Former England international Matt Upson has praised the work done by Robbie Savage in his opening 16 games as Forest Green Rovers manager.
“Whether you liked him or not as a player, you respected how he got the best out of himself,” said Upson, who shared the pitch with Savage as Birmingham City teammates been 2003 and 2005.
Savage has sparked new life into Rovers since his appointment, making headlines, and leading them to the top end of the National League.
“You have to respect him,” Upson continued.
However, despite his 39 caps for Wales and 346 Premier League appearances, critics use his “bold” personality, and football hiatus to appear on ‘Strictly Come Dancing’, to dismiss his credentials.
“He played at a good level, had a good career and most clubs that he went to, he had good backing from the supporters,” Upson continued.
“They liked the way that he played, they liked his character on the pitch and that certainly shines through to his managerial career as well.”
The backing from supporters is no different now Savage is on the touchline with attendances rising at the New Lawn and supporters voicing their endearment for their new manager.
Starting in punditry after his retirement, he transitioned back towards the inner workings of the game as director of football at Macclesfield.
He took over as caretaker manager in 2023 before going full time ahead of the 2024/25 season.
After a title winning season at Macclesfield, tallying up 109 points with only three league defeats, Forest Green owner Dale Vince brought the former Welsh international to the New Lawn as the manager.
“It’s really hard when you’re a player to judge who’s going to go on and coach and manage and who isn’t,” said Upson.
“You definitely saw moments with Savage, he was quite bold in how he played and he’s got the personality to have that influence.”
This “bold” style has translated to the pitch with Rovers players producing big moments with late equalisers and winners. Most notably a 90+8′ equaliser against Scunthorpe that saw Savage carded for over-exuberant celebrations.
🏃♂️ A worthwhile booking for the Gaffer in the closing stages… #WeAreFGR💚 pic.twitter.com/fqohAilUd4
— Forest Green Rovers (@FGRFC_Official) September 15, 2025
“I think he’ll brighten things up, keep people on their toes, you’ll always hear his voice and that’s something that he brings just naturally as his character.”
Forest Green have only suffered one defeat in all competitions so far, against table toppers Rochdale, with Savage’s man-management a huge contributor to his managerial success.
“I think he has a really good understanding of how people get the best out of themselves,” Upson continued.
“I know what he expects from players and I know what he expected from himself and he did that well.
“That certainly lends itself to being a manager and it’s proven to do so, it has clearly had a good impact.”
Forest Green kick-off their FA Cup campaign tonight against Worthing with the game being selected for TNT coverage and the draw happening before at around 6:30pm.
