Soccer Saturday became a weekend staple for many football fans – but the show has seen numerous shake-ups in recent years.
The Sky Sports programme, which was fronted by Jeff Stelling for almost 30 years, gathers a host of footballing pundits to provide live analysis, updates, and commentary on games around the UK. The likes of Chris Kamara, Phil Thompson, Matt Le Tissier, Charlie Nicholas and Paul Merson were familiar faces over the years, captivating viewers with their in-studio banter and reactions.
However, ahead of the 2020/21 campaign, Thompson, Nicholas and Le Tissier were all given their walking papers from the show, with Sky favouring a rotating cast of pundits to freshen things up. Stelling then left his own role as lead presenter in 2023, replaced by Simon Thomas.
Meanwhile, a new EFL Goal Zone segment was introduced to the show ahead of the 2024/25 season. Hosted by Pien Meulensteen, the segment shows all of the goals from 12.30pm kick-offs on a Saturday as they hit the back of the net. But what do the pundits, past and present, think of the shake-ups across recent years?
Jeff Stelling
The face of the show for the best part of three decades, Stelling has admitted that he no longer watches Soccer Saturday to avoid any critique of the new set-up. Writing in his Saturday Afternoon Fever autobiography, Stelling said: “I won’t lie. I no longer watch the show that was my life for almost three decades.
“Not because I feel any ill-will. Just the opposite. I have many friends working on the programme and I am desperate for it to succeed. But if I watched, I know that as an opinionated little so-and-so I would sit and criticise which would benefit no one.
“Instead, I would rather celebrate nearly thirty years of doing the best job in the world. I am lucky that so many people believe there is life in this old dog yet and have offered me projects. Not many people are still learning about and enjoying new roles at my age.”
Matt Le Tissier
Since being let go by the programme in 2020 alongside Thompson and Nicholas, Le Tissier’s stance on Soccer Saturday has also shifted. The 56-year-old former Southampton star told TheSportsDaily.com that he will only occasionally watch the show, citing how the new pundits had failed to deliver a touch of humour to the show like he did in his day.
He explained: “Occasionally, if I’m in I’ll watch it. There doesn’t seem to be the same humour, the same level of camaraderie there than there used to be.” On Thomas filling Stelling’s shoes, he added: “I think it’s difficult because we had a team there that was together for a long time.
“Jeff Stelling’s left now as well – that’s a tough job for Simon Thomas, because Jeff was incredible at that job. For me the show was built around Jeff. We were there simply as the extras.”
Phil Thompson
Let go from the show at the same time as Le Tissier and Nicholas, Thompson admitted that he missed working on Soccer Saturday and shared the same sentiment as the former in a 2021 interview with the Mail. He explained: “It became a way of life so taking that away… I miss it. Yes, I miss it.
“We were a band of brothers. But you do know that change has to happen. They wanted to do it sensitively rather than one day you’re gone. They said until we find somebody who is better, it might continue. It was three parts of a midfield. The others could have continued.
“I do think we bridged all the gaps because people grew up with us. We did it for 16 years. Even though people didn’t remember us as players, they knew us as Soccer Saturday. So it was part of their life. It even became a cult thing. There was a Jeff Stelling university drinking game! (A shot of spirit every time Stelling said ‘doom and gloom’ and another when Chris Kamara screamed: ‘Unbelievable, Jeff’).
“The whole thing was a testimony to Jeff, who was the leader of the band and for me, the best TV sports presenter. It took on its own life. I think people could relate to us. I’m not saying everybody loved every one of us. You only had to go on social media to see that. But we knew what we were and that was the biggest thing.”
Chris Kamara
After discovering that Sky Sports had let go Le Tissier, Thompson and Nicholas, Kamara admitted that he was “gutted” and felt their bosses had jumped the gun to fix something that wasn’t broken. He told the Mail in 2020: “Obviously I’m gutted, absolutely gutted. And I know they are. I’ve spoken to Thommo and Charlie and I’ve text Le Tiss… we were such a good team and it was all going well.
“Decisions were made, we don’t have any say in those. Whoever made [them] has done it and the boys accept it. I can honestly say they are the best fellas you could ever wish to meet. They are top-drawer and it’s been a great time to have worked with them over the past 15 years or so.”
Kamara left his post at Soccer Saturday in 2022 due to a battle with apraxia – a condition which affected his speech. And in the wake of Stelling’s departure the following year, he admitted that he too missed working alongside the face of the programme.
Taking to X, he wrote: “This Sunday sees the last day at Sky for the best broadcaster I have ever met @JeffStelling. I am getting my tribute in early because Jeff has been a massive part of my life and I love him to bits. One of the things I do miss is working with the maestro.”
Tony Cottee
Tony Cottee admitted he was frustrated with Sky after being forced away by the broadcaster after a 20-year service. While he survived the initial exodus of 2020, he was ultimately dismissed the following year and believes the show is now missing the major personalities it once had.
Speaking about his exit on the Under The Cosh podcast, he explained: “I had 20 great years there and I look back and I don’t like the way it ended. It was their choice more than my choice. I wanted to carry on being part of the show, obviously Soccer Saturday.”
He added: “But I also look back and think I had 20 wonderful years. Some of the characters – Jeff Stelling’s an amazing presenter. Then you think of like the Kammy’s and the [Alan] McInally’s, and then the lads who were on the panel. Merse, Le Tiss, Charlie, Thommo. Just wonderful characters.”