[Archived] Savage Bad Press

[ihateburnley]

Noticed on Match Of The Day and in some national newspapers that there is some very bad press surrounding Robbie Savage's laughable attempt at trying to get Van Persie (?) sent off. Although the reaction by the Arsenal player cannot be condoned, surely plain cheating cannot either???

Just wondered what everyones opinion on the matter is?

I feel Savage can be a liability at times, and although I don't feel he is a poor player, I feel playing Steven Reid could work better for us on occasions.

[roversmum]

Naturally there is bad press. After all, Savage is a Rover.

However, if the incident had been the other way round we all know what would have happened. And don't forget that certain members of Arese's squad are very adept at diving and giving a crafty kick.

Sometimes a flick in the face can be quite painful. Only Robbie can know if that particular flick was. And personally, I don't blame him at all for his reaction.

[LeChuck]

The man is a grade A cock, I can't stand him.

Unfortunately we need him, so he's here to stay.

[Bing]

Savage clearly made a meal of Reyes' little slap and tried his best to bring it to the referee's attention but surely, by the letter of the law, Reyes should have walked for it.

Raising your hands is a red card offence. There's no discretion in the rules. It doesn't matter if you give them a slap round the head or thump them in the nose.

[Alex Rover]

Come on guy's. Savage is a "press pantomine villian" and plays for Rovers. Reyes plays for the Arse. Can you imagine the press reporting it any other way?

[Rovers_4_life]

Savage is the biggest fool ever to wear a Rovers shirt, seriously how many needless bookings can one player pick up, sometimes i think there are no braincells under that shocking barnet. Idon't think it's a coincidence that our best performance of the season at home v Charlton, Savage wasn't playing.

[DavidMailsTightPerm]

I don't agree with what Savage did - I agree at times he can be a grade A pillock. But under it all he is a half decent footballer who gives 110% everytime he pulls on the shirt.

I'll stand by what I said on the Arsenal game thread :

"Is it only me that thinks me again Blackburn are being portraid as the villians by the pro-southern press ?

Yes, Savage over reacted to the Reyes attempt at a punch. But he didn't roll-around as has been described in many portions of the press. I have also seen matches where players have raised their arms - and not been defended by the media - with the common comment "you can't raise your hands and hope to get away with it".

What really gets to me - is that over the last few years Arsenal themselves have been well known to feign injury in an attempt to get players sent off. It reminds me of the out cry against Todd last season. Yet again the whiter than white Arsenal fans and their devoted media machine lambasted Todd for an incident that nobody could prove whether was deliberate or not. And yet only a few seasons previous a blatantly deliberate elbow by Begkamp on Nissa gets barely a mention in the press."

[grizfoot]

I'm sure if it was the other way round Reyes would be still rolling around on the floor now and Savage would have probably been sent off

[Brownie]

Whilst agreeing that sometimes Savage can leave you wishing he hadn't done something or kept his mouth shut, people still fail to realise how essential he is to the whole Rovers work ethic.

We took the heart and soul away from Birmingham when we signed him and they realised this hence how hard they fought to keep him.

No coincidence that the fortunes of the two clubs changed almost immediately and now we are a club on the way up and they are one their way down.

Give the bloke a break, I don't think it's humanely possible to put more effort into a game than he does.

[tcj_jones]

I agree entirely Brownie.

Savage didn't have the best start to the season and I thought he was needless'y getting carded.

Since then he has become a fundamental part of the team and has been excellent recently and with him in the team we can accommodate Tugay in the starting line up.

Against Arsenal he was our best player and the only thing preventing Arsenal attacking.

[Exiled in Toronto]

I don't think there is anything anti-Rovers about the coverage of Savage, it's entirely anti-Savage and rightly so. While I agree with the last 2 posts, it doesn't change the fact that he is a panto villain who came to national prominence via a blatant dive in a cup final, taking a dump in the ref's bog and collecting a booking per game. That means that further transgressions will be reported on somewhat negatively, whether he played for us, Arsenal or the Girl Guides.

Personally, I find it embarrassing that a player for a gritty northern team like us should adopt the feigning injury tactics of Johnny Foreigner. I expect it from a ponce like Reyes but hate to see it in the famous Blua and White halves.

At least the pony tail has gone, so I suppose that's a start.

[Tango]

I'm a big Savage fan and am personally of the opinion that a team of out stature needs a grafter in the midfield. I don't care that he gets booked or winds others up, that's part and parcel of football these days, I'm just glad he plays for us!

[seahawkdad]

I like Savage a lot, particularly his take-no-prisoners approach to football...which made his play-acting all the worse.

One of the things I dislike about southern-variety footy (not South of England, but Mexico, Central and South America) is the theatrics played upon the slightest challenge. I just can't stand it. When it happens here a collective "get up" shout followed by boos comes from the stands I think it's something that we USA types share with English fans.

To see Savage have a go at it was disgusting. And since I was watching it on Fox Soccer Channel, I was treated to replays and several camera angles.

At least he stayed on his feet. Maybe the pitch was too cold.

I haven't read the criticism, but criticism is well due.

Edited November 29, 2005 by seahawkdad

[Rovermatt]

It was a disgraceful display of cheating quite simply. Reyes is prone to such effiminate swipes, but Savage's reaction is indicative of an attitude as unsporting and conniving as anything present in Arsenal's foreign ranks.

[bob fleming]

Whilst I'm not entirely happy with Robbies reaction it's disappointing to see that so many Rovers fans are prepared to stick the knife in.

Cast our minds back just over a week ago. Danny Mills throws a blatant left hook at MGP. Not a mention. The BBC didn't want to discuss it nor show replays of the incident.

If it had been the other way round and Savage had thumped Mills I'm sure he'd be looking at a 3 match ban by now and getting slated all over the place, the headlines wouldn't take too much imagination "Disgrace to football", "Kick him out for good" - and that would just be on BRFCS.com.

As Bing points out - the rules state: "If a player raises his hands to another players face then that player should be red carded. Unless of course that player is playing for a "big club", is wearing mittens and has maybe poked Robbie Savage in the eye."

We're a bit quick to condemn our own if you ask me.

From last nights LET: "Blackburn played very well and in the middle of the park especially. they were very strong and closed us down very well" - Arsene Wenger. So well done Steven Reid.

[Duff's Minder]

No need to be blind about this, Savage cheated in a cowardly way and it's exactly the kind of thing he is known for. He is also a decent footballer and I'm glad he's in our team.

But I will never defend that kind of behaviour.

I also don't understand all this stuff about an anti-Rovers bias in the press. I think the media ignore us on a regular basis but they are not anti-us apart from a few months of bully-boy nonsense which in the last couple of months has turned into quite the opposite. At the weekend half the papers I read had Bellamy as Man of the Match FFS!

[mattym]

although Savage was a complete clown for reacting the way he did, If it had been the other way round and he had Clipped Reyes he would have gone down like he had been shot by a sniper in the North Bank, savage would then have been sent off without doubt and the idiots on Match of The Day would have said that although Reyes over reatced you cant raise your hands like that in the modern game.

[rover6]

Don't go into hypothetical scenarios. The fact is Savage was cheating. If Hughes is genuinely concerned about Rovers' image, he should have a little word with Robbie or drop him.

The saddest thing about Savage is that he's a cowardly stirrer. He never goes for the big guns - thus slapping 'the colossus' Wayne Routledge on the head or trying to get Reyes sent off.

Edited November 29, 2005 by rover6

[Darth Paul]

There is no doubt that Savage made a meal of Reyes "punch" and in a perfect world there would be no place for that in football. However, this isnt a perfect world and Savages antics, albeit overtly theatrical, displayed what is now defined as "professionalism". All the "big" players do it now, sadly, so why should we miss out?

To me therefore, his only crime was that he wasnt a lot "cuter" with his response. Reyes should have been at least reprimanded for his actions although a red card would have been a little harsh (but applicable under the laws of the game). However, Savages response in effect superseded what Reyes did, and made him a scapegoat for the press once again.

Once again however, the press decide to have a pop, because they can, and because it requires less imagination than writing anthing else.

What did really bug me however, was the response of Graeme Le Saux on MOTD. Upon the retirement of several of our higher profile Title winning players, and the inevitable entry into the world of punditry for some of them, I was quite excited by the prospect of having someone on "our side" in the media at last. Someone to fight our corner in the world of the much biased "Southern Based Press".

However Le Saux, ably supported by the equally effeminate "Mark" Lawrenson saw it fit to laugh off Reyes challenge before finding humour in the fact the Robbie Savage has long hair and highlights. Perhaps this shouldnt have come as a surprise as Le Saux is the "man" who saw fit to lash out at a team mate on the pitch 10 years ago.

Ultimately the world seems to be divided in to two lots of people: Those who like Robbie Savage and those who dont.

Those who do seem to be able to admit when he has done something wrong, but those who dont like him generally seem to be incapable of admitting when he has had a good game or produced something positive. Most of the latter made their mind up about Savage before he even pulled the blue and white halves on, and will never change their minds. I think it is sad that some people are like that, but each to his own I suppose...

As someone else has pointed out, I bet the "Big Club" would secretly love to have him back...

[Ricky]

I'm sure if one of our current players had thrown an elbow out in the same way that Shearer did on the weekend the press would be all over it. I seem to recall a few weeks ago Mr. Shearer having a go at a Grimsby player for "doing him" with an elbow, he was certainly quick enough to do the same thing to Weir on Sunday.

Quite funny that hardly anything has been said about the Shearer incident

[SouthAussieRover]

IPersonally, I find it embarrassing that a player for a gritty northern team like us should adopt the feigning injury tactics of Johnny Foreigner.  I expect it from a ponce like Reyes but hate to see it in the famous Blua and White halves.

363686[/snapback]

He's Welsh thus he's a Johnny Foreigner

[Billy Castell]

Robbie Savage is the kind of guy you'd hate if he played for someone else, but liked if he is in your team. He is a wind-up merchant and always will be.It has nothing to do with the media disliking Blackburn.

[Blackburn Ender]

Savage is an embarrassment to football. Never mind which club he plays for.

And no, I don't even think there's a decent footballer under the hair, the highlights and the histrionics.

And what are we saying now? Because other players cheat it's alright for one of ours to do the same?

It's always the media being biased/lazy/crap? Turn the record over, for God's sake!

I thought Le Saux was pretty kindly to the idiot by telling him - on national television - to do him and us a favour and cut out the cheating.

Savage is not fit to wear the Blue and White shirt. Full stop.

[G Somerset Rover]

I'm sure if one of our current players had thrown an elbow out in the same way that Shearer did on the weekend the press would be all over it. I seem to recall a few weeks ago Mr. Shearer having a go at a Grimsby player for "doing him" with an elbow, he was certainly quick enough to do the same thing to Weir on Sunday.

Quite funny that hardly anything has been said about the Shearer incident

363712[/snapback]

Shearer, similar to Bergkamp play quite dirty football some times, but because of their status they get away with it. Another fine example being Essien's horror lunge where he diodnt even get brought up about it. If that had been Savage he would've had a 5 game ban at least. As for Savage yeah he winds people up etc, but hes good at it. It winds the opposition's fans up and the opposition's players. As someone else has said, Rovers form has picked up dramatically since he came...and Brums has gone down.

Edited November 29, 2005 by Somerset Rover!

[blue phil]

Savage is the biggest fool ever to wear a Rovers shirt, seriously how many needless bookings can one player pick up, sometimes i think there are no braincells under that shocking barnet. Idon't think it's a coincidence that our best performance of the season at home v Charlton, Savage wasn't playing.

363649[/snapback]

That's true . It wouldn't bother me in the slightest if I never saw his name on the teamsheet again . All running , all effort but very little in the way of productive value and that's before you take into account his embarrassing antics which cost us a yellow card every game .

All in all , we should have left him at Brum and saved a few million .