Jeff Stelling has shed more light on his decision to reverse his planned exit as host of Sky Sports' Soccer Saturday.
Back in October the veteran broadcaster announced that he was to step down at the end of the current campaign. He has been a permanent fixture with Sky for three decades, the vast majority of that as the face of the popular Saturday afternoon show. But last week he made a shock u-turn and announced he had changed his mind.
Now, he has revealed more details around the thinking behind the decision. Writing in his column in the Hartlepool Mail, the 67-year-old admits the clamour of people he met in the street urging him to stay as well as a feeling of unfinished business meant he needed to change his mind.
"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. "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.
"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!"
Stelling also revealed his admiration for his employers. He says that Sky have also treated him with respect and that they have provided good support through "some difficult personal times" down the years. On Saturday's show he made a small reference to his u-turn, saying: "In the immortal words of Bucks Fizz 'soon you will find that there comes a time for making your mind up. I couldn't drag myself away!'"
Stelling joined Sky Sports back in 1992, becoming the presenter of 'Sports Saturday' two years later. The show was later rebranded as Soccer Saturday in 1998 and Stelling has been a regular on TV screens since, gaining huge popularity among football fans for his humour and encyclopaedic football knowledge. Stelling has also hosted live games during his time at Sky Sports - most notably the Champions League between 2011 and 2015 - and was the host of Channel 4's Countdown between 2008 and 2011.
After announcing his original intention to leave last October, Sky Sports reportedly approached BBC presenter Mark Chapman to replace Stelling. Chapman is best known for hosting Match of the Day 2 and works across a variety of programmes on BBC Radio 5 Live, yet it appears he won't be sitting in the Soccer Saturday studio anytime soon.
Julian Warren is also in the running to replace Stelling. The Sky Sports News presenter has worked for the broadcaster for 15 years and hosts Soccer Special, a midweek edition of Soccer Saturday. He also steps in for Stelling on the rare occasion that he is absent.
