Soccer AM hosts joke about show being axed has viewers divided

The presenters of Soccer AM made a joke about the recent announcement that the show is set to be axed after nearly 30 years on air, and it’s fair to say that it divided opinion amongst viewers.

Here's the moment that they addressed the situation:

Nearly every footy fan of a certain age that had access to a Sky TV box will be aware of Soccer AM.

Sure, it’s not always been the most politically correct show – Soccerette, anyone? – and it’s certainly not been the funniest show on telly, but it definitely helped to pass the time between waking up and the early kick off, right?

What more do you want?

The premise of the show is pretty simple – you get to see all the goals from the previous week’s football, coupled with some laddish banter and regular segments of questionable comedy.

Some of it is great, some of it – if we’re being generous – is not.

However, after almost three decades on air, the show is reportedly set to come to an end at the end of this season.

In place of Soccer AM, another show called Saturday Social is reported to take its place, and the team will be broken up.

This week, the first show since the speculation started, saw hosts Jimmy Bullard and John ‘Fenners’ Fendley address the speculation in typical Soccer AM style.

Sky/Soccer AM

"Before we go any further, I'm going to address the elephant in the room," Fenners said.

Then, he went right ahead and shouted at a person wearing an elephant costume asking what everyone’s coffee order was.

It’s not exactly the most cerebral humour ever, but it’s effective.

However, not everyone thought that the classic bait-and-switch joke was a winner. In fact, some really hated it.

One said: "This is the exact reason the show has been axed!"

“Soccer Am was unmissable viewing at one point. Now it’s sadly like watching a once great player playing in League 2," another said.

To be fair, it has always been a bit like that.

However, some found it funny, with one person writing: "Best thing the elephant has a suit on"

And another said: "soccer am finally used your elephant in the room joke today."

In a statement, a spokesperson for Sky 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.”

Sky/Soccer AM

The show started back in 1994, hosted by Tim Lovejoy and Helen Chamberlain, who kept things running for the longest time before hosts such as Max Rushden and Fenners took over.

Bullard – who had a successful career as a player until retiring – has been a part of the show since 2017.

The last Soccer AM will air on May 27 2023, with the final round of this season’s Premier League matches taking place the following day.