The start of the season has been turbulent, to say the least.
Two come-from-behind wins were followed by three successive defeats. I watched both games over the weekend and Rovers could quite easily have come away with four points. Instead, they got none.
It’s football. As Mick Jagger would say: “You can’t always get what you want.”
“Somebody has to pay for this.”
“This is an absolute disaster!”
“What’s going on here? Get it sorted!”
They’re the kind of comments a manager hears at times like this, and they’re about as helpful as a parachute that opens on impact.
The guy all the arrows are fired at is the gaffer. It goes with the job and that’s fine — part and parcel of the job description.
They’re not fair. They’re never fair.
They’re not fair when you’ve sneaked a winner in the last minute after being battered all game, and the crowd are singing your name in adoration while your opposite number is being booed off the pitch.
Things are a little different at Forest Green at the moment.
Robbie Savage only has to sneeze and half the country has an opinion on which nostril he used. His profile ensures attention, and we all know that a sizeable chunk of the footballing public are hoping he falls flat on his face.
The ones who shouldn’t be are Rovers fans.
More than anyone, they should appreciate how much this little run is hurting him.
I say little run because that’s exactly what it is in the context of a season that’s longer than a drunken best man’s speech.
Rovers finished seventh last season despite being 16th in the attendance table. That’s punching.
The opposing argument will be the budget, and it’s a valid point. But bear in mind there was a 17 per cent reduction in overall staff wages last year. That’s not me spilling the beans on inside information — it’s something anyone can discover by looking at Companies House.
One thing I do know about budgets is that I’ve never seen Apple Pay score from a free kick or a £20 note get on the end of a far-post cross.
During my time, we had a European Cup winner in our side, former England internationals and at least two former England Under-21s. I guess we probably had six or seven former Premier League players at the club, including one who scored a Premier League hat-trick and was so intelligent that he went into the Manchester United dressing room after the game and asked Sir Alex Ferguson if he would be so kind as to get his players to sign the match ball.
After a 4-1 defeat.
If I had my time again, I would never have strayed from my M4/M5 local lads who had never played higher than that level.
I’d have kept the team spirit we had built up instead of bulldozing it because I was too inexperienced to realise that money doesn’t buy passion.
And that is what Forest Green now have in their manager.
A guy full of passion, determined to do everything within his power to be successful at the club.
I’ve been around football long enough to recognise a good ’un, and that’s what Rovers have now.
Ignore all the noise from the outside. Haters are going to hate, but Robbie Savage is giving it his all.
I can assure you he will be hurting badly after the weekend, but I’m confident he and the club will come through this and get stronger as this marathon of a season continues.
Because that’s what football is.
It’s about sticking together when things aren’t going your way. It’s about believing in the people pulling on the shirt — and the man standing on the touchline.
At the end of the season, hopefully Mick Jagger will be singing:
“But if you try sometimes, well you might find, you get what you need.”
Frank Gregan
Now living in Spain and a published author, the former sergeant major joined Rovers in 1994 – leading his side to back-to-back promotions and Wembley final. Frank transformed the club from non-league minnows, charting the way for what they have gone on to achieve under the late Trevor Horsley’s successor Dale Vince.
Follow Frank on Twitter: @Greegers
