Jeff Stelling, the legendary TV presenter, was left speechless by the mass sackings at Soccer Saturday. The Sky Sports stalwart was on his way to a recording session in August 2020 when he received the shocking news that several of his colleagues were being let go, all while dealing with a punctured tyre.
As he waited for a mechanic, he was informed about the decision to revamp the team as part of a cost-cutting measure, likening it to Manchester City offloading their top players. The 69 year old described the incident as "like an out-of-body experience" in his new autobiography, Saturday Afternoon Fever.
He revealed that he and Paul Merson were the only veterans spared from the cull. One after another, Phil Thompson, Matt Le Tissier and Charlie Nicholas reached out to Stelling to confirm their dismissal.
Gary Hughes, Sky Sports' head of football, personally called Stelling to emphasise that the decision-makers at Sky believed it was the "right time for change,". However, the host defended his long-standing panel mates, exclaiming: "'How can it be the right time? ' I blurted out. 'The season gets underway in a couple of weeks and you have sacked three of our team. It's like Man City selling [Kevin] De Bruyne, [Ilkay] Gundogan and [Bernardo] Silva two weeks before kick-off, their entire midfield, their engine room. And we have no one to replace them with.'".
Stelling recalled: "Gary insisted it was the right time and that they had people who could step into the biggest of broadcasting shoes and proceeded to reel off a list of people. After each name I made a quickfire judgement. 'No good.' 'Terminally dull.' 'Doesn't even like football.' 'Oh, for f***'s sake.' That gives you the general tone."
Stelling was left reeling by the decision and, as he listened to the list of potential replacements, he knew he had to consider his own future. Matt Roberts, the Soccer Saturday producer, called him, equally shocked by the news.
Roberts was tasked with rebuilding the team quickly, a challenge that would have been daunting even for the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson.
The show underwent a significant transformation, with pundits like Clinton Morrison, Michael Dawson, and Tim Sherwood becoming regulars. Sky Sports attempted to appeal to a younger audience by introducing a new crop of pundits, but Stelling was skeptical of this approach from the start.
It would take another three years for Stelling to decide to step down, initially announcing his intention to leave by 2022 before agreeing to stay for another season. The veteran host, who had been with the show for 29 years, wrote that "many tears had been shed" as he contemplated his future behind the desk, ultimately concluding it was time for him to move on.
However, a phone call with Sky Sports managing director Rob Webster convinced Stelling to change his mind. The departure of his friends from the show had a profound impact on Stelling, making his decision to stay a difficult one.
"Hand on heart, I cannot remember who was on the panel that day," penned Stelling as he recalled the opening Soccer Saturday of the new season, having made a comeback amidst a slew of new colleagues. "I only knew it was not the people I wanted alongside me."
While Simon Thomas has since taken over and preserved Soccer Saturday's spot in the television roster, Stelling has ventured into different arenas.
Now leading a show on talkSPORT, the celebrated broadcaster is poised for a theatre tour across the UK in 2025.
