After all, this is a man who presents a three-hour show in which four grown men stare at TV monitors which we, the viewers, aren’t allowed to see and he makes it one of the most entertaining programmes on TV.

If you’re sitting around asking, “Who the heck is Jeff Stelling?” then you’ve proved my point.

Jeff is the anchor for Soccer Saturday, the weekly football results service that serves as the next best thing to actually attending a game and is easily one of the best sports programmes on the box.

For the uninitiated, here’s the deal: each of the four pundits in the studio watch the day’s top Premiership matches in England and intermittently update viewers of how the game is progressing, describe the action and roar excitedly every time a goal is scored.

Latest scores flash across the bottom of our screen vide-printer style and Sky Sports outside broadcast team are on hand at every other Premiership ground and a good chunk of football league matches to bring us up to date with what’s happening there.

The whole thing is done in the slick and professional style Sky Sports, for which he has become renowned.

Jeff’s job is not too far removed from David Dimbelby’s on Question Time as he jumps from studio pundit to ground and back again, with members of the panel competing for his attention.

Just as we hear Matt Le Tissier describe a near-thing Alan McInally’s roars can be heard signalling a goal in the background and we quickly switch to Chris Kamara at one of the featured matches to tell us about a dubious refereeing decision.

Jeff has to juggle between up to 20 reporters whilst finding time to tell us about every goal and sending-off from the Premiership, Football League, SPL and Scottish League as they happen.

And he’s completely unflappable throughout. The only time he comes close to losing his cool is when he has to read out adverse news concerning his beloved Harlepool United.

His knowledge of the game is frightening and he can rattle off statistics about clubs of which even the most ardent fan would have no knowledge of.

There’s no looking down the nose at Scottish football either, which is refreshing. No “they’ll be dancing in the streets of Raith tonight” ignorance as Jeff clearly respects followers of Scottish third division clubs as much as Manchester United and Chelsea fans.

Stelling is renowned for his meticulous attention to minutiae and his knowledge of the game is encyclopaedic but that’s not to say he’s an anorak.

The avuncular Jeff is as entertaining as he is informed and the show is made by the chemistry between the panel and an effortlessly witty host who is possibly the most affable man in the world.

His presenting style is so natural that at times you think he’s just some bloke sitting around talking about football with his mates and cracking jokes.

Jeff’s status has risen considerably over the years and he is now a cult hero to millions of fans and a good few players as well.

Gretna striker Kenny Deuchar wrote to him asking if he could give his Granny a mention the next time he scored.

Jeff not only did so but proceeded to give her a shout-out every time Deuchar notched from then on. That’s the type of bloke Jeff is.

Saturday saw Soccer Saturday return for the new season but, with Premiership action yet to resume, this was a mere pre-season run around for Jeff and the boys. Stelling, the true professional he is, threw himself into the action as if it were the final day of the season with every league title and relegation place still to be decided and every play-off and European spot still up for grabs.

He enthused about every match being played in the British Isles that day and got in a few good-natured jibes in about pundit Gordon McQueen repeatedly mispronouncing Plymouth.

Screeds of information and stats were there to absorb. You feel the excitement of games across the country even though you’re sitting at home.

For a football fan, what can ruin such a show? Jeff telling you that your team has been beaten does a pretty good job of denting your enthusiasm right enough.

Jeff Stelling is arguably the best sports presenter on TV and colleagues have said he’s so good that his duties should not be confined to sports, that he could turn his hand to any role on TV.

Despite this he continues to be something of a cult figure and not afforded the same recognition as the likes of John Motson and Des Lynam. That’s because he’s not available on terrestrial and not everyone has a dish yet.

Witness Gary Linekar and the host of clowns who fronted coverage of the World Cup this summer. Both the BBC and ITV are crying out for someone of Jeff’s calibre to make their coverage watchable again. I implore both to find out what Sky are paying him and double it. He’s worth it.