Jeff Stelling exclusive part one: Hartlepool, history and heroes

What makes Gillette Soccer Saturday so great? This week, Sports Gazette’s Matt Horsman spoke exclusively to Jeff Stelling to try and find out the secrets behind the show’s enormous success.

In the first half of this two-part chat, Jeff tells us why the show has enjoyed such a cult following among football fans, as well as giving us an insight into the running of the show itself and how he got to work alongside his hero.

For the British football fan, Jeff Stelling and the whole gang on Soccer Saturday have provided a myriad of laughs and one-liners that live long in the memory. Who could forget Chris Kamara’s famous ‘Unbelievable Jeff!’ or Stelling’s own ‘Gareth Jelleyman has been sent off, lets hope he hasn’t thrown a wobbly!’. The latter quip became the title of Stelling’s own autobiography which is, unsurprisingly, the perfect combination of humour and razor-sharp insight that he has mastered after 23 years at the head of Britain’s most loved football talk-show.

Gillette Soccer Saturday spawned from the Sky Sports show ‘Sports Saturday’ which began in 1992, with Jeff joining in 1994 and becoming the sole presenter in 1995. The name was changed in 1998 and it was in this form that the show has come to dominate Saturday afternoons for the footballing masses unfortunate enough not to have a ticket for that weekend’s game.

When asked what the key to the show’s popularity was, Stelling responded: “Soccer Saturday’s success lies in the mix of information, opinion and humour along with the chemistry of the panel.
“Without the information, no-one would watch. Without the opinion, humour and chemistry, fewer people would watch.”

Stelling’s reference to the chemistry of the on-screen team is crucial, and his own integral role to the gelling of the group cannot be understated. Many other broadcasters have attempted to replicate the dynamic in a bid to attract some of Soccer Saturday’s impressive viewership, but without the same success.

“ITV, BBC and now BT have all tried to take it on during the past two decades,” Stelling told me. “Yet viewing figures are better than ever.”

He added - with his tongue firmly in his cheek - “Of course you need an ace presenter!”. Despite speaking with an obvious sense of irony, it would be hard to deny that he is the main reason that viewers return in their droves every week.

I was keen to find out just how much of this on-screen control is mirrored in his involvement behind the scenes, and whether he was involved in the hiring of his former professional ‘analysts’. He informed me that his input is principally editorial and that while he doesn’t have any say in the hiring and firing, he does decide the direction of each discussion.

In an increasingly partisan footballing culture, where so few personalities transcend rivalries, Stelling is part of a select few who seem to be universally popular amongst football fans. I asked him why he thought this was.

“As a Hartlepool fan, people don’t see my team as a threat. Hence most fans treat me brilliantly.

“As far as the Premier League goes I try to treat everyone evenly and consequently really hate it when people ask who I think might go down. I have my views but don’t want to share them in case I am accused of bias.

“I think there’s no question that if I supported a big club, I would alienate many other Premier League fans.”

Once we were on the subject of potential bias towards certain clubs, I asked him how this translated to the ex-professional footballers who now worked as analysts in the studio.

“None of the guests are now allowed to watch their former clubs,” he informed me. “Though it used to be compulsory.

“With the current method, we get a much fairer, more realistic view of games.”

Talking about the guest analysts, I steered my line of questioning towards asking him about the late, great George Best - who Stelling speaks so highly of in his autobiography.

“Besty was the greatest footballer I ever saw.” he began. “As a pundit he had some nice, understated observations. But, of course, he wasn’t known for his reliability, hence we had a substitute waiting in the wings, just in case George didn’t show up.”

Best’s off-field issues were well documented but did not detract from him being extremely popular with those working on the programme, according to Stelling.

“My boss Vic Wakeling told me George had a job for life. Sadly, both were cut short too soon. They say never meet your heroes, but in this case I was glad I did.”

It is this sort of admiration and endearing respect that the on-screen team have for each other that sets the show apart from its rivals. Jeff and the gang are often snapped together on the Friday night before the show enjoying a beer and reinforcing the relationships and camaraderie that translates so well to the viewer at home. The sort of rapport that they have cannot be synthetically developed by simply bringing together footballing personalities under the guise of a talented sports journalist - there is an element of magic that Stelling plays a big part in cultivating that allows Soccer Saturday to remain a cut above the rest.

Keep your eyes peeled for part two of this exclusive two-part interview with the host of Soccer Saturday, where Jeff tells us his favourite moments in over 20 years on the job, gives advice to budding young journalists trying to break into the industry and even reveals who he would like to be his successor on the show!

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