Essendon premiership coach and incoming board member Kevin Sheedy says he would back James Hird to return to the Bombers' footballing department.
Sheedy believes Hird has plenty to offer despite his infamous stint in charge of the Bombers that saw the club endure its lowest point in history.
“I would welcome back James Hird to Essendon any time. His knowledge is fantastic, that wouldn’t worry me at all,” Sheedy told 3AW.
Sheedy added that the club are still within the aftermath of the supplements saga.
“The club has gone through an enormous amount of turmoil with the supplements saga. To be honest, some of the contracts have been loyal to the players as they went through that, a couple of the boys are still there on those contracts,” he said.
“We have probably been out of really serious contention for a top-four finals berth for a long time. We need to get that sorted out.”
Ex-Essendon director Brad Teal said the club made the wrong decision to bring Sheedy back to the club.
“I’ve had my time on the board, and I won’t get involved. But I was really disappointed as a life member of the football club to see that Kevin Sheedy was appointed to the board,” Teal told Nine.
“I was frustrated, no matter how good Kevin Sheedy is to the footy club and how successful he’s been, I think appointing Kevin Sheedy to the board was a populist vote rather than a good business decision.
“And the board should be making good business decisions to try and elevate our standing in the AFL. Because in the early 2000s we were relevant, we had an opinion, and our opinion by the AFL was sought. I believe that we’ve become irrelevant.
“If you win games, everything follows. Membership follows, merchandise sales follow, sponsorship follows, advertising follows. You’re on the back page of the paper for winning games. If you are not, which is what is happening to the football club right now, you self-implode.”
