Questions have been raised this week about the struggling Essendon Football Club.

There has been a fair bit of criticism levelled at the Bombers in the wake of their dismal 62-point loss to Hawthorn on Friday night.

Richmond great Jack Riewoldt suggested the Dons are no longer a ‘Big Four’ club in Melbourne.

“There is this aura in Victoria about the ‘Big Four’ - Richmond, Carlton, Collingwood and Essendon,” he said on Fox Footy.

“I think, and many would think, that Essendon no longer are a part of the big four. They are not a big club.

“In the way that they have performed, they have not played in a winning final in 20 years, their list is in a (questionable) position, the Zach Merrett saga last year…”

Additionally, Dons great Matthew Lloyd says Brad Scott’s side is way off the pace.

“I’d say they were confused. The players didn’t know how to defend the ground so Hawthorn just cut through them,” he said on Channel 9.

“Essendon internally would know exactly that. You hope they are being as strong with the players, and with themselves as a coaching group and asking the question - Why did it turn out this way?

“They’ve lost their last 14. Why have we fallen so far off the pace? What don’t you understand? What do you need from us?”

Regarding that criticism, club legend Tim Watson had his say on the state of the Dons as their time in the footy quagmire continues.

“There looked a lot of the sameness about the way they played and their inability to defend,” Watson said on SEN Breakfast.

“I think they’re one of the bottom four sides in the competition. Over the course of the year they’ll be exposed to be one of those teams.

“It’s about their reset and their rebuild and what they’re going to have as they try to rebuild themselves into a competitive team over a sustained period.

“If you look at it practically, you look at the kids they’ve drafted - (Ben) Hobbs is no longer there, (Elijah) Tsatas is not playing, (Zach) Reid who we still don’t know about, (Archie) Perkins who looks like he’s plateaued and (Nik) Cox who can’t get to the line because of injury.

“There was an expectation that there was going to be something built around them and at this stage, apart from Reid, you’re wondering whether or not any of those players are going to be successful.”

So, is Essendon a big club?

Watson says membership and attendance numbers still have a say, but their lack of success tells us they can’t be considered in the top echelon.

“They are a big club, they’re currently not a successful club, but they are still a big club,” he replied.

“You can have the membership, you can still have fans going week in, week out, and they’ve proved they can do that. Not to the same level they once did.

“Traditionally they’ve been one of the more successful clubs because of the flags they’ve won, but it’s been a quarter of a century since they saluted as a premiership team.

“They’ve been a poor club over a period of time which is a concern.

“They’re a big club but they’re not a leader of the competition in any way, shape or form.”

Watson did have a specific area of concern relating to the Bombers of today.

“I’m sick of watching Essendon teams play where (opposition) teams walk through their tackles,” he said further.

“There are basics and fundamentals about this game that everybody can adhere to and I don’t think that they are even good in the basics and fundamentals of the game.

“It’s been years since we looked like we were a strong, competitive team quarter in, quarter out.”

So what makes the next period of time a success for the Dons?

Watson says a lot of the issues boil down to talent.

“They’ve got a void of elite talent and that’s what you have to fill if you want to be competitive over a long period of time,”

“Then you’ve got to have the coaching, the nurturing, then the culture, but if you just look at talent alone they are in the bottom percentile for elite talent.

“I want to see them develop the talent. I want that young talent played. I want to see Sullivan Robey in the team and Jacob Farrow and Dyson Sharp and Isaac Kako and Nate Caddy.

“Those young players need to look like they’re taking a step in their career and becoming better players and exciting Essendon fans with a glimpse of what the future may look like.”

The Dons get the chance to recoil when they meet Port Adelaide at the Adelaide Oval on Sunday.

Listen to the full chat below: