Chris Kamara admits he fears getting axed by Sky after Soccer Saturday cull of mates Matt Le Tissier, Phil Thompson and Charlie Nicholas because he and Jeff Stelling are ‘not expendable’
- The trio were sacked in August as part of a major shake-up of Soccer Saturday
- Chris Kamara and Jeff Stelling survived but the Stelling did consider his future
- Kamara, 62, admits that his time to leave the show may soon be in the offing
Sky Sports’ favourite Chris Kamara has admitted he is fearful he may soon join Matt Le Tissier, Phil Thompson and Charlie Nicholas in receiving the axe from Soccer Saturday.
A huge revamp from Sky saw the three old-school stars sacked from their positions in August, and their sudden dismissal was described by presenter Jeff Stelling – who considered quitting himself – as one of the saddest days of his career.
Kamara admitted he easily could have been similarly culled but speaking to The Sun, the 62-year-old worries his time to say goodbye may not be in the too distant future but insisted he would leave with good memories.
Chris Kamara has admitted he fears he will soon be axed from Soccer Saturday
Friends Matt Le Tissier (left) and Phil Thompson (right) were axed from the show in August
‘I could have went in the last one. Me and Jeff, we’re not expendable, so we feel our time will come. We are getting old as well,’ Kamara said. ‘These are young bloods coming through.
‘And there are people who think we were great a few years ago but probably think we’ve done our time now and let’s bring in the youngsters.
‘But if it all ended tomorrow at Sky, I can honestly say that they have been fantastic to me.
‘To be with a company for 22 years, you don’t get a manager’s job 22 years unless you’re Sir Alex [Ferguson] or Arsene Wenger.’
Charlie Nicholas was also sacked as part of a major revamp of the popular programme
In an exclusive interview with Sportsmail in September, Kamara opened up on the ‘gutting’ sackings of the trio – who all had one year left on their contracts – and has now admitted the decision did come as a surprise.
‘I was absolutely devastated,’ he added.
‘They had such good banter and you thought they were going to be there for ever. Then Sky made the change to bring in Charlie, Thomo, Le Tiss, so that acceptance that it had to be them this time around took me by surprise.
‘I’m just fortunate I wasn’t on the end of it as well. The boys accepted it.
Presenter Jeff Stelling considered his future but decided to stay on after the sackings
‘They’re great people, they’ve been fantastic to work with all the time. We certainly had a lot of banter together and a lot of camaraderie.’
Sue Smith and Clinton Morrison, both 41, have formed part of a fresh line-up and the pair have also been joined by 36-year-old former England right-back Glen Johnson.
Kamara however did welcome the new additions, adding that they have added much-needed diversity to the programme.
The 62-year-old has also spoken out this year on the racism he suffered while growing up in Middlesbrough as well as during his professional career, when he was refused a drink at a pub because of the colour of his skin following an away game.
Glen Johnson (right) is one of the replacements for the trio in a fresh Soccer Saturday lineup