Rumours of Eddie McGuire’s return to The Footy Show get the boot

THEY call him Eddie Everywhere, but don’t expect to rumours and nostalgia to lure Eddie McGuire back to the host’s chair of The Footy Show.

Now and then: Original Footy Show host Eddie McGuire with current host Craig Hutchison. Picture: Channel 9.

• New look Footy Show falling flat
• Maddern has last laugh on Footy Show
• Eddie McGuire pays tribute to Lou Richards

RUMOURS and nostalgia won’t bring Melbourne’s Mr Football, Eddie McGuire, back to The Footy Show host’s chair next year.

SEN’s Tim Watson floated the idea during the week that McGuire was set to return to Channel 9’s stalwart sports program in 2018 and that his production company, McGuire Media, would be part of the deal, producing the show.

However industry sources quickly dismissed the suggestion on Saturday, saying there was no way McGuire would be part of the show’s line-up next year and that the show would continue to be produced by Nine’s in-house team.

A young Eddie McGuire with former Footy Show co-hosts Trevor Marmalade and Sam Newman.

Stability, not further shake-ups, has been the show’s goal this year and while the ratings have dipped, the show continues to win its timeslot, the on-air team has settled in, are working well together and have produced some good TV moments.

The Tony Lockett interview in March was a particularly memorable moment and the show, for the most part, has managed to avoid calamity and criticism.

Nine reached out to McGuire at the start of 2016 at the height of the ‘Lyon v Brownless’ crisis when Garry Lyon departed the show, however once it was clear that contractually, because of his Foxtel deal, McGuire could not be involved in the program, discussions ceased and Nine has not revisited the topic.

Eddie McGuire and Tony Jones with the main players of the 2017 Footy Show team — Craig Hutchison, Sam Newman, Rebecca Maddern and Billy Brownless. Picture: Channel 9.

But that is not to say others haven’t asked the question.

McGuire returned to The Footy Show earlier this month as part of a tribute to former Collingwood great Lou Richards.

McGuire dismissed the rumour on Friday, along with inquiries about his contract, with a blanket “No.”

Channel Nine declined to comment.

[e-mail]