For so long a morning in front of Soccer AM was followed by the Soccer Saturday panel, featuring the likes of Matt Le Tissier and Charlie Nicholas, as Sky Sports viewers readied for the 3pm kick-offs.
It seems though that the broadcaster has decided it's time for a change. The staples, be they programmes or people, are gone as Sky looks to go in a different direction. Soccer AM is the latest to suffer after it was announced on Wednesday that the show was to be canned.
Fans will have just 10 episodes left of the show that has seemingly lost its shine in recent years, with its heyday coming back when Helen Chamberlain and Tim Lovejoy led proceedings. So many of its features were of their time, but as society moves on, perhaps Sky have decided to as well.
A spokesman said: “Soccer AM has played an important role in our coverage of football for the past three decades, and we continually adapt to the evolving needs of our customers. We now go into a period of consultation to discuss the proposed changes with our people. We are unable to provide more detail while these consultations are underway.”
That evolution will see Saturday Social take centre stage with the show moving to 10.30am from its usual 9.30am slot. The programme tends to include younger fans who have a strong presence and following on social media and has led to some divisive opinions.
Chelsea fan Rory Jennings claimed before the season begun that Erling Haaland would not be the success everyone expected, nor would he win the Golden Boot, to score 15 times would represent a "really good season" and the Norwegian was "wasteful in front of goal" - a clip that is still doing the rounds.
The rise in the power of social media, which is by no means a new phenomenon, but continues to grow, has led to a new generation of fans who engage and debate the game in a different manner - something Sky clearly feel they need to adapt to.
As a result the show that bought you the Soccerrete, the annual dance off, the crossbar challenge, skill school and raps from Tubes will go. A source told The Sun : "It was a complete bombshell. Morale is at an all-time low, they are raging. It's going to be an interesting watch over the next few weeks."
The decision comes around two years after Soccer Saturday itself underwent a major shake-up. The demands for coverage of 3pm kick-offs means the show will never go despite facing competition from BT Sport and the BBC. However, several of the stalwarts were kindly told their services wouldn't be needed shortly after the pandemic, when the world was being urged to change.
Le Tissier, Nicholas and Phil Thompson were all told their time was up. Instead a new breed have come in whilst Jeff Stelling is expected to retire at the end of the current campaign, giving the programme a whole new look.
Former Southampton star Le Tissier, who has often made the news for his outspoken views on matters like the coronavirus, has also been happy to air his views regarding his Sky exit, citing the broadcaster's want to be more on trend with the personnel they opt for.
He said previously: "The way Sky have gone with their policies meant that it wasn’t a very good look for them to have five middle-aged white men on a programme, and so the diversity angle that Sky have gone down, it means there were going to be changes afoot, and unfortunately, we were one of those changes.”
Stelling revealed he held talks with Sky's Head of Football, Gary Hughes, about the direction the show was heading, as he was concerned over pushing out a "diminished product."
The rise in calls for diversity, coupled with the success of women's football, especially in England has also led to more female pundits being utilised during matches. The likes of Alex Scott and Karen Carney have been regular contributors and Sky was the platform for a Graeme Souness that sparked outrage earlier this season.
After Chelsea drew with Tottenham at Stamford Bridge the male pundit commented with pride that football "is a man’s game all of a sudden now" following a fiery encounter.
He was sat next to Carney when he made such comments, sparking outrage from several current Lioness Bethany England saying: "Get in the [bin]. What a disgraceful thing to say after the summer this country has just seen." Eni Aluko was also less than impressed.
Sky have underlined their commitment to make progressive changes, setting out specific changes they want to make within their leadership structure. A statement in January 2021 - less than two months before the Soccer Saturday changes - read: "By 2025, Sky’s leadership team will be 5% Black, and 20% Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic overall. The leadership team is currently 1% Black and 9% Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic, and among Sky’s UK & Ireland employees who disclose their ethnicity, Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic representation is currently 14.7% and Black representation is 2.7%."
