Editing Robbie Savage (section)

==Style of play and controversies==
[[File:Robbie savage derby.jpg|thumb|right|Savage with [[Derby County F.C.|Derby County]] in 2010]]
Savage's style as a midfield player was all-action and energetic, and he regularly collected [[Yellow card (sports)|yellow card]]s, and for a while held the dubious distinction of being awarded the most yellow cards of any Premiership player in the league's history – 89, although he has now been overtaken by [[Lee Bowyer]], [[Kevin Davies]] and [[Paul Scholes]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/players/index.html|title=Players Index<!-- It appears not to be possible to directly link to a page showing a list of the players with the most Premier League yellow cards -->|access-date=29 October 2013|archive-date=3 July 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160703054242/http://www.premierleague.com/en-gb/players/index.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Fans of [[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]], [[Tottenham Hotspur F.C.|Tottenham Hotspur]], [[West Ham United F.C.|West Ham United]] and [[Arsenal F.C.|Arsenal]] have accused him of [[Diving (association football)|simulation]], whether to win a set piece or to get an opponent red carded.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Robbie Savage – saint or sinner? |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/2818281.stm |publisher=BBC Sport |date=4 March 2004 |first=Stuart |last=Roach}}</ref>

During a match against [[Newcastle United F.C.|Newcastle United]] in August 2003, the referee [[Matt Messias]] swung his arm out and accidentally hit Savage in the face as Savage was running behind him.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/eng_prem/3172823.stm |title=Newcastle crash again |publisher=[[BBC Sport]] |date=30 August 2003 |access-date=12 June 2009}}</ref> On 17 January 2010, whilst commentating for [[BBC Radio 5 Live]]'s coverage of a Premier League match between [[Aston Villa F.C.|Aston Villa]] and [[West Ham United F.C.|West Ham United]] at [[Villa Park]], a clearance by Villa midfielder [[Stiliyan Petrov]] hit Savage in the face causing some minor bleeding to the nose.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Pundit Savage hit in face by clearance |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/8464392.stm |publisher=BBC Sport |date=17 January 2010 }}</ref>

Savage has, however, only been sent off twice in his career: once during an international game for the [[Wales national football team|Welsh national team]], and once during a Premier League game for [[Blackburn Rovers F.C.|Blackburn]]. He received his first-ever [[Misconduct (football)|red card]] when he was sent off in Wales' World Cup qualification match against [[Northern Ireland national football team|Northern Ireland]] in September 2004 for reacting to a foul on him by midfielder [[Michael Hughes (footballer)|Michael Hughes]]. Both Hughes and Savage were sent off, but, on later review, the punishment of Savage seemed harsh to some.{{WHO|date=November 2020}} Savage was ridiculed for threatening to appeal to the [[European Court of Human Rights]] over the decision.{{Citation needed|date=November 2020}} His once-impressive statistic of never being sent off in a Premiership match ended on 18 March 2006 when he was dismissed against [[Middlesbrough F.C.|Middlesbrough]] for two bookable offences. Both were controversial – the first for a challenge on [[George Boateng]] where he appeared to take the ball, and the second for handball when it seemed unintentional.{{Citation needed|date=November 2020}} Savage later admitted that he was probably due a controversial sending off because he had escaped punishment for illegal challenges in the past.

One famous example of his eccentric behaviour was while he played for [[Leicester City F.C.|Leicester City]]. In an incident to become known as "Poogate" he used the referee's toilet before a game, claiming he had an upset stomach due to the effects of prescribed antibiotics. He lost his appeal against [[The Football Association]]'s decision to fine him £10,000, and Leicester fined him two weeks' wages for the incident.<ref>{{cite news |title=Leicester fine Savage in toilet row |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/1948099.stm |publisher=BBC Sport |date=24 April 2002 }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Savage to appeal against fine |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/2198347.stm |publisher=BBC Sport |date=25 September 2002 }}</ref>

Whilst playing for Leicester, in the final minute of a league game against rivals Derby at [[Pride Park Stadium|Pride Park]] in 2001, Savage dived in the penalty area. Leicester were awarded the penalty, which was converted, and meant they won the game 3–2. Savage's blatant dive, his hopeful look at the referee and his aggressive fist-pumping celebration in front of the home fans resulted in a torrent of abuse from the fans and in Savage being chased across the pitch by incensed Derby players, two of whom were booked. Derby fans regularly booed, jeered and abused Savage whenever he played against them, and when he became a Derby player in January 2008, he was treated with a mixture of hostility and indifference, partly over the incident, and partly over his average form.<ref>{{cite news |title=SMITH FUMES AT 'ROBBIE-RY'; DERBY 2 LEICESTER 3 Post-match |url=https://www.thefreelibrary.com/Football%3A+SMITH+FUMES+AT+'ROBBIE-RY'+DERBY+2+LEICESTER+3+Post-match...-a078320960 |work=Sunday Mirror |date=16 September 2001 |author=Richard Lewis }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=The 10... best football dives |url=http://observer.guardian.co.uk/osm/story/0,,1072648,00.html |publisher=Observer Sport Monthly |date=2 November 2003 |author=David Hills |location=London }}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Robbie Savage: Your views |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/derby/content/articles/2008/01/08/savage_signing_your_thoughts_2008_feature.shtml |publisher=BBC Sport |date=9 January 2008 }}</ref>

Savage is also famous for an incident at [[Villa Park]], while playing for [[Birmingham City F.C.|Birmingham City]], in a bad-tempered [[Second City derby]] in March 2003. After a slide tackle on him by [[Dion Dublin]], a confrontation between the two and several other players occurred before Dublin headbutted Savage. Dublin was then sent off by [[Referee (association football)|referee]] [[Mark Halsey]] as result.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://espnfc.com/en/report/80999/report.html?soccernet=true |title=Aston Villa vs. Birmingham City |publisher=ESPN Soccernet |access-date=29 October 2013 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140420192002/http://espnfc.com/en/report/80999/report.html?soccernet=true |archive-date=20 April 2014 }}</ref> Birmingham would go on to win the derby 0–2.

When being interviewed by [[BBC Radio Derby]]'s Colin Gibson in January 2010, Savage reacted furiously to rumours he heard that the Derby players think the club's backroom staff are not up to the job. These rumours were brought up during a phone-in on Gibson's show on the station the preceding weekend, following the Rams' 4–1 defeat at home to [[Scunthorpe United F.C.|Scunthorpe United]] on 9 January.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/8453058.stm |title=Furious Robbie Savage hits back at Derby County rumours |publisher=[[BBC Sport]] |access-date=22 January 2010 |date=29 October 2013 }}</ref>