Sharing a symbiotic ethos, Forest Green chairman Dale Vince insists new manager Robbie Savage is the perfect fit.
The 50-year-old former Premier League star penned a four-year contract at the New Lawn, today to become Rovers’ sixth permanent manager in the space of three years, but this time Vince feels Savage is the man to guide the Nailsworth side back to the Football League.
Liking the cut of Savage’s jib, Vince told Stroud Times: “It’s great to have Robbie with us. He’s a good guy, you know, he’s got great energy and passion. He’s got the same values we have – openness, honesty, that kind of stuff. It’s going to be amazing for the club. But I think we’re going to have a fabulous season and it’s very exciting.”
Responding to the question the appointment was based purely on Savage’s celebrity status, Vince said: “You could have guessed some people might think that, but we didn’t appoint Robbie because he’s a high profile person at all – actually, that wasn’t a consideration.”
Vince, who took Rovers over in 2010, believes Savage is set to become his finest appointment: “I think he’s going to be the best manager that we’ve ever had.”
Vince feels the structure of management is changing and Savage’s fresh approach compliments Rovers, he added: “You get really old school approaches to it. You know, where some managers are really authoritarian, don’t allow people to speak, they want to hear other opinions. It’s a really authoritarian approach where he’s (Robbie Savage) not that, he’s the exact opposite of that -and that fits for us perfectly as a club.”
Promotion is the clear goal, but Vince takes a measured approach, he added: “We want to bring fun back here. Exciting, attacking football. The results will come when we get everything else right. All of the other ingredients, results will come. And if we do that consistently, then promotion will come.”
Video and pictures by Matt Bigwood
