Jeff Stelling ‘might have to wear a disguise' to watch Hartlepool amid owner row
Stelling resigned as honorary president of Hartlepool in May in protest at Singh's handling of negotiations to sell the club after it became clear that a local consortium's proposed takeover was not progressing.
Singh has reportedly now written to National League clubs asking that Stelling be denied access to boardrooms should he attend Hartlepool fixtures at their ground this season.
Thanks Jon. Appreciate it. Once a Poolie, always a Poolie and by the way I wish Simon Grayson and the boys all the best this season. Might have to disguise myself in my Blues Brothers outfit from a couple of years ago to get into the Vic but will be at many away games !
— Jeff Stelling (@JeffStelling) August 5, 2025
Those reports led to Hartlepool MP Jonathan Brash writing to National League clubs himself urging them to treat Stelling with the 'respect and courtesy that he has most certainly earned'.
Former Sky Sports turned TalkSPORT presenter Stelling admitted drastic action may be necessary for him to watch Hartlepool games at their Victoria Park home.
Replying to a supportive tweet from Hartlepool fan Jon Parkinson, Stelling wrote on X: 'Thanks Jon. Appreciate it. Once a Poolie, always a Poolie and by the way I wish (manager) Simon Grayson and the boys all the best this season.
'Might have to disguise myself in my Blues Brothers outfit from a couple of years ago to get into the Vic but will be at many away games.'
I'm writing to National League clubs to request that @JeffStelling be treated with the respect and courtesy that he has most certainly earned. #UTP https://t.co/o6DYBGKBkq pic.twitter.com/Fr6Wz0by55
— Jonathan Brash MP (@JonathanBrash) August 5, 2025
The cult musical action comedy film made in 1980 saw its two stars, John Belushi and Dan Aykroyd, wear matching dark suits, black pencil ties, black trilby hats and sunglasses.
Labour MP Brash wrote to National League clubs on House of Commons-headed notepaper asking that Stelling be afforded a 'warm welcome' should he attend Hartlepool games at their grounds.
In the letter published on X, Brash wrote: 'Jeff Stelling is a Freeman of Hartlepool, one of our most favoured sons, and a football broadcaster and journalist of international renown.
'He has dedicated much of his life to supporting football at every level, and especially to championing our club and our town.
Jonathan thanks so much for that. I ampretty sure most clubs will be as gracious with me as they always have been. If not I have got no problem being with the travelling Poolies!
— Jeff Stelling (@JeffStelling) August 5, 2025
'While robust debate and difference of opinion are part and parcel of football, I would respectfully request that Mr Stelling is afforded the warm welcome and courtesy he rightly deserves whenever Hartlepool United visit your club.'
Stelling replied: 'Jonathan thanks so much for that. I am pretty sure most clubs will be as gracious with me as they always have been. If not I have got no problem being with the travelling Poolies!'
Hartlepool play their first league game of the season at Yeovil on Saturday.
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Powys County Times
11 hours ago
- Powys County Times
I'd rather sit with the fans, says Jeff Stelling amid row with Hartlepool owner
Broadcaster Jeff Stelling has vowed to join Hartlepool fans on the terraces amid an escalating row with the National League club's owner. Former Sky Sports and now TalkSPORT presenter Stelling joked on Tuesday evening that he might have to dress up as a Blues Brother to support the club after Raj Singh wrote to Pool's league rivals, urging them not to admit him to their boardrooms this season. The 70-year-old stood down as honorary president in May in protest at the owner's handling of negotiations to sell Hartlepool to a local consortium after talks had stalled, and while he believes he will not be welcome at the Prestige Group Stadium, he will continue to support his team on the road. Asked about the situation on TalkSPORT on Wednesday morning, Stelling said: 'You know what? It didn't bother me, I'm not president of the football club anymore. 'It's my football club, I'm a lifelong supporter of that football club and if it came down to the fact that I travelled and stood with the Poolies, the Hartlepool supporters, wherever they are, then that's… 'We're away to Yeovil on Saturday – I'd already bought my ticket to be with the fans, so I didn't get the issue or why Mr Singh wanted to raise it. 'But of course, then it was leaked to the media and then of course it all spiralled and spiralled out of control. The other thing that I took offence to was in the statement he says in the unlikely event that I attend games independently. 'Well, I mean, last season I went to Aldershot, Eastleigh, Solihull, Southend, Sutton, Wealdstone, Woking, Dagenham and Redbridge, Ebbsfleet, Maidenhead and a few others as well, so, it's not so unlikely that I'll attend.' ⏭ 𝑵𝑬𝑿𝑻 𝑼𝑷 Our @NL_Enterprise season kicks off at @YTFC this Saturday! #HUFC — Hartlepool United (@Official_HUFC) August 6, 2025 Hartlepool issued a statement on Wednesday afternoon insisting that the letter was written asking opposition not to seat Stelling in 'dignitary places'. A statement on the club website said: 'For absolute clarity, neither the club nor chairman have asked for other clubs in the National League to exclude or ban Mr Stelling from matches at their grounds. 'The letter that the club recently sent to National League opposition simply informed opposition that Mr Stelling no longer held a formal role and considerately asked opposition not to allocate Mr Stelling dignitary places or seating, so as to avoid any unnecessary confusion or embarrassment on match days for the benefit of all parties including Mr Stelling. 'Mr Stelling is of course able to attend away matches in any other capacity, as he stated was his intention when he resigned. At no point has the club or chairman requested or suggested that be otherwise.' In his letter – sent last month – Singh wrote: 'You may be aware from media coverage that Jeff Stelling has resigned as honorary president of Hartlepool United Football Club. 'As chairman, I would kindly and considerately ask that Mr Stelling is not provided with official HUFC dignitary spaces in your boardroom or equivalent for any Hartlepool United fixture at your home ground. 'In the unlikely event that Mr Stelling independently attends any Hartlepool United fixture at your home ground, I'd further request that you consider to seat Mr Stelling separately to any HUFC dignitaries or staff.' In response to Singh's move, the town's MP Jonathan Brash has in turn written to National League clubs urging them to treat the popular broadcaster with the 'respect and courtesy that he has most certainly earned'.
The Guardian
12 hours ago
- The Guardian
Unbelievable, Jeff! Hartlepool's beef with Stelling is a baffling business
You come at the Stelling you'd best not miss, as the famous quote from The Wire's Omar Little kind of goes. Feared by his enemies and loved by viewers, the scar-faced stick-up man's advice suggests that anyone attempting to challenge the established order should be prepared for unpleasant consequences if their plan backfires. It is a lesson Hartlepool United owner Raj Singh is currently learning the hard way after sending a letter to each of Hartlepool's fellow National League clubs asking them to ban Jeff Stelling – the TalkSport and former Soccer Saturday host, and national treasure – from their boardrooms and hospitality suites for the season ahead. In scenes that his chum Chris Kamara would almost certainly describe as 'Unbelievable, Jeff!' (unless they in some way involved an Anthony Vanden Borre red card at Fratton Park), Stelling resigned from his role as president of Hartlepool in May, in protest at Singh's handling of negotiations over the protracted non-sale of his beloved hometown club. Apparently still fuming over Stelling's decision to step down from an honorary role in which he wielded the same amount of power as your average regimental goat, Singh recently embarked on a letter-writing campaign to call upon his fellow owners to deny Stelling any of the myriad lavish trappings of hospitality associated with cash-strapped non-league clubs when he travels to Hartlepool away games. Having initially made it clear that Jeff was not to be considered for any freebies specifically designated for club officials, Singh added: 'In the unlikely event that Mr Stelling independently attends any Hartlepool fixture at your home ground, I'd further request that you consider to seat Mr Stelling separately to any HUFC dignitaries or staff.' And while nobody is denying Hartlepool has its dignitaries, it seems actual dignity is currently at a premium in their corridors of power. Football Daily doesn't claim to be familiar with the nitty-gritty of the beef, but what we can say for sure is that we hope Stelling has another one of his charity walks teed up, so that he'll be able to march off the excess blubber he's certain to put on after National League clubs the length and breadth of the country fall over each other to defy what looks like a petty and sly act of vindictiveness. In calling for Stelling to be denied hospitality, Hartlepool's owner has almost certainly guaranteed that the universally popular broadcaster will be subjected to the kind of extreme levels of corporate largesse unlikely to be witnessed in the fifth tier ever again unless Manchester City end up playing in it after the verdict on those 100-plus charges is finally announced. 'I'm a lifelong supporter of that football club and if it came down to the fact that I travelled and stood with the Poolies, the Hartlepool supporters, wherever they are, then that's fine,' a slightly baffled Jeff told his radio audience. 'I'd already bought my ticket – we're away to Yeovil on Saturday – to be with the fans, so I didn't get the issue or why Mr Singh wanted to raise it. The other thing that I took offence to was in the statement he says in the unlikely event that I attend games independently. Well, I mean, last season I went to Aldershot, Eastleigh, Solihull, Southend, Sutton, Wealdstone, Woking, Dagenham and Redbridge, Ebbsfleet, Maidenhead and a few others as well, so, it's not so unlikely that I'll attend. I'll be at Yeovil on Saturday and I'll tell you what, I'll say it right now – if Mr Singh is there, I'll be happy to meet him and have a chat with him.' Meet him? If the Yeovil Town hierarchy have anything at all about them, Jeff will be sitting right beside the man he says he hasn't seen in at least a year. It certainly sounds like it's time for either a long overdue catch-up or 90 minutes of awkward silence. I've done one live performance which felt a bit weird – there was a live band playing the drums and I had to literally use it as an instrument, which felt crazy, but I enjoyed it. 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Join Max Rushden, Barry Glendenning and the Football Weekly pod squad take a dep dive into the thorny issue of football finance as the new season begins. On Thursday 11 September, join Max Rushden, Barry Glendenning and a host of your other Football Weekly favourites live on stage for an evening of unfiltered football punditry at Troxy in London and livestreamed globally. Book now. From one gameshow host in Jeff Stelling to another. Gary Lineker's hasty departure from the BBC did not mean the end of the former Leicester and Everton striker's TV career. To further the comparisons with Des Lynam, he's on his way to ITV, though not to host a red-hot soccer show but to be its new Leslie Crowther. Come on down? 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Let's hope the summer heat didn't cause it to melt.
South Wales Guardian
14 hours ago
- South Wales Guardian
I'd rather sit with the fans, says Jeff Stelling amid row with Hartlepool owner
Former Sky Sports and now TalkSPORT presenter Stelling joked on Tuesday evening that he might have to dress up as a Blues Brother to support the club after Raj Singh wrote to Pool's league rivals, urging them not to admit him to their boardrooms this season. The 70-year-old stood down as honorary president in May in protest at the owner's handling of negotiations to sell Hartlepool to a local consortium after talks had stalled, and while he believes he will not be welcome at the Prestige Group Stadium, he will continue to support his team on the road. Asked about the situation on TalkSPORT on Wednesday morning, Stelling, who revealed he was asleep when the story broke on Tuesday night, said: 'You know what? It didn't bother me, I'm not president of the football club anymore. 'It's my football club, I'm a lifelong supporter of that football club and if it came down to the fact that I travelled and stood with the Poolies, the Hartlepool supporters, wherever they are, then that's… 'I'd already bought my ticket – we're away to Yeovil on Saturday – I'd already bought my ticket to be with the fans, so I didn't get the issue or why Mr Singh wanted to raise it. 'But of course, then it was leaked to the media and then of course it all spiralled and spiralled out of control. The other thing that I took offence to was in the statement he says in the unlikely event that I attend games independently. 'Well, I mean, last season I went to Aldershot, Eastleigh, Solihull, Southend, Sutton, Wealdstone, Woking, Dagenham and Redbridge, Ebbsfleet, Maidenhead and a few others as well, so, it's not so unlikely that I'll attend.' In his letter – which was sent last month – Singh wrote: 'You may be aware from media coverage that Jeff Stelling has resigned as honorary president of Hartlepool United Football Club. 'As chairman of Hartlepool United Football Club, I would kindly and considerately ask that Mr Stelling is not provided with official HUFC dignitary spaces in your boardroom or equivalent for any Hartlepool United fixture at your home ground. 'In the unlikely event that Mr Stelling independently attends any Hartlepool United fixture at your home ground, I'd further request that you consider to seat Mr Stelling separately to any HUFC dignitaries or staff.' In response to Singh's move, the town's MP Jonathan Brash has in turn written to National League clubs urging them to treat the popular broadcaster with the 'respect and courtesy that he has most certainly earned'. Stelling, who confirmed he had introduced the agent of Ryan Reynolds and Rob McElhenney to the club after they had expressed an interest in buying it before they opted to invest in Wrexham, has insisted he would be happy to discuss the situation with Singh. He said: 'I haven't spoken to Mr Singh for months – it might even be a year – so this was just completely out of the blue. I just don't regard it as any big deal. 'I don't think I'd be welcome at home games – I'd probably have to go in disguise – but certainly at away games, I'm very happy to go with the fans, no problem whatsoever. I'd rather go with the fans, let's put it that way. 'I'll be a Yeovil on Saturday and I'll tell you what, I'll say it right now – if Mr Singh is there, I'll be happy to meet him and have a chat with him.'
