Robbie Savage On Retirement, His Move Into The Media & Why Twitter Is Useful

It has been nearly eight months since Robbie Savage last kicked a ball in anger, but for the Welshman, retirement came at the right time.

Now 37, Savage believes it was the time was right to hang up his boots, especially with an already flourishing career off the field started to reap its reward.

“I’m really enjoying it,” says Savage when asked how he’s finding retirement. “I don’t miss playing that much really, I’m enjoying doing this.”

‘This” is his ongoing media work which includes punditry on ESPN and his award-winning role at BBC Radio 5 Live.

“I’m lucky, I’ve been very fortunate,” says a humble Savage. “A lot of players who retire these days, having played in the Premier League for twelve years, have got more money than sense and they don’t need to do anything. It’s people who actually love the game who go back into it and I love it. That’s why I’ve done it.”

The transition from footballer to media mogul has been an easy one for Savage. Having spent the final year of his career regularly appearing on Five Live’s 606 show, his opinionate, bullish persona resonated with listeners and saw him win a Sony Award for his efforts.

From then on, the dye was cast and a career in the media beckoned.

“I think I’m different from someone who’s won every trophy going, someone who can say it honestly and from the heart,” suggests the former midfielder, who played 623 times in a career that spanned seventeen years.

“I love listening to people who have won the Champions League, but the average fan has probably never seen their team win the Premier League.”

While Savage’s unabashed opinions are given airtime on Britain’s radios, he concedes that the explosion of social networking has made footballers a greater target for criticism and abuse.

As a man who has over 630,000 followers on Twitter, he knows both the positives and negatives of social media.

“I think it’s a good thing, but it can have its draw-backs definitely,” Savage candidly says of Twitter.

“I think it’s good because you can voice your opinion clearly. Sometimes things get twisted and I think Twitter is brilliant if you use it in the right way.”

Despite some clubs clamping down on the micro-blogging phenomenon, Savage believes in its ability to help fans relate to players.

“If you’re not giving away tactics, if you’re not slaughtering members of your team, there’s no harm.

“If you’re using it in the right way it’s great, and it’s great for the fans. Look at Rio Ferdinand, he has embraced it so well.”

However, as he knows all too well, social media can also has a dark side, which sees footballers, in particular, subjected to levels of abuse bordering on criminal.

“[Sometimes] Twitter’s dangerous. It’s a forum for the average fan to slag you off and be horrible.

“If you have a go back you’re the one who gets in the paper and I think there should be a line. I’ve been called all the names, Rio [Ferdinand] has I’m sure and Joey [Barton] has.”

“If I call you a so-and-so, why should I be able to call you that? If I were to call you that in a newspaper, I’d be in massive trouble. So, I think the fans should think before they act. They can’t be nice all the time, but there’s a line.”

One man who has faced a barrage of abuse recently is Blackburn Rovers boss Steve Kean. Fan action ranging from protests to prolonged booing has made his tenure a miserable one.

While Savage may not agree with the appointment of Kean, he certainly has respect for him: “I’ve got respect for Steve Kean in how he’s handled himself, but at the end of the day results dictate what happens and his results have not been good enough.

“If the board were going to sack him, they would have sacked him by now, so get behind him Rovers fans is what I’ll say.” And after a career that has seen most of the highs and lows that football has to offer, Savage certainly has a lot to say.

Robbie Savage is a football analyst for ESPN, broadcaster of the FA Cup. On TV, EPSN brings fans live and exclusive coverage of 25 matches this season and online provides video highlights plus the latest news and reaction. ESPN Classic broadcasts a range of classic and archive moments from the tournament.

Read more blogs and articles by Simon Knights here. Follow Simon Knights on Twitter @SimonKnights