As the January transfer window deadline looms, Forest Green Rovers manager Robbie Savage has poured cold water on media speculation surrounding the future of Kyle McAllister.
The flying Scotsman has been linked with a number of clubs in recent weeks, including Gillingham, Oldham Athletic and Dundee United, according to Football Insider’s Pete O’Rourke. However, Savage insists there has been no formal approach for the winger.
“There’s been no offer from Kyle (McAllister),” Savage told the Stroud Times. “The Laurent Mendy one was real, but no bids in or no phone call to Mark Bowen for Kyle. We know how rumours start and the majority are nonsense – I know how the media works.”
While McAllister remains at The New Lawn, Savage confirmed there has been interest in several members of his squad who have failed to feature this season.
“There’ve been phone calls for three or four of our players,” Savage said. “A few of those players have said no, they’d rather stay. That’s their prerogative. There’s been enquiries to sporting director Mark Bowen, but they’ve decided to stay with us, which is their prerogative.
“Everybody at this football club is a good player, everybody, whether they’re in the squad or not. They’ve all worked exceptionally hard, they’re all giving their best, they’re all training hard, but inevitably it’s a real tough job being a manager. You can only have 18 on a match day, and the ones who aren’t included have to keep going. It’s simple as that.”
Savage also made clear that Forest Green’s recruitment drive is far from complete, with midfield reinforcement a priority.
“We’re looking and there’s a possibility of maybe one coming in next week,” he revealed. “Because the window doesn’t close to March, we’re always on the lookout of how we can improve.
“And there have been a couple of players we’ve identified. And again, people will say -I’ve seen it -‘oh, if you lose or draw, get the chequebook out.’ But it’s not working like that. We’re a completely different model now.
“The starting 11 against Scunthorpe, the weekly salary of that 11 was half of the team that played against Southend in the play-off semi-final last year, which is a testament to the work we’re doing.
“If you look at all our players now, all our players, if they were available, a majority would go for money, which is testament to what we’ve built and what we’re building and what we will continue to do. And we’re really happy with what we’ve done.”
In a tightly packed National League table, Savage admitted Forest Green are now realistically targeting third place.
“Everybody else is going for third now in the league, and that’s a realism,” he said. “But if somebody would have said to us before the start of the season, change the whole culture, decrease the budget by 33 per cent, bring the average age of the squad down from 29 to 23, and play probably the most entertaining football the club has seen in a while, we’d have taken it – and with the opportunity of possibly two Wembley appearances.
“So again, we’re in a great place. The journey continues. I love being a Forest Green manager. I love being here every day- so do my players. And we go into Wealdstone full of confidence.”
Savage also explained the circumstances behind defender Gabe Kircough late withdrawal at Scunthorpe last weekend.
“He had an infection in his toe and the infection started spreading up his leg and he had to go to A&E,” Savage said. “And in the warm-up he’d come in and was struggling. Gabe trained today and we’ll see how he is.”
Captain Laurent Mendy is expected to recover from a heavy cold, while Ryan Inniss and goalkeeper Luke McNicholas are edging closer to a return.
Despite a recent dip in form, Savage remains confident his side can progress in the FA Trophy.
“If we perform to our maximum capability against Wealdstone and take our chances, let’s be totally honest, we’ll win the game,” he said. “If it’s like most weeks where we miss great opportunities and don’t take them, then we can either draw or get beat. It’s as simple as that.”
Savage believes the original brief handed to him at the start of the season has already been fulfilled.
“Let’s take it from the start of the season — the remit was to come in, change a culture, build a squad and create entertaining, dynamic football,” he said. “And let’s be fair, Dale (Vince) has never once said you need to decrease the budget -never. He’s been so supportive, as have Asif (Remnwhala) and Mark (Bowen).
“But naturally, with the players we’ve been bringing in, the budget has been decreased naturally in terms of obviously some players have left.”
Despite Forest Green’s small fan base and location, Savage insists the club’s stature makes it a major force at National League level.
“Because we know the fan base, we’re a little village – Nailsworth – the population is X,” he added. “So in terms of the debate, are we a big club? Well, in my eyes, with Dale and the profile of the club which Dale has given us, we are a big club at this level – there’s no doubt about it. So the expectation is massive.”
