The National League clash saw two of the biggest names in Welsh football lock horns, with Mark Hughes and Robbie Savage going toe-to-toe in a star-studded managerial face-off
Mark Hughes spoke honestly about Robbie Savage’s touchline antics(Image: (Photo by Harry Trump/Getty Images))
Welsh icons Mark Hughes and Robbie Savage collided in the managerial world in the National League on Saturday afternoon. Hughes, who manages Carlisle United, saw his side host Forest Green Rovers, who have impressed under Savage this season.
Other than the game itself, something which was especially entertaining was the touchline antics of Savage, who was incredibly colourful throughout the match.
However, it was former Manchester United star Hughes who ruled mighty in the end, defeating his fellow Welshman 4-2 thanks to a couple of late goals from Harvey MacAdam and Georgie Kelly at Brunton Park. Of course, the duo were team-mates for club and country as players – with Wales and The Red Devils at Old Trafford.
As non-league encounters go, this was a clash of the titans in terms of footballing CVs. As a player, Hughes turned out for the likes of United, Barcelona and Chelsea, with Savage playing for United, Leicester City, Blackburn Rovers and more.
Touching on Savage’s touchline behaviour after securing the win against him, Hughes said: “I know him probably better than a lot of my staff who were a little bit goaded by him on occasions.
“I know what he’s like and, for the most part, I just ignored him. Sometimes he’s got to be a little bit careful with what he says – he’s sometimes a little bit disrespectful to people who have been in the game a long time, so that was the only thing that I reacted to.”
Former Manchester City boss Mark Hughes is managing in the National League(Image: (Photo by GLYN KIRK/AFP via Getty Images))
The win for Hughes and the Cumbrians saw them climb into second place and three points clear of Savage’s outfit. Rochdale are sitting in top spot presently, two points clear of Carlisle, although Rochdale have played two games less. Forest Green are in fifth place now, with Savage getting five wins in 15 games.
Speaking on the performance and season so far, Hughes added: “We’re in good shape. We’re going to be in the mix. I think everybody realises that we won’t play well every game. We haven’t played well in every game, but sometimes we’ve found a way.
“Initially, I think people thought maybe [Forest Green] would be able to take the game from us. I didn’t think so, because we know that they expend a lot of energy, but then you’ve got to change at the right times and affect the game and keep that energy high. I don’t think they did that and that’s where we capitalised.”
Prior to the match, Savage spoke about his rivalry with Hughes in non-league. “To be fair, Mark’s probably the one manager in this league to who I can’t say: ‘Did you play in the Premier League 350 times?'” joked Savage. “I can’t do that to ‘Sparky’ [Hughes].”
Robbie Savage has the utmost respect for Mark Hughes. (Image: (Photo by Alex Burstow/Getty Images))
It was a classic encounter of the student and the master, with Savage having been managed by Hughes at Blackburn Rovers between 2005 and 2008, when they were a Premier League team. He was also coached by Hughes at Wales between 1999 and 2004.
Also speaking before the match, Hughes praised his former teammate and player: “Sav was great to work with as a player, he just had that high energy and his teams are very much indicative of how he played.
“Sometimes people misinterpret how he is as a personality. He sometimes does things and says things for effect, certainly in his role as a radio presenter and pundit, but first and foremost he’s a very enthusiastic football person.”
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