Forest Green Rovers chairman Dale Vince has accused Peterborough United of making what he called an “illegal approach” for Robbie Savage, saying the former Rovers manager was contacted directly after Forest Green had refused permission for discussions.
Vince gave his account of Savage’s departure in an interview with BBC Radio Gloucestershire’s Billy Hunt. The interview took place before Forest Green’s 4-2 home defeat by Hartlepool United on Saturday, and was reported by Stroud Times on October 10, 2026.
Savage subsequently left Forest Green to take charge of Peterborough, a League One club. Vince said the change happened quickly, with Savage travelling to Peterborough on the Monday and the move being completed by Thursday.
Vince’s account of the approach
According to Vince, Peterborough first approached Forest Green as a club and asked for permission to speak to Savage. Vince said that request was refused, but alleged that Peterborough then contacted the manager directly.
The chairman said Savage had approached him while dealing with what he described as “intense personal issues”. Vince said those circumstances had led Savage to look for another job, and that he found it difficult to refuse the manager’s request because Savage was also a friend.
“He (Robbie Savage) came to see me, very upset, intense personal issues that required him to go looking for another job at Peterborough.”
Vince said he ultimately agreed that Savage could speak to Peterborough after hearing about his situation. He then described the subsequent contact between the two parties as improper because, in his account, Forest Green had not granted permission for Peterborough to approach Savage directly.
“So that’s an illegal approach, right? And Peterborough in the negotiation paid no respect to Robbie’s position.”
Vince claimed Savage travelled to Peterborough on the Monday and was verbally offered the manager’s job. He said Peterborough later denied that an offer had been made and indicated that it would pursue another candidate, leaving Savage in a difficult position between the two clubs.
The chairman said the move was nevertheless completed by Thursday. Forest Green ultimately agreed to allow Savage to leave, Vince said, because of the personal circumstances Savage had explained rather than because the club had secured the outcome it wanted from the negotiations.
Criticism of the negotiations
Vince also criticised Peterborough’s handling of the discussions. He claimed the club had wanted Forest Green’s manager without offering compensation and then bypassed the club after its initial request was rejected.
He rejected any suggestion that Forest Green had caused an unnecessarily long delay. Vince said the sequence began with Savage speaking to Peterborough on the Monday and ended with the deal being done on the Thursday.
He also referred to the speed of the change from Savage managing Forest Green to leaving the club, saying the team had been preparing for one match before the manager’s departure. The supplied report records Vince’s reference to Forest Green playing Sutton before Savage left, although it does not provide a date for that match.
Vince said the circumstances made a conventional negotiation difficult because Forest Green was trying to protect its position while also responding to Savage’s personal situation. He said the club placed Savage’s welfare ahead of obtaining a more favourable result for Forest Green.
“In the end, we said, look, just take him your terms, whatever it is, because we cared more about Robbie than we cared about that outcome.”
Vince’s comments are his account of how Savage’s departure from The New Lawn unfolded. The allegation that Peterborough made an improper or “illegal” approach has not been independently established in the supplied material.
Peterborough response sought
Vince said it remained to be seen whether there would be further developments involving Peterborough United. Stroud Times said it had contacted Peterborough for comment, but the supplied report does not include a response from the club.
The report also places Vince’s comments in the wider period immediately after Savage’s departure. Forest Green had suffered a 4-2 home defeat against Hartlepool United, described in the source as a struggling side, before the chairman spoke to BBC Radio Gloucestershire.
For Forest Green, the immediate consequence described by Vince was the loss of a manager who had moved to another League One club within a matter of days. The source material does not state what compensation, if any, was ultimately paid, does not set out Peterborough’s version of events and does not confirm whether any formal action will follow.