'I called out Erling Haaland on live TV - Sky Sports were worried for me' Erling Haaland has been nothing but a revelation since joining Manchester City in 2022, to the horror of one pundit who tipped him to struggle at the Etihad Stadium Erling Haaland has been a goal machine at Manchester City (Image: OLI SCARFF/AFP via Getty Images ) Rory Jennings had no idea he was about to unleash a storm when he predicted Erling Haaland would struggle in the Premier League back in 2022. During a typical episode of Sky Sports' Saturday Social, the studio atmosphere shifted when he boldly claimed Manchester City's star signing would be the division's 'Flop Transfer' while speaking to fellow YouTuber 'Thogden', whose real name is Theo Ogden. Pressed to justify his assertive view, Jennings confidently stated Haaland wouldn't come close to matching the goalscoring exploits of Mohamed Salah and Harry Kane. He labelled suggestions of Haaland claiming the Golden Boot as "outrageous" and a "disrespect to the establishment", before opining that a 15-goal debut season would represent a successful start for the Norwegian in the Premier League. ‌ Disagreements in the media are an occupational hazard, particularly for YouTubers. However, the fervent backlash was severe enough that Sky Sports felt compelled to check in on Jennings' mental wellbeing. ‌ Fast forward to the present, and Jennings is away from the studio, instead engaged in what he considers his primary profession: poker. Seated at a vibrant green poker table at the Irish Poker Open in Dublin, representing PokerStars, a smile spreads across Jennings' face when reminded of his now-infamous opinion. After all, Haaland didn't just win one Premier League Golden Boot - he's since bagged two. The Norwegian has so far netted 120 goals and provided 20 assists in 138 appearances across all competitions for the Citizens, clinching two Premier League titles, the FA Cup and the Champions League. Just as Alan Hansen was proven wrong with his infamous "You can't win anything with kids" remark about Manchester United's legendary Class of 92 team, Jennings' perspective was utterly debunked. The key difference between the two opinions is that Hansen did not have to deal with a torrent of abuse flooding his social media accounts. Article continues below Haaland has won two Golden Boots in the Premier League (Image: Visionhaus/Getty Images ) Reflecting on his stance about Haaland in an interview with Mirror Football, while speaking on behalf of PokerStars, Jennings said: "It was unlike anything. I was told, at one point, it was the biggest hit that Sky Sports had ever had. More people had seen that clip via Sky Sports than anything else. "More people had watched that clip than Wayne Rooney's incredible bicycle kick against Manchester City, which is mental, like it shouldn't be that way. I'm not saying this with any kind of glory. ‌ "I'm saying this is a little bit of a sad indictment. It was me and f***ing Thogden talking about football, and that got more than the genius of Rooney? That's not how it should be. Content cannot be displayed without consent "But in terms of the blowback, it was unrivalled. It was unlike anything I've really known. So much so that Sky Sports, a guy called Seb who was a great guy, phoned me three days after it went live, saying, 'Do we need to meet? Are you okay? This is unlike anything we've seen before. We're here for you if you need it'. ‌ "He was very generous. Obviously, I'm fine. I'm very fortunate that I'm older, therefore I don't think I get affected as much. I have a loving family, I have good friendships, it didn't matter to me, but Sky were genuinely worried, because it was unlike anything they had seen. "It was everywhere and many professional footballers were talking about it. It was the wrong way around, we talk about professional footballers, not professional footballers talking about us." Rory Jennings was competing at the Irish Poker Open and is an ambassador for PokerStars (Image: � Rational Intellectual Holdings Ltd 2024 ) ‌ A year later, Jennings was on the Saturday Social again, admitting his original viewpoint was misguided and half-heartedly apologising. Yet, Jennings is still reminded about it. While he is able to laugh and joke about that viewpoint, there was a more sinister side to that story - the blowback. When asked if the abuse online ever got as extreme as a death threat, as is often the case for those who air their views on social media, Jennings replied: "Death threats, sadly, if we're totally frank, I imagine if I was to open my phone now and go through what was sent, there'd probably be something at least mirroring a death threat. If not, a guy hoping that I die is probably there. That's a sad indictment of the way that the world is going. "It's really, really awful, particularly social media. The only reason I think, or one of the reasons, I think I can deal with it well, is sort of experience. Being a bit older, I'm married, I've got two children, the opinion of a stranger on the internet is never going to affect me. ‌ Jennings will always be relentlessly reminded of that clip (Image: X/Sky Sports Premier League ) "I've got great friends. If I ever needed to talk to anyone, I'd talk to them, I'm really lucky. But I think for young people, it's one of my biggest fears, being a parent. What the f*** is going on, on social media? I went to Manchester University to talk to young aspiring journalists, YouTubers, broadcasters, and they asked for advice. "Rather than saying, you know, 'Work on your written prose' or anything like that, it was 'Look if you're ready to put your head above the parapet, especially in something as tribal as football, you have to ask yourself a question. Are you ready to be called everything under the sun? Do you have a thick skin? Would you be affected if somebody told you to kill yourself? And if the answer is yes, it might not be the job for you'. It is an awful thing to say, but it's almost now part of the territory where you will receive hate beyond any kind of rational level." ‌ Jennings has consistently voiced his opinions without hesitation, saying he simply disregards any backlash, opting to block accounts that send extreme messages. His recognition may stem from his career in broadcasting and status as a social media personality, but it's poker that truly ignites his passion. Jennings has aspirations of winning a European Poker Title (Image: � Rational Intellectual Holdings Ltd 2023 ) During the tournament in Dublin, he progressed to the second day of the main event before being eliminated. Jennings has his sights set on grander ambitions, aspiring to clinch a European Poker Tour title someday. He added: "In my head, I understand, in reality, I am a sports broadcaster, a YouTuber, an influencer by some definition, I guess. ‌ "But in my head, I'm a professional poker player who does a little bit of football chat on the side, because this is what I love doing. I genuinely buzz playing poker more than I do anything else. "I don't think my heart beats faster for that buzz that we're all chasing in life. The place I get it is if I go all in on a river on the final hand. I look down at my chest, like Tom and Jerry when Tom gets a bit stressed out, his heart's beating through his chest, I get that. But the buzz that I get playing poker, the endorphin rush, the dopamine hit, I get it playing poker as much I do anything else." PokerStars operates the world’s most popular online poker sites, serving the global poker community. Since it launched in 2001, PokerStars has become the first choice of players all over the world, with more daily tournaments than anywhere else and with the best online security. More than 200 billion hands have been dealt on PokerStars, which is more than any other sites. PokerStars is ultimately owned by Flutter Entertainment plc. (LSE: FLTR; NYSE: FLUT). Play Responsibly! Article continues below