The Footy Show co-host Craig Hutchison has been axed and replaced by Collingwood president Eddie McGuire after the 23-year running program's ratings have plummeted.
On Thursday night, Footy Show veteran Sam Newman appeared to be tight-lipped and uninterested in participating in any of the discussions, stating that he was not allowed to say anything that might be deemed "controversial". Despite Newman's frustration on Thursday night, Eddie McGuire said that he was going to let Newman "off the leash" after the show takes a two week break to plan out a "rebirth". Hutchison spoke on SEN radio on Saturday morning, stating that he takes "full responsibility" for the program's huge ratings drop and failure to meet the ratings of Channel Seven program The Front Bar. "I totally understand and respect the decision yesterday. It didn't go my way and, as a business guy, you couldn't actually argue with the decision," Hutchison said on SEN. "I couldn't actually tell you I wouldn't have done the same thing myself. "I wasn't able to win to win people over. I accept it. Hutchison stated that the biggest change to the show and its ratings was when he was added to the panel. "I take it totally as my responsibility. I just take it completely on board," Hutchison said. "The clear point of difference from last year to this year was me and as a co-host or host, you have to take full responsibility for that." "I've been around the media for long enough, it's a subjective thing, everyone has an opinion. "Clearly it's a ratings game, there's a scoreboard everyday. Some people don't like you, some do. "I've always been one of those polarising guys." McGuire held a press conference at the MCG with co-host Rebecca Maddern, where he announced that he would be returning to the hosting role that he held when the program debuted in 1994. "We're going to let Sam off the leash, he's going to be going full pelt," McGuire said. "There's no person in the human race who can keep Sam Newman in line and you know what, we're not going to worry about that. "Sam is a very intelligent man, he knows about television and making exciting television better than anyone." McGuire said he had spoken to Foxtel about wanting to return to the hosting position of The Footy Show and had received their support. "This really came about in the last couple of hours today, seriously ... from there it took off," he said. "There were some rumblings that things could happen and they (Foxtel) were very keen to support the show and me going back to The Footy Show. "So when the calls came through today that this would be happening, we were able to make some quick decisions." The Footy Show returns on Thursday, August 10 on Channel Nine.
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