Why Jeff Stelling reluctantly called time on Soccer Saturday role after anger over sackings

Jeff Stelling candidly revealed how his departure from Sky Sports' Soccer Saturday was largely due to its impact on his physical health. The seasoned presenter, who became a mainstay on British television over an impressive 25-year tenure, chose to end his association with Sky Sports at the close of the 2022/23 season.

While his exit sent shockwaves among UK fans who had grown to love his presence, Stelling didn't make the decision impulsively. Delving into his motives during a conversation in January last year, the Hartlepool-born presenter confessed what really happened to .

"Even though I'd been there a long time, I felt some of my views weren't considered at all," he said. "Every week I was fighting a battle. I got tired of fighting, and it was making me ill. Eventually, I went to Sky's management and said, 'This is making me unwell. I've got to step away from it.'

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"I'm almost ashamed to say it because my dad worked in a steelworks and would come back from his shift covered in grime and muck and absolutely exhausted. He would never have allowed me to say I was shattered after a TV show. But I felt it was making me ill so I had to step away."

However, the build-up to Stelling's departure from Sky was marred by turmoil, especially following major changes on Soccer Saturday. Most notably in 2020 when a reshuffle saw several of Stelling's long-time co-stars ousted from the show.

Stelling, 70, opened up about the emotional moment he learnt his long-time colleagues and close pals Matt Le Tissier, Charlie Nicholas, and Phil Thompson were being let go from the Soccer Saturday panel. In his memoir 'Saturday Afternoon Fever', Stelling recounts the shock he felt upon hearing the news.

"'How can it be the right time?' I blurted out," wrote the football icon. "'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.

"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 quick-fire judgement. 'No good.' 'Terminally dull.' 'Doesn't even like football.' 'Oh, for f*** sake.' That gives you the general tone."

He went on to describe the emotional toll it took, as he continued (via ): "I was devastated, and as Gary listed the names of potential replacements, I knew I had a decision to make too about my future. Matt Roberts, the Soccer Saturday producer, rang.

"He had just been told of the bloodletting and was equally shocked. He was the man who had to rebuild the team – and quickly. Even Sir Alex [Ferguson] would have struggled."

After the reshuffle, Sky Sports brought in Clinton Morrison, Michael Dawson, Sue Smith, Kris Boyd and Tim Sherwood to rejuvenate Soccer Saturday – but Stelling was sceptical. The host initially expressed his intention to depart in 2022 but agreed to remain for an additional season.

Simon Thomas was announced as the new presenter of Soccer Saturday following Stelling's departure. The staunch Hartlepool United supporter has since joined talkSPORT as a radio presenter alongside Ally McCoist.