Picture: AAP

Essendon coach John Worsfold has urged his winless, confidence-sapped Bombers to take risks in an effort to work their way out of an early season slump ahead of a season-defining Friday night clash with Melbourne at the MCG.

The Bombers were booed off Marvel Stadium last night after losing to St Kilda by 11 points, slumping to a 0-2 start to a season that seemed to promise a new dawn for the club that hasn’t won a final since 2004.

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Fans were not pleased with the Bombers, with loud boos heard around Marvel Stadium after the loss. Picture: AAP

Worsfold said the fans had every right to express their view — with loud booing coming at quarter-time and as the players went up the race at the end of the game — but insisted the booing couldn’t make his players feel any worse.

“I hope our supporters understand our players are disappointed,” Worsfold said.

“They don’t need to be booed to feel disappointed but that is everyone’s right so we’ll cop that, but the boys are working really hard.”

Bombers coach John Worsfold cops it from fans as he makes his way onto the field. Picture: AAP

As former coach James Hird expressed frustration about team’s delivery of the ball in attack, and club great Matthew Lloyd said it was nearly impossible to identify the Bombers’ brand, Worsfold backed his players to deal with the mounting pressure on the club after losses to GWS and now St Kilda.

“If you get backed into a corner, you have got an option, concede or fight your way out,” he said.

“It is how you deal with these really tough times which is going to be the mark of us as a club, more than anything else.

“We are zero-two, we have got a lot of hard work ahead. I have been part of some unbelievably good sides of the past, and the key trait has been when things get tough, they stick together.”

Essendon captain Dyson Heppell leads his dejected teammates off the ground. Picture: AAP

He thought the players looked nervous in the first half yesterday off the back of their Round 1 shocker against the Giants, which may have contributed to a number of bizarre errors and mistakes.

“Coming off last week’s game — there’s no doubt they had heightened nervousness maybe and maybe a lack of confidence, but they really tried to take the game on and to make some brave decisions,” he said.

“They messed up some things. I’d rather see that than not looking like they’re getting into a contest like last week.

“We certainly addressed what we felt was unacceptable last week but it wasn’t good enough to win a game tonight.”

One of those mistakes came when Kyle Langford chose to come off the ground near the bench when the ball was within reach and still in play.

Worsfold said the young Bomber owned up to his mistake and had instant feedback from his teammates.