The final episode of Soccer AM aired today after the show was canceled by Sky bosses earlier this season amid a major shake-up at the organisation.
But fans of the show are baffled by what has been described as an “anti-climactic” finale.
Some scratched their heads as to why no former presenters, including Max Rushden, Helen Chamberlain and Tim Lovejoy, were not welcome, with one even suggesting that ‘Sky had scored an own goal’.
It’s because the iconic football show is coming to an end after nearly 30 years of broadcasting.
The final episode was, as you might expect, quite chaotic as current presenters John ‘Fenners’ Fendley and Jimmy Bullard waved goodbye to the program and were joined by several big names.
Soccer AM aired for the last time on Saturday after 30 years on the air
Jimmy Bullard (left) and John Fendley (right) hosted the last-ever episode of the iconic football show
They were joined by an esteemed group of guests including Stephen Graham (first left), Jack Whitehall (second right) and Stormzy (first right).
Stormzy, Jack Whitehall and Stephen Graham were all guests, while ‘Mr Soccer AM’ himself, Tubes, interviewed Premier League title winning captain Ilkay Gundogan, after the German midfielder presented him with a cake to commemorate his time on the program .
Fendley joked that the show had blown their remaining budget on the illustrious guests for the finale, while also saying that “28 years of madness is coming to an end.”
Iconic segments played, with the show paying homage to Tubes and reminiscing about his ‘one question and one question only’ interviews, while replays of Jimmy Bullard’s stunning shot into the ‘top bins’ were shown.
The group also moved to the John Arne Riise Arena Arena for the last time, where Stormzy netted a penalty to win Cheltenham fans £400.
The show was somewhat marred when Fenner’s microphone began to lose power before the end of the program, and several expletives were also heard from some of the guests during the show.
But some have taken to social media to criticize the latest episode, claiming Sky missed a trick.
One user wrote: ‘A bit of an anticlimax that last Soccer AM, you would think they would have got Helen and Lovejoy on their feet and made a deal out of it. Instead, the same lame sketches and those separate twins.’
Another wrote: ‘Sky Sports scored an own goal today.’
Others also took to Twitter to say goodbye to the show, including former Liverpool defender turned Sky Sports pundit, Jamie Carragher, who wrote on Twitter: “See you at Soccer AM. I loved watching it and appearing on it.”
Under his Tweet, Carragher posted a video of his cracking slide tackle on Bullard at the John Arne Riise Arena Arena.
Many joined in with tributes to the show, with one writing, “An emotional show for Soccer AM’s final farewell. Very sad to see it end, it’s been a big part of Saturday morning in my life since I can remember. Thank you to everyone involved with the show for making it so special for all this time. Will be sorely missed.’
Fans were baffled by the latest show, which they claimed was “anti-climactic.”
Jamie Carragher posted a ‘Goodbye’ message to the iconic football show on his Twitter
Other fans paid tribute to the Saturday morning football show, with some posting “emotional” messages online
Some suggested Sky should have brought back some of the show’s ex-presenters Helen Chamberlain (left) and Tim Lovejoy (right)
It comes as former co-presenter Rushden criticized Sky for ‘missing the trick’ by not inviting any of the ex-presenters back for the show’s final appearance.
After presenting the show for a while, Rushden is now the host of The Guardian’s Football Weekly podcast.
Chamberlain, another iconic host of the show, has since retired from television and embarked on a life full of land farming and metal detecting.
Meanwhile, Lovejoy, who was with the show from 1996 to 2007, now hosts Channel 4’s Sunday Brunch alongside chef Simon Rimmer.