Hughes: Toshack Should Swallow Pride

Blackburn Rovers manager Mark Hughes has reached out to Welsh International manager John Toshack to end his feud with Rovers midfielder Robbie Savage, swallow his pride and recall him.

Toshack and Savage (as well as other Welsh players) have been at loggerheads since Toshack took over from Hughes, when he left to join Rovers and as a result Sav eventually announced his International retirement, but the arguments went on. It is not just Sav that has received the cold shoulder from Toshack, there have been others but Sparky feels it is time for Sav and others to be brought back into the International fold.

Hughes told BBC's Sport Wales: "Robbie Savage is a situation which has been disappointing for all parties.

"There are guys plying their trade at Premiership level, not just Robbie, good players who would help the Welsh cause and they are not getting picked for whatever reason.

"Maybe that's a difference between international management and club management.

"With club management, you can ostracise players and just ignore them, but I don't think you can do that in international management.

"With a country such as Wales, you have to use all the resources available to you. If you've got players playing in the Premier League, I would've thought it would make sense to play them."

Sparky and Toshack have also not exactly been on the greatest of terms with Toshack critical of Sparky's reign as Welsh manager, even though he took them to within one match of Qualification for the European Championships in 2000, whereas in two Qualification campaigns for major tournaments Toshack has not even come close.

He added: "There is a lot of criticism aimed my way, unwarranted I feel, certainly in regards to the young players coming through.

"If you look at the likes of Jason Koumas, Simon Davies, Danny Gabbidon and James Collins, they are all guys I gave debuts to. I didn't completely ignore the youth situation at Wales level.

"There are things that have been said maybe to protect certain people's positions, but I know the job I did there. I got an OBE for what I did so someone thought I did something good."


NOT REGISTERED TO VITAL BLACKBURN? WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR! Register by clicking here.

Click here to join in the debate on the club forum.

Join the Vital Fantasy Football League - its Free!