Savage’s Abrupt Exit Rocks Macclesfield After Historic Promotion

CHESHIRE : Robbie Savage didn’t just meet the high-stakes goal he set for himself at Macclesfield; he smashed it. In his first managerial role, the former Wales international led The Silkmen to promotion to the National League North with six games to spare, becoming the first team since 2017 to break the 100-point barrier in the Northern Premier League.

Savage’s success, however, proved fleeting for the club he helped create. Just five weeks before the 2025-26 season began, Savage accepted the head coach job at Forest Green Rovers, leaving his four-year association with Macclesfield—and his brotherly bond with club owner and best friend Robert Smethurst—severely tested.

The dramatic turn of events is captured in the new BBC iPlayer documentary, Robbie Savage: Managing Macclesfield.

Savage stepped into the head coach role after Macclesfield lost the 2024 Northern Premier League play-off final, a defeat that spurred him to take the job. “I never, ever, ever wanted to be a manager, until the point we lost the play-off final. This season I can’t fail,” he recalls saying.

He proved an immediate success, leading the team on a 17-game unbeaten streak to start the season. Star striker Danny Elliott praised Savage’s unexpected style, noting, “He’s quite different to what you might perceive him to be… He cares a lot.”

He’s proved himself to be an unbelievable manager.

Savage’s achievement quickly drew outside attention. When Forest Green made an approach, Savage immediately called Smethurst, who gave his friend his “blessing.” Savage, in turn, took assistant John McMahon and three key players—Tre Pemberton, Neil Kengni, and club captain Laurent Mendy—with him to Gloucestershire.

Despite his initial support, Smethurst was visibly hurt by the sudden departure. “It’s like losing my left arm,” he said. “It happened so quick, it was like the heart had been ripped out of the middle.”

Smethurst voiced the common fan sentiment that Savage was supposed to be in it for the long haul. “People genuinely believed that you were going to be with us forever. It was the speed and the letdown to the fans at the time on how quick it happened.”

Savage admitted the backlash made him “sad” and revealed the deeper pressures he faced. “I feared failure for the first time in my life. The stress was too big, I felt so much responsibility and it took over my life. Here I can just concentrate on being a football manager.”

At the time of writing, Savage is thriving at Forest Green, who are fourth in the National League. Macclesfield, under new manager John Rooney, are finding their feet in 14th place in the National League North but have progressed in the FA Cup, continuing the club’s legacy that Savage helped build from the ashes.