ESSENDON assistant coach Gary O'Donnell has backed senior coach Matthew Knights and the direction of the side in the wake of continued speculation about team disharmony at Windy Hill.

Speaking on Friday morning, O'Donnell said while Essendon fans were welcome to voice their opinion on how the Bombers are travelling, the club won't be changing things.

Knights has been forced to dispel rumours of team disharmony on more than one occasion in recent weeks, and with the side mired in a five-game losing streak, O’Donnell said he wasn’t surprised by how hard the critics had come for his club.

“He’s [Knights] a big boy, and I think he’s handled it very well,” O’Donnell said of the criticism.

“[He’s handled it] very professionally and very factually ... 'Sheeds' had it when he was here.

“We’re a big club. Over the years [we’ve] been a successful club, so a lot of people around are probably pretty happy with what’s going on at the moment.

“But we just have to get back on the job.”

O’Donnell urged supporters to get behind the club ahead of Saturday night’s must-win clash against West Coast at Etihad Stadium. The Eagles sit last on the ladder, have lost their last seven matches, and were thrashed by 83 points by Collingwood at the same venue just two weeks ago.

O’Donnell said West Coast’s recent form was irrelevant, saying clubs could no longer bank on winning matches against supposed inferior opposition.

“When I played 12, 15 years ago, there was probably three or four clubs each week [where] perhaps you could pencil in a win [against teams] that were down the bottom,” he said.

“This competition now is ruthless. There’s 16 clubs that have a chance of winning each week, and you treat all of them the same.

“They might be looking at us the same way, [saying] ‘Geez Essendon aren’t going too well, we’re under the pump if we don’t have a win against them’.”

Essendon will welcome back defender Dustin Fletcher for the clash with the Eagles, with O’Donnell saying the veteran was close to signing on for another season.

“[There’s] no pen to paper yet, but I believe we’re moving forward and talking about next year,” he said.

“That’s for the club and him to decide. We’ve still got seven games to go, too.

“It’d be wonderful if he could, and it’d be wonderful if we could get another year out of him like this year as well - he’s been at a pretty high level of form.

“I’m sure they’re getting close to making arrangements there.”

Jake Melksham and Scott Gumbleton will also return for Saturday night’s match with the Eagles.

“That’s been a great positive for us this year, 'Gumby' being able to play most of the year,” O’Donnell said.

“He’s virtually a first-year player for us. He was in the same draft as Bryce Gibbs, and Bryce has had four solid years. We’ve virtually got a first-year player this year, so that’s been a pleasing thing for us as well.”