Robbie Savage speaks on ‘unacceptable’ abuse he received as Carlisle beat Forest Green 4-2

Robbie Savage speaks on the ‘unacceptable’ abuse he received as Carlisle beat Forest Green 4-2 on Saturday evening.

The Forest Green Rovers manager has called out behaviour that “crosses the line,” noting that it happens consistently, including at a recent match at Worthing.

He took aim at the lack of response from stewards and others, and added that personal abuse, often from people in influential roles, aren’t addressed adequately.

“It crossed the line. It’s unacceptable.”

Robbie Savage speaks on the abuse he received during Forest Green’s trip to Carlisle🗣️ pic.twitter.com/33QMI2m5wI

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Transcribed with the help of TurboScribe!

Robbie Savage said when talking on DAZN: As a manager, you know, some of the abuse you receive, you heard it probably on the…

Interviewer: Do you enjoy it?

Robbie: It crossed the line a lot today. It crossed the line a lot, which is not acceptable. You know, I’m not sure much was done about it. You know, it’s not acceptable, some of the abuse you receive. You try and laugh it off, I’m having photos with their fans, kids, you know, before the game, you try and be friendly and it’s emotion, I get it. But some of the abuse crosses the line, which is not acceptable. But, is anything going to be done about it? I doubt it.

Interviewer: Perhaps that’s something obviously that needs to be highlighted for your time, because you are obviously a different manager that this league hasn’t experienced before, because, you know, your celebrity status as well, Rob, makes them think that they know you…

Robbie: But I’m a human being. Yeah. Listen, I don’t mind the banter. I’m one of the biggest ones, Mark, and their staff will tell you. But what you don’t expect is the abuse from, you know, from people of varying ages, you know, probably, you know, positions at work, to hurl the abuse they do at times is unacceptable. But nothing will be done. You know, any manager, any manager who stands there, yeah, you can hear it now, any manager who stands there…

Interviewer: I think that was a we love you, Robbie.

Robbie: Any manager who stands there, David, you’ve done it. You know, the abuse you receive, you just expect to take it, you know, and sometimes it’s unacceptable. And tonight, this is not me speaking because we’ve lost. It’s the truth. Any manager who stands there and gets the abuse that, you know, that I did tonight, what’s going to be done about it? Nothing will be done. It happened the other night.

Interviewer: Would you like the league to do something?

Robbie: No, listen, I’m not saying that, but, you know, you’ve probably heard it on your cameras. I’m sure, I don’t know who commentated, probably had to apologise numerous times. You know, I don’t know how loud, near the speakers were. But it’s not acceptable. But people do it. So any manager who stands in that technical area, I respect them massively. You know, some don’t get as much abuse as me, because I’m expected to take it, you know, I’m expected to take it. But listen, would I change it? No, in terms of…

*loud noise interrupts*

Interviewer: Somebody with a very loud voice.

Robbie: But again, listen, I love being a manager. I love my team. And we’re going to be there at the whereabouts. I still believe we can win the league, because if we play like that, we’ll be brilliant.

Interviewer: And listen, yeah. We’re on your side. We don’t think anybody deserves that level of booing.

Robbie: It’s fine now. But when it crosses the line, it’s unacceptable. Some of the stuff said from people who are in high-powered positions, probably at work, when they come to a football match, they believe they can scream such vile abuse at managers. It’s unacceptable.

Interviewer: So we, I mean, hopefully the league will do something.

Robbie: No, I don’t want them to.

Interviewer: Well, they should though.

Robbie: But they won’t. They won’t. It is what it is. You know, we’re just expected to take it. You know, to take it. You know, when you’re sure, more so when you score. You know, I’ve tried to laugh with them. You’ve seen it. You’ve probably seen the camera. He’s got the camera on me. Laughing and joking and some of the stuff is unacceptable. You don’t mind. But again, this is not me because we’ve lost. Because they’ve won the game. They got three points. Good luck to them. Good luck to them.

“I’ll take the banter, and when they’re singing songs about me as an individual I’ve got no problem,” Savage told BBC Radio Gloucestershire.

“But when it crosses the line, when it becomes nasty and some of the stuff said is wrong, what’s done about it?

“I’ll continue to stand there and take that abuse because I’m expected to, because it’s me – and it’s not acceptable.

“Stewards, volunteers, whoever’s standing there, it’s [still] allowed to happen consistently.

“I don’t mind banter. I’ve had photos with kids, with youngsters there and I’m prepared to stand there and get hurled the most shocking abuse by people of varying ages, probably in high-powered positions at work.

“They think it’s acceptable they can come and hurl vile abuse at a human being – it’s not acceptable, but nothing will be done about it.

“It happens all the time, it happened the other night at Worthing and it’s happened again today.

“I don’t think it’s acceptable, but nothing’s going to be done, nothing’s ever done.”

Here’s how fans reacted after Robbie Savage speaks on ‘unacceptable’ abuse he received as Carlisle beat Forest Green 4-2…

@DanAuton2590: Pretty bog standard for Carlisle, a number of opposing managers have complained about that lot behind the dugouts, nothing ever gets done about them, the club don’t seem to care either, shame really, good club in a great area let down by a few absolute wrong’uns

@jpastalker: There’s only been 2 managers who’ve acted like total cocks in that dugout in the past 3 years – and funnily enough they’ve been the 2 that have cried like babies after the game when they’ve got a bit back.

@alexjhurley: It’s not just Carlisle. It’s absolutely endemic in football. Opposing managers, players, fans and officials are all seen as completely fair game by the majority of fans game for vile, hateful, aggressive abuse. But nowt will get done as Savage says – cos there’s no £ at stake.

@rhyswjenkins1: It’s football mate, it is what it is. The fact he’s crying about it is absolutely pathetic tbh. He was giving it the big un to the paddock the whole match then cry’s when he gets some abuse back. Obviously don’t know what was said, but honestly who cares

@KevYoung64: @RobbieSavage8 is bang on here. There’s a line and sometimes it can be a very fine line however there’s a massive difference between abuse and banter.I’ve seen @officialcufc fans saying Savage was giving it to them, that’s banter and he’s one of the best at it. What he should NOT be subjected to is abuse. I’d be stunned if Savage was abusive to the Carlisle fans, he’s on the wind-up and that’s part of the Game, sadly abuse is now part of the Game and it turns the Beautiful Game into an ugly mess. Sadly, it’s not just Managers/Coaches that get it. It’s Players and Match Officials also. I’ll concentrate on abuse of Match Officials first; Why do people, be they Spectators, Coaches, Players feel that Refs are fair game? Match Officials like banter as much as anyone but abuse is unacceptable. Using my own experience, a Ref can be constantly abused but the moment that Ref bites back it’s laughable some of the reactions from Players/Coaches and yes, Spectators. Only today I’ve heard of an u15s game where there was racial abuse by a Coach and their Players towards an Opponent. That is sickening but I’m not surprised. It seems that once normal, sensible people get near a Football pitch all logic goes out of their heads. It has to STOP

@edgorton2: More than happy to antagonise the oppositions fans but when they give him a few choice words he spits his dummy out. He’s a sore loser. Rooney will get dogs abuse at Chester but you won’t hear him crying about it like this

@DavidJav9954: Don’t give it if you can’t take it. Talking about being a celebrity manager, Mark Hughes……. does he get abused like that? No because he doesn’t go looking for it, winding up the home end. Deserved everything he got the knob head!

@DCFCChristopher: Do you enjoy it? What sort of fuckin question was that? Enjoy getting verbally abused?

@JoshYoungFarmer: Don’t start giving it to the paddock then when you get it back you start crying about it

@RobElder88: I haven’t tweeted in forever but Savage has driven me to it. Goaded the fans from minute one. Acted up for the cameras constantly, told The Paddock ‘you should be 4-1 down’ and gave it big licks when they scored. He got exactly what he deserved – nothing over the line.

@MagpiePaul37: 4 Carlisle attempts on goal ‘crossed the line’ too…🍋🍋🍋🍋

@DavidJav9954: Show him before kick off winding the paddock up, or when they equalised cupping his ear to the Warwick, or making the motion to the paddock. He begs for the attention, maybe drop the victim when he gets it?

@CA1_Mackay: The absolute epitome of a bad loser. Was happy to mouth off to the paddock at 1-1 saying “you lot are fucking shit” and “we should be 4-1 up you can’t get in our half” yet because a few in the paddock said some nasty words he’s booing his eyes out in every interview since. Divvy.

@Richard_Irv: Stood near the dugout from the moment he came out before teams had walked out he was trying to wind the paddock up and carried on trying to bait everyone all half. He was a disgrace.

@JeffH1960: On a slightly different topic, Savage is talking about a serious subject and the presenter is making jokes. Not the best, is she?

@_Grahamo_: You fucking wallop savage spent most the game chatting shite to our home bench, also turned round to the paddock “you’ll never get promoted” practice what you preach you toss pot