Savage Signs

[Paul]

Officially Rovers are now stating the second bid has been rejected. The new offer from Rovers "doubled the original initial payment and increased the guaranteed amount by 33%."

For me this has now degenerated into a farce. Birmngham have had two decent bids for a 30 year old player who has publicly stated he wants to leave and handed in a transfer request. It sounds like we offered in the region of £2.5m which is more than enough for a 30 year old. I'd like to see Rovers pull out of the bidding now and leave Savage and Birmingham to enjoy each other's company. I'd be happy to see Savage at Ewood but it isn't that important, far better to put the money towards solving other problem areas.

We can always go back to City on 30th January.

Official Site Link

[RovertheHill]

Talk about a pots and kettles. Steve Bruce hardly stayed at a club as manager for more than 5 minutes until Brum and now he's dropped Savage for disloyalty! And if this is turning into a personal vendetta by Bruce against Bowen then that says more about Brum's lack of professionalism than anything else. Coupled with the way he stoked the media about the Yorke incident Mr Bruce is turning out to be a bit of a clown. It seems that it is perfectly acceptable for Brum to buy our players with down-payments and extended payment terms but not for us. It's a shame we can't foreclose on what they owe us!

[The Blunderer]

Brum lost 2 - 1 tonight, at home and to a recently poorly performing Bolton. Bruce used all 3 subs and must have been thinking how he would have faired with Savage on the pitch.... Shame.

Mind you would have prefered a draw to keep both teams within our reach in the table.

Look forward to Bruce's reaction on MOTD tonight.

[skip24]

I'm absolutely against savage coming to the club, he isn't quality and at the moment we need to build upon our squad and not bring in crap! i think he will think he is bigger than the club and just playing for robbie savage and not for blackburn rovers. any way he is only coming for the money and to me that's not important, fans want to see the paul dickov's and the andy todd's who are on top of their games and they put in 100% every game not when it suits them like savage! I cant stand the bloke hes an arrogant @#/?!

[stuwilky]

great post

[RovertheHill]

I'm absolutely against savage coming to the club, he isn't quality and at the moment we need to build upon our squad and not bring in crap! i think he will think he is bigger than the club and just playing for robbie savage and not for blackburn rovers. any way he is only coming for the money and to me that's not important, fans want to see the paul dickov's and the andy todd's who are on top of their games and they put in 100% every game not when it suits them like savage! I cant stand the bloke hes an arrogant @#/?!

I think Savage has more natural quality than both players you mention, and he is one of the few players the prem league who a neutral would quote as coming close to Dickov in terms of work rate. And 2 final points - how do you know he's coming for the money, and so what if he is, as long as he is professional. I suppose you think that Messrs Shearer, Sutton, Batty, Cole, and every other player who didn't come up through the academy, didn't take into account the money?

[American]

I'm just getting tired of all of the games. Over the summer it was "I've signed a new contract and will finish my career with Birmingham City." Then it was, "I would love to play for Mark Hughes, but I'm contracted to Birmingham and won't move unless they want to sell me." Then, "I want to go, I want to go, let me go before I hold my breath until I turn blue!!"

I'm getting tired of all of this, and would like to see us now go after someone else who's either younger, or less expensive. As much as I'd like to see Savage here, we made 2 bids that were about what he's worth, they were rejected, time to move on.

[Radagast]

I'm absolutely against savage coming to the club, he isn't quality and at the moment we need to build upon our squad and not bring in crap! i think he will think he is bigger than the club and just playing for robbie savage and not for blackburn rovers. any way he is only coming for the money and to me that's not important, fans want to see the paul dickov's and the andy todd's who are on top of their games and they put in 100% every game not when it suits them like savage! I cant stand the bloke hes an arrogant @#/?!

...........SHUT UP!

If there is one thing you can't ever accuse Savage of it's lack of commitment on the pitch. Ok, he's an arrogant sod with even girlier hair than me, but uncommitted? What @#/?.

[accyrover]

I'm absolutely against savage coming to the club, he isn't quality and at the moment we need to build upon our squad and not bring in crap! i think he will think he is bigger than the club and just playing for robbie savage and not for blackburn rovers. any way he is only coming for the money and to me that's not important, fans want to see the paul dickov's and the andy todd's who are on top of their games and they put in 100% every game not when it suits them like savage! I cant stand the bloke hes an arrogant @#/?!

...........SHUT UP!

If there is one thing you can't ever accuse Savage of it's lack of commitment on the pitch. Ok, he's an arrogant sod with even girlier hair than me, but uncommitted? What @#/?.

You look like an afghan as well then ?

Accyrover

[greggyk]

I'm absolutely against savage coming to the club, he isn't quality and at the moment we need to build upon our squad and not bring in crap! i think he will think he is bigger than the club and just playing for robbie savage and not for blackburn rovers. any way he is only coming for the money and to me that's not important, fans want to see the paul dickov's and the andy todd's who are on top of their games and they put in 100% every game not when it suits them like savage! I cant stand the bloke hes an arrogant @#/?!

...........SHUT UP!

If there is one thing you can't ever accuse Savage of it's lack of commitment on the pitch. Ok, he's an arrogant sod with even girlier hair than me, but uncommitted? What @#/?.

sorry, but skip is correct about Savage sometimes lacking commitment. In the game against Newcastle, he put in no effort according to reports.

And hes showing a lack of commitment to Brum by wanting to leave just for money.

But, i do think he has quality and is a slight improvement on Flitcroft. Although he's not much younger. A fee of £2m is fair.

[Poita]

I'm absolutely against savage coming to the club, he isn't quality and at the moment we need to build upon our squad and not bring in crap! i think he will think he is bigger than the club and just playing for robbie savage and not for blackburn rovers. any way he is only coming for the money and to me that's not important, fans want to see the paul dickov's and the andy todd's who are on top of their games and they put in 100% every game not when it suits them like savage! I cant stand the bloke hes an arrogant @#/?!

Are you the full quid?

[modes98]

I'm absolutely against savage coming to the club, he isn't quality and at the moment we need to build upon our squad and not bring in crap! i think he will think he is bigger than the club and just playing for robbie savage and not for blackburn rovers. any way he is only coming for the money and to me that's not important, fans want to see the paul dickov's and the andy todd's who are on top of their games and they put in 100% every game not when it suits them like savage! I cant stand the bloke hes an arrogant @#/?!

...........SHUT UP!

If there is one thing you can't ever accuse Savage of it's lack of commitment on the pitch. Ok, he's an arrogant sod with even girlier hair than me, but uncommitted? What @#/?.

sorry, but skip is correct about Savage sometimes lacking commitment. In the game against Newcastle, he put in no effort according to reports.

And hes showing a lack of commitment to Brum by wanting to leave just for money.

But, i do think he has quality and is a slight improvement on Flitcroft. Although he's not much younger. A fee of £2m is fair.

No i saw 60mins of it and thought he did ok. Brum just had a bad day at the office and he tried to get things going but its clear he isn't happy.

With a sick mother and a faltering marriage it isn't teh best way to prepare for games. You only to look at the way he took us apart at ewood to see what a player we will get!

[Philly Rover ®]

Just stumbled across this from the September 2003 issue of FourFourTwo, in an article entitled "Robbie Savage: on his various managers".

Sparky Hughes is the most laid-back man in the world, with a totally different style to any of the other managers.  It really is a case of what you see is what you get.  But he's clever.  Before the momentous Wales v Italty match he told us we were free to go out for a couple of drinks on the Saturday before the Wednesday match.  But then he added, "I know you'll do the right thing."  As a result we didn't bother--we knew what he was saying.  Subtle, that's Sparky.

I don't have a bad word to say about him.  It came as no surprise to see him turn down the possible chance of becoming Sir Alex Ferguson's number two last month.  He has a job to finish with Wales, although once it's done I believe he could move to a top club.

[philipl]

Must confess I am now getting concerned about the Savage transfer. The Brum directors by all accounts are hard uncompromising characters who would have no problem forcing Savage to rot out of the team until he asked for peace with them.

Bruce must know that this is personal- Savage much prefers Hughes as a manager to himself. Having been colleagues at Man U this must hurt a lot.

It is going to need an enormous amount of skill on the part of the Rovers team- board, JW and MH- to unpick the deadlock on this one.

[Alan75]

Listening to a Birmingham supporter this morning, he is happy for Savage to rot in the reserves, due to the fact that he put in a transfer request.

A case of cut off your nose, to spoil your face.

[Hughesy]

Surely they are doing the wrong thing if we dont go back for him, by leaving him in the reserves. They will simply be paying the wages of a player who isnt doing anything for the club.

I think to be honest we will get our man eventually. Rovers board are very clever

[Cocker]

I would really like Savage to join us however, I must admit that I can understand what Brum are doing. Try putting yourself in their shoes. One of your best players has a good few years left on his contact and the fans love him. Then, a team below you come in with a bid that you dont think is right and the player hands in a transfer request. I would be mighty upset if say the same thing happend to Brad or Fergy. Do contracts not mean anything anymore.

As said he would be a great addition but Brum are right to have a moan.

[The Blunderer]

A case of cut off your nose, to spoil your face.

With Steve Bruce's facial features, he must have done that already

[Al]

Time to let this bid rest and look for a centre forward. £2.5 million is more than enough for Savage and Birmingham would obviously rather give him away than let him come to Blackburn.

[Cheshireblue]

Savage must be on good money at Birmingham, so if they are prepared to pay him for sitting in the reserves for the next 4 years, I would be very surprised. Gold has gone from saying that Savage is happy and staying, to saying that he can go if they get a replacement, to now saying that he will rot in the reserves rather than sell him.

There's nothing like a good consistent point of view from your chairman.

I'd want to leave if I was Savage.

[AndyC]

I find it hard to believe we can offer Savage more in wages than Birmingham already do.

& in slight defense of the Brum board - they have to look as if they are trying everything to keep him. Then they will attack the player if it becomes apparant that he wants to leave so that is distracts the fans from the truth - that there captain, best player and fans favourite wants out to join another club.

If they did all this quietly without shouting from the rooftops at us and savage - they would have their season ticket holders threatening to rip up their books and shouting 'no ambition' to the board.

When it's pretty clear this is the opposite. Birmingham have put significant investment into their team since promotion.

[92er]

In the past Rovers supporters have suggested a player should rot in the Reserves rather than go to the club where he appears to have engineered a move to get to.

[Paul]

Do contracts not mean anything anymore?

Simple answer - No.

[Alan75]

Very true 92er, a certain left back if I remember correctly.

[broadsword]

Cracking quotes from Bruce in today's Mail:

He has made his feelings clear by handing in a transfer request. That stinks to me. It is a sign that someone does not want to be here and would rather play their football elsewhere.

What planet is Bruce on? Has he only just got to grips with what a transfer request is? Fancy the very thought of a player not wanting to be at a club any more - that stinks! It's disgraceful.