[Football] Jeff Stelling Leaving Sky Sports

[Badger Boy]

I had no issues with a load of middle aged white men sitting around talking about football and behaving like it's an old boys club. But that's probably because that's my demographic. A flagship show should be more inclusive than that, it should give representation to the many different groups of people who watch, play and/or enjoy football. It should evolve as society has. We should hear from different people, with different perspectives and different football experiences. It doesn't need to be former footballers en masse.

 

[Greg Bobkin]

Whoever it is will have to tick all the necessary boxes and contribute towards the show's diversity targets. The best person for the job often no longer matters in modern day Britain.

How were those 'diversity targets' going in the video from Saturday when four of the five people on screen were, as @Cornwallboy put it 'white middle age men'?

'How dare they be' indeed!

 

[hart's shirt]

...this longing for an 100% white male panel and presenter lineup just reeks of closet misogyny and racism.

Is anyone really longing for a 100% white panel? I'm certainly not. I didn't mention race at all in my post, but just a desire to watch and hear from ex-players who've played at the top level of the men's game and who are both half-decent analysts and raconteurs.

Like I said earlier, I've got no problems watching any of the football shows that are pointedly not aimed at my age and/or gender demographic. I actually quite enjoy MOTDx with the fashion, music and seeing whether they can hit the targets 6 times in 60 seconds. Maisie Adam is always a good watch as she clearly loves her side Leeds. And the leaderboard has even probably borrowed more than a little from Top Gear.

But just as there's a space for other football shows, there really should be a place for the Soccer Saturday format and style.

There's no closet misogyny here. As a middle-age male, it's just who I am and where I am. No guilt felt. No apologies needed.

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

just a desire to watch and hear from ex-players who've played at the top level of the men's game and who are both half-decent analysts and raconteurs.

I think we might struggle to find anybody who meets these requirements.

 

[hart's shirt]

I think we might struggle to find anybody who meets these requirements.

I don't know. Over here in Dubai, I've heard Kamara and Sheringham do Q&A sessions.

They were both brimming with anecdotes and had plenty of insight on modern football from a player's perspective.

For example, Sheringham's favourite time of his entire career was actually when he was an apprentice at Millwall cleaning the boots and learning his trade. He talked about his fallout with Andy Cole and his tackle on Gordon Ramsey in SoccerAid which led to the chef hobbling off the pitch.

Kamara revealed what Cantona was like in the dressing room at Leeds and how his contract talks with Howard Wilkinson went up £20k in about 5 minutes due to a telephone misunderstanding.

Granted, not everyone's going to be interested in this stuff, but I'd imagine a fair few of us still are.

Who better to talk about the top level of men's football with a few stories thrown in than those that have played it and lived it?

 

[A1X]

Jeez there’s some massively insecure posting going on on this thread based on nothing more than their own imagined scenarios

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

I don't know. Over here in Dubai, I've heard Kamara and Sheringham do Q&A sessions.

They were both brimming with anecdotes and had plenty of insight on modern football from a player's perspective.

For example, Sheringham's favourite time of his entire career was actually when he was an apprentice at Millwall cleaning the boots and learning his trade. He talked about his fallout with Andy Cole and his tackle on Gordon Ramsey in SoccerAid which led to the chef hobbling off the pitch.

Kamara revealed what Cantona was like in the dressing room at Leeds and how his contract talks with Howard Wilkinson went up £20k in about 5 minutes due to a telephone misunderstanding.

Granted, not everyone's going to be interested in this stuff, but I'd imagine a fair few of us still are.

Who better to talk about the top level of men's football with a few stories thrown in than those that have played it and lived it?

I'm interested in those stories, and I think the ex-player's perspective has a place on a programme about football, but I don't think it's necessary or even intrinsically useful to have played professional football in order to talk about it on television.

 

[AmexRuislip]

 

[hart's shirt]

...I don't think it's necessary or even intrinsically useful to have played professional football in order to talk about it on television.

It may not be absolutely vital, but it's probably helpful for pundits to have some lived experience of what they're talking about for credibility alone.

 

[jcdenton08]

Genuinely a bit teary eyed at that. He was the best ever (except Des)

 

[Nicks]

I’m not sure it ever did to Sky given some of the terrible pundits (Merson etc)

Merson wanted to go at the same time as Charlie etc as a show of solidarity in a way but he was persuaded to stay by the rest of them as it was his only means of keeping off the drink etc

 

[Sid and the Sharknados]

It may not be absolutely vital, but it's probably helpful for pundits to have some lived experience of what they're talking about for credibility alone.

I think it's ideal, but really you only need one person on a programme who used to kick a ball around to say "yes, he kicked that well. You can tell from the way it ended up in the top corner".

 

[hart's shirt]

I think it's ideal, but really you only need one person on a programme who used to kick a ball around to say "yes, he kicked that well. You can tell from the way it ended up in the top corner".

But now we're getting into numbers. MOTD has 3 (1 presenter, 2 pundits) to cover often 5-6 games, but with highlights and time to prepare analysis.

The final game of the season is always a stretch with all 10 weekend fixtures to cover. Last's night's show was full-on with the Goal of the Season too.

With a live show like Soccer Saturday, all the pundits have to cover at least one game each in real-time with all the vagaries that live sport brings.

That's going to be a challenge, especially with link-ups with numerous commentators around the country as the lower-league goals go in.

Whatever one feels about the quality of punditry and analysis (and yes, there's room for improvement), it's always an impressive televisual feat.

 

[Tom Hark Preston Park]

Same again next season then Jeff?

 

[CaergybiGull]

oh get over ya self will you mate!!!!

Cornwallboy & friends congratulate themselves on their repartee…

 

[Cornwallboy]

Society’s norms are a constantly moving target. Different ideas take hold and are lauded as progressive, and they are then followed as the way forward until their flaws become obvious and they are supplanted by other ideas.

However, the people at Sky will know if the show’s ratings are growing or shrinking, and whether that demographic is aging or picking up younger audiences.

Every presenter has their time, Jeff has been brilliant, but has left on his own terms at a time of his choosing. To see the “white male pride bedwetters” here lamenting Sky’s replacements before they know who they are is frankly laughable.
We aren’t the centre of the universe, we’re only part of an overall demographic. While I’m not a regular watcher of women’s football, it’s certainly not park football. To say it is, is just plain misogyny.

I have no idea who is going to replace Jeff (I just hope it’s not the unlikeable Jake Humphrey) but this longing for an 100% white male panel and presenter lineup just reeks of closet misogyny and racism.

Look at the players on the football pitch. We’re represented by players from all round the world. Now look at the stands, in the 70s it was 95% white male, not now. Some of the posters on here need to lose a bit of preciousness. Football can still be your sport with other people enjoying it too.