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MATTY Johns has this morning declared Channel 9's The Footy Show can not succeed while long-running host Paul Vautin remains its face.
His comments come after The Daily Telegraph broke the story revealing his decision to knock-back an offer to return to Channel 9.
Speaking on Triple M's The Grill Team Johns said the show needs to be "blown up" and re-built from scratch.
"It is nothing personal against Fatty," Johns said on Triple M.
"I've worked with Fatty for a lot of years and had a great time. But at the end of the day Fatty is a terrific host. But you can give a show a new name, new everything, new time slot, but if Fat walks out what is it? And I'm not going back.
"The plain simple truth of it is I'm just being upfront. What I said to Nine was I wasn't going to go back to The Footy Show. They had a belief that the show probably needs to be re-invented. I said it needs to be blown up and start again."
Johns said he believes Vautin, who has worked with Channel 9 for 18 years, would be upset with his own and manager John Singleton's comments after Singleton described Vautin as "an average TV talent".
"Fat, he's probably got the right to have the s..ts now. I'd say he would, without a shadow of a doubt. But I have nothing personal with Fat."
Despite admitting the show can not reverse a long-term slump in ratings unless a major overhaul is carried out, Johns said his decision knock back a deal worth in excess of $500,000 a season had nothing to do with a personal conflict with Vautin.
"I said for me it's about going back, because there's nothing worse than going back," he said. "It was about for me starting something new again. Negotiations went on for a fair while and all the time they were fairly positive about it. That was the scenario. I said to them for me to come back that's what it needs to be. It was nothing personal with Fat at all. Nothing personal at all."
Johns' comments regarding the troubles the under-performing Channel 9 show must overcome to survive have also received approval from a former panellist on the show and 2GB radio host Ray Hadley, who said the Sydney show must follow in the footsteps of its Melbourne equivalent and make changes at the top.
"The show needs a stick of dynamite up its bum and to be blown up, Matt's 100 per cent right," Hadley said.
"It's nothing personal about Paul. Paul's been there a long time, he's done a really good job. But the Footy Show in Melbourne's gone from strength to strength. Eddy McGuire moved on, other people have moved on. Channel Nine in Sydney need to grow some and get rid of the show, start again."
His comments come after The Daily Telegraph broke the story revealing his decision to knock-back an offer to return to Channel 9.
Speaking on Triple M's The Grill Team Johns said the show needs to be "blown up" and re-built from scratch.
"It is nothing personal against Fatty," Johns said on Triple M.
"I've worked with Fatty for a lot of years and had a great time. But at the end of the day Fatty is a terrific host. But you can give a show a new name, new everything, new time slot, but if Fat walks out what is it? And I'm not going back.
"The plain simple truth of it is I'm just being upfront. What I said to Nine was I wasn't going to go back to The Footy Show. They had a belief that the show probably needs to be re-invented. I said it needs to be blown up and start again."
Johns said he believes Vautin, who has worked with Channel 9 for 18 years, would be upset with his own and manager John Singleton's comments after Singleton described Vautin as "an average TV talent".
"Fat, he's probably got the right to have the s..ts now. I'd say he would, without a shadow of a doubt. But I have nothing personal with Fat."
Despite admitting the show can not reverse a long-term slump in ratings unless a major overhaul is carried out, Johns said his decision knock back a deal worth in excess of $500,000 a season had nothing to do with a personal conflict with Vautin.
"I said for me it's about going back, because there's nothing worse than going back," he said. "It was about for me starting something new again. Negotiations went on for a fair while and all the time they were fairly positive about it. That was the scenario. I said to them for me to come back that's what it needs to be. It was nothing personal with Fat at all. Nothing personal at all."
Johns' comments regarding the troubles the under-performing Channel 9 show must overcome to survive have also received approval from a former panellist on the show and 2GB radio host Ray Hadley, who said the Sydney show must follow in the footsteps of its Melbourne equivalent and make changes at the top.
"The show needs a stick of dynamite up its bum and to be blown up, Matt's 100 per cent right," Hadley said.
"It's nothing personal about Paul. Paul's been there a long time, he's done a really good job. But the Footy Show in Melbourne's gone from strength to strength. Eddy McGuire moved on, other people have moved on. Channel Nine in Sydney need to grow some and get rid of the show, start again."
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