Robbie Savage isn’t backing down on comments he made earlier this week.
The former Leicester City midfielder hit out at Swansea City because they appointed Bob Bradley as their new manager instead of Ryan Giggs. The American has experience of over 500 games as manager, Giggs has four as a caretaker.
Yet Savage argued on BBC Radio last Monday that the former Manchester United winger should have been given the job because he has a greater knowledge of the Premier League, and wasn’t happy that Giggs had to interview for the position.
“If you need to interview Ryan Giggs for a job at this stage, you should know what Ryan Giggs is about as a player,” Savage said, failing to grasp that there’s difference between being a player and a manager, and every job entails an interview process.
Ryan Giggs and British managers aren't being overlooked, if anything they're a protected species – @dionfanning https://t.co/LLdlVKa4fE
— SportsJOE (@SportsJOEdotie) October 4, 2016
Savage, Chris Sutton and Danny Mills, three “Proper Football Men”, were dumbfounded that Swansea hired a manager rather than a famous former player who aspires to be a manager, and a few days later Savage still hadn’t come to terms with Giggs being overlooked.
“It makes me despair if Ryan Giggs missed out on becoming Swansea City’s new manager because his job interview was allegedly not up to scratch,” Savage “writes” in his column for the Daily Mirror.
Savage goes on to decry that young British managers are being overlooked for jobs because they fail to use power-point and asks why a Premier League side who look set for a relegation battle aren’t putting their faith in a manager with no experience.
“I was not present at Giggs’ interview, so I don’t know the reasons why he missed the boat.
“But if he didn’t tick enough boxes because there was no power-point presentation, or he hadn’t completed some human resources online module, football is going mad.
“Surely Giggs’ experience at Old Trafford and his knowledge of the terrain at Premier League level – where he operated all his career – is worth a punt?”
Savage continues to bleat on about Giggs having more experience of the Premier League, seeing it as more valuable to being a manager in the division than actual managerial experience.
“When Swansea players are sat in the dressing room under new management next Saturday, hoping to get something against Arsenal, would they be more inspired by Giggs – who played 50 games against the Gunners alone in his career – or Premier League virgin Bradley?
“I know who would make me run through more brick walls.”
The former Strictly Come Dancing contestant then disparages any idea that Giggs should start his managerial career in the lower leagues.
Alex Ferguson’s first job in management was with East Stirlingshire, Jose Mourinho began his managerial career at União de Leiria and Jurgen Klopp got Mainz promoted to the Bundesliga before becoming Borussia Dortmund manager, but Savage clearly doesn’t believe people should work their way up the ladder.
“Some people say Giggs should prove himself by earning a crust at a lower division club before he takes on one of the big jobs in English football, but I’m not having that.
“Why would the most decorated player in Premier League history want to prove himself on a wet Tuesday night at Yeovil as manager of Grimsby or Mansfield? What experience does he have of League Two football?”
“If, say, Rio Ferdinand, Paul Scholes, Steven Gerrard or Frank Lampard decide to venture into management, please don’t tell me they need to polish up their power-point presentation skills or prove themselves at Notts County or Plymouth first.
“I’m not saying they should necessarily be catapulted straight into the hot-seat at Old Trafford, Anfield or Stamford Bridge on a whim, but there are some big clubs in the Championship where they could cut their teeth.”
“It’s ridiculous if managers are being appointed on how well they perform at interview instead of their knowledge of the terrain, their football philosophy and their contacts in the game,” Savage also says.
In other words, your suitability for a job should be down to where you are from and who you know, rather than your actual ability. Luckily for Savage, that rule appears to apply to football punditry.
You can read the entire column here.
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