By Elliott West
“It is now the right time to move on and give Sky Sports viewers a break from my relentless rants, bad gags and over-the-top celebrations of Hartlepool United goals. It’s been a lot of fun – for me at least!”
Jeff Stelling
Introduction
The world of football has lost its prodigal son, a man whose association with Sky Sports lasted a staggering 30 years. The man in question, drum roll, please! is of course the only and only Jeff Stelling. The 68-year-old who has worked at Sky since 1992 and been the face of Soccer Saturday for 25 years is considered to be a national treasure, a household name who would be a prized member of any pub quiz for his encyclopaedic knowledge of football has left the building but promised not to retire quite yet. The Sky studios will be a quieter place now that this Hartlepool hero has vacated his chair and the shouts, cheers and countless jokes will be missed by many a football fan. Such was the outpouring of praise when he did his last Soccer Saturday that even the lifelong Watford supporter, Elton John felt the need to call him before his departure to sing his praises. An exit where friends, colleagues past and present, raised the roof for this stellar Stelling. Yet true to form, Jeff believes that there is “still a bit of life in the old boy yet!”. As his good friend Chris Kamara would say “I don’t know what is happening Jeff”.
Hartlepool’s Own
Jeff Stelling began life in 1955 to a humble background, raised in a council house in Hartlepool and someone who went on to attend West Hartlepool Grammar School. A Pisces who quickly would be recognised for his articulation and sponge-like qualities for soaking up facts and figures. After leaving school, he decided to take the journalistic path of life and joined the Hartlepool Mail where he worked for four years. Going to report for his beloved football team, Hartlepool FC in the 1970s for Radio Tees, he would go on to work for LBC Radio Sports Watch and BBC Radio 2’s Sports Watch where he covered the Los Angeles and Seoul Olympic games.
Jeff later worked as a sports newsreader for TV-am, Channel 4, Eurosport and BSB before moving to Sky in 1992 where he worked on a range of sports including horse racing, greyhound racing, snooker and darts. Since 1994, Jeff has become the face of Sky Sports’ flagship show Soccer Saturday, a magical mix of analysis, opinions and light-hearted conversation with a plethora of top football pundits who know the beautiful game inside out. So good are Stelling’s presentation skills that the Guardian newspaper praised him for “exceptional professionalism and élan”.
Letters and Numbers
Jeff Stelling was reportedly approached to become the presenter of Countdown after the passing is its iconic presenter Richard Whitley but he turned down the job with the role going to Des Lynam instead. However, when the telephone rang again in 2009 after the departure of Des O’Connor, Jeff couldn’t resist and went on to host the flagship Channel 4 show for three years until 2011. A perfect accompaniment to the instantly recognisable theme tune composed by Alan Hawkshaw and a show based on the French original, Des Chiffres et des Lettres devised by Armand Janmot and Marcel Stellman. Stelling would leave the game show in 2011 to concentrate on football commitments including his new Champions League role. He was replaced by Nick Hewer who had just stepped down from the BBC’s Apprentice programme.
Afterthoughts
Jeff Stelling was a firm favourite of Saturday afternoons for thirty years and could be compared to those cosy pair of slippers you put on after a hard day at work. For football fans, Jeff lit up that frenzied couple of hours on a Saturday when football scores come thick and fast and a time when teams can be jubilant in glory or lick their wounds in defeat. Sterling is one of the most knowledgeable men on the subject of football and never hides his emotions especially when Hartlepool FC sink the ball in the back of the net. Someone who has entertained us with his wit and humour for decades but always remains diligent with an eye that has a laser light for detail. A footballing icon who I am sure will return to our screens or radio waves soon in a new role.
