Inside Jeff Stelling's Sky Sports exit and TV return as he makes Amazon bow
Jeff Stelling hasnt been off our TV screens for too long, but the former Soccer Saturday host is already set for a return in front of the camera.
The popular presenter took charge of his final Soccer Saturday broadcast a little over six months ago, on the final day of the 2022-23 Premier League season. Now, though, he is ready to return with Amazon Prime.
Stelling will host the broadcaster's 'Every Game Every Goal' show, as Amazon brings viewers two rounds of Premier League fixtures in December - one this week and one in the days after Christmas Day. Here, Mirror Football looks back at his emotional Sky exit and what he's been up to in the meantime.
Of course, Stelling was supposed to leave his Soccer Saturday role one year before he actually did. In October 2021, he announced he would walk away at the end of the season in progress, only to perform a dramatic U-turn.
"The truth is that I was never retiring so there was never going to be a Sinatra or Streisand or Scholes-esque comeback," he wrote in a Hartlepool Mail column. "I always intended to carry on working and had lots of offers. I had been mulling over which to accept for months. When I suggested that I could carry on for at least another year, they agreed pretty much on the spot.
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"I know a year might not be enough by the way which is why I agreed AT LEAST another 12 months with Sky. Hopefully that will be time enough for me to be presenting when Pools win promotion back to League One!"
'At least' 12 months also ended up as 'at most', though. He bowed out on a dramatic Premier League afternoon, with Leeds and Leicester suffering a final-day relegation as Everton survived, but not before a famous exit speech.
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Jeff Stelling said goodbye to Soccer Saturday in 2023 (Sky Sports)There were almost too many thank yous to count as Stelling took in a montage of his best bits before insisting he would still be tuning in as a viewer when his beloved Hartlepool United were in action. However, he recognised one of the more meaningful messages of support came from one of the UK's most beloved musicians.
"Elton John rang me this week," the presenter said on his final show. "Somebody asked me the other day have I ever been starstruck, and yeah, I was starstruck when Elton John rang me at home to say 'thank you very much for all you've done'.
"He said 'every week I watch this show, every week you tell me Watford are losing and every week you tell me Hartlepool are losing, so I feel like we're kindred spirits'. And there's something in that, isn't there."
The show has gone on without its long-time leader, of course. Simon Thomas is now the host of Soccer Saturday, which remains a fixture on our screens this season, while Stelling has been true to his word and moved on to other projects rather than disappearing completely.
Stelling joined talkSPORT earlier this season
The presenter will be back on our screens in Amazon Prime's coverage (Amazon Prime Video)One of those projects is the breakfast show on talkSPORT, where he has joined regular Ally McCoist on hosting duties for a number of broadcasts. Another is a tour of live shows, some of them with former regulars from the Soccer Saturday heyday, and Bianca Westwood - who is emceeing the tour - shed more light on things in an exclusive interview with Mirror Football in October.
"He's had this years and years and years and years of his career and he must know a few things and have some amazing stories," Westwood said. "He's actually a very good raconteur - we did one show just to see what it was like, and he went down like you wouldn't believe with the audience. They absolutely loved him.
"He's a lot funnier than I thought he was going to be if I'm honest with you. He's a really funny guy when he's not being grumpy on air."
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That run of shows makes for a packed January and February schedule, along with some other dates. Before then, though, we have a TV return which Stelling couldn't resist - though he isn't without his own concerns.
Stelling will be joined by Dan Walker on Amazon's coverage (Amazon Prime Video)“Everyone has welcomed me with open arms," Stelling told The Sun ahead of his return. “The only slight concern is that people have been saying: ‘Ah brilliant, you’re going to be fantastic!’
“I hope I am! It is so different to what I have been used to for the last 30 years or so. I want to repay people by living up to expectations. I still get those nerves. It is a cliche but it makes you try harder and prepare for it more.”
The good news for Stelling is his role with Amazon won't be too far removed from what he does best. 'Every Game Every Goal' will see him introduce updates from across the Premier League, with six games - including Manchester United v Chelsea - taking place on Wednesday night. All going well, it'll feel like he's never been away.
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