ESSENDON coach James Hird could be sacked before Christmas with a rival ticket led by disgruntled supporters set to challenge the Paul Little-led board.

The Sunday Herald Sun understands that a group of influential heavyweights will meet this week to finalise a ticket to challenge the incumbent board at the club’s coming annual general meeting.

If successful the new board members will immediately call for James Hird to be removed as senior coach.

Hird yesterday flew out to San Francisco to complete an international business course as his club lurched to its lowest point since the supplement scandal was first revealed early last year.

It is understood that the existing board is already fractured with several directors unhappy about Hird’s presence at the club after serving a 12-month suspension.

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A former player warned that the demoralising Federal Court judgement was the last straw for the current board.

“They have badly mishandled every key decision,” he said.

“They have failed their obligations and set the club back years.”

Most of the current board were at the club during the implementation of the supplement program. Only Simon Madden, who was elected last year, started his tenure after the supplement regime had ceased completely.

The revelations come as the club prepares for the possibility of show cause notices being issued to several support staff. Insiders at ASADA have hinted that there are more show cause notices to be issued stemming from the Essendon investigation.

media_camera James Hird and Paul Little outside the Melbourne Federal Court. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

The 34 current and former players already issued show-cause notices remain in limbo after Justice John Middleton on Friday dismissed Essendon and Hird’s challenge to the ASADA drugs investigation into the club.

Ruckman Patrick Ryder has already walked out and the club now faces a tough ask convincing other players to stay.

One of the 34 players issued a show cause notice told the Sunday Herald Sun that he was led to believe that the club would be certain to win its Federal Court case against ASADA and the notices would be set aside permanently.

The player said he had “no idea, none” that even if Essendon were successful in the Federal Court ASADA could launch a fresh investigation and re-gather the evidence needed for the issuing of show cause notices.

If the players accept deals from ASADA it would be unlikely that they would be available for selection in round one of the 2015 season.

It is understood the AFL has a contingency plan in place to ensure Essendon can field a team even if they have multiple players banned for doping breaches.

rita.panahi@news.com.au