Blackburn Rovers News 24/7Writer: Walker 
Date:Friday January 26 2007
Time: 2:59PM
UK time is: 23:25:28
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Oh well its Only Savage…Never Mind!
The response to the broken leg of Robbie Savage; or lack of has angered Blackburn Rovers manager Mark Hughes.
A challenge involving Watford's Al Bangoura resulted in Savage sustaining a broken leg that will see him miss the remainder of the season. Hughes thinks that it is a case of "oh well its only Savage…never mind!" and the whole thing has been swept under the carpet, he said:
"At the time I didn't comment on it because I hadn't seen the incident but a number of people suggested I should have another look.
"The more and more I have looked at it the more I have been disappointed with the challenge and the coverage of it.
"For whatever reason it has been swept under the table. The referee didn't give a free-kick at the time, for whatever reason he didn't see it - one of a number of things he didn't see on the night.
Sparky had A LOT to say! He continued with:
"But if Robbie Savage committed a foul like that I'm almost certain something else would have come up.
"I am not advocating we should hang people up to dry and castigate them but what seems to happen when Robbie is involved is people try to make out he is the guilty party and that is completely wrong in this instance.
"I thought at the time it was a midfield tackle and two people collided. Having seen it the lad has gone in too high.
"I think it is a dangerous and reckless challenge and Robbie has broken his leg as a consequence.
"I would suggest that if the roles had been reversed there would have been much bigger say in the media regarding the challenge.
"He had an incident in the Arsenal game when Gilberto kicked out and was sent off - and rightly so - and Robbie was as the guilty party because he had goaded him into it.
"It's ridiculous but that is what we have to face. However, it is not going to enable Robbie to play again this season.
"Maybe I am venting my anger somewhat but there is some disappointment in my reaction to it."
Sav is hated but this mainly boils down to the fact that he is a good footballer, not the greatest but what he does he does better than anyone else. He's got the biggest heart you could wish for and this along with his unquestioned commitment and enthusiasm makes up for any lack of footballing quality. He can be rash and wind up people but his tackles never contain any real malice, most are born out of his desire to succeed. How many legs has Sav broken or serious injuries has he caused? Hard to think of any isn't it...
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Your Comments
Fantastic article mate. Robbie is superb and a real team player. His enthusiasm is hard to match. The tackle was disgusting from Bangura but looks like he'll get away with it scott free... If the foul had been committed on Steven Gerrard do you think there would of been more fuss made by the FA about it????
MikeyGamst
Sparky doesn't often have this sort of rant (think he's been inspired by reading BomBom's work! lol) but it is VERY true, Sav is dragged through the gutter if he even contemplates a challenge, double standards here isn't it! I've not really seen the challenge that well so don't know how bad it was but where is the support for him that is given to others when such an incidents occur? It's mainly the opposite it's only Sav, he deserves it!
Hughes Da Man
Thanks Mikey, Sparky did most of it for me with his words! As I say I've not seen it enough to commen but it is true had it been commited on most others the footballing world would be up in arms the FA all over the case. It shoudn't be one rule for some and another for others should it.
Hughes Da Man
I particularly like the way that Sparky appears to have waited to see what the media response was, and hasn't jumped the gun on this - No-one is re-running the challenge, or even mentioning it, whereas the Gilberto thing is still getting airtime portraying Sav as "the bad guy" - I mean for heavens sake, even "I didn't see it" Wenger has come out and praised Sav for appealing to the Ref.
The double standards in the reporting of this sport are getting so ridiculous that it is affecting the game itself, a situation which is simply diabolical.
Head Rover Heels
Your manager Hughes seems to suffer badly with double standards so its a bit rich complaining when the boots on the other foot. Firstly I hate Savage but I would never wish his injury on anyone, football is a game, not about thuggery. However Blackburn players have quite often been the guilty party with regards poor tackles, ie Andy Todd's deliberate elbow on Van persie or the awful challenge on Robben etc. Mark Hughes is always quick to come out & say his players did nothing wrong, when its plain for the world to see they did. Now Savage has been on the end of an awful challenge & Hughes doesn't like it. Complaining though is a complete waste of time, Mendes was put out the game for 2 weeks by a very bad Ben Thatcher forearm smash which he was booked for, the FA reviewed the incident & banned Thatcher for 8 games (I think). Yet Arsenal had Diaby out for 9 months through a tackle not much different from the one Savage received & the FA hid behind their rule book saying they couldn't take any action because the ref had booked Dan Smith of sunderland at the time!! I am afraid the whole game is full of double standards like this.
Ashburton Gooner
But that's the poitn Ashburton - Todd was proven innocent in that aspect, Mokoena, er, well, i'll leave my opinions on his football out of it, but it was merely a bit late and unfortunate, but plastered around the papers for weeks, and we still hear about it now. The rule book does state that if the ref takes action then it cannot be acted further (except in GBH cases) and in this instance there wasn't even a foul given. Action could be taken, as it should have been in Diaby's incident, but hasn't been. The law is an ass as far as reveiwing decisions goes, but in this case it isn't even the law that is causing the problem, simply the terrible double standards in action.
Head Rover Heels
If you pass your driving test and within a certain time frae fall foul of a traffic violation, you have to retake your test. That being so, the tackle and im using that word very lightly, was sooo clumsy, it was amazing, it was in the middle of his shin for christ sake! Should that guy get a "refresher" session with some of the clubs coahcing staff on how to tackle correctly?
O, we all know Sav is a wind up merchant and even being welsh, when he played against us, I hated the guy, why? not cos he was crap cos he was doing a damn good job of getting underneath your own players skin! I would definitly rather we play with him than against him. Yes, he can be clumsy, yes he can niggle and moan and make more of challenges than he really should, but that doesnt validate (and this bit applies to ALL footballers, Pro or amateur) the blind eye being turned to these types of incidents as "he had it coming" or "what goes around..." Sparky is right here and the FA should be interviening and trying to at least look at ways to combat not bad tackles, god we see those week in, week out but cynical tackles. Lets be honest, even we can tell which is which (Roy Keane perfected the art!) so if we can, surely the powers that be can?
BomBom
Asburton Gooner. What a shocking post. Talking about thuggery when your lot play the game at the other end of the spectrum... diving for fun, rolling around on the floor. There are things that are not right with your own team so dont come on here complaining that Mark Hughes has double standards when Mr."I didnt see the incident" is your manager.
MikeyGamst
ye well we should be okey now we have got Dunn
marshinrover
I hope so Marshin Rover mate but Dunn is a different style of player to Savage. He is one of a kind and will be sorely missed.
MikeyGamst
Dunny can't fill in for Sav, wish he could. No one can replace Sav, they can just try to fill in. No one else can offer us what he does. I'm with BomBom I hate the guy when he plays against us (England - Wales) because we know what he can do this is what makes him so good and maybe one day when all is said and done and people like back at his career they will say you know what the Sav guy was a pain in the arse but that is what made him such a good footballer! A heart as big as some over paid footballers heads, passion and commitment that will never give up.
Hughes Da Man
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