Savage fight back

MementoMori

Read this and found it amusing.
Thought I'd pass it on for others to enjoy.

The Savage eye scores a victory for weary footballers
Sunday January 17 2010

'Robbie, lot of disquiet after Saturday's game against Scunthorpe, why the team is so inconsistent and now can't seem to do it at home?"

"Just before we start, Col, I just wanna ask you something. I was in the car on the way home Saturday and listening to what you said on the radio: 'I've heard rumours that some of the players don't think that the backroom staff are up to the job.' That's what you said. So, can you substantiate what you meant by that?"

The Robbie is one Robbie Savage, currently of Derby County, late of Manchester United, Crewe Alexandra, Leicester City, Birmingham City and Blackburn Rovers. Age 35, veteran of over 550 games and dozens of controversies; recipient of some 90 yellow cards in the Premier League (a record), perennially vilified by fans (home and away), but not without a certain amount of charm.

The Col is one Colin Gibson, veteran sports broadcaster with BBC Radio Derby and lifelong Rams' fan. And Gibson found himself last Monday having his journalistic standards challenged by, of all people, the same Robbie Savage.

Things had all gone Pete Tong at Derby. Hovering above the relegation zone, they'd suffered the indignity of a 1-4 drubbing, by bloody Scunthorpe, on the Saturday. Then he listened to the radio on the way home. The upshot was that Robbie was mad as hell and wasn't going to take it anymore.

So when Gibson turned up with his microphone last Monday, Savage turned the tables. It wasn't exactly Frost-Nixon, or Parkinson-Ali, but it was interesting to hear the hunted doing a bit of hunting for a change. And it helped to reveal, in passing, why professional footballers have retreated en masse behind closed doors: the scrutiny is relentless, the criticism ruthless. They are white mice in a laboratory, there is no escaping the microscope and they have withdrawn their trust.

Robbie Savage: So, can you substantiate what you meant by that?

Colin Gibson: (Pause) That's what I've heard.

RS: You've heard of who?

CG: I'm not prepared to say.

RS: I'm the captain in the dressing room, yeah? And I haven't heard it. You're saying on the radio, 'rumours'. Me, I don't think that's responsible journalism to report rumours. I don't know if you feel the same way.

CG: It's been suggested to me, so

RS: So why haven't these people got the courage to say who it is then?

CG: They didn't name specific players.

But Savage is coming on like a barrack room lawyer, as Gibson is about to find out.

RS: You said 'rumours'. Let me tell you about the backroom staff. Johnny Metgod, do you know who he played for?

CG: Forest.

RS: Who else?

CG: Feyenoord.

RS: Real Madrid. (Triumphantly) Real Madrid. Gary Crosby -- d'you know who he played for?

CG: Forest.

RS: How many Cup Finals?

CG: No idea.

RS: Four or five. (Triumphantly) Cup Finals. Martin Taylor?

CG: Yeah?

RS: Did he play in the Premier League?

CG: Might have done.

RS: Might have done. Do you know did he?

CG: He played at least one game that I remember.

RS: Did he play in the Premier League?

Silence.

RS: Simple question.

Silence.

RS: I'm asking you a question.

CG: (Rattled) Well you tell me the answer, you seem to know.

RS: Yeah I know, yes he did.

CG: Right.

RS: So: 'I've heard rumours some of the players don't think that the backroom staff are up to the job.' Well let me tell you this: they are up to the job, one hundred per cent, and so is the manager. So put that on your radio station.

CG: (On the ropes) Well it's going on the radio station, clearly.

RS: (Landing jabs) Play it a lot. Next question.

CG: Why are the team so inconsistent?

RS: (Petulantly) Well you've got the answers, what rumours have you heard?

Gibson replies that the now infamous rumours had been "doing the rounds".

RS: So it's been doing the rounds? Our gaffer (Nigel Clough) conducted a pre-match and post-match interview with your radio station; why wasn't it put to him then?

CG: I don't know, I didn't do the interview.

RS: Why wasn't it put to him? Simple question. Why not give him the right to reply?

CG: (Long pause) Well he's been asked the question today.

RS: Instead of trying to assassinate him through rumour. (Accusingly) Rumour on your phone-in. Rumour.

Long pause while Gibson ponders his options. Savage airs his grievance about phone-in shows.

RS: All people do is phone and nail the team, nail the manager, nail the staff.

CG: These are the people who pay your wages.

Gibson has just played his trump card and Savage suddenly finds himself back-peddaling.

RS: Well yeah. Yeah, yeah, they do, yeah.

CG: (Finally landing a few himself) So they're not entitled to their view?

RS: Course they are. But all they want to do is . . .

But he stops himself before saying what he probably really thinks: that there are a lot of fans out there who have dehumanised footballers to such a degree that they've become acceptable targets for the vile, hateful abuse that used to be confined to the stands but is now ubiquitous.

Savage is no role model himself but we reckon that a lot of his peers were quietly applauding him last week.

the.couch@hotmail.com

Sunday Independent

anonymous_joe

Bit like the Lampard call, though very different material.

In all fairness, it's not easy to do anything with people staring over your shoulder, so I'd have a lot of sympathy for people in those situations.

ctrl-alt-delete

He seems to have a history of ringing in phone shows,

i think i remember him ringing one in about his omission from the Welsh set up before, it was entertaining too.

MementoMori

ctrl-alt-delete wrote: »

He seems to have a history of ringing in phone shows,

i think i remember him ringing one in about his omission from the Welsh set up before, it was entertaining too.

Don't think Savage rang in - Sounded like an interview to me, where he replied to what was said on the call-in previously.

when Gibson turned up with his microphone last Monday

ctrl-alt-delete

There is audio of it here

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/teams/d/derby_county/8453055.stm

ctrl-alt-delete

MementoMori wrote: »

Don't think Savage rang in - Sounded like an interview to me, where he replied to what was said on the call-in previously.

No he did ring up Leighton James' radio show, i can't find the audio anymore, but snippets at the end of this article about James.
I see you mean he didn't ring in the above one though, sorry.

http://fourfourtwo.com/interviews/whathappenednext/70/article.aspx

When James got Savage

When Robbie phoned up Leighton’s show, it all kicked off. Here are the highlights…

On Wales

James Koumas, Fletcher, Davies. I don’t think you’re a better international player than the three that played last Wednesday.
Savage: If you don’t think I can get in that team, I don’t know what planet you’re on.
James: One day when you’ve got a command of the English language, Robbie, you will perhaps become a pundit and give honest opinions about what you see.

On Toshack

James: …he said, you’re not in the present squad and what happened, the toys came out of your pram: ‘right I retire’.
Savage Then I apologised.
James Not to his face.
Savage I’ve tried. How, in the modern era, can a manager not have a mobile phone?
James Have you written to him?
Savage Written to him? Am I still at school?

It Gets Personal
Savage You were technical, but you wouldn’t go in for 50-50s if my father remembers. And if I was playing against you now… oh dear!
James You wouldn’t catch me son.
Savage You wouldn’t get past me…

ctrl-alt-delete

From today:

By Jonathan Stevenson

BBC Radio 5 live

1510: Stiliyan Petrov clears the ball from the Villa right-back position and it has only gone and knocked Robbie Savage's headphones off in the BBC Radio 5 live commentary position at Villa Park. Seriously.

1512: BBC Radio 5 live pundit Robbie Savage is bleeding

Quint

From football365:

As one would expect, Robbie Savage devotes most of his Daily Mirror column to his rather tetchy interview with BBC Radio Derby last weekend, in which he ripped report Colin Gibson a new one for daring to suggest that the County coaching staff were not up to the job.

And it gives Mediawatch an ideal opportunity to take a look at his staunch defence of said coaching staff.

Savage took the interesting approach of trying to prove the men at Pride Park were up to their job - despite Derby's 18th place in the Championship - because of their apparently sterling playing careers. Now, you don't need us to list all the brilliant players turned toilet managers, but even if playing ability equated to coaching skills, Robbie's theory doesn't quite hold up.

He cites Johnny Metgod's time at Real Madrid (two bit-part seasons, no trophies), Gary Crosby's 'so many finals for Forest' (erm, two, one won), Martin Taylor's spell in the Premier League (three games for Derby in 96/97) and Andy Garner's status as a 'very good' lower league player (you can take that one).

Enjoy League One Robbie.

noodler

Hiding behind bull**** rumours to make up lies for headlines, it is nice to see people called up for it if nothing else.

Hank Scorpio

totally out of line imo

Spiritoftheseventies

Jaysus has RS been spending time with Roy Keane. thought the reporter would have been a bit more prepared there. Technical knock I would say for RS.

mike65

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IPG3G9v5sJ8

grenache

I like Robbie Savage. He can be a total wind-up merchant at times but is entertaining none the less. I truely believe that opposition fans only hate him so much because they would love to have a grafter like him in their team. That clip on youtube where his mug appears on the big screen at a darts match is hilarious. Everyone in the arena booed him to the last. Priceless.

Columbia

I met his son at a Birmingham vs Leicester match. He gave me a malteser and then skipped me in the queue for the bathroom.

eagle eye

Savage is one of the hardest working footballers I've ever seen. Add to that he is one of the all time nice guys, I've met him three times after Rovers games and he will stand there and talk with you. I really have great time for the guy and his passion for the game is just incredible. I think he will make an excellent manager if he goes down that route, he just loves the game too much to not be involved.

shamblertine

grenache wrote: »

I like Robbie Savage. He can be a total wind-up merchant at times but is entertaining none the less. I truely believe that opposition fans only hate him so much because they would love to have a grafter like him in their team. That clip on youtube where his mug appears on the big screen at a darts match is hilarious. Everyone in the arena booed him to the last. Priceless.

I just came across that little gem while I was searching for the ball in the face incident, what a legend he is, the amount of controversies and funny incidents he gets into is unreal

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j4L6qfoqHjs