Robbie Savage Bio Send To Friend  

With Birmingham struggling to find form in the Premiership and Savage enduring much criticism from the St Andrews fans, the combative 'love him or loathe him' midfielder was linked with a move to Rovers - just as former Wales boss and Savage's boyhood hero Mark Hughes took over as manager at Ewood Park.

As City's performances picked and Blackburn faltered the possibility of the switch sounded ludicrous. However, Savage handed in a transfer request claiming he wanted to move closer to his parents' home in Wales.

Birmingham were far from happy with the situation disbelieving Savage's explanation and feeling his true intentions lay purely in teaming-up with Hughes at Ewood Park, which was actually further from Wales than Birmingham.

Rovers were rebuffed three times before a fee was finally agreed and the move sanctioned.

A player with a tremendous work ethic Savage is tenacious, energetic and no stranger to either a yellow card or an over-exaggerated reaction, a habit which has not served to endear him to opposition fans, who have labelled Savage as, at worst, a cheat and at best a pantomime dame.

Savage's 2006/07 season was cut short after he sustained a broken leg, though he is fully expected to reclaim his first team status for the 2007/08 season.

More accustomed to a central midfield role, Savage has been deployed as a wingback in the past, notably at Leicester City where he burst onto the Premiership scene following a move from Dario Gradi's Crewe Alexandra conveyor belt of talent in 1997.

Often controversial Savage hit the headlines in November 1998, in an incident which threatened his future with the Welsh international team.

During an interview ahead of a game against Italy he threw away a shirt with Paolo Maldini's name on the back.

Coach Bobby Gould immediately dropped him from his squad in reaction to the insult - although he was eventually recalled following a public outcry from the fans.

With Leicester's relegation from the Premiership at the end of the 2001/02 season it was always clear Savage would move on, despite having signed a new four-year contract 12 months earlier.

It was Premiership newboys Birmingham City that eventually won his signature in May 2002 for an undisclosed fee, believed to be in the region of £2.5-3m. Savage signed a three-year contract and immediately became a fans' favourite at St Andrews after making his debut in a 1-1 draw at Everton.

Aas he grew in stature at Birmingham, he became an increasingly important figure with his national side.

Mark Hughes almost guided Wales to Euro 2004, with Savage a key figure, although there were times when Hughes and Blues boss Steve Bruce clashed over his fitness for international football.

He was hampered in the early months of 2003/04 with an Achilles problem and underwent surgery in May 2004 to cure a back problem, when he also held talks over a contract extension which ended in a new four-year contract.

However, his future did not lie in the Midlands.

Back on the international stage, Savage picked up his first ever red card, and a harsh one at that, in a fiery World Cup qualifier against Northern Ireland at the Millennium Stadium, after a tussle with Michael Hughes.

That forced him to miss the qualifier with England at Old Trafford - and such was the disappointment he considered quitting Wales.

Savage retired from international football in September 2005 in order to concentrate on his club career, though many observers believe the true explanation was due to a clash of personalities with Wales manager John Toshack.

After playing 88 games for Birmingham, scoring 12 goals, he made his debut for Rovers in a 1-0 home defeat at the hands of Bolton Wanderers. Ahead of the 2007/08 season Savage has played 64 gamed for Rovers.