Former Sky Sports pundit Rodney Marsh has claimed that Soccer Saturday has become 'bland' since he was sacked in 2005 for an ill-judged remark about the Indian Ocean tsunami. The 81-year-old, who was one of the show's most beloved analysts, told The Telegraph that the programme has lost its edge.
Marsh was dismissed after he joked during a live broadcast of You're On Sky Sports: 'David Beckham has turned down a move to Newcastle United because of trouble with the Toon Army in Asia.' He later apologised unreservedly but was given his marching orders.
Reflecting on his time on the show, Marsh said: 'It was edgy in those days, pushing the envelope a bit. Now it's all b******s, all conforming to what people want to hear. It's become very bland in my view.' He also recalled winding up then-host Jeff Stelling alongside the late George Best, who would make jokes about naming cars to get money from each other.
Marsh revealed that Sky Sports managing director Vic Wakeling had told him: 'We'd had four Ofcom complaints over the whole of Sky Sports in the last year, and three of them were for you.' Despite the sacking, Marsh said he holds no grudges, adding: 'The king is dead, long live the king.'
Since his departure, Soccer Saturday has undergone major changes, with Stelling leaving in 2023 and former pundits Phil Thompson, Charlie Nicholas, Matt Le Tissier and Tony Cottee also exiting. Marsh went on to appear in I'm a Celebrity... Get Me Out of Here! in 2007 and now co-hosts Grumpy Pundits on Sirius Radio.
