Daily Mail: PR experts say Sky's axed Soccer AM football show 'ran out of steam'

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Axed Soccer AM was no longer able to maintain its impact and became 'tired and lacking energy' after it was forced to tone down its 'brash and laddish' attitude, a PR expert said today.

The Saturday morning football programme is set to be shelved after almost 30 years as part of a drastic Sky Sports shake-up. Staff were reportedly told yesterday that the show was to wrap up at the end of the current season.

PR experts said today that the programme – which was first broadcast in 1992 during the height of the 'Lads' Mag' era – could no longer compete in the way it once had due to change in public attitudes.

It had been forced to drop some of the more well-known features that made it such a hit with viewers, including the 'Soccerettes' segment, which involved young models and actresses appearing in a football shirt. It was pulled in 2015 after it triggered claims that they were being exploited or mocked by the 'laddish banter'.

The show also saw an exodus of popular presenters who fronted the show and made it such a success, such as Tim Lovejoy and Helen Chamberlain. Experts cited the impact of YouTube too, with viewers switching to social media sites to watch the sort of the jokes and skits similar to those performed on the programme.

'There has been a lack of promotion of the programme and it has lacked any energy and become quite tired.

‘It’s had to tone down from the Lads' Mag era because times are now different.

‘If people are not watching it, it’s because that sort of irreverence is being done by YouTubers now.

‘A lot of celebrities as well are frightened of going into a space – like Soccer AM was – which had a bit of a brash and laddish reputation in case there is backlash.

‘There is also a lot more competition now, so people have a lot more options if they don’t like it any more.

‘It’s of an age where it can’t be what it wants to be.’

The Sun claimed that bosses have made the decision to axe the popular Saturday morning show, with ten episodes left before it is taken off screens.

A source told the newspaper that morale is 'at an all-time low' following the 'bombshell' announcement which has left staff, who are now facing redundancy in May, 'raging'.

Saturday Social, which was previously shown, before Soccer AM, is reportedly going to fill the vacant slot from next season with an aim of targeting younger viewers.

Soccer AM had proven to be a huge hit for Sky.

The 90-minute football comedy show includes a variety of segments as well as sitdowns with some of the game's biggest players and managers.

Russ Williams and Helen Chamberlain were the original hosts, before Lovejoy replaced Williams two years in.

Lovejoy, who hosted it through until 2007 before being succeeded by Andy Goldstein, and later Max Rushden, would regularly cause havoc in one of the many segments he came up with.

At one stage he was offering £5 to any fan who turned up at a match with a 'Lovejoy is a Legend' banner.

However, that was soon abandoned as banners appeared at multiple games and his costs were piling up.

The car park game, fans of the week and the Soccerette were among the most notable segments.

Dale also had a regular spot on the programme where he could ask only one question to the studio guests.

He would pose his inquiry, usually a comedic one, before shaking his subject's hand and walking off.

More recent iterations of the show have been hosted by John Fendley, who got involved in 2015 when Rushden left, and former Hull City and Wigan Athletic midfielder Jimmy Bullard, who started in 2017.

Speaking to the Athletic in 2020, Lovejoy revealed: 'I stopped watching it [the programme] when I left, it was too hard to watch it.

'I tune in every now and then because Fenners is on it and I want to support him. Again, another crap analogy, it's like watching your old girlfriend with another man.

'I couldn't do it. I couldn't watch it. So I stopped watching it totally. And then I started tuning in again to watch Fenners, because obviously I worked with him for years and he's a top bloke.

'It's too hard for me because I watch it all and I want to join in with it. I'd really like to input on the show and put stuff on there and I find it too hard.'

Soccer AM went on to become the first live show on Sky to have to go on a broadcast delay due to lewd references and swearing. What started as a three-second delay soon became ten seconds.

Sky Sports' schedule has been subject to drastic change in recent years, with shake-ups to their presenters or shows not uncommon.

Back in 2020 the decision was made to scrap Sunday Supplement, a morning debate show with newspaper journalists about football's biggest stories.

Soon after Goals on Sunday, a highlights show with Ben Shephard and Chris Kamara, and The Debate, were shelved.

A Sky spokesman, who spoke to the Sun, 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.'

One iconic Soccer AM feature was their 'Skill Skool', which showcased the skills of young footballers.

Among those to feature in the segment in their younger years was Chelsea star Raheem Sterling, Liverpool's Jordan Henderson and West Ham striker Danny Ings.