Regardless of whether James Hird survives as Essendon coach, this looms as another tumultuous week in the AFL club’s supplements saga.

The most likely outcome is that the Bombers board will vote on Monday to sack Hird.

Hird and Essendon are now heavily at odds after he launched his own appeal against last month’s Federal Court verdict.

The Bombers decided to accept the September 19 ruling by Justice John Middleton, that ASADA’s joint investigation with the AFL into the 2012 Essendon supplements program was lawful.

Hird met with senior club officials on Thursday and chairman Paul Little then said he was still their coach.

But that was only while Essendon considered their position over the weekend.

Channel Seven reported on Sunday that the Bombers have been trying to talk Hird out of going ahead with the appeal.

Although Hird currently plans to appeal Justice Middleton’s verdict, he is also not standing in the way of ASADA issuing show cause notices against 34 current and former Essendon players.

Hird will go to court on Thursday to have his appeal hearing expedited.

He wants the appeal itself to go ahead from October 27.

Also this week, ASADA will do nothing until Friday, the end of the official 21-day appeal period after Justice Middleton’s ruling.

They have sought legal advice about whether they can go ahead with the amended show cause notices, given Essendon are not appealing but Hird is.

Another key issue is the future of Mark Thompson, who was a popular Essendon caretaker coach this season while Hird served a 12-month AFL suspension.

Thompson said at last Wednesday night’s club best and fairest function that he wanted to stay at Essendon.

But now he has returned to senior coaching, Thompson does not want to go back to being a senior assistant.

Gold Coast are interested in Thompson after last week’s sacking of foundation coach Guy McKenna.