John Worsfold insists he and Essendon are united amid pressure on his position as coach

JOHN Worsfold says he and the club are “aligned” as the pressure on the Bombers’ senior coach intensifies following the departure of assistant Mark Neeld.

Essendon coach John Worsfold. Picture: Michael Klein

JOHN Worsfold says he and the club are “aligned” as the pressure on the senior coach intensifies following the departure of Mark Neeld.

Essendon parted ways with game performance manager Neeld this week and critics say the heat is now on Worsfold to convince the club he is the man to lead the Bombers for the remainder of his contract to the end of 2020.

Asked if he felt safe in his position Worsfold said: “I feel like we’re aligned, all on the same page with where we want to head and what we want to achieve.”

“I’m really confident in my communication with the board and Xavier (Campbell) at this footy club that we’re not happy with where we’re at but we’re on a clear pathway to where we want to get to,” he said.

Worsfold said the former Melbourne coach was not a scapegoat and there was no issue with communication between the coaches.

“There was a lot of communication between the coaches, we meet daily,” Worsfold said.

Essendon coach John Worsfold talks to the media.

Worsfold said the club this week had narrowed its focus on what the team wants to achieve and he was steadfast in his belief it was the players who could make Essendon great again.

“Good teams are coach led, but great teams are player led,” he said.

Worsfold was also questioned about the weekend incident involving Mark Baguley and Jed Lamb.

It’s the ultimate he said, he said. Baguley and Lamb clearly see their sledging war differently.

Lamb reportedly told Baguley his dad had died and to stop with the talk.

Baguley is convinced he’s been misrepresented and said in a statement he was unaware of Jed’s dad’s passing and it wasn’t the subject of his taunts.

John Worsfold supported Baguley and said his player was quite upset with the way the incident had been reported.

“My understanding is that Lamb sledged Baggers and Baggers responded with a sledge as well,” Worsfold said.

“I don’t really want to bring up what Jed’s family’s been through … but it was nothing to do with that, so it should never have been part of the conversation,” Worsfold said.

“If Mark Baguley had no idea of it, it’s pretty hard for him to possibly comment on it.”