WISE WORDS: Robbie Savage On Ponytails At 40, Dealing With Disappointment And Helping Out A Damsel In Distress
WISE WORDS: Robbie Savage On Ponytails And Dealing With Disappointment
Caroline Frost— The Huffington Post UK
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HuffPostUK Entertainment is pleased to announce a brand new section - WISE WORDS - where we ask our favourite personalities from all walks of life about some of the things they've learned along the way, how they de-stress from their busy lifestyles, and the things they consider the most important.
First off the rank, footballer turned commentator Robbie Savage, who gleaned a whole new fanbase when he unbuttoned his shirt on 'Strictly' to reveal a freshly-sprayed tan, nearly the colour of his medallion. Robbie's also part of this year's Comic Relief. We asked him...
What do you do to switch off from the world?
I’ve got my new little French bulldog, Coco, I take her into the fields. And my children’s football, it's nothing like when I was playing. My boy's been signed by Manchester Academy, and when I'm watching him, it doesn't matter where I am. The thing lots of people do, watch football to relax, that's me working. But when I'm watching him, it's different.
How do you deal with negativity?
I suppose laughing at the person causing it or the person causing it, and being self-deprecating. I'm always the target on 'Match of the Day' and on the radio, so I'm pretty used to it.
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Robbie is now a pundit which means lots of interaction with football fans and a constant media presence
When and where are you happiest?
That's an easy one, my wedding and the birth of my two boys.
Also, when I’m in the gym. As a footballer, you have a routine, so when you stop, it’s very easy to stay in bed, watching morning TV, becoming lazy. The first four months after I retired, I stayed in bed all morning, got so lazy. Now I have a routine, get up, take the kids to school, head off to the gym and have coffee with the old guys in there, they’re friends now, I have a bit of fun. The gym family's replaced my football family.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
My mother said to me, when I was starting to be a premiere league footballer, it’s nice to be important, but it’s more important to be nice. There are times you could be horrible, but I try to stick to that.
What has been the hardest lesson you’ve learned?
Learning to trust people, overcoming disappointment when people let you down. Learning not to respond angrily on the football field. If I hadn’t done that, I wouldn’t be talking to you today.
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Robbie at Blackburn Rovers in 2007
What would you tell your 13-year-old self?
When you get to the age of 20, get your haircut. Don’t have a ponytail when you’re 40.
What 3 things are at the top of your bucket list?
Fortunately, I’ve been able to do things that I could only dream of growing up. My dream car, dream holiday, dream car. If I’m being honest, if it all ended tomorrow, I’ve done everything I need to accomplish to do. I’ve been lucky. And my kids keep me working hard going forwards.
What do you think happens when we die?
I have no idea at all. Sometimes I think life’s unfair, with horrible people living to 90, my lovely father developing Alzheimer’s at 58, so I have to say I really have no idea.
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Robbie in his Dancing days
When do you feel a sense that we live in the presence of something bigger than ourselves?
As a sportsman, I get strength from inside. Ultimately, it’s just you and your decisions.
What do you try to bring to your relationships?
My wife certainly brings the looks.
Just to be a role model to the kids, there are times when they have a half-famous daddy, and people at school talk about it. I didn’t realise how difficult that would be, so that's been a lesson. I try to be honest and a role model.
I still have the friends I made at school, I treat them to things because we all grew up on a council estate, I appreciate them, I’m not paying for them. They would pay their way, but I like to make it easy. I can count on the fingers of one hand the people who would pick me up if I called them in the middle of the night, but that's all I need.
What keeps you grounded?
My mum. She's the only person who calls me Robert when I’m not good. She gives me honest feedback, if I’ve been on the radio. She’ll tell me if she didn’t like what I said.
What was your last good deed?
There was a lady in the petrol station not long ago, and she went to the counter to pay, she didn’t have money and she got all in a panic, so I paid up. I trusted her to pay me back, and she did. I just thought if that was my mum, I'd like someone to help her.
To mark PG tips’ official partnership with Red Nose Day, Monkey has undertaken a Monumental Mission and scaled the top of the Shard. To find out more, go to www.pgtips.co.uk/rednoseday
Footballers' open letters
Hatem ben Arfa(01 of11)
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"To the Toon Army, I want to pass on my thanks to all the fans that supported me during my time at the club and living in a city that will be forever in my heart."Thank you also to everyone at NUFC and to Hull for making this loan happen. I wish Newcastle the best of luck. I hope they have a good season."Howay the lads." (credit:Serena Taylor via Getty Images)
Chelsea v Norwich City - Premier League(02 of11)
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"When I arrived at this fantastic club 13 years ago I would never have believed that I would be fortunate enough to play so many games and enjoy sharing in so much success."This club has become part of my life and I have so many people to thank for the opportunity. Firstly, Ken Bates, who put his neck on the line to sign me as a young player and without him I would not have even begun this experience."When I arrived at this fantastic club 13 years ago I would never have believed that I would be fortunate enough to play so many games and enjoy sharing in so much success."Roman Abramovich, the man who saved our Club and took us all to new levels. His desire to push the Club to the top of the football world has rubbed off on everyone."All the managers and coaches who have helped me develop my game during the time I have been here. I have learnt from every one of them."All the brilliant team mates who I have been lucky enough to train and play alongside for so long. Not just their football qualities but also the friendships I have gained along the way."I'd also like to give a special mention to all the staff and people behind the scenes at the club who do not receive the glory but without them the Club would simply not function."The club will move forward, and as a Chelsea man I have no doubt that with the quality of the players that are there, they will continue with the success that we have all enjoyed over the past seasons."Finally and most importantly, I would like to thank the Chelsea fans. I believe they are the greatest fans in world football. You have supported me from the moment I arrived. Not only on the pitch, but in difficult moments in my personal life off the pitch. I will never forget."I feel honoured to have shared so many special times with you. Bolton, Amsterdam, Munich, the list goes on and on. I, and we as a team, could not have achieved those moments without your support."Whatever the next challenge is for me I will always be amongst you and have Chelsea in my home and in my heart. Hopefully I will get to see you all soon to say goodbye properly. In the meantime thank you for the memories and keep making history!" (credit:Clive Rose via Getty Images)
Álvaro Negredo(03 of11)
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"Dear Manchester City fans,Today I say goodbye to a magnificent club as it is Manchester City. I want to thank the club for helping me become a better footballer and for making me and my family feel at home during my time here.About a year ago Manchester City, a club that will remain in my heart, gave me the amazing opportunity to play in England. And for me winning the Premier League, Capital One Cup and scoring 23 goals in a season is a dream come through.After this year I can only say thank you to the club, to the fans that have supported me since the first day I wore this jersey and of course thank you and good luck to my team-mates, who helped me settle in since day one not only as a teammates but as friends.Today I say goodbye to Manchester City but I take with me many memories, lessons and great moments that will live with me forever. It has been one of the best years of my football career.At last I want to wish Manchester City many success for the future and thank the club for giving me the opportunity to sign for Valencia, a club to which I want to give back all the trust they ahve given me and start a new season with many success.Thank you with all my heart." (credit:Richard Sellers via Getty Images)
"My time at Real Madrid has come to an end. It's impossible, in just a few lines, to put all I have gained here, but this letter is my way of explaining how I'm feeling now that I'm bidding the club farewell. Over the four years I have had the honour of wearing this shirt, I have felt nothing but pride about everything that has happened and all I have achieved together with my teammates.Sadly, now I have to go, but I want to make it clear that this was never my wish. I've always wanted to progress, as anyone else does in their job. I went to the World Cup after winning the 'Decima' with the hope of getting some signal from the Club Management, but it never came. Many things were said and many lies circulated. They always wanted to pin the idea of leaving the club on me, but that's not how it was. Unfortunately, my football isn't to someone's taste. The only thing I asked for was a fair deal. There are many things that I value and a lot of them have nothing to do with my salary. I hope to find them at Manchester United, one of the biggest clubs in the world, with which I'm hoping to make history.I've been lucky enough to share a dressing room with some fantastic players, who have been even better teammates. I think that was the key to winning the Tenth Champions League. I want to apologise for the times I made mistakes, on or off the field. It was never my intention to do wrong by anyone. I sweated for this shirt every game as if it were the last. There were times when things went well, and times when they didn't, but what I can say is that I always gave it everything.I want to thank Spain for everything it's given me and especially for being the country where my daughter was born. And I would like to send a very special thank you to the people at the Montepríncipe hospital, who will always be in my heart. My wife, daughter and I will be forever grateful. Also to my teammates, who always supported me, in good times and bad, to the various coaching teams I've worked with and also to all the people who work at the club on a daily basis, who I have a great relationship with.I hope that Real Madrid have a great season and achieve the ambitions the club is always keen to push for. That moment at the Bernabéu in the 'Supercopa' when I came onto the pitch and was greeted with such great affection from the crowd will stay with me forever. Thank you so much. It still gives me goosebumps. I could not think of a better farewell for what turned out to, unfortunately, be my last game.Hala Madrid! Always and forever! (credit:VI-Images via Getty Images)
Alessio Cerci(06 of11)
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"It has never been so difficult to try and explain how I feel at this moment,” began Cerci’s open letter posted on his Facebook page."These have been difficult months, dealing with tough questions to answer."I thought things lots of through in my head and in my heart and I went back in time."I thought about my first kick of a ball at seven years of age, I thought of all the sacrifices I’ve made and the difficulties I’ve faced in my career."I thought about the dreams I had as a child that have carried me up to where I am now."Any professional football wants to play in a great team, to line up against the greatest players and to play at some of the world’s most famous and prestigious stadiums."I was struggling with the dilemma of whether to take the great leap or stay in the city that revitalised me and offered me glory."Believe me, I was really hoping for a big deal to come in from Torino but in the end it didn’t happen."Therefore, I calmly looked at the situation as I understood it, to make the most of the offer to achieve my dreams that I’ve been waiting to come true."I want to show everybody that Cerci is not just a hothead like many have said for years and that he is not just somebody who can make a big difference for a small club but also someone who can prove himself alongside great players."Can you understand that I couldn’t miss out on such an opportunity?"I think my coach Giampiero Ventura because it’s thanks to him that I am today arriving on a great stage like Atletico Madrid."Thanks to everybody at Torino and my teammates who always made me smile."Thanks to the fans who have given me strength."I don’t know what my future will be but I hope this is only a temporary goodbye to the colour Granata that has been close to my heart for the past two years full of emotions."I’ll always carry you with me, with love, AC 11. (credit:Valerio Pennicino via Getty Images)
Liverpool FC Team Photos(07 of11)
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"Around this time last year, I wrote a letter to say goodbye to Liverpool and the fans after I joined Napoli. Some people asked why I was doing it when I was only going on loan for a season and would be back within twelve months but the reality was that it was already clear to me that my time at Anfield was over. Liverpool had signed Simon Mignolet to be their new number one and I was being allowed to go out on loan so I wanted to take the opportunity to offer my thanks and bid farewell because I knew that I would not be back.I suppose this is a bit of an update now that my departure has been confirmed and I want to take the opportunity to thank everyone at Liverpool – and I mean everyone – for everything that they have done for me over years. Last time, some of my words were misinterpreted and taken out of the context in which they were meant but it would never be my intention to leave Liverpool on anything but good terms so hopefully this will put that right once and for all.I have been extremely fortunate to spend so many years at what I consider to be one of the greatest clubs in world football. It has been an honour and a privilege. The memories I have of Anfield, my team mates, the supporters and the people of Liverpool will stay with me forever. I am disappointed that I am leaving but only in the sense that I enjoyed being at the club so much and it is always difficult to say goodbye to something that is special to you. I will always be grateful to have played for Liverpool and my time at the club was always going to come to an end so we move on with no hard feelings.All I can do now is look forward to a new adventure at Bayern Munich and being reunited with Pep Guardiola, who was my first captain at Barcelona. Hopefully I will enjoy being with them as much as I enjoyed being with Liverpool and again, I am fortunate to be going from one great club to another. I will return to at Anfield some time soon, though, only next time it will be as a fan rather than a player and I hope that when I do come back Liverpool will be challenging for the biggest trophies like they always should.The final thing for me to do is to express my gratitude to everyone who has supported me in any way since I joined Liverpool in 2005 – all of the managers who I have played under, all of the players who I shared a dressing room with, all of the staff who helped me in so many ways and every single one of the fans who gave the team and myself the kind of backing that others can only dream of. I count myself as a Liverpudlian and I will be one for life.You’ll Never Walk Alone,Pepe" (credit:Andrew Powell via Getty Images)
Patrice Evra(08 of11)
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"After a great deal of thought I have decided the time is right for me to leave Manchester United. It is the biggest decision of my career as this club is, and will always remain, in my heart.Joining and playing for Manchester United has been a privilege, a dream come true and my time here has been so memorable. Through the good times and the bad times we have all stuck together and remained loyal. I have always said you don't just join Manchester United, you join the family and long may that tradition continue.An immense thank you to Sir Alex Ferguson for making it all possible, for giving me the privilege to be a captain, to be inspired by the legend of Manchester United and to understand that nobody is bigger than the club.My biggest thanks go to the fans. We have had some fantastic times together, we lifted all of those trophies together and that night in Moscow will live with us all forever. Every single time I stepped out in that shirt I knew I was playing for the badge and for a very special club." (credit:Matthew Peters via Getty Images)
Daniel Agger(09 of11)
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"Liverpool have been such a big part of my life and my family's lives for so long that leaving is extremely difficult.The opportunity arose for me to return home to Brondby and at this stage of my career it felt like the right decision for me.I wouldn't leave here to go anywhere else and that has been proven by my actions in recent seasons - I have turned down many offers to move to other Premier League and European clibs.I would like to thank the Liverpool supporters for the incredible backing they have given me in my time here and the warmth and generosity of spirit displayed to my family.This has been our home and somewhere we have been very happy and settled. However, more recently I have started to feel the effects of playing regularly in a league that is as physically demanding as the Premier League is, and I would not want to stay if I did not think that I was able to meet that challenge week in, week out.The club itself is very special and I shall remain a supporter for the rest of my life. I regard every game I played at Anfield as a privilege." (credit:John Powell via Getty Images)
Landon Donovan(10 of11)
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"After careful deliberation and after many conversations with those closest to me, I have decided that this will be my last season as a professional soccer player.I don't write these words lightly and this day carries mixed emotions for me. I am sad to leave a profession that has brought me so much joy. I will miss all of the teammates who helped me create so many incredible memories on-the-field, and who I have shared many wonderful experiences with off-the-field. I will miss my coaches, at both the club and national team levels, who have helped me develop throughout my career and helped make me the player I am today. However, after spending half my life as a professional soccer player, I also am excited to begin a new chapter and pursue other opportunities that will challenge me and allow me to grow as a person.There are so many people I want to thank who have inspired me, guided me and helped me on this incredible journey. I simply could not have accomplished what I did during my playing career without an overwhelming amount of support from my family, my friends and many others. I plan to express my gratitude to everyone in a more detailed manner at a later date; however, for now, I want to single out the fans. You are the lifeblood of this sport and, without you, none of us would be fortunate to call ourselves professional soccer players in MLS. I feel incredibly blessed and lucky to have played a role in the remarkable growth of MLS and US Soccer during my playing career. And while my career as a player will soon be over, rest assured I will stay connected on many levels to the beautiful game.As we enter a transformative time for the sport, I will do everything I can to help the continued growth of soccer in the United States. I look forward to making a difference, pursuing my passions and meeting all of you along the way in this next phase of my life.With gratitude,Landon" (credit:Jeff Gross via Getty Images)
Gerard Deulofeu(11 of11)
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"I would like to thank Everton and all their fans for this year so special in my career. A new country, a new club, a new way of seeing, live and understand football," posted the Spaniard on Twitter."I have grown as a football player, but also as a person and that is why I would like to thank every person that has helped and accompanied me on this journey."I wish Everton lots of luck and success in the future." (credit:Chris Brunskill via Getty Images)