Forest Green Takes Legal Action Over Robbie Savage's Move to Peterborough
Forest Green Rovers owner Dale Vince has escalated his row with Peterborough United, confirming the club has begun legal proceedings over what he claims was an illegal approach for former manager Robbie Savage.
In a short video posted on social media, Vince said Forest Green had "begun a legal process for the tapping up of our manager, now ex-manager, Robbie Savage", drawing a hard line under a saga that has been simmering since Savage’s departure earlier this month.
Peterborough, contacted by BBC Sport, declined to comment on the legal action. They have previously denied any wrongdoing in their pursuit of the 51-year-old, insisting their move for Savage complied with regulations.
From Macclesfield revival to legal storm
Savage’s coaching reputation had been rebuilt at Macclesfield FC, the phoenix club that rose from the ashes of Macclesfield Town after its winding-up in 2020. In charge of the Silkmen, he oversaw a surge through the seventh tier, delivering promotion to National League North with a prolific side that scored 109 goals and amassed 109 points.
That success earned him a step up to Forest Green Rovers in July 2025. In Gloucestershire, he made an immediate impact, steering the club into the play-offs in his first campaign, only to fall short with defeat to Boreham Wood.
It would be his only full season in charge.
Savage left Forest Green on 2 October, with the team sitting 13th after 11 matches. The departure itself quickly became secondary to the manner of it.
That's an illegal approach
Speaking to BBC Radio Gloucestershire 10 days after Savage’s appointment at Peterborough, Vince laid out his version of events, making clear he had initially blocked any move.
"Peterborough themselves have covered themselves in no glory here. They came to us and said, 'We would like to speak to your manager,'" Vince said.
"We said no, and so they spoke to him, and then he came to us and said, 'I hear Peterborough want to speak to me.' So, that's an illegal approach."
That allegation now underpins Forest Green’s legal challenge. In essence, Vince argues that once the club refused permission, any direct contact with Savage breached the rules governing approaches for contracted staff.
Peterborough’s chairman Darren MacAnthony has already pushed back publicly. Writing on X, he insisted the process to appoint their new manager was "100% correct and proper, following all the rules". The legal route chosen by Forest Green will now test those claims in a more formal arena.
Savage’s new start under scrutiny
On the pitch, Savage has made a steady, if unspectacular, start with Peterborough. Across all competitions, his record stands at two wins, two draws and two defeats – a balanced opening that offers encouragement without yet justifying the off-field turbulence surrounding his appointment.
His focus will be on shaping a side in his image in League One. The spotlight, though, will not move far away while lawyers begin to pore over the details of how he got there.
Forest Green, still adjusting to life after the man who took them to the play-offs at the first attempt, now find themselves fighting on a different front. The outcome of that battle will echo beyond their own club, straight into the way English football polices the pursuit of managers.
