Sky's cloudy issue

Over the last eight years, Soccer Saturday has set a new benchmark for football coverage without the live pictures and terrestrial broadcasters have been quick to copy the format.

Part of the appeal is the sense that the viewer is sharing in the kind of conversation he or she would have with friends in the local pub.

Although the men on the screen are all household names, they all seem highly accessible. But as much as this relaxed, jocular atmosphere is an essential ingredient to the show's success, it is also a potential banana skin. What happens when macho banter pushes the boundaries of taste?

Before Marsh's weak Toon Army/tsunami gag on You're On Sky Sports this week, he had also been in trouble for controversial remarks relating to Gerard Houllier's heart problems and Stan Collymore's attack on Ulrika Jonsson. Colleague McLintock has meanwhile been reprimanded for using the phrase "10 little niggers", while George Best's drinking problems made him a notoriously volatile guest.

For Stelling, who is loathe to make any direct comment about his former sparring partner's gaffe, it is a tricky situation. The 49-year-old said: "Before the games we often go to the pub and discuss what we think is going to happen. The programme is basically an extension of our conversations.

"Football fans do not want to be talked down to, they do not want to be patronised. We discuss the serious issues hopefully in the same way as the viewers would.

"But we have always got to be aware that, although we are having bar-room type discussions, it is not a bar. There is always a risk with live television, that's what makes it better and more cutting edge than a pre-recorded programme."

This is the dilemma for producers. Fill the panel with bland, inoffensive pundits such as Trevor Francis, Ray Wilkins or Glenn Hoddle and it is dull television. Other the hand, with the colourful characters, there is always the risk of someone "doing a Rodney". Stelling added: "It's all about balance with the guests. You cannot have too many people who are just there for a laugh. You need those who can play it a little bit straighter. There are some people who want to come in but they are simply not interesting enough or they cannot master the art of watching a game and talking to me about what's just happened.

"The problem now - it's not just for Sky - is that finding the right guests. Footballers are paid so much that they don't need the money and are not keen to spend their Saturday afternoons in a TV studio.

"You basically need to find people with a passion for doing it. Matt Le Tissier is a good example." Even though the new Rodney will be difficult to find, the show's future is secure and there is no danger of Sky losing its remaining star turn.

Stelling, who previously worked for LBC, BBC and TV-AM before joining Sky, said: "There is no job I would rather do. It's my dream job. I get paid to do what a lot of people would give anything to do - talking about and watching football with legends of the game."

And Stelling will have special interest in Saturday's games. As a lifelong Hartlepool fan, he is hoping for positive news from Griffin Park, the nearest football ground to Sky's Isleworth headquarters. Victory over Brentford would give Neale Cooper's side the chance of a glamour tie and, as ever, Stelling will not be hiding his allegiance.

He said: "I used to get told by my boss there was more chance of the viewers finding out the Hartlepool score than Manchester United's.

"People expect Frank to be biased towards Arsenal, Matt to be biased towards Southampton and it's the same with me and Hartlepool. I just hope the fans of every other side in League One don't hate me."

Hartlepool and Brentford are divided by just two points in fifth and sixth in League One so the Cup tie looks a difficult one to call. Stelling commented: "It is a massive game for both clubs but the good thing is that, for whoever loses, they still have plenty to play for in the league.

"Neale Cooper and Martin Allen are both quite similar. They are both bright young managers who wear their hearts on their sleeve and can be explosive at times.

"Neale has done a brilliant job over the last two seasons. When he got the job we had just been promoted and most fans would have settled for fifth from bottom, but he took us into the play-offs. This season he has proved it was no flash in the pan."