Essendon president Andrew Welsh refused to rule out the return of prodigal son James Hird after sacking coach Brad Scott on Monday.

The Bombers moved Scott on after winning just one game across his past 24 starts across the end of 2025 and start of 2026.

Hird was in the running for the role when it was handed to Scott back in 2022 and has swiftly been raised as an option to lead the Bombers again.

The star player resigned from his position as coach more than a decade ago after the lingering shadow of the supplements saga.

Welsh was brief in his answer regarding Hird, dodging whether his former teammate would be a fit for the club.

“I haven’t (spoken to Hird), no. We’re not ruling anyone in or anyone out of this. I am sure that there will be a lot of people interested in this role,” Welsh said.

“When we set the criteria for our next senior coach, for what we believe will be the right characteristics, we will move on from there to look at what that next senior coach is.”

Essendon has appointed Dean Solomon as the interim coach but denied his shift from the board to assistant coach in the pre-season was in preparation for sacking Scott.

Club legend Tim Watson said there was support at “different levels” of the club for Hird to return.

“I get the feeling that there’s a very, very strong push from a lot of people out there to get James back at Essendon coaching,” he told SEN.

I do not know whether or not he wants to put himself through that process. He put himself through the process last time. I believe that the next in line (behind Scott) was James who was second based upon that interview process.”

“Kevin Sheedy was the only one on the board at that time that voted against Brad Scott actually being the coach of Essendon.”

Gary Lyon said there would be “no clear air” at Essendon until Hird was given a second chance at coaching.

“I think this paves the way for the return of Hird,” he also told SEN.

“I might be way off the mark but that’s the way I’m reading it.”

Welsh rejected that the now vacant role had to be filled by an “old Essendon” person, much like himself and Solomon.

But he said he wouldn’t shy away from valuing respected Essendon people and his desire to have them around the club.

“I love the passion of Essendon supporters, I love the history that our supporters talk about, our past players and administrators,” he said.

“But by no means are our decisions around bringing old Essendon people back as an operation to get the Essendon Football Club moving again. That is not a consideration for us at all.

“I hear a lot around old Essendon, new Essendon, boys club. I look at other clubs, respectfully Sam Mitchell has gone back to Hawthorn and doing an amazing job.

“I look at (Justin) Longmuir over at Fremantle, (Josh) Carr has gone back to Port Adelaide.

“I think there’s really good history around players going back to clubs and the right people for those groups going to those clubs.

“I don’t shy away from Essendon people being great people and I want great people – Essendon people – to continually be involved in the footy club.”

Essendon’s decision to sack Scott comes just weeks after Michael Voss abruptly quit as Carlton coach.

Welsh said Carlton and Tasmania searching for a coach ahead of Essendon was not evaluated in the process.

“That didn’t come into our consideration at all surrounding this decision,” he said.