Simon Thomas officially the man named to replace Jeff Stelling on Soccer Saturday

Simon Thomas is the man for the job.

Former Blue Peter presenter Simon Thomas has officially been named as the man to replace Jeff Stelling on Sky Sports Soccer Saturday programme. There was a lot of competition for the job that was made famous by Stelling and the original panel that commentated and reviewed the football every weekend. According to Mail Sport Sky will announce that Thomas will be the man in the hot seat and entertain us for many Premier League weekends to come. The 50-year-old had previously worked with the broadcasting company before, fronting a lot of the football, but stepped away from the job following the tragic loss of his wife six years ago. The presenter took the time away to care for his family, and built a successful career as a freelancer. Thomas’ first show as Soccer Saturday host will take place in three weeks’ time on the first day of the Football League season on 5 August and the Premier League will officially kick off a week later. Several presenters and pundits have retired or walked away from their long-serving jobs in recent months. Graeme Souness announced his retirement, as did Martin Tyler, while Stelling will be looking for work elsewhere. Geoff Shreeves was then the latest to declare that he too was the leaving the company. Related links:

• Sky Sports departure list continues to grow as Geoff Shreeves quits
• Jeff Stelling won’t return to television until next year
• Jeff Stelling enters talks with BBC and Amazon over presenting role
• Richard Keys warns Sky Sports legend he ‘could be next’ after Graeme Souness exit
• Graeme Souness has left Sky Sports after 15 years
• Jeff Stelling reveals ‘low point’ of Soccer Saturday career
• Jeff Stelling announces he is leaving Sky Sports and Soccer Saturday
• Jeff Stelling shows off new look on Soccer Saturday to defend colleague