Soccer AM legend Fenners has opened up on his struggles after the iconic show’s demise.
Sky Sports brought an end to the Saturday morning staple last year. It had been on air for nearly 30 years but was replaced by Saturday Social in the broadcaster’s bid to embrace social media and influencers.
Its axing was a big loss for viewers, and even tougher to take for those who worked on the programme. Fenners – real name John Fendley – had been presenting since 2015, having previously worked behind the scenes.
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He explained how he was left “in a dark place” after feeling “humiliated” by the sad end when reunited with former colleagues Jimmy Bullard and Tubes on Golf Life.
Asked if he looks back on Soccer AM with fond memories, Fenners replied: “I didn’t at first, it was quite hard to be honest. Just in a dark place for a bit I’ll be honest with you.
“Felt a bit, not let down, just a bit humiliated that it had ended like it did. Everyone says to you ‘you’ll be fine, you’ll get work’. I did believe that initially.
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“I wanted to hit the ground running, I wasn’t sitting there going ‘I’m just gonna kick back a bit and wait until I get a job’. I was on the phone, ringing up people and having meetings and having coffees.
“You know within 10 seconds when you’re in one of those meetings ‘this is a waste of time, I can see they’re just being polite’. It was always going to be hard for me to go and get a job like Soccer AM, to be a presenter and a producer. It’s kind of a unique role.”
The 56-year-old admitted to foreseeing the end of the show a couple of years beforehand, and tried to push himself for what may be next. He held talks with three senior Sky figures in his final months, eager to stay in their employment.
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But he didn’t get the response he was looking for, feeling as though it wasn’t reciprocated from above. He even applied to replace Jeff Stelling on Soccer Saturday despite knowing “I was never going to get that job”, as he was “so desperate to stay”.
With hindsight, Fenners now feels it was likely the right call to depart – but he doesn’t feel Sky made the correct decision on Soccer AM’s future. “It was really hard,” he continued.
“First Saturday of the season, I was on holiday with the family, and my head was so f***ing gone, I came back. I said to Kate and the girls ‘I’m coming back’, I was not good to be around at all.
(Image: @fennersinsta/Instagram)
“I sat and I watched Sky all day. It was weird. After a while I got to (a place where I was) not missing it. It was so entrenched in me, that way of working. Don’t get me wrong, it was the best job in the world, but it was relentless.
“I think I was just pretty worn out with it all. Creatively, my head, it was a lot. Ultimately I think for me to go, it was probably right. I didn’t feel, like a lot of people, it was the right decision to get rid of Soccer AM.”
While the emotions were initially raw, Fenners does of course hold fond memories of his work and went on to express gratitude for the experience it gave him. He can see Soccer AM one day returning, but admitted it’s the people who made it so popular with footy fans.