Watson: Matthews should coach Lions

Former Essendon champion Tim Watson says four-time premiership coach Leigh Matthews should return as coach of the Brisbane Lions.

Speaking on SEN Radio on Monday morning, Watson said Matthew could help fix the current problems at the club, not dissimilar to the work Paul Roos has done at Melbourne.

“I think that Leigh would be someone that would be perfectly capable to orchestrate something like that,” Watson said.

“This club needs to be fixed on a number of levels.

“This is not just about a quick fix for a coach ... they need extra players, I think they’ll get (a priority pick).

“I would favour putting Leigh Matthews, if he was prepared to do the job, back in as coach of the Brisbane Lions and make him more of a manager/coach type person and then allow him then to hand pick his own team of assistant coaches.

“If he had the passion to do it, if he was excited at all about it, I don’t think he would coach the team in a traditional sense but I think he’s somebody who is prepared to allow himself to be a manager of a football club.”

Matthew coached 237 games for the Lions, winning three premierships from 2001-03.