Robbie Savage thriving at Forest Green Rovers with dynamic, fearless National League squad

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Life at The New Lawn has gone swimmingly so far for Forest Green Rovers head coach Robbie Savage – unbeaten in all competitions and joint top of the National League currently.

The former Macclesfield head coach turned heads over the summer by moving up a league after leading the Silkmen to the National League North.

Savage had been part of the club’s project since 2020, initially serving on the board, then as director of football, and finally taking the reins as manager last year.

But when the chance to take charge of Forest Green Rovers in the National League arose, the 50-year-old didn’t hesitate – and he has not looked back, getting off to a flying start.

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Magnificent

“Yeah, it’s been magnificent,” he told Sky Sports News. “11 games in all competitions, eight wins, three draws, undefeated in the league, 21 points, it’s gone better than I expected.”

He added: “[We have had] 16 new recruits into the football club, also changing the culture, having a young, dynamic squad, playing without fear.

“We’re giving the players the belief to express themselves, they’re allowed to make mistakes, be positive.

“And the recruitment from Mark Bowen, myself, Dale [Vince, Forest Green owner], as if the alignment of the football club is there for all to see.

“We’re really enjoying the environment we’re in. We’re at the training ground, it’s a beautiful facility, the pitch at the ground is unbelievable, so everything’s going in the right direction for this football club.”

The club narrowly missed out on promotion last season, losing in the play-off eliminator to Southend United on penalties.

For Savage, the disappointment of failing to secure an immediate return to the Football League after back-to-back relegations was secondary – his focus was on reshaping the culture of the club.

Mindset

“Last year they did do well, they finished third and were three minutes from Wembley, losing on penalties to Southend,” he said.

“But when I took the job, a lot of agents [were] ringing me, talking about their players, and [their] mindset is, ‘let’s go to Forest Green – we know they pay well’. We wanted to change that.

“We want to change it so that we have lots of young, exciting players, dynamic players who can entertain.

“The owner, who’s brilliant, has gone on record saying that he wants to see attacking, entertaining football, and at the minute we’re a joy to watch.

“We will lose games, but the belief this group have at the minute is there for all to see.

“If we’re drawing games 0-0, my philosophy is to go and win the game, and if we lose it, if a team counter-attacks us and we lose the game, no problem, I’ll stand in front of the cameras and say it was my responsibility.

“I want my team to play without fear. When they come into the training ground, have smiles on their faces – look forward to training.”

Rules

The club made headlines this week after Savage made four substitutions in the opening minute of their National League Cup 3-2 victory over Wolves U21s, exploiting a loophole in the competition’s rules that requires National League sides to start at least four players who featured in their previous league fixture.

He defended his actions, explaining: “I’m not expecting a call; it’s in the rules of the game, in the rules of the competition.

“And we’ve won the game, let’s not forget – we’ve won the game against [a] Category 1 Academy. They were a very, very good side.

“One team made three substitutions within the first three minutes, and one other team did two substitutions in the first minute.

“So, again, we get highlighted because of the profile of the football club, so I’m not expecting any phone call.

“We believe it’s the right thing to do to protect our senior players, who want to play on Saturday against Woking, a tough game.

“It’s a competition we’ve entered, we want to win it, we abide by the rules, and we’ve done everything to the letter.”

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