Robbie Savage insists his Forest Green side are unrecognisable to the team that lost on penalties to Southend in the play-off semi final under former boss Steve Cotterill last season.
Saturdays visitors Southend will certainly face a new look Rovers with only Kyle McAllister, Tom Knowles and Harvey Bunker expected to start from the team that missed out on Wembley due to the heartache of penalties.
Ushering in twenty new players to the New Lawn so far, Savage has certainly made his mark on a Rovers side sitting one point off leaders Rochdale.
The only place to listen to Robbie Savage’s full pre-match press conference with Ash Loveridge and BBC Radio Gloucestershire’s Paul Furley
Savage is expecting a tough test against a high-flying Southend side, but insists the visitors will see a different animal this time out, he said: “It’ll be a completely different Forest Green side they face now than they did last year. It’s a completely different style, different environment, and anybody at home, we believe we can win.
“Kevin’s (Maher) done a great job with Southend. They had a great run last year, losing the play-off final. So they’ll be strong. I’ve watched them against Carlisle. They were the better side. They should have beat Carlisle at home. but they’ll be coming here knowing that they can beat us, but we believe we can win -we’ve got to play forward, we’ve got to play quick, we’ve got to take our chance in the final third.
“If we take a third of our chances on any given weekend, we’ll score five or six.
“You look at other teams in the top end of the table, you look at the stats, 50, 60, 70% possession, seven shots, four goals. We’re 20, 30 shots, one goal.
“It wouldt be nice just to sit there at any game and think, well, we’ve had seven shots, we scored four or five. It needs to happen, because if it doesn’t happen, we won’t go up. We’ll be in the play-offs, and then in the play-offs, you know, anything can happen. So I believe we’re getting stronger, we’re getting fitter, we’re getting more dynamic. We’re all together as a group, and we’re having fun, and we’re entertaining.”
Savage revealed he’s set to dip his toes in the transfer market in January.
“I think we’ll probably look to bring a couple in January, which was probably highlighted from the other night. I think is my strength in depth as good as I thought? Probably not. So again, we’ll probably look to bring a couple in January to give us another push.
“Our extensive knowledge and our data and our recruitment team with Mark Bowen, who’s done unbelievably well, We’ve always got an eye on not just the English pyramid system but pyramid systems all over the world.”
Savage has a strong stance on youth and is unlikely to delve into the 30 something market: I’m not in the position, to go and get League Two or League One players who are on the other side of 30. That’s what not our model is, you know, our model is giving players a chance of first loans from Premier League Championship clubs, and that’s what we do.
“I want to create a brand of football where I’ve got players who want to go up the pyramid system rather than down. That’s our philosophy. So we’ll probably hardly look at players now coming down.”
With more incomings set, Savage said the New Lawn exit door isn’t an open and shut case: “Nobody’s got to go out. My owner has been quite clear. You know that If people want to go out to go and get minutes elsewhere, they’d be more than welcome, no matter who they are. But if the intent of staying at a wonderful football club with great training facilities, I’ve got no problem with it.
“The owner’s been pretty clear since the moment I’ve walked in, he wants to give us every opportunity, create a squad that’s dynamic, entertainment, fun to go and try and get promoted this year. If not, the following year, if not the following year, and it’s a four-year project which we’re building. This was a project and sometimes we’re quite self-deprecating in terms of, well, you know, we’ve brought 20 players in, we should be up there. We’re doing unbelievably well. The group have been incredible. Loan players, first loans, young players, players stepping up. So for us to be challenging and one point off the top right now is quite remarkable. The group deserves so much credit as all our football club do for the way we’ve got about it.”
Savage revealed he was “bored” during the National League Cup 1-0 defeat to a youthful Nottingham Forest as his much-changed side produced a lack-lustre display.
He bemoaned: “That’s the most disappointing I’ve been. Yes, we lost against Rochdale, Carlisle, Luton. The defeat with 10 changes to the team from the weekend, taking our nose in 10 meters only played a minute. I was so disappointed in the way our team performed. It was the third lowest amount of sprints distance covered of the season. The desire to sprint wasn’t there.
“Everybody goes onto the football pitch to try, so I’ll never have things labelled at my players. Well, they didn’t try. They did try. They did try. But on the night, they were just run all over by a youthful, energetic Nottingham Forest side with very young players, not even their under-21s, because most of the 21s stayed back for the Europa League this evening. So again, it was very disappointing, but it confirmed a lot for me. The players who didn’t play automatically got a lot better. I’ve been in those situations when you don’t play, your importance to the side becomes even more highlighted.”
Savage heaped praise on goalkeeper Luke McNicholas, who returned from injury to put on a virtusos performance: “It could have been five or six. Luke McNicholas was the stand-out player for us, undoubtedly. And one thing it’s reinforced is that we’ve got three very good goalkeepers at the football club now. A young one in Pags, who might need to go out on loan to get minutes. And then we got Harry Isted and Luke battling out for that number one jersey.”
With just an incessant love of football, Savage is set to watch tonight’s Hellenic League Division One West clash between local rivals Stonehouse Town and Shortwood United. He insisted he would pay his own way instead of requesting a pass and, despite going incognito, joked that he wasn’t sure if he would get any flak.
Savage said: “I love going to watch football, and there are diamonds everywhere, you know. If you can spot one that nobody else has seen and take a chance—look at Temi Babalola. He was playing for Worthing, doing well, and he’s been brilliant since he came in. I’m always looking for players who might get that opportunity again.”
He added that he would be paying his way at Oldends Lane tonight: “I like paying my way because it puts money into the local club. I’ll put my cap on, stand there… I don’t know if I’ll receive abuse or not.”
