John Worsfold is no stranger to coaching under tough circumstances.
When Worsfold was appointed coach in October 2015, Essendon was in a crisis.
The club had finished 15th on the ladder, were getting dismantled regularly and were left with no choice but to sack club legend James Hird after a string of poor performances.
Most significant was WADA's decision to appeal the 'not guilty' verdict originally handed to Essendon, which had prematurely given Bombers people everywhere a sense of renewed hope, which was soon to disappear. The appeal sucked the morale and spirit out of the Tullamarine.
Fast forward three months and things came to an all-time low, with the 34 past and present Essendon players issued with twelve-month bans from the game, putting the club into an unprecedented crisis and utter disarray. Talk of lawsuits was circulating, and even the future existence of the Red and Black was thrown into question.
Simply put, Worsfold had walked into the lion's den of coaching gigs.
But what he managed to conjure over the next two years was nothing short of remarkable, with the 2006 Premiership Coach pulling the football club out of the doldrums.
'Woosha' managed to compose a severely altered Essendon outfit which would produce admirable and competitive performances, whilst in the process blooding and fast-tracking the development of Dons youngsters who would become mainstays in the best 22, such as Orazio Fantasia, Zach Merrett and Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti.
The club made even more strides in 2017, with the combination of youth and returning experience propelling Worsfold's men into the top eight, a feat that seemed unfathomable only 18 months earlier.
Worsfold's impact and presence at Bomberland has been immense, and shouldn't be forgotten by any means.
He was tasked with the improbable duty of bringing a club on its knees back to its feet, restoring its reputation and making Essendon a respected organisation once again.
However, with time, expectations change.
With a new lease on life and putting a turbulent few years behind them, Worsfold and his men were looking to the future. Established players and some big-name recruits gave the Bomber faithful plenty of reason for optimism.
With hype at Bomberland higher than ever, now seemed the time for the club to finally establish itself on the big stage once again, as they quest to break the drought and record their first finals series win since 2004.
The club seemed to promise so much.
Sadly, though, they have failed to deliver on their promise as of yet.
2019 has been an underwhelming and disappointing campaign for Essendon so far. With so many reasons for Bomber fans to be excited upon entering this season, you couldn't blame many of them for now becoming disenchanted with what has been produced so far.
Whilst the club has been plagued by injuries - as well as some contentious umpiring controversies - it remains no excuse for the shortcomings of the club's performances over the first couple of months of this season.
An at-times dysfunctional forward line and a predictable game plan are some of the many factors that have seen the Dons boasting a record of 4-6 after 10 games.
Essendon was in the exact same position this time last year, holding the exact same record after 10 games after producing a near-exact same level of inconsistencies just twelve months ago.
It perfectly embodies the state of mediocrity that the club has found itself mired in for the best part of 15years.
So where does this leave Woosha?
While Worsfold has certainly provided good service to Essendon, he simply can't rest on his laurels of what he managed to achieve over his first couple of years at the club.
This is a football club and fan base starved of success, eagerly hoping for a return to the glory days of yesteryear.
But it's been the hope that's hurt the most for Essendon this year, as was the case last year - and as has been the case for many of years prior to that.
Worsfold certainly hasn't been the most under-pressure coach within the competition this year, but more of the focus will shift onto him if his team continues to underwhelm and underperform.
If Essendon manages to lose to arch-rivals Carlton on Sunday afternoon - who have had some notable wins over the Bombers in recent years - then you would think that questions may start to be asked regarding the former West Coast captain's tenure at the club.
Essendon legend Matthew Lloyd certainly was one to question it and threw the topic firmly onto the agenda on Footy Classified,ย insisting on Monday night that the club must assess their coaching options.
"He needs to be under pressure and they should look at other coaching options to see who can get more out of the list," Lloyd said.
"They'd be crazy not to look if there's someone better out there to take the list forward in 2020.
"They do have to seriously look at John Worsfold because I think they're under-achieving for the second year in a row."
If things continue to travel the way they are then it's hard to argue with Lloyd's logic. If the Bombers end up producing another lackluster season, then the club may very well begin to assess their options.
One thing is certain though, never rule Worsfold out.
While disgruntlement and disillusion may be understandable regarding Essendon's performances this year, John Worsfold should be given absolutely every chance to redeem himself and turn the club's fortunes around for this season.
This is a man who led his team out of the wilderness, defying the odds and restoring identity and culture at Essendon. Simply extraordinary considering the unprecedented nature of the job he walked into.
Arguably no coach has ever had to perform at a club under such calamities as Worsfold has. While he can't rest on his laurels, surely Woosha has enough credits saved in the bank to warrant him the utmost faith and the chance of salvaging something of this season?
Naysayers will claim that even if the club does turn its fortunes around, it will merely be a repeat of last year's antics, and the strong finish to the year merely masks the existing issues that remain.
Maybe there could be some merit in that come the end of the season.
And maybe post-campaign, the club truly will decide to instead assess their coaching options and have an amicable split with the 50-year-old.
But one thing's for sure; Worsfold certainly isn't immune to tough situations - much tougher than any current existing ones - and is more than capable of restoring order to Essendon and their 2019.
