Jeff Stelling says goodbye to Soccer Saturday

Thanks very much indeed, Charles, and all the teatime scores from the County Championship coming up. It's football all the way here on Sports Saturday. I promise you, no tricks, plenty of treats. We'll keep you bang in touch with all of them once you let Soccer Saturday. We hear that Jimmy Glass, the goalkeeper, has scored. And is it so hot in the pool? And is it so hot? It's pretty warm in here. You might have gathered we have had a little issue here at the Soccer Saturday studio. What was it? Absolute mayhem in this deli household. Stan has just said my phone and my internet connection absolutely crashing. Only people will know that Jeff Sterling works from 12 till 6. This is so awkward. It's Lukaku's agent, not the wife, is it? Hi darling, yeah, I'm at work. You know who it is? Who's calling? It's Sky Sports. It's their broadband section. Hi Jeff. I love playing football in my career. I also love working with you, Jeff Sterling. You've made us so welcome and relaxed. And I wish you all the best for the future. Good luck, mate. You're the best. What happened in 1981 today, George? I can't remember last night, Jeff. What do you find about Bryn Morris? He is a good Hartlepool boy. Why are you not playing for us, Bryn? He's too good for you, that's why. Very funny, Chris. You can find something else to do on Saturday, I think. I've always said to you, if the rest is the best and there's the goat, you are by far, buddy, the greatest of all time. And it's been my pleasure to have the chance to call you my colleague and my friend. I've often asked this question, if you were stuck in an island, who would you take out the other lads? And the answer is without doubt, Tomo. We can go back to you, Jeff, because I think Hartlepool have equalised. Don't lose the microphone. You keep it on. Hi, Jeff. Thanks for everything you've done for me on the show. How comfortable you've made me feel from day one. And I wish you all the best, mate. This is great. Kervin Ashton against Chester. The game was stopped for 10 minutes, 15 minutes into the first half. Because the referee had to move his car. Ravers are behind against Alloa in his Cameron. I know, I know, OK? Mo Iser from the penalty spot. You can bank on it. And every time that your dad scored, you know, I said... Adam Stanfield has got the goal. Lisa will be proud. So when you score, you know, four X in the city, we're just going to say... Jay Stanfield has got the goal. His dad will be absolutely proud. Hi, Jeff. It's malice. And all those years of working with you, mate, were great times. Jeff, you're simply the best. Frank Blue Tail. Has anyone seen it? One of the Island cats, apparently, got in a bit later in the day. Coming up next, we look forward to part three of Super Sunday. Liverpool against Southampton. Hi, Jeff. I cannot believe it's all those years since the first Soccer Saturday. As always, absolutely best presenter ever. So it was Al Marone's shot just sailing past me. You leaving Sky is just absolutely astonishing. But it's going to be somebody else's company's game. They'll have the best sports presenter in the world going to work for them. Is that right? Is that what you wanted me to say? That had nothing to do with me. Nothing at all to do with me. Tomo says, Jeff, I don't know what Sky would do without you, but I'm going to give it a go. You lot, shut up. Speak when you're spoken to. You saw that survey this week. It said that Middlesbrough's the worst place to live in England and Hartlepool was the 20th worst. I thought it was upside down, to be absolutely honest. Look, this is not a rant, but the people who compile this, tosh. They've never been to Middlesbrough. They don't know about the Cleveland Hills. They've never visited Captain Cook's Monument. They've never been to the Institute of Modern Arts. And what about the famous sons and daughters of Middlesbrough? Brian Clubb. What about Rory Underwood? Ray Mallon. Jonathan Woodgate. Chris Tomlinson. Chris Kamara. Unbelievable. Unbelievable, Jeff. OK, it's not quite as nice as Hartlepool, but I tell you, Middlesbrough is a darn fine place to live. You need to be more professional. Here are going mad out of the way. Just patting myself on the back for that. A lot of anger around today, most of it from me having to spend the day with them. So... I was going to swear. It's so boring. Every week, we bang on about VAR, and it takes hours to do it. Blimey. How far is it to go to extra and lose it in 90 second minutes? Guess what's happened? Bianca Westwood reporting. Watch the extended SC Gone feature on YouTube.com slash Sky Sports Football. It was wicked, bro. Sorry, there's normally an opening music. I know. Oh! For the first time, he could have said, unbelievable, Jeff, and he didn't. Fratton Park where there's been a red card, but for whom, Chris De Mora? I don't know, Jeff, has there? I must have missed that. Red card? Get your fingers out. Count up the number of Portsmouth players who are on the field. No, you're right, I saw him go off, and I thought they were bringing a sub on, Jeff. LAUGHTER Cutting-edge reports on Gillette Soccer Saturday. Simply the best broadcaster ever. I love you like a brother. The only last thing to say is, you are unbelievable, Jeff. I am not going to show any emotion at all. Unbelievable, Jeff. Not at all. Unbelievable, Jeff. Thank you, guys. Let's keep clapping. That was brilliant, and thank you very much to whoever did it. Absolutely fantastic. Thanks for the applause. I mean, this is tricky. Because I've changed my mind. LAUGHTER Just kidding. I haven't changed my mind this time. It was fantastic to see people that we've all worked with, the likes of Alan Muller, who I haven't seen for years, and Frank McClintock and Clive Allen, as well as all of the old gang. And I've had some fantastic messages during the last few days, something like Gordon Stratton was texting me this morning, Neil Warnock, Richie Humphries, who was Sheffield Wednesday and a Hartlepool legend, as well, Cammy, of course. And people from outside of football, Georgie Ainslie, we know her as Georgie Thompson, is Ben Ainslie's wife. Elton John rang me this week. I mean, you know, somebody asked me the other day, have I ever been starstruck? And, yeah, I was starstruck when Elton John rang me at home to say thank you very much for all you've done. He said, every week, he said, I watch the show, and he said, every week you tell me Watford are losing, and every week you tell me Hartlepool are losing. He said, I feel like we're kindred spirits. And there's something in that, isn't there? But, I mean, the great thing is, it's... I think what people don't realise, it's a team game. And it's a team game right from the people, you know, in the call centres, who take your calls and so on if something's going wrong, right through to the runners who work on the show, the production team, the people behind the cameras, and obviously the people who are here. We've heard from a lot of them there, Tommo and Charlie and Matt Letiziaw and the rest of them, and this gang of four as well. It's all been absolutely fantastic. So everybody I've worked with over the past 30 years, I'd like to say thank you for that. And... God, this is a monologue, isn't it? It's not just on this show, by the way. I just want to mention the people on The Winning Post, the horse racing that I did for many years as well, Times Of Our Lives, which was a series with Mark Pierman that I absolutely adored doing, the live snooker, darts, greyhound racing, pool. I mean, it was the last four there. My then boss, the late, lamented Vic Wakeling, said to me, you know, they're all working-class sports, son, you can do all of those. And it was true, wasn't it, you know? So it's been absolutely wonderful in that respect. It's been the best job that anybody could possibly have wished for. My wife takes great pleasure, wife Lizzie takes great pleasure in saying, you are the luckiest man ever to take a breath. And you know what? I don't tell her this often, but she's right. But, look, the principal success of Soccer Saturday, I just want to say this before we go, is you lot at home, you lot at home who have given us unswerving support both for the programme and for me personally. So that's it. Soccer Saturday will be back next season. I'll be watching when Hartlepool are not playing. But from me, goodbye.