Forest Green Rovers boss Robbie Savage has hit out at the ‘vile’ abuse he suffered from opposition fans at the weekend.
Savage saw his side suffer a 4-2 defeat at Carlisle United in the National League on Saturday and says that the abuse he was subjected to by home fans was ‘not acceptable’.
The 51-year-old is no stranger to chants from opposition fans after a playing career which saw the combative midfielder turn out more than 600 times for the likes of Leicester City, Blackburn Rovers and Derby County, but he believes that not enough is being done when it comes to personal abuse coming from the stands.
Robbie Savage on ‘vile’ abuse
"I'll take the banter, and when they're singing songs about me as an individual I've got no problem," Savage told BBC Radio Gloucestershire after his side’s loss.
"But when it crosses the line, when it becomes nasty and some of the stuff said is wrong, what's done about it? I'll continue to stand there and take that abuse because I'm expected to, because it's me - and it's not acceptable."
Savage as appointed as Forest Green Rovers boss in July, following a season in charge of Macclesfield which ended with the club winning the Northern Premier League Premier Division last season.
Saturday saw him up against aother former Manchester United player in Carlise boss Mark Hughes, but the occasion - which fell on Savage’s 51st birthday - was sullied by the abuse he recieved.
"Stewards, volunteers, whoever's standing there, it's [still] allowed to happen consistently," he continued. "I don't mind banter. I've had photos with kids, with youngsters there and I'm prepared to stand there and get hurled the most shocking abuse by people of varying ages, probably in high-powered positions at work.
"They think it's acceptable they can come and hurl vile abuse at a human being - it's not acceptable, but nothing will be done about it.
"It happens all the time, it happened the other night at Worthing and it's happened again today. I don't think it's acceptable, but nothing's going to be done, nothing's ever done."
Savage went on to insists it was not a case of sour graps, following the defeat which saw his side overtaken by Carlisle, who moved up to second in the National League table, three places ahead of Rovers.
“This is not me talking as someone who’s just lost a game,” he added. “When it crosses the line and becomes nasty…what’s done about it? I stand there and take the abuse, because I’m expected to, because it’s me. And it’s not acceptable.”
