Robbie Savage has been dubbed the marmite man. By himself
Unlike Neil Warnock, who was discussed in a recent blog, Savage has the self proclaimed slogan branded across his column in The Mirror.
It is an enjoyable read. The fiery Welshman speaks his mind, and his no holds barred attitude certainly adds a bit of spice to proceedings.
Seemingly, one of the main purposes of a columnist, especially when the individual is still playing at professional level, is to provide the average fan with an insight into the game, the going ons of a football club.
Savage received abuse from Blues fans
To a certain extent, Savage provides this, but more often than not, he uses the column to settle, or voice a counterargument on a petty squabble that, more often than not, he has previously provoked.
So it was the turn of Roger Johnson on Friday, following Derby County’s exit from the F.A Cup fifth round, where Savage accused the former of lacking class for comments made during and after the match. Savage, as a two time Birmingham City player of the year, which he pointed out, believes that Johnson, who “only has a handful of Premiership appearances”, should show a little respect.
Maybe so, but Savage also stated, “I’m a wind up merchant”. Well maybe, if you are such an expert at winding up opponents, you would be a little less susceptible to the odd comment fired in your direction?
Possibly, if 6-a-side football received as much media exposure, and your side was provided a column to voice opinions, an occasional dig at bitter rivals would be on the agenda. Some however, continually use the privilege to settle scores, which arguably, no pun intended, should be resolved on the pitch.
As predicted, the Derby midfielder also came into some vocal criticism from the following Birmingham City contingent with shouts of “One Greedy…..” constantly aimed in his direction. Savage has promised to reveal that money wasn’t in his move away from St Andrew’s – in his forthcoming book: “The Birmingham fans shouted I was greedy, but I wasn’t greedy. The fans will find out when I publish my book that wasn’t the case.” Well Blues fans will definitely be holding their breath for that bestseller. Anyone else see the irony in the above statement? It’s almost a contradiction in itself – ‘I’m not going to reveal why I wasn’t greedy until I sign a lucrative book deal, then I will reveal all.’
It’s anyone’s guess what enthralling stories the Welshman will have to tell in this week’s column. However, a betting man may have a sneaking suspicion that some column inches will be dedicated to Gorka Pintado, and his potential “career ending tackle”.
Remember, Robbie Savage is a self proclaimed wind up merchant. Chances are, you will have experienced this type of player, whether it be on a Sunday, or at your 5-a-side soccer or 6-a-side football Leisure League. The mouth. Part of their game is to antagonise opponents, make people boil over. In this instance, it worked.
Click on the photo to see that tackle courtesy of the BBC.
In no way is this condoning the tackle, it was indeed disgraceful, and could quite easily been a leg breaker. However, part and parcel of Savage’s game is to get in the mix, to niggle away at opponents, to irritate them, so why is there an element of surprise when a player loses it? Granted, the way in which Pintado did ‘lose it’ was pretty spectacular, and ignited an 18 man brawl, which has resulted in both sides being charged with failing to control their players by the F.A.
The morale of the story for Savage is, that not every individual has a never ending patience, and that if you continually play with fire, occasionally you may end up getting burnt. Consider that in your book.
Alex Z