Dale Vince Explains Forest Green’s No-Manager Plan After Savage Exit
Forest Green Rovers will not appoint a successor immediately after Robbie Savage’s departure, with chairman Dale Vince opting to place responsibility for the first team in the hands of the existing coaching staff.
Savage left the club almost two weeks ago, but Vince said there is no active recruitment process and insisted that Forest Green do not currently regard the managerial position as vacant. Instead, the coaching group will jointly oversee preparations and matchday decisions for an initial period that could last several games or as long as a month.
Coaching staff to share first-team duties
Vince believes the club’s three coaches are well placed to take charge collectively because they already carry out the day-to-day work on the training pitch and know the squad closely.
He said the arrangement would allow Forest Green to assess whether decisions can be made more evenly without one dominant managerial figure. Vince argued that prominent, strong-personality managers do not always make choices that best serve the side.
“Nobody is in contention and nobody is linked with the role,” Vince said. “At the moment there is no vacancy. We are going to attempt something different, see how it works and take it from there.
“There is no panic without Robbie. We are alright without a manager. In football, sides are often run by managers with big egos, and I am not convinced they always make the right decisions.”
Vince added that Forest Green would operate without a single manager for a period in pursuit of what he described as more balanced decision-making. He expressed confidence that the coaching trio could reach rational conclusions together.
Form puts immediate focus on Chesham tie
The experiment begins during a difficult spell for Forest Green, who are without a win in five matches and have slipped to 16th in the table.
Their next fixture is an FA Cup fourth qualifying-round trip to Chesham United on Saturday, October 17. Forest Green will need a response in that tie, with another setback likely to deepen the pressure around a team already searching for momentum.
