Championship aim appealed to Savage’s desire for challenge

ROBBIE Savage said the opportunity of managing a club with ambitions of reaching the Championship was too good to turn down as he ended his five-year stay at Macclesfield.

- RICHARD PARTINGTON

Save took charge at the New Lawn last week, leading Rovers to a 3-0 win in his first game in charge at the weekend, a preseason friendly against Slimbridge in which Neil Kengni, Tre Pemberton and Laurent Mendy all featured, days after departing Macc.

Ahead of the game, Savage had issued a parting message to the Macclesfield supporters, urging them to stick by owner Rob Smethurst and new manager John Rooney.

"Firstly I want to start by thanking one person - Rob Smethurst,” said Savage.

“Without his vision, his desire, his dedication, his application to give a community this football club back, I wouldn’t be sitting here now with opportunity to go and manage in a higher division.

“He's always believed in me, he's always backed me, as the board have, to build an unbelievable group and that group of players I can only thank because again, without them, my backroom staff, my office staff, the fans, I wouldn't have been given this opportunity at a wonderful football club like Forest Green.

“Rob Smehurst is the football club. No one is ever bigger than a football club, but Rob is the football club and I've only helped my best pal create an unbelievable football club for the community.

“Three promotions in four seasons, an FA Trophy semifinal, a playoff final - we've put Macclesfield back on the map. Hopefully what we've done together and everybody involved - all the volunteers, the stewards, the fans, everybody involved in the office, everybody - what we've done is we've give a community a football club to be proud of.

“When they wear that shirt, whether it's around this area, if they're on holiday, people say “Oh Macclesfield, what a fantastic football club.”

Savage said his decision to make the switch to Forest Green was the right one for him and his family.