Robbie Savage
Encyclopedia
Robert William "Robbie" Savage (born 18 October 1974) is a football pundit and former Welsh professional footballer who played predominantly as a midfielder
. During his career he captained Derby County
, and also played for the Welsh
national team. He now presents 606
on BBC Radio Five Live on Sunday evenings alongside Mark 'Chappers' Chapman. He is currently appearing on series 9 of Strictly Come Dancing
.
He gained notoriety for his playing style. In 2008, the Daily Mail
labelled him as the dirtiest player in Premier League history, based on numbers of yellow cards received, though he has since been surpassed as the player with the most Premier League yellow cards by Lee Bowyer
.
in October 1974 to Colin and Valerie Savage. He attended Ysgol Bryn Alyn
in Gwersyllt
, until he completed his GCSE studies in July 1991. On leaving school, Savage joined Manchester United as an apprentice.
Savage is married to Sarah. The couple have two sons. His father was diagnosed with Pick's disease
, a dementia
-type illness, when he was in his mid-50s.
Savage had said in the future he would like to finish his career at home town club Wrexham
before going on to manage them. He also said that the greatest regret of his football career was not signing for Everton
when he had the chance in 2005.
. He played in the FA Youth Cup
winning team of 1992, and was later given a professional contract, but never played a first team game for the club and signed for Crewe Alexandra
in 1994.
He switched into midfield and proved himself as a highly competent young player at Crewe, helping them reach the Division Two
playoffs in his first two seasons at the club; a remarkable feat for a newly-promoted club who had only played at this level twice in the previous 30 years. Crewe then made it third time lucky by sealing promotion via the playoffs in 1997
. It was the first time that Crewe had reached the second tier of the English football league system
, but shortly after helping Crewe win promotion, Savage handed in a transfer request to manager Dario Gradi
.
Savage was transferred to Premier League side Leicester City
for a fee of £400,000, managed by Martin O'Neill
, in July 1997. Savage spent five years at Leicester, where he made his name as a reliable, competitive and fiery midfielder. In 1999, Leicester reached the League Cup
final against Tottenham Hotspur
. In a controversial incident, Savage made a poor tackle on Tottenham's Justin Edinburgh
who retaliated by swinging his arm out. Contact was minimal, but Savage fell to the ground. Edinburgh was sent off for raising his arms, and although Tottenham went on to win the final, many Spurs fans still hold a grudge against Savage for the incident to this day. However, a year later Savage reached the League Cup final again, this time winning 2–1 against Tranmere Rovers
. The cup win is Savage's only winners medal.
for a fee of £1.25 million, signing a three-year contract. At the beginning of January 2005 he submitted a written request for a transfer, allegedly wishing to be nearer his ailing parents in Wrexham
, despite the fact that Birmingham
is closer to Wrexham than Blackburn is. On 19 January he completed a move to Blackburn Rovers
for a fee of £3 million. Savage played well in his time at Birmingham, scoring 11 goals in 82 league games, his best ratio of goals to games to date.
In March, Savage called an end to his international career after new manager John Toshack
dropped him for a World Cup 2006 qualifying game against Austria. His feud with Toshack and the Welsh FA continued long into the 05/06 season as Savage insisted he retired from international football only because Toshack told him he wasn't good enough to play for Wales.
In 2005–06, Savage was a regular performer for Blackburn, making 42 appearances and scoring once, against former club Birmingham. The following season, he scored against Salzburg and Wisla Krakow
in Rovers' UEFA Cup campaign, but his season was cut short by a broken leg in January, which kept him out for the rest of the season.
During the 2007–08 season, Savage endured further problems with his knee, suffering a knock in the 2–1 win at Spurs after being caught by Robbie Keane
. Surgery was required which kept him out of the starting lineup for six weeks. Following the return of Steven Reid
to the Rovers starting lineup and some good form by David Dunn
, he found it harder to get into the starting eleven. Savage was well liked by the Blackburn fans and was given a standing ovation by a near capacity ground by the Rovers fans when he returned with Derby.
On 9 January 2008 Savage joined Derby County
for a fee of £1.5 million on a two-and-a-half year contract, and later revealed that he had taken a pay cut to join Derby in his search for first-team football and had rejected a move to Sunderland because he felt Derby had wanted him more.
As the number 8 shirt, which he had worn at previous clubs, was already allocated to then-captain Matthew Oakley
, he took the number 44 shirt because the numbers add up to 8.
He was appointed the new Derby captain after Oakley was sold to Leicester, and he skippered the Derby side in his first match, a 1–0 home defeat to Wigan Athletic
. Savage's arrival, however, could not prevent his first season at the club from ending in relegation, and his performances were frequently below-par, something he acknowledged.
Rumours of Savage leaving Derby came in July 2008 when he missed out on every pre-season match. In August, Leicester City chairman Milan Mandaric
declared an interest in Savage, which was dismissed by Derby. Paul Jewell
repeatedly left Savage out of the team, after Derby's poor start to the 2008/2009 season, and he was replaced as captain by Alan Stubbs
. Stubbs was forced to retire shortly into the new season through injury, but Savage was not considered for the role due to not being in the first team, and the armband went to Paul Connolly
.
After failing to break back into the first team, Savage was sent out on loan in October to Brighton for a month to keep match fit. He would later reveal one year later, in a build-up to a match between Leicester and Derby County, that he had tried to secure a loan deal to the Walkers Stadium
(Leicester had declared an interest in him months earlier). Savage even telephoned club ambassador Alan Birchenall
and former teammate Paul Dickov
to put in a good word with manager Nigel Pearson
. Pearson, however, "said no", despite Derby offering to pay "90 or 95 per-cent" of Savage's wages. Following Jewell's resignation as Derby manager, Savage found himself brought back into first team contention by new manager Nigel Clough
, who made him first choice in central midfield. Savage scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 loss to Doncaster Rovers
on 27 February 2009.
Savage signed a year extension to his Derby contract with the club on 10 August 2009 to take him through to the end of the 2010/11 season. The next day he was named in the Championship
Team of the Week for his performance in the opening day victory over Peterborough United
. Later that month, Savage was re-named as Captain of Derby County, replacing Paul Connolly, who manager Nigel Clough wanted to "concentrate on his own game". Clough felt Connolly "was quite relieved in some ways because it is a big responsibility, especially when you are at full-back and out of the action" and that Clough wanted a Captain who was "in the middle of the park". In response, Savage said that "I did not deserve the captaincy when I first came to the club. I was handed it from the first day and I shouldn't have been. It was too much pressure for me and I had a nightmare. I let it get to me. I think I'm ready for it now. I feel more comfortable with it now." Derby struggled once again during the season, not achieving safety until the 44th fixture, but the season was a personal success for Savage as he appeared in all but one of Derby's 51 league and cup fixtures during the campaign, the match which he missed being due to suspension, starting 49 of them. He also scored twice; a free kick against Queens Park Rangers
in a 4–2 home defeat and a volley at Sheffield United
in a 1–1 draw. He also won the club's internal player of the year award but lost out on the fan's award to Shaun Barker
.
Savage again started in the Derby first eleven in the 2010–11 season in a new 4–2–3–1 formation around new signing James Bailey
, though Derby got off to a poor start winning just one of their opening seven league games, with Savage's form making fans question the justification for his place in the team and his status as skipper. He made his 100th appearance for the club in a 2–2 draw against Queens Park Rangers
before he was dropped to the bench for a 1–1 draw at Barnsley
, the first game he had played no part in for Derby (barring unavailability for selection) since Nigel Clough
's arrival as manager in January 2009.
On 16 October 2010 Savage played his 600th career match in a 3–0 victory on Preston North End
, scoring an injury-time penalty to seal the win. In January 2011, Savage revealed that he was considering leaving the club for a move to Vancouver Whitecaps, Savage stating "One thing is for sure, I will be leaving Derby County at the end of the season, if not before, even if they offer me a new contract. My time is up here. I've thoroughly enjoyed my time with Derby and I want to walk away with my head held high". One fan responded by telephoning Savage during an interview on Radio Five Live and telling him to "leave the club now" and "take young Mr. Clough with him". Savage eventually rejected the move, stating it was too big a move for his family. On January 31, 2011 Savage announced on his Twitter page that he would be retiring at the end of the season to concentrate on his growing media career. In his last two games, a home loss against Bristol City
and an away defeat at Reading
he was met with a round of applause and a standing ovation from both sets of supporters.
. Savage did give the explanation that "John Toshack said it was my way or the highway – well I'm on the M56
."
On 6 March 2006, he appeared on Welsh radio, partaking in a debate with pundit Leighton James over his exclusion from the Welsh squad. Early in his international career he clashed with former Wales manager Bobby Gould
when he jokingly threw a replica of Paolo Maldini
's shirt into a disposal bin before a match against Italy. Savage was initially dropped by Gould from the squad only to be reinstated the next day.
. A controversial player, Savage is loved by fans of teams he plays for and hated by many others, in part due to his style of play and in part due to several controversial incidents he has been involved in. Fans of Aston Villa
, Derby
, Tottenham
, West Ham
and Arsenal
have accused him of simulation
, whether to win a set piece or to get an opponent red carded.
During a match against Newcastle United
in August 2003, the referee Matt Messias
swung his arm out and accidentally hit Savage in the face as Savage was running behind him. Savage went down to the floor holding his face and Messias called a halt to the game. Messias looked down to check Savage's condition, and gave Newcastle striker Alan Shearer
his red card who showed it to the referee as a joke. Savage shortly got back up on his feet and had sustained no injuries, but fans, players and referees alike took much delight in this comical incident. It has been shown many times on Soccer AM
as have many other recordings of Savage being hit in the face by the ball or an arm. One particularly memorable incident occurred at Arsenal's former ground, Highbury
, when a ball kicked by Robert Pirès
struck Savage in the face, to the delight and loud cheers of the home fans. Also, on 17 January 2010, whilst commentating for BBC Radio 5 Live
's coverage of a Premier League match between Aston Villa
and West Ham United
at Villa Park, a clearance by Villa midfielder Stiliyan Petrov
hit Savage in the face causing some minor bleeding to the nose.
Savage has, however, only been sent off twice in his career: Once during an international game for the Welsh national team
, and once during a Premier League game for Blackburn
. He received his first-ever red card
when he was sent off in Wales' World Cup qualification match against Northern Ireland
in September 2004 for reacting to a foul on him by midfielder Michael Hughes
. Both Hughes and Savage were sent off, but, on later review, the punishment of Savage seemed harsh to some. Savage was ridiculed for threatening to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights
over the decision. His once-impressive statistic of never being sent off in a Premiership match ended on 18 March 2006 when he was dismissed against Middlesbrough
for two bookable offences. Both were controversial – the first for a challenge on George Boateng
where he appeared to take the ball, and the second for handball when it seemed unintentional. Savage later admitted that he was probably due a controversial sending off because he had escaped punishment for illegal challenges in the past.
One famous example of his eccentric behaviour was while he played for Leicester City
. In an incident to become known as "Poogate" he used the referee's toilet before a game, claiming he had an upset stomach due to antibiotics he was on at the time. The Football Association
charged him and he was fined £10,000, a decision that he appealed against, but lost. Leicester fined him two weeks' wages for the incident.
In his first season for Leicester, in the final minute of a league game between rivals Leicester and Derby at Pride Park
, Savage dived in the penalty area. Leicester were awarded the penalty, which was converted, and meant they won the game 3–2. Savage's blatant dive, his hopeful look at the referee and his aggressive fist-pumping celebration in front of the home fans resulted in a torrent of abuse from the fans and in Savage being chased across the pitch by incensed Derby players, two of whom were booked. Derby fans regularly booed, jeered and abused Savage whenever he played against them, and when he became a Derby player in January 2008, he was treated with a mixture of hostility and indifference, partly over the incident, and partly over his average form.
Savage is also famous for an incident at Villa Park, while playing for Birmingham City
. After a tackle on him by Dion Dublin
, a confrontation between the two and several other players occurred before Dublin headbutted Savage. Dublin was sent off by referee Mark Halsey
as result.
When being interviewed by BBC Radio Derby
's Colin Gibson in January 2010, Savage reacted furiously to rumours he heard that the Derby players think the club's backroom staff are not up to the job. These rumours were brought up during a phone-in on Gibson's show on the station the preceding weekend, following the Rams' 4–1 defeat at home to Scunthorpe United
on 9 January.
during his club career, and started working in the media more regularly in the 2009/10 season. Robbie Savage reinvents himself for future life as a media pundit The Times. 13-2-10. Accessed 8-9-11 He worked in a number of different punditry roles during the 2010 FIFA World Cup
, before joining the presenting team for BBC Radio 5 Live
’s 606
show in 2010. In May 2011 he was awarded the Sony Radio Academy
Rising Star Award, as well as winning an award from the Plain English Campaign
.
Since retiring from football in May 2011, Savage has attempted to become a more prominent broadcasting figure beyond punditry. From September 2011 Savage took part in the 2011 series of Strictly Come Dancing
, partnering Ola Jordan
. The show broadcast on 22 October saw Savage perform a dramatic knee-slide towards the camera, which resulted in a broken nose.
|1994–95
||rowspan="3"|Crewe Alexandra
||rowspan="3"|Second Division
||6||2||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||6||2
|-
|1995–96
||30||7||3||0||3||0||colspan="2"|-||36||7
|-
|1996–97
||41||1||2||0||2||0||colspan="2"|-||45||1
|-
|1997–98
||rowspan="5"|Leicester City
||rowspan="13"|Premier League||35||2||2||1||1||0||1||0||39||3
|-
|1998–99
||34||1||colspan="2"|-||7||0||colspan="2"|-||41||1
|-
|1999–00
||35||1||5||0||7||0||colspan="2"|-||47||1
|-
|2000–01
||33||4||4||0||colspan="2"|-||2||0||39||4
|-
|2001–02
||35||0||1||0||2||0||colspan="2"|-||38||0
|-
|2002–03
||rowspan="3"|Birmingham City
||33||4||1||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||34||4
|-
|2003–04
||31||3||4||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||35||3
|-
|2004–05
||18||4||colspan="2"|-||1||1||colspan="2"|-||19||5
|-
|2004–05
||rowspan="4"|Blackburn Rovers
||9||0||4||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||13||0
|-
|2005–06
||34||1||2||0||6||0||colspan="2"|-||42||1
|-
|2006–07
||21||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||6||2||27||2
|-
|2007–08||12||0||colspan="2"|-||1||0||5||0||18||0
|-
|2007–08||rowspan="2"|Derby County
||16||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||17||0
|-
|2008–09
||Championship
||22||1||3||0||3||0||colspan="2"|-||28||1
|-
|2008–09
|||Brighton (Loan)||League One||6||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||6||0
|-
|2009–10||rowspan="2"|Derby County
||rowspan="2"|Championship
||46||2||3||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||50||2
|-
|2010–11
||40||4||1||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||42||4
537||37||36||1||35||1||14||2||623||41
537||37||36||1||35||1||14||2||623||41
These statistics do not include 9 games and 1 goal scored in other competitions with Crewe (8 games, 1 goal) and Brighton and Hove Albion (1 Game),
Stats accurate as of 19:10, 7 May 2011 (UTC).
|-
|1995||1||0
|-
|1996||2||0
|-
|1997||4||1
|-
|1998||5||0
|-
|1999||2||0
|-
|2000||5||0
|-
|2001||3||1
|-
|2002||5||0
|-
|2003||6||0
|-
|2004||6||0
|-
!Total||39||2
|}
Crewe Alexandra
Leicester City
Midfielder
A midfielder is an association football position. Some midfielders play a more defensive role, while others blur the boundaries between midfielders and forwards. The number of midfielders a team uses during a match may vary, depending on the team's formation and each individual player's role...
. During his career he captained Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
, and also played for the Welsh
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
national team. He now presents 606
6-0-6
6-0-6 is a football phone-in, broadcast on BBC Radio Five Live throughout the football season; when the programme started, it typically went on air at 6:06pm on a matchday . It covers topics relating to the current affairs of football in the United Kingdom. It currently airs on Saturdays and...
on BBC Radio Five Live on Sunday evenings alongside Mark 'Chappers' Chapman. He is currently appearing on series 9 of Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing is a British television show, featuring celebrities with professional dance partners competing in Ballroom and Latin dances. The title of the show suggests a continuation of the long-running series Come Dancing, with an allusion to the film Strictly Ballroom...
.
He gained notoriety for his playing style. In 2008, the Daily Mail
Daily Mail
The Daily Mail is a British daily middle-market tabloid newspaper owned by the Daily Mail and General Trust. First published in 1896 by Lord Northcliffe, it is the United Kingdom's second biggest-selling daily newspaper after The Sun. Its sister paper The Mail on Sunday was launched in 1982...
labelled him as the dirtiest player in Premier League history, based on numbers of yellow cards received, though he has since been surpassed as the player with the most Premier League yellow cards by Lee Bowyer
Lee Bowyer
Lee David Bowyer is an English professional footballer born in Canning Town, London, who plays as a midfielder for Ipswich Town of the Football League Championship....
.
Personal life
Savage was born in WrexhamWrexham
Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
in October 1974 to Colin and Valerie Savage. He attended Ysgol Bryn Alyn
Ysgol Bryn Alyn
Ysgol Bryn Alyn is a secondary school in the county borough of Wrexham, Wales. Its catchment area includes its local primary schools within Gwersyllt, but also other villages nearby.Mr Brian Whiteley took up the position of headteacher in July 2011....
in Gwersyllt
Gwersyllt
Gwersyllt is an urban village and a local government community, the lowest tier of local government, part of Wrexham County Borough in Wales....
, until he completed his GCSE studies in July 1991. On leaving school, Savage joined Manchester United as an apprentice.
Savage is married to Sarah. The couple have two sons. His father was diagnosed with Pick's disease
Pick's disease
Pick's disease, is a rare neurodegenerative disease that causes progressive destruction of nerve cells in the brain. Symptoms include loss of speech , and dementia. While some of the symptoms can initially be alleviated, the disease progresses and patients often die within two to ten years...
, a dementia
Dementia
Dementia is a serious loss of cognitive ability in a previously unimpaired person, beyond what might be expected from normal aging...
-type illness, when he was in his mid-50s.
Savage had said in the future he would like to finish his career at home town club Wrexham
Wrexham A.F.C.
Wrexham Football Club are a professional football team based in Wrexham, north-east Wales, who play in the English football pyramid.Founded in 1872, they are one of the oldest surviving football clubs in Britain and the oldest professional club in Wales...
before going on to manage them. He also said that the greatest regret of his football career was not signing for Everton
Everton F.C.
Everton Football Club are an English professional association football club from the city of Liverpool. The club competes in the Premier League, the highest level of English football...
when he had the chance in 2005.
Early career
Savage started his playing career as a trainee striker at Manchester UnitedManchester United F.C.
Manchester United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, that plays in the Premier League. Founded as Newton Heath LYR Football Club in 1878, the club changed its name to Manchester United in 1902 and moved to Old Trafford in 1910.The 1958...
. He played in the FA Youth Cup
FA Youth Cup
The Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under–18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part...
winning team of 1992, and was later given a professional contract, but never played a first team game for the club and signed for Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
in 1994.
He switched into midfield and proved himself as a highly competent young player at Crewe, helping them reach the Division Two
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
playoffs in his first two seasons at the club; a remarkable feat for a newly-promoted club who had only played at this level twice in the previous 30 years. Crewe then made it third time lucky by sealing promotion via the playoffs in 1997
1997 Football League Second Division play-off Final
The 1997 Football League Second Division play-off Final was a football match played at Wembley Stadium on 25 May 1997, at the end of the 1996–97 season. It was the 11th play-off final in all at the third level of English football...
. It was the first time that Crewe had reached the second tier of the English football league system
English football league system
The English football league system, also known as the football pyramid, is a series of interconnected leagues for association football clubs in England, with six teams from Wales also competing...
, but shortly after helping Crewe win promotion, Savage handed in a transfer request to manager Dario Gradi
Dario Gradi
Dario Gradi MBE is an Italian-born English football manager and former player, who was serving as manager of the Crewe Alexandra F.C. Academy. He is a former manager of Crewe Alexandra, with whom he has been associated for almost thirty years.Gradi is notable for his 24-year first spell as manager...
.
Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
for a fee of £400,000, managed by Martin O'Neill
Martin O'Neill
Martin Hugh Michael O'Neill, OBE, is a Northern Irish football manager and former player.Until resigning the post on 9 August 2010, he was manager of Aston Villa. Starting his career in his native Northern Ireland, O'Neill moved to England where he spent most of his playing career with Nottingham...
, in July 1997. Savage spent five years at Leicester, where he made his name as a reliable, competitive and fiery midfielder. In 1999, Leicester reached the League Cup
Football League Cup
The Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
final against Tottenham Hotspur
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
. In a controversial incident, Savage made a poor tackle on Tottenham's Justin Edinburgh
Justin Edinburgh
Justin Charles Edinburgh is an English professional football manager and former player. He is currently manager of . Nicknamed 'Musselburgh', he has previously played for, or managed, six other clubs.-Playing career:...
who retaliated by swinging his arm out. Contact was minimal, but Savage fell to the ground. Edinburgh was sent off for raising his arms, and although Tottenham went on to win the final, many Spurs fans still hold a grudge against Savage for the incident to this day. However, a year later Savage reached the League Cup final again, this time winning 2–1 against Tranmere Rovers
Tranmere Rovers F.C.
Tranmere Rovers Football Club are an English team based in Birkenhead, Wirral. The club currently compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system...
. The cup win is Savage's only winners medal.
Birmingham City
When Leicester were relegated from the Premiership at the end of the 2001–02 season he transferred to newly-promoted Birmingham CityBirmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
for a fee of £1.25 million, signing a three-year contract. At the beginning of January 2005 he submitted a written request for a transfer, allegedly wishing to be nearer his ailing parents in Wrexham
Wrexham
Wrexham is a town in Wales. It is the administrative centre of the wider Wrexham County Borough, and the largest town in North Wales, located in the east of the region. It is situated between the Welsh mountains and the lower Dee Valley close to the border with Cheshire, England...
, despite the fact that Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
is closer to Wrexham than Blackburn is. On 19 January he completed a move to Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
for a fee of £3 million. Savage played well in his time at Birmingham, scoring 11 goals in 82 league games, his best ratio of goals to games to date.
Blackburn Rovers
In his first five months as a Blackburn player, Savage helped his new club to Premier League safety and reached the FA Cup Semi Final, a 3-0 loss to Arsenal in his homeland's Millennium Stadium.In March, Savage called an end to his international career after new manager John Toshack
John Toshack
John Benjamin Toshack OBE is a Welsh former footballer and manager. He is currently the manager of Macedonia. He has also managed several others clubs including Swansea City, who he took from the Fourth Division to the First in four seasons.As a player, he is remembered for being part of the...
dropped him for a World Cup 2006 qualifying game against Austria. His feud with Toshack and the Welsh FA continued long into the 05/06 season as Savage insisted he retired from international football only because Toshack told him he wasn't good enough to play for Wales.
In 2005–06, Savage was a regular performer for Blackburn, making 42 appearances and scoring once, against former club Birmingham. The following season, he scored against Salzburg and Wisla Krakow
Wisla Kraków
Wisła Kraków is a football club based in Kraków, Poland. Wisła contends in Ekstraklasa, the top level of Polish professional football competition. Wisła Kraków is one of the oldest and most successful Polish football clubs. It ranks third in the number of national titles won behind Górnik Zabrze...
in Rovers' UEFA Cup campaign, but his season was cut short by a broken leg in January, which kept him out for the rest of the season.
During the 2007–08 season, Savage endured further problems with his knee, suffering a knock in the 2–1 win at Spurs after being caught by Robbie Keane
Robbie Keane
Robert David "Robbie" Keane is an Irish association football player who plays as a striker for Los Angeles Galaxy in Major League Soccer and captains the Irish national football team....
. Surgery was required which kept him out of the starting lineup for six weeks. Following the return of Steven Reid
Steven Reid
Steven John Reid is an English-born Irish footballer who plays for West Bromwich Albion as a defender, but played most of his career in midfield...
to the Rovers starting lineup and some good form by David Dunn
David Dunn
David John Ian Dunn is an English footballer who plays as an attacking midfielder for Premier League club Blackburn Rovers.-Blackburn Rovers:...
, he found it harder to get into the starting eleven. Savage was well liked by the Blackburn fans and was given a standing ovation by a near capacity ground by the Rovers fans when he returned with Derby.
Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
for a fee of £1.5 million on a two-and-a-half year contract, and later revealed that he had taken a pay cut to join Derby in his search for first-team football and had rejected a move to Sunderland because he felt Derby had wanted him more.
As the number 8 shirt, which he had worn at previous clubs, was already allocated to then-captain Matthew Oakley
Matthew Oakley
Matthew "Matt" Oakley is an English midfielder playing for League One side Exeter City on loan from Npower Championship side Leicester City where he was captain from 2008 to 2011. He had previously played for Southampton and Derby County....
, he took the number 44 shirt because the numbers add up to 8.
He was appointed the new Derby captain after Oakley was sold to Leicester, and he skippered the Derby side in his first match, a 1–0 home defeat to Wigan Athletic
Wigan Athletic F.C.
Wigan Athletic Football Club is an English Premier League Association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, having been promoted from the Championship in 2005. Wigan's current spell in the Premier League is the only top flight run in the club's history.They have played at the DW...
. Savage's arrival, however, could not prevent his first season at the club from ending in relegation, and his performances were frequently below-par, something he acknowledged.
Rumours of Savage leaving Derby came in July 2008 when he missed out on every pre-season match. In August, Leicester City chairman Milan Mandaric
Milan Mandaric
Milan Mandarić is a Serbian-American business tycoon who has owned a string of successful businesses and football clubs including Portsmouth, Leicester City and Sheffield Wednesday. He currently is the chairman of Sheffield Wednesday...
declared an interest in Savage, which was dismissed by Derby. Paul Jewell
Paul Jewell
Paul Steven Jewell is a former English footballer who is currently the manager of Ipswich Town.His playing career started with Liverpool before moving to Wigan Athletic and then a ten-year spell with Bradford City...
repeatedly left Savage out of the team, after Derby's poor start to the 2008/2009 season, and he was replaced as captain by Alan Stubbs
Alan Stubbs
Alan Stubbs is a retired English footballer who played as a centre back. He was forced to retire from professional football due to a troublesome knee injury on the 20 August 2008. The final match of his career was against Doncaster Rovers on 9 August 2008...
. Stubbs was forced to retire shortly into the new season through injury, but Savage was not considered for the role due to not being in the first team, and the armband went to Paul Connolly
Paul Connolly
Paul Connolly is an English footballer who plays for Football League Championship club Leeds United as a right back, having previously played for Plymouth Argyle, Bideford, Derby County and Sheffield United.-Plymouth Argyle:...
.
After failing to break back into the first team, Savage was sent out on loan in October to Brighton for a month to keep match fit. He would later reveal one year later, in a build-up to a match between Leicester and Derby County, that he had tried to secure a loan deal to the Walkers Stadium
Walkers Stadium
The King Power Stadium is a football stadium which hosts home matches of English football club Leicester City. The all-seater stadium, inaugurated in July 2002, holds 32,500 and has the 19th largest stadium capacity in England. The stadium is named after King Power, a company owned by club owner...
(Leicester had declared an interest in him months earlier). Savage even telephoned club ambassador Alan Birchenall
Alan Birchenall
Alan Birchenall MBE is a retired English footballer who played during the 1960s and 1970s.A talented and much travelled player. Alan was a skilful attacking midfielder who started his professional career with Sheffield United in 1963...
and former teammate Paul Dickov
Paul Dickov
Paul Dickov is a retired Scottish footballer, turned manager who is currently in charge of League One side Oldham Athletic...
to put in a good word with manager Nigel Pearson
Nigel Pearson
Nigel Graham Pearson is an English football manager and former professional player. He is currently in his second spell as manager of Leicester City, having previously managed Hull City, Southampton and Carlisle United, and been assistant manager for England Under-21s and Newcastle United...
. Pearson, however, "said no", despite Derby offering to pay "90 or 95 per-cent" of Savage's wages. Following Jewell's resignation as Derby manager, Savage found himself brought back into first team contention by new manager Nigel Clough
Nigel Clough
Nigel Howard Clough is an English former footballer and the current manager of Derby County. Playing predominately as a striker, but later in his career was used as a midfielder, Clough was capped by England 14 times in the early 1990s....
, who made him first choice in central midfield. Savage scored his first goal for the club in a 2–1 loss to Doncaster Rovers
Doncaster Rovers F.C.
Doncaster Rovers Football Club is an English football club, based at the Keepmoat Stadium in Doncaster, South Yorkshire. The team currently competes in the Football League Championship, after being promoted via the League One play-offs in 2008, and have remained there since.The club was founded in...
on 27 February 2009.
Savage signed a year extension to his Derby contract with the club on 10 August 2009 to take him through to the end of the 2010/11 season. The next day he was named in the Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
Team of the Week for his performance in the opening day victory over Peterborough United
Peterborough United F.C.
Peterborough United Football Club are a professional English football club based in Peterborough. Peterborough United formed in 1934 and played in the old Midland League, which they won six times; eventually being admitted to the Football League in 1960, replacing Gateshead. Their home ground is...
. Later that month, Savage was re-named as Captain of Derby County, replacing Paul Connolly, who manager Nigel Clough wanted to "concentrate on his own game". Clough felt Connolly "was quite relieved in some ways because it is a big responsibility, especially when you are at full-back and out of the action" and that Clough wanted a Captain who was "in the middle of the park". In response, Savage said that "I did not deserve the captaincy when I first came to the club. I was handed it from the first day and I shouldn't have been. It was too much pressure for me and I had a nightmare. I let it get to me. I think I'm ready for it now. I feel more comfortable with it now." Derby struggled once again during the season, not achieving safety until the 44th fixture, but the season was a personal success for Savage as he appeared in all but one of Derby's 51 league and cup fixtures during the campaign, the match which he missed being due to suspension, starting 49 of them. He also scored twice; a free kick against Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
in a 4–2 home defeat and a volley at Sheffield United
Sheffield United F.C.
Sheffield United Football Club is a professional English football club based in the city of Sheffield, South Yorkshire.They were the first sporting team to use the name 'United' and are nicknamed 'The Blades', thanks to Sheffield's worldwide reputation for steel production...
in a 1–1 draw. He also won the club's internal player of the year award but lost out on the fan's award to Shaun Barker
Shaun Barker
Shaun Barker is an English footballer who plays for Derby County as a defender, where he is also captain.-Rotherham United:...
.
Savage again started in the Derby first eleven in the 2010–11 season in a new 4–2–3–1 formation around new signing James Bailey
James Bailey (footballer)
James Joseph Bailey is an English footballer currently playing for Derby County in The Championship...
, though Derby got off to a poor start winning just one of their opening seven league games, with Savage's form making fans question the justification for his place in the team and his status as skipper. He made his 100th appearance for the club in a 2–2 draw against Queens Park Rangers
Queens Park Rangers F.C.
Queens Park Rangers Football Club is an English professional football club, based in White City, Hammersmith and Fulham, west London. As the 2010-11 Football League Championship champions, they now play in the top tier of English football the Premier League, for the first time in 15 years...
before he was dropped to the bench for a 1–1 draw at Barnsley
Barnsley F.C.
Barnsley Football Club are a professional English football club based in the town of Barnsley, South Yorkshire. Nicknamed the Tykes, they were founded in 1887 under the name Barnsley St. Peter's...
, the first game he had played no part in for Derby (barring unavailability for selection) since Nigel Clough
Nigel Clough
Nigel Howard Clough is an English former footballer and the current manager of Derby County. Playing predominately as a striker, but later in his career was used as a midfielder, Clough was capped by England 14 times in the early 1990s....
's arrival as manager in January 2009.
On 16 October 2010 Savage played his 600th career match in a 3–0 victory on Preston North End
Preston North End F.C.
Preston North End Football Club is an English professional football club located in the Deepdale area of the city of Preston, Lancashire, currently playing in the third tier of English league football, League One...
, scoring an injury-time penalty to seal the win. In January 2011, Savage revealed that he was considering leaving the club for a move to Vancouver Whitecaps, Savage stating "One thing is for sure, I will be leaving Derby County at the end of the season, if not before, even if they offer me a new contract. My time is up here. I've thoroughly enjoyed my time with Derby and I want to walk away with my head held high". One fan responded by telephoning Savage during an interview on Radio Five Live and telling him to "leave the club now" and "take young Mr. Clough with him". Savage eventually rejected the move, stating it was too big a move for his family. On January 31, 2011 Savage announced on his Twitter page that he would be retiring at the end of the season to concentrate on his growing media career. In his last two games, a home loss against Bristol City
Bristol City F.C.
Bristol City Football Club is one of two football league clubs in Bristol, England . They play at Ashton Gate, located in the south-west of the City...
and an away defeat at Reading
Reading F.C.
Reading Football Club is an English association football club based in the town of Reading, Berkshire who currently play in the Championship...
he was met with a round of applause and a standing ovation from both sets of supporters.
International career
Savage retired from international football in September 2005 having attained 39 caps, saying he wished to concentrate on his club career. However, many people believe the reason he quit was due to a spat with Wales manager John ToshackJohn Toshack
John Benjamin Toshack OBE is a Welsh former footballer and manager. He is currently the manager of Macedonia. He has also managed several others clubs including Swansea City, who he took from the Fourth Division to the First in four seasons.As a player, he is remembered for being part of the...
. Savage did give the explanation that "John Toshack said it was my way or the highway – well I'm on the M56
M56 motorway
The M56 Motorway, also known as the North Cheshire motorway, is in Cheshire and Greater Manchester, England. It runs from Junction 4 of the M60 to Dunkirk, Cheshire and is in length. It is often busy with long-distance commuter traffic towards North Wales...
."
On 6 March 2006, he appeared on Welsh radio, partaking in a debate with pundit Leighton James over his exclusion from the Welsh squad. Early in his international career he clashed with former Wales manager Bobby Gould
Bobby Gould
Robert Anthony "Bobby" Gould is an English former footballer and manager.-Playing career:Born in Coventry, Gould started his career at Coventry City, making his debut for the club whilst still an apprentice at the age of 16. He did not sign professional until June 1964...
when he jokingly threw a replica of Paolo Maldini
Paolo Maldini
Paolo Cesare Maldini is an Italian former footballer who played as a left or central defender. He spent all 25 seasons of his career at Serie A club Milan, before retiring at the age of 41 in 2009, becoming a symbol and a legend of the club...
's shirt into a disposal bin before a match against Italy. Savage was initially dropped by Gould from the squad only to be reinstated the next day.
Style of play and controversies
Savage's style as a midfield player is all-action and energetic, and he regularly collects yellow cards, and for a while held the dubious distinction of being awarded the most yellow cards of any Premiership player in the league's history – 89, although he has now been overtaken by Lee BowyerLee Bowyer
Lee David Bowyer is an English professional footballer born in Canning Town, London, who plays as a midfielder for Ipswich Town of the Football League Championship....
. A controversial player, Savage is loved by fans of teams he plays for and hated by many others, in part due to his style of play and in part due to several controversial incidents he has been involved in. Fans of Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
, Derby
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
, Tottenham
Tottenham Hotspur F.C.
Tottenham Hotspur Football Club , commonly referred to as Spurs, is an English Premier League football club based in Tottenham, north London. The club's home stadium is White Hart Lane....
, West Ham
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
and Arsenal
Arsenal F.C.
Arsenal Football Club is a professional English Premier League football club based in North London. One of the most successful clubs in English football, it has won 13 First Division and Premier League titles and 10 FA Cups...
have accused him of simulation
Diving (football)
In association football, diving is an attempt by a player to gain an unfair advantage by diving to the ground and possibly feigning an injury, to appear as if a foul has been committed. Dives are often used to exaggerate the amount of contact present in a challenge...
, whether to win a set piece or to get an opponent red carded.
During a match against Newcastle United
Newcastle United F.C.
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Newcastle upon Tyne, Tyne and Wear. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End and Newcastle West End, and has played at its current home ground, St James' Park, since the merger...
in August 2003, the referee Matt Messias
Matt Messias
Matthew David Messias is an English former football referee, who operated in the Football League, the Premier League, and also for UEFA and FIFA. He was first based in York during his time as an official, subsequently moving to Barnsley, also in the county of Yorkshire...
swung his arm out and accidentally hit Savage in the face as Savage was running behind him. Savage went down to the floor holding his face and Messias called a halt to the game. Messias looked down to check Savage's condition, and gave Newcastle striker Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer
Alan Shearer OBE, DL is a retired English footballer. He played as a striker in the top level of English league football for Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United and for the England national team...
his red card who showed it to the referee as a joke. Savage shortly got back up on his feet and had sustained no injuries, but fans, players and referees alike took much delight in this comical incident. It has been shown many times on Soccer AM
Soccer AM
Soccer AM is a British Saturday-morning football-based comedy/talk show, predominantly based around the Premier League...
as have many other recordings of Savage being hit in the face by the ball or an arm. One particularly memorable incident occurred at Arsenal's former ground, Highbury
Arsenal Stadium
Arsenal Stadium was a football stadium in Highbury, North London, which was the home ground of Arsenal Football Club between 6 September 1913 and 7 May 2006...
, when a ball kicked by Robert Pirès
Robert Pirès
Robert Emmanuel Pirès is a former French international footballer. He is perhaps best known for his time with Arsenal, with whom he won three FA Cups and two FA Premier League titles including the club's famous unbeaten season of 2003–04...
struck Savage in the face, to the delight and loud cheers of the home fans. Also, on 17 January 2010, whilst commentating for BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
's coverage of a Premier League match between Aston Villa
Aston Villa F.C.
Aston Villa Football Club is an English professional association football club based in Witton, Birmingham. The club was founded in 1874 and have played at their current home ground, Villa Park, since 1897. Aston Villa were founder members of The Football League in 1888. They were also founder...
and West Ham United
West Ham United F.C.
West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club based in Upton Park, Newham, East London. They play in The Football League Championship. The club was founded in 1895 as Thames Ironworks FC and reformed in 1900 as West Ham United. In 1904 the club relocated to their current...
at Villa Park, a clearance by Villa midfielder Stiliyan Petrov
Stiliyan Petrov
Stiliyan Alyoshev Petrov is a Bulgarian footballer who captains Aston Villa in the Premier League and the Bulgarian national team. He won the Bulgarian Footballer of the Year award in 2003 when he was playing for Celtic...
hit Savage in the face causing some minor bleeding to the nose.
Savage has, however, only been sent off twice in his career: Once during an international game for the Welsh national team
Wales national football team
The Wales national football team represents Wales in international football. It is controlled by the Football Association of Wales , the governing body for football in Wales, and the third oldest national football association in the world. The team have only qualified for a major international...
, and once during a Premier League game for Blackburn
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
. He received his first-ever red card
Misconduct (football)
Misconduct in association football is any conduct by a player that is deemed by the referee to warrant a disciplinary sanction in accordance with Law 12 of the Laws of the Game. Misconduct may occur at any time, including when the ball is out of play, during half-time and before and after the...
when he was sent off in Wales' World Cup qualification match against Northern Ireland
Northern Ireland national football team
The Northern Ireland national football team represents Northern Ireland in international association football. Before 1921 all of Ireland was represented by a single side, the Ireland national football team, organised by the Irish Football Association...
in September 2004 for reacting to a foul on him by midfielder Michael Hughes
Michael Hughes
Michael Eamon Hughes is a retired Northern Irish footballer who currently is a majority shareholder and co-owner of IFA Premiership side Carrick Rangers .-Club career:...
. Both Hughes and Savage were sent off, but, on later review, the punishment of Savage seemed harsh to some. Savage was ridiculed for threatening to appeal to the European Court of Human Rights
European Court of Human Rights
The European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg is a supra-national court established by the European Convention on Human Rights and hears complaints that a contracting state has violated the human rights enshrined in the Convention and its protocols. Complaints can be brought by individuals or...
over the decision. His once-impressive statistic of never being sent off in a Premiership match ended on 18 March 2006 when he was dismissed against Middlesbrough
Middlesbrough F.C.
Middlesbrough Football Club , also known as Boro, are an English football club based in Middlesbrough, who play in the Football League Championship. Formed in 1876, they have played at the Riverside Stadium since August 1995, their third ground since turning professional in 1889...
for two bookable offences. Both were controversial – the first for a challenge on George Boateng
George Boateng
George Boateng is a Dutch footballer who plays as a midfielder for Nottingham Forest in The Championship.-Club career:...
where he appeared to take the ball, and the second for handball when it seemed unintentional. Savage later admitted that he was probably due a controversial sending off because he had escaped punishment for illegal challenges in the past.
One famous example of his eccentric behaviour was while he played for Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
. In an incident to become known as "Poogate" he used the referee's toilet before a game, claiming he had an upset stomach due to antibiotics he was on at the time. The Football Association
The Football Association
The Football Association, also known as simply The FA, is the governing body of football in England, and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. It was formed in 1863, and is the oldest national football association...
charged him and he was fined £10,000, a decision that he appealed against, but lost. Leicester fined him two weeks' wages for the incident.
In his first season for Leicester, in the final minute of a league game between rivals Leicester and Derby at Pride Park
Pride Park Stadium
Pride Park Stadium is an all-seater football stadium located on the Pride Park business park on the outskirts of Derby, England. It is the current home of Football League Championship club Derby County, who moved to the stadium from the Baseball Ground upon its opening in 1997...
, Savage dived in the penalty area. Leicester were awarded the penalty, which was converted, and meant they won the game 3–2. Savage's blatant dive, his hopeful look at the referee and his aggressive fist-pumping celebration in front of the home fans resulted in a torrent of abuse from the fans and in Savage being chased across the pitch by incensed Derby players, two of whom were booked. Derby fans regularly booed, jeered and abused Savage whenever he played against them, and when he became a Derby player in January 2008, he was treated with a mixture of hostility and indifference, partly over the incident, and partly over his average form.
Savage is also famous for an incident at Villa Park, while playing for Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
. After a tackle on him by Dion Dublin
Dion Dublin
Dion Dublin , is a retired English footballer. He was capped four times for England. Dublin started his career as a centre back with Norwich City, but made his name at Cambridge United as a goal-scoring centre forward. However, in his later years he showed his versatility by becoming an...
, a confrontation between the two and several other players occurred before Dublin headbutted Savage. Dublin was sent off by referee Mark Halsey
Mark Halsey
Mark R. Halsey is an English professional football referee who officiates primarily in the Premier League. He was formerly based in Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, currently in Bolton, Lancashire....
as result.
When being interviewed by BBC Radio Derby
BBC Radio Derby
BBC Radio Derby is the BBC Local Radio station for the English county of Derbyshire, covering all but the northern tip of the county, and also serves eastern Staffordshire, mainly Uttoxeter and Burton upon Trent. The station broadcasts from its studios in Derby on 104.5, 95.3 and 96.0 FM and 1116...
's Colin Gibson in January 2010, Savage reacted furiously to rumours he heard that the Derby players think the club's backroom staff are not up to the job. These rumours were brought up during a phone-in on Gibson's show on the station the preceding weekend, following the Rams' 4–1 defeat at home to Scunthorpe United
Scunthorpe United F.C.
Scunthorpe United Football Club is an English association football team based in the town of Scunthorpe, North Lincolnshire, who play in the Football League One....
on 9 January.
Broadcasting career
Savage occasionally acted as a punditPundit
Pundit may refer to:* Pandit or pundit in India, a scholar or expert, especially of traditional Indian law, philosophy, or music* Pundit , a 19th century term to denote native surveyors who explored regions to the north of India for the British Empire* Pundit , an expert or opinion-leader who...
during his club career, and started working in the media more regularly in the 2009/10 season. Robbie Savage reinvents himself for future life as a media pundit The Times. 13-2-10. Accessed 8-9-11 He worked in a number of different punditry roles during the 2010 FIFA World Cup
2010 FIFA World Cup
The 2010 FIFA World Cup was the 19th FIFA World Cup, the world championship for men's national association football teams. It took place in South Africa from 11 June to 11 July 2010...
, before joining the presenting team for BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live
BBC Radio 5 Live is the BBC's national radio service that specialises in live BBC News, phone-ins, and sports commentaries...
’s 606
606
Year 606 was a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar. The denomination 606 for this year has been used since the early medieval period, when the Anno Domini calendar era became the prevalent method in Europe for naming years.- Asia :* Shashanka is the first recorded independent...
show in 2010. In May 2011 he was awarded the Sony Radio Academy
Sony Radio Academy Awards
The Sony Radio Academy Awards , started in 1983, are some of the most prestigious awards in the British radio industry. They are run by ZAFER Associates in association with the Radio Academy...
Rising Star Award, as well as winning an award from the Plain English Campaign
Plain English Campaign
The Plain English Campaign is a commercial editing and training firm based in the United Kingdom. Founded in 1979 by Chrissie Maher, the company positions itself as a leader in plain-language advocacy, working to persuade organisations in the UK and abroad to communicate with the public in plain...
.
Since retiring from football in May 2011, Savage has attempted to become a more prominent broadcasting figure beyond punditry. From September 2011 Savage took part in the 2011 series of Strictly Come Dancing
Strictly Come Dancing (series 9)
The ninth series of Strictly Come Dancing began on 10 September 2011 with a Launch Show, and the live shows started on 30 September and 1 October 2011. The show was broadcast from Wembley Arena on 19 November with all proceeds going to the BBC charity, Children in Need...
, partnering Ola Jordan
Ola Jordan
Aleksandra "Ola" Jordan is a professional Latin dance specialist best known for her appearances on the British TV show Strictly Come Dancing. After winning a championship event in Poland she moved to England and began a new partnership with James Jordan...
. The show broadcast on 22 October saw Savage perform a dramatic knee-slide towards the camera, which resulted in a broken nose.
Football career statistics
|-|1994–95
The Football League 1994-95
The 1994–1995 season was the 95th completed season of the The Football League. It was the third season of The Football League since the formation of the Premier League...
||rowspan="3"|Crewe Alexandra
Crewe Alexandra F.C.
Crewe Alexandra Football Club is an English professional football club based in Crewe, Cheshire. Nicknamed The Railwaymen due to the town's links with the rail industry, they currently play in Football League Two, the fourth tier of English football, and are based at the Alexandra Stadium.The club...
||rowspan="3"|Second Division
Football League Second Division
From 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
||6||2||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||6||2
|-
|1995–96
The Football League 1995-96
The 1995–1996 season was the 96th completed season of the The Football League. It was contested through three divisions, the First Division, Second Division and Third Division.- First Division playoffs :- First Division Table:...
||30||7||3||0||3||0||colspan="2"|-||36||7
|-
|1996–97
The Football League 1996-97
The 1996–1997 season was the 97th completed season of the The Football League.-First Division:Bolton Wanderers returned to the Premiership in superb fashion, hitting 100 goals and taking 98 points...
||41||1||2||0||2||0||colspan="2"|-||45||1
|-
|1997–98
FA Premier League 1997-98
The FA Premier League 1997-98 season saw Arsenal lift their first league title since 1991, and also become only the second team to win the 'double' of the FA Cup and league title twice...
||rowspan="5"|Leicester City
Leicester City F.C.
Leicester City Football Club , also known as The Foxes, is an English professional football club based at the King Power Stadium in Leicester...
||rowspan="13"|Premier League||35||2||2||1||1||0||1||0||39||3
|-
|1998–99
FA Premier League 1998-99
The 1998–99 FA Premier League season was the seventh season of the Premier League, the top division of English football, since its establishment in 1992. The season will always be remembered as the one in which Manchester United won a unique treble of the league title, the FA Cup and the European Cup...
||34||1||colspan="2"|-||7||0||colspan="2"|-||41||1
|-
|1999–00
FA Premier League 1999-00
The FA Premier League 1999–2000 season was the eighth season of the FA Premier League, and Manchester United secured their sixth Premiership title. Like the previous season, they lost only three league games all season...
||35||1||5||0||7||0||colspan="2"|-||47||1
|-
|2000–01
FA Premier League 2000-01
The FA Premier League 2000-01 season was the third season running which ended with Manchester United as champions and Arsenal as runners-up. Sir Alex Ferguson became the first manager to win three successive English league titles, although three teams had achieved that feat in the past - but with...
||33||4||4||0||colspan="2"|-||2||0||39||4
|-
|2001–02
FA Premier League 2001-02
The 2001–02 FA Premier League season was the tenth season of the competition. It began with a new sponsor, Barclaycard, and was titled the FA Barclaycard Premiership, replacing the previous sponsor, Carling...
||35||0||1||0||2||0||colspan="2"|-||38||0
|-
|2002–03
FA Premier League 2002-03
The 2002–03 FA Premier League was the eleventh season of the Premier League, the top division in English football. The first matches were played on 17 August 2002 and the last were played on 11 May 2003...
||rowspan="3"|Birmingham City
Birmingham City F.C.
Birmingham City Football Club is a professional association football club based in the city of Birmingham, England. Formed in 1875 as Small Heath Alliance, they became Small Heath in 1888, then Birmingham in 1905, finally becoming Birmingham City in 1943.They were relegated at the end of the...
||33||4||1||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||34||4
|-
|2003–04
FA Premier League 2003-04
The 2003–04 FA Premier League season was the twelfth season of the Premier League. In the end, Arsenal went through the season without a single defeat – only the second ever team to do so and were crowned champions once more, at the expense of Chelsea, who had spent heavily throughout the...
||31||3||4||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||35||3
|-
|2004–05
FA Premier League 2004-05
The 2004–05 season of the FA Premier League began on 14 August 2004 and ended on 15 May 2005. Arsenal were the defending champions after going unbeaten the previous season....
||18||4||colspan="2"|-||1||1||colspan="2"|-||19||5
|-
|2004–05
FA Premier League 2004-05
The 2004–05 season of the FA Premier League began on 14 August 2004 and ended on 15 May 2005. Arsenal were the defending champions after going unbeaten the previous season....
||rowspan="4"|Blackburn Rovers
Blackburn Rovers F.C.
Blackburn Rovers Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Blackburn, Lancashire. The team currently competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football....
||9||0||4||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||13||0
|-
|2005–06
FA Premier League 2005-06
The 2005–06 season of the FA Premier League began on 13 August 2005, and concluded on 7 May 2006. The season saw Chelsea F.C retain their title after defeating Manchester United 3–0 at Stamford Bridge towards the end of April...
||34||1||2||0||6||0||colspan="2"|-||42||1
|-
|2006–07
FA Premier League 2006-07
The 2006–07 FA Premier League was the fifteenth season of the FA Premier League since its establishment in 1992. The season started on 19 August 2006 and concluded on 13 May 2007....
||21||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||6||2||27||2
|-
|2007–08||12||0||colspan="2"|-||1||0||5||0||18||0
|-
|2007–08||rowspan="2"|Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
||16||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||17||0
|-
|2008–09
The Football League 2008-09
The Football League 2008–09, titled the Coca-Cola Football League, was the 109th completed season of the Football League. It began in August 2008 and concluded in May 2009, with the promotion play-off finals....
||Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
||22||1||3||0||3||0||colspan="2"|-||28||1
|-
|2008–09
The Football League 2008-09
The Football League 2008–09, titled the Coca-Cola Football League, was the 109th completed season of the Football League. It began in August 2008 and concluded in May 2009, with the promotion play-off finals....
|||Brighton (Loan)||League One||6||0||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||colspan="2"|-||6||0
|-
|2009–10||rowspan="2"|Derby County
Derby County F.C.
Derby County Football Club is an English football based in Derby. the club play in the Football League Championship and is notable as being one of the twelve founder members of the Football League in 1888 and is, therefore, one of only ten clubs to have competed in every season of the English...
||rowspan="2"|Championship
Football League Championship
The Football League Championship is the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system after the Premier League...
||46||2||3||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||50||2
|-
|2010–11
2010–11 Football League
The Football League 2010–11, called the Npower Football League, was the 111th completed season of the Football League. It began in August 2010 and concluded in May 2011, with the promotion play-off finals....
||40||4||1||0||1||0||colspan="2"|-||42||4
537||37||36||1||35||1||14||2||623||41
537||37||36||1||35||1||14||2||623||41
These statistics do not include 9 games and 1 goal scored in other competitions with Crewe (8 games, 1 goal) and Brighton and Hove Albion (1 Game),
Stats accurate as of 19:10, 7 May 2011 (UTC).
|-
|1995||1||0
|-
|1996||2||0
|-
|1997||4||1
|-
|1998||5||0
|-
|1999||2||0
|-
|2000||5||0
|-
|2001||3||1
|-
|2002||5||0
|-
|2003||6||0
|-
|2004||6||0
|-
!Total||39||2
|}
Honours
Manchester United- FA Youth CupFA Youth CupThe Football Association Youth Challenge Cup is an English football competition run by The Football Association for under–18 sides. Only those players between the age of 15 and 18 on 31 August of the current season are eligible to take part...
- Winner : 1992
- Runner up: 1993
Crewe Alexandra
- Football League Division TwoFootball League Second DivisionFrom 1892 until 1992, the Football League Second Division was the second highest division overall in English football.This ended with the creation of the FA Premier League, prior to the start of the 1992–93 season, which caused an administrative split between The Football League and the teams...
- Play-Off Winner: 19971997 Football League Second Division play-off FinalThe 1997 Football League Second Division play-off Final was a football match played at Wembley Stadium on 25 May 1997, at the end of the 1996–97 season. It was the 11th play-off final in all at the third level of English football...
- Play-Off Winner: 1997
Leicester City
- League CupFootball League CupThe Football League Cup, commonly known as the League Cup or, from current sponsorship, the Carling Cup, is an English association football competition. Like the FA Cup, it is played on a knockout basis...
- Winner: 20002000 Football League Cup FinalThe 2000 Worthington Cup Final was played between Leicester City, in their third final appearance in four years, and First Division side Tranmere Rovers at Wembley on 27 February 2000...
- Runner up: 19991999 Football League Cup FinalThe 1999 Worthington Cup Final was played between Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City, at Wembley on Sunday 21 March 1999. Tottenham won the game, and their third League Cup, with an injury-time diving header from Allan Nielsen...
- Winner: 2000