Soccer AM Axed

[SteveHFC]

Axed after 28 years.

[Paul1642]

Axed after 28 years.

Didn’t know it was still going.

[Oscar T Grouch]

18 years too late, became stale pretty fast. Watched it a few years back and it was painful to watch. TV execs hate to let go of hits that they have but this often leads to great programs, which this was at the start, losing their soul and becoming mundane TV

[Since90+2]

About time. Been ***** for about 10 years.

[Smartie]

I watched it on Saturday and really quite enjoyed it.

Shame.

I played on Saturday mornings when it was at it’s peak and so could only really watch it later although I’ve certainly drifted away in recent years.

[Pretty Boy]

A mercy killing.

Tbh whilst I thought it was almost unmissable in the early 00s with Tim and Helen, that period really hasn't aged well. The soccerette and the associated banter was pretty grim albeit it's easier to say that at 36 than it was at 16.

[Tyler Durden]

I'm sure plenty will be quick to slate the recent version but it still had a place IMO. There's nothing else quite like it and it also offered young upcoming bands a TV slot that they won't get elsewhere.

Presumably the audience just isn't there. It was hangover TV in my younger days before you went out again to the game/pub on Saturday. Probably these days the younger audience are watching Tiktok and team podcast/fan made type content.

[Trinity Hibee]

I'm sure plenty will be quick to slate the recent version but it still had a place IMO. There's nothing else quite like it and it also offered young upcoming bands a TV slot that they won't get elsewhere.

Presumably the audience just isn't there. It was hangover TV in my younger days before you went out again to the game/pub on Saturday. Probably these days the younger audience are watching Tiktok and team podcast/fan made type content.

That’s it I think. It used to be a way of getting access to teams other than games but that is widespread on social media now. Used to love showboat, crossbar challenge etc. used to get huge names in as guests too.

[blackpoolhibs]

Loved it with Tim and Helen, only seen brief bits of since Rushden and Helen were the hosts, Jimmy Bullard does my nut in, and couldnt tell you who the other hosts are of have been since Rushden and Helen.

I suppose some folk still watch it, but at my age its not something i watch or have done in years.

[LancsHibs]

Was crap since Tim Lovejoy left. Funny when the CCS were on it😂

[MWHIBBIES]

Absolutely dreadful show. About time.

[Pretty Boy]

Loved it with Tim and Helen, only seen brief bits of since Rushden and Helen were the hosts, Jimmy Bullard does my nut in, and couldnt tell you who the other hosts are of have been since Rushden and Helen.

I suppose some folk still watch it, but at my age its not something i watch or have done in years.

Bullard is about as funny as having nails hammered into your eyes. He was annoying when he was a player and is even worse as a TV personality.

One of those people for whom the word 'character' roughly translates as a 'total ****ing a***'.

[SteveHFC]

https://youtu.be/T6l4lT00Pgs

When it was good.

[JimBHibees]

Bullard is about as funny as having nails hammered into your eyes. He was annoying when he was a player and is even worse as a TV personality.

One of those people for whom the word 'character' roughly translates as a 'total ****ing a***'.

Not a fan 😂

[LaMotta]

With around 480 channels to choose from, it never ceases to amaze me how many people got angry about a TV programme being on that no one was forcing them to watch.

[Blaster]

Absolutely dreadful show. About time.

I think it is now but not when it was Tim and Helen. Was very funny when they did it

[Brightside]

Its absolutely fine as a morning show. But clearly its cheaper to just show re-runs off games from the 90s instead. Compared to Sportscene its Oscar winning stuff.

[Nutmegged]

Only time I ever remembered if was on was when folk were complaining about it, not watched it for about 20 years.

Hopefully Sky do a proper Saturday morning football magazine show that covers Scotland as well, a dream I know.

[Carheenlea]

As a 53 year old, for our generation it captured that mid-90’s vibe when we were in our 20’s and the humour, music, skits and sketches was of huge appeal.

As you grow up a lot of that is left behind, and when the show evolved after losing key hosts and team that magic diluted quite quickly.

The youth of today probably have no interest in such shows now and its demise was inevitable.

Shame to see it go though, but honestly couldn’t tell you when I last watched it. Certainly over a decade now.

[marinello59]

Axed after 28 years.

It should have been axed years ago. Outdated lads mag garbage.

[Mon Dieu4]

When it was Tim, Helen, Fenners, Sheephead, Robbie Knox etc it was amazing, World Cup Wall, Fixtures Man, the Wrestlers, Save Chip, the annual dance off

Definitely a product of it's time though

[Tyler Durden]

It should have been axed years ago. Outdated lads mag garbage.

When was the last time you watched it? What parts of the recent output would be lads mag garbage?

[WeeRussell]

With around 480 channels to choose from, it never ceases to amaze me how many people got angry about a TV programme being on that no one was forcing them to watch.

😁 I doubt it’ll be replaced with anything that those posting, glad it’s axed, will be overjoyed at either.

Having said that it’s not something I ever watch either.

[Scouse Hibee]

When it was Tim, Helen, Fenners, Sheephead, Robbie Knox etc it was amazing, World Cup Wall, Fixtures Man, the Wrestlers, Save Chip, the annual dance off

Definitely a product of it's time though

It’s was brilliant then, haven’t watched if for years.

[007]

When was the last time you watched it? What parts of the recent output would be lads mag garbage?

Just what I thought when I read that post. Nothing about it is lads mag.

I think it is a shame it is going, they could maybe have given it a bit of a rebrand by changing the presenters and some of the regular features. Hopefully they replace it with another football show. Maybe Sky have bought the rights to Open Goal with Simon Ferry and Slaney etc. 😮

[HIBERNIAN-0762]

I'm here all week 😆👍

[blackpoolhibs]

When it was Tim, Helen, Fenners, Sheephead, Robbie Knox etc it was amazing, World Cup Wall, Fixtures Man, the Wrestlers, Save Chip, the annual dance off

Definitely a product of it's time though

It went through a period where it was brilliant, every Saturday morning i'd watch it religiously.

Some of the clips you can find on youtube are just hilarious, but we are not allowed to laugh at them these days.

I'd love them to repeat the early shows, but there is as much chance of that happening as me biting my own arse. :greengrin

[Pretty Boy]

Just what I thought when I read that post. Nothing about it is lads mag.

I think it is a shame it is going, they could maybe have given it a bit of a rebrand by changing the presenters and some of the regular features. Hopefully they replace it with another football show. Maybe Sky have bought the rights to Open Goal with Simon Ferry and Slaney etc. 😮

I think in it's prime it was pure lads mag. That wasn't always plain sailing for the presenters either; when she was in a relationship with James Wade Helen Chamberlain was subjected to thousands of darts fans chanting 'does she take it up the....' at every event she attended.

Things like that and grown men asking a teenage girl how old she was and the whole 'great age' banter just wouldn't fly these days. Most of the original audience simply grew up, you can see that with Lovejoy himself. He's gone from the laddish Soccer AM to presenting Sunday Brunch on Channel 4 which is about as bland and middle of the road it gets. That's not to say you can't look back on these things fondly but equally you have to realise the world has changed.

That's probably behind the demise of the show. The audience from the late 90s and early to mid 00s are all at least 35 now and probably taking their kids to ballet or swimming on a Saturday morning. The show had to move with the times but that left them in a position where they still don't appeal to the younger viewer and the older viewer who didn't grow up won't watch because it's 'too woke' now.

I've seen limited episodes of the recent output but what I have seen is just dull. Bullard hogging the limelight and taking the challenges too seriously and insipid content with little identity. As I said before I loved the show 20+ years ago but there was content that was definitely 'of it's time' and highly questionable now. Perhaps any new audience they hoped to attract who weren't into or were born after the 'FHM and Nuts era' simply weren't willing to give it's new incarnation a chance

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

Bullard is about as funny as having nails hammered into your eyes. He was annoying when he was a player and is even worse as a TV personality.

One of those people for whom the word 'character' roughly translates as a 'total ****ing a***'.

"Characters" accurately summed up by Sean Lock at the start of this clip.😀

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xmYaerKTiLA&feature=youtu.be

[Nutmegged]

Live British football/music TV shows from the 90s until about 2002 was edgy as hell, doesn't matter what time of day it was on, whether it was Soccer AM at 9am, TFI Friday at 6pm or The Word at 10pm, it had personality and attitude, I don't think they were in bad taste at the time but they pushed the envelope and boundaries


As wild as you can be, there was only so far you can push those boundaries for Morning TV though and I'd imagine with the growth in social media and everyone being able to voice their criticism so instantly and so publicly, sponsors would be heavily involved in a more sanitised format.

[Since452]

I quite like Bullard.

[Broken Gnome]

This post has too many utterances of 'banter' for my liking, but nevertheless - when the banter was natural, good guests, really funny skits and good chemistry amongst everyone involved, it was great TV.

Once guests, fans of the week, presenters (BULLARD) and crew all decided to make it all 'top bins', 'worldies', 'tekkers' and everything warranting a gigantic 'WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY' and mass group hugs when even half a joke was attempted, the banter got very VERY up its own ****.

[Glory Lurker]

Glory Lurker. Left midfielder.

[Boot...donk...scenes]

[blackpoolhibs]

"Characters" accurately summed up by Sean Lock at the start of this clip.😀

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=xmYaerKTiLA&feature=youtu.be

Just watched that, Sean was a genius. :top marks

[HUTCHYHIBBY]

Just watched that, Sean was a genius. :top marks

Very much so. The Madonna female role model routine is right up there. So many to choose from! 👏

[NORTHERNHIBBY]

Soccer AM with Hells Bells and Lovejoy was one of the reasons why I got SKY. Can't remember why and when I stopped watching it but I suppose that I outgrew it.

[Gatecrasher]

At its peak it was the best show on TV and would watch it every week before heading to see hibs. As others have said it our stayed its welcome.

[Pagan Hibernia]

I was more of a Saint and Greavsie man myself

[HFC93]

Twitter etc has killed it. It was incredible television in the early 00s.

[hibee-boys]

I tune in on a Saturday if I’m free or watch the highlights during the week, going against the grain it looks like but I enjoy it🤷🏼😂

[LaMotta]

I tune in on a Saturday if I’m free or watch the highlights during the week, going against the grain it looks like but I enjoy it🤷🏼😂

I watched it on Saturday and thought it was ok. For all the people that are delighted its going, I can only imagine how horrified they will be when they find out its being replaced by Saturday Social with the likes of Thogden and Pieface presenting. :greengrin

[Tambo]

EEN running with the story of the time the ccs made an appearance back in 2000.

[One Day]

Was must see Saturday TV 20 odd years ago, cant remember when i last watched it

[Dmas]

I tune in on a Saturday if I’m free or watch the highlights during the week, going against the grain it looks like but I enjoy it🤷🏼😂

I’m the same I’ve recently started working from home every 2nd sat and really got back into it leaves a bit of a hole to fill for background tv

[Onceinawhile]

Twitter etc has killed it. It was incredible television in the early 00s.

Absolutely. 20-25 years ago, it was the only place you could see an english league 1 centre back kicking the ball off his face and into his own goal. Or it was the only place you could see someone in the crowd getting hit by the ball and dropping their pie and bovril.

Now if that happens, it's all over the internet within 5 minutes and a week later when Soccer AM gets round to it, it's ancient news.

I used to love watching it when they would get random big american celebrities on and make them choose an english team out of a tombola and nonsense like that.

[Rick Rude]

I’m the same I’ve recently started working from home every 2nd sat and really got back into it leaves a bit of a hole to fill for background tv

Same for me. Good background TV if I'm working on a Saturday morning. What's the other options? Cooking shows and the same 4 episodes of the Simpsons from 30 years ago on loop.

[WeeRussell]

This post has too many utterances of 'banter' for my liking, but nevertheless - when the banter was natural, good guests, really funny skits and good chemistry amongst everyone involved, it was great TV.

Once guests, fans of the week, presenters (BULLARD) and crew all decided to make it all 'top bins', 'worldies', 'tekkers' and everything warranting a gigantic 'WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY' and mass group hugs when even half a joke was attempted, the banter got very VERY up its own ****.

Symbolic of football/youth/modern day/social media patter nowadays for me.

Groups of grown adults running about screaming and chasing each other because someone nutmegged their teammate at training.

WTF?

[WhileTheChief..]

Back in the day when I was in my 20s I watched it and read things like Loaded and FHM. It's not so much that the show is crap now, we've just all grown up and have different tastes.

Same applies to so many things we liked in our youth but dislike as we get older.

Remember Cremola Foam or Smash Instant potato? Used to love them, but they're actually pure rank!

[Nutmegged]

With around 480 channels to choose from, it never ceases to amaze me how many people got angry about a TV programme being on that no one was forcing them to watch.


I get what you're saying but I don't think it rings true here, those who pay for Sky pay an arm and a leg, it's safe to say all their time and energy goes into making Soccer AM and not much else in a way of Saturday morning football magazine shows, so if those who pay for it aren't happy with it they're more than entitled to complain about it in the hope that whatever replaces it will be something that they will have interest in.

If Sky were taking Soccer AM in a different direction while still catering to the lapsed fans via their other channels I'd say fair enough but they're not.

[LaMotta]

I get what you're saying but I don't think it rings true here, those who pay for Sky pay an arm and a leg, it's safe to say all their time and energy goes into making Soccer AM and not much else in a way of Saturday morning football magazine shows, so if those who pay for it aren't happy with it they're more than entitled to complain about it in the hope that whatever replaces it will be something that they will have interest in.

If Sky were taking Soccer AM in a different direction while still catering to the lapsed fans via their other channels I'd say fair enough but they're not.

Surely no one is really paying for Sky Sports for their Saturday morning show?! Its all about the live football. Maybe live golf for some.

Also anybody paying an arm and leg for Sky these days is off their rocker. Can get very reasonable discounted deals through haggling, although i reckon most people these days watch it using IPTV subs, which are dirt cheap.

[1875Sean]

Fenners came out and said it’s not 100% being axed, seems like Iptv is catching up to sky with restructure taking place and a lot of people having to reapply for their roles, Geoff Shreeves the reporter jobs is in danger too

[mayo hibee]

The decline of their weekend morning output is just another case of Sky being Sky again. Why spend money on sets and guests and journalists when you can just get a load of YouTubers on for pennies in return for flashing their insta handle on screen every 30 seconds while they talk absolute crap about football on a rubbish zoom connection from the basement of their their parents' house?

The irony is that the target market they're now aiming for aren't paying for a Sky sub anyway, they're just watching it all on IPTV or internet streams.

Apart from the live sport itself the only thing worth watching on sky sports now is Soccer Saturday. And I'd say that will be taken over by the YouTubers in a few years as well once Stelling goes.

[MWHIBBIES]

The decline of their weekend morning output is just another case of Sky being Sky again. Why spend money on sets and guests and journalists when you can just get a load of YouTubers on for pennies in return for flashing their insta handle on screen every 30 seconds while they talk absolute crap about football on a rubbish zoom connection from the basement of their their parents' house?

The irony is that the target market they're now aiming for aren't paying for a Sky sub anyway, they're just watching it all on IPTV or internet streams.

Apart from the live sport itself the only thing worth watching on sky sports now is Soccer Saturday. And I'd say that will be taken over by the YouTubers in a few years as well once Stelling goes.

If a YouTuber makes it on TV, the odds are they're not living in their parents basement. More likely their parents are living in a house the YouTuber bought for them.

I don't think it's some cheap option. Big YouTubers are millionaires.

[Nutmegged]

Surely no one is really paying for Sky Sports for their Saturday morning show?! Its all about the live football. Maybe live golf for some.

Also anybody paying an arm and leg for Sky these days is off their rocker. Can get very reasonable discounted deals through haggling, although i reckon most people these days watch it using IPTV subs, which are dirt cheap.

I agree, if you pay for Sky you'll be doing it for the Live sport but Soccer AM feeds into that first live game, if Sky were doing a big pre matchday magazine show then I don't think folk would complain about Soccer AM but they understandably don't want to make two football based Saturday morning shows which makes sense, why would you compete against yourself? However if losing that meant possibly making something that would appeal to a viewer then I can see why they would moan.

I'm with you, I don't know anyone now who pays for Sky.

[Keith_M]

EEN running with the story of the time the ccs made an appearance back in 2000.


What, all of them?

[mayo hibee]

If a YouTuber makes it on TV, the odds are they're not living in their parents basement. More likely their parents are living in a house the YouTuber bought for them.

I don't think it's some cheap option. Big YouTubers are millionaires.

Sure they are, but for every big YouTuber there's 100 more wannabes living at home with their parents throwing out "content" and earning **** all. I don't think the Saturday Social that's replacing Soccer AM will be pulling in too many multi millionaire YouTubers somehow.

Most of the social media crowd that pop up on Sky Sports slots instead of the journalists they used to have on seem to be social media bloggers from the likes of "Hail Hail 67 blog" or similar crap.

It's cost savings from Sky, pure and simple. They're a company in massive decline. Can see them getting bought out by one of the international big boys in a few years actually.

[Mcbizz1998]

Great back in the day but had run it’s course. In part due to the changes in attitudes, some of the stuff they got away with was hilarious but would see them cancelled today.

Instead we had that “kicking it with the kamita’s” stuff, painful.

[MWHIBBIES]

Sure they are, but for every big YouTuber there's 100 more wannabes living at home with their parents throwing out "content" and earning **** all. I don't think the Saturday Social that's replacing Soccer AM will be pulling in too many multi millionaire YouTubers somehow.

Most of the social media crowd that pop up on Sky Sports slots instead of the journalists they used to have on seem to be social media bloggers from the likes of "Hail Hail 67 blog" or similar crap.

It's cost savings from Sky, pure and simple. They're a company in massive decline. Can see them getting bought out by one of the international big boys in a few years actually.

You act like there is something wrong with those people trying to make a living doing something they enjoy. Good for them. "Living with their parents" shouldn't be some kind of insult these days. Or any days. It's ****ing difficult to get your own place. Greedy landlords, greedier Tories and rising living costs have done that.

Skys content certainly has been declining. But really, who cares? It's a ridiculously overpriced service, always has been really. Some of these football blogs, podcasts, and YouTube channels offer far better insight.

[LaMotta]

I agree, if you pay for Sky you'll be doing it for the Live sport but Soccer AM feeds into that first live game, if Sky were doing a big pre matchday magazine show then I don't think folk would complain about Soccer AM but they understandably don't want to make two football based Saturday morning shows which makes sense, why would you compete against yourself? However if losing that meant possibly making something that would appeal to a viewer then I can see why they would moan.

I'm with you, I don't know anyone now who pays for Sky.

Good points mate:agree:

[BoomtownHibees]

It's cost savings from Sky, pure and simple. They're a company in massive decline. Can see them getting bought out by one of the international big boys in a few years actually.

You do know they’re already owned by Comcast right?