What former Soccer Saturday stars really think of the new set-up on Sky Sports

Soccer Saturday became a weekend staple for many football fans - but the show has seen numerous shake-ups in recent years.

The Sky Sports programme, which was fronted by Jeff Stelling for almost 30 years, gathers a host of footballing pundits to provide live analysis, updates, and commentary on games around the UK. The likes of Chris Kamara, Phil Thompson, Matt Le Tissier, Charlie Nicholas and Paul Merson were familiar faces over the years, captivating viewers with their in-studio banter and reactions.

However, ahead of the 2020/21 campaign, Thompson, Nicholas and Le Tissier were all given their walking papers from the show, with Sky favouring a rotating cast of pundits to freshen things up. Stelling then left his own role as lead presenter in 2023, replaced by Simon Thomas.

Meanwhile, a new EFL Goal Zone segment was introduced to the show ahead of the 2024/25 season. Hosted by Pien Meulensteen, the segment shows all of the goals from 12.30pm kick-offs on a Saturday as they hit the back of the net. But what do the pundits, past and present, think of the shake-ups across recent years?

The face of the show for the best part of three decades, Stelling has admitted that he no longer watches Soccer Saturday to avoid any critique of the new set-up. Writing in his Saturday Afternoon Fever autobiography, Stelling said: "I won't lie. I no longer watch the show that was my life for almost three decades.

"Not because I feel any ill-will. Just the opposite. I have many friends working on the programme and I am desperate for it to succeed. But if I watched, I know that as an opinionated little so-and-so I would sit and criticise which would benefit no one.

"Instead, I would rather celebrate nearly thirty years of doing the best job