Robbie Savage: John Terry’s attack felt ‘personal’ - but being laughed at ‘hurt the most’

Hurt: Robbie Savage (right) admits journalists laughing at John Terry's comment hurt him the most
Vaishali Bhardwaj7 November 2015

Robbie Savage believes John Terry's jibe about not accepting criticism from former players who have "played at a really bad level in their career" was personal but revealed that journalists' 'sycophantic' laughter at the comment hurt him the most.

Chelsea captain Terry hit out at Savage on Tuesday after saying he would only accept criticism of his indifferent form this season from pundits such as Jamie Carragher, Rio Ferdinand and Gary Neville because the trio had been "the very best" during their playing days.

"When others speak, maybe I don’t take it on the chin. When players have not had a career, played at a really bad level in their career… Robbie Savage being one," Terry said during Chelsea's pre-Champions League press conference.

The remarks made headlines and caused a stir on social media before Savage responded on Friday by saying everyone is entitled to an opinion about football and said the game was "doomed" if criticism was only valid if it came from players who had played at the highest level.

The footballer-turned-pundit shed more light on how he felt in the aftermath of Terry's public dig at his career after he admitted during his Fletch and Sav show on BT Sport that he believes the Chelsea star's comments were meant to be personal.

"That's his opinion. I didn't do bad, I got every ounce of energy out of my career. But the thing that got to me more was the sycophantic laughter from the journalists in the room because indirectly, if I didn't have a career, what was he saying about the people in the room?" he said on Saturday.

"That was the thing that hurt the most - the laughs in the room.

"It was personal. There's been lots of opinions about me personally and I take them on the chin. I get hammered. 50 per cent of people love and 50 per cent of people hate me. If I responded to everyone who criticised me, it'd be madness."

He added: "This is about a bigger picture. It's about the people who played at grassroots level, the amateurs, the semi-professionals, the milkman, the plumber, it's about a game of opinions.

"I think everybody is allowed one whether you've won the World Cup or whether you've never kicked a ball in your whole life. Journalists are entitled to opinions as much as anybody else.

"I expressed an opinion. After the game at Man City, I said I don't think he'll play every week, age catches up with us all. He's a magnificent player - he's got 107 Champions League appearances to his name. He's a legend at Chelsea and always will be. I expressed an opinion and I think I'm entitled to it."

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