The Welshman tells FourFourTwo what really happened during a famous Second City Derby flashpoint
(Image credit: Getty Images)
Robbie Savage has been friends with Dion Dublin for more than 30 years – so he admits he was stunned when the striker headbutted him during a Premier League fixture in 2003.
Savage was a youngster at Manchester United when Dublin joined the club from Cambridge United in 1992 – the new recruit soon suffered a broken leg, meaning the pair got to know each other during his recovery.
The duo later moved on from Old Trafford, before meeting on opposite sides of the Second City Derby. Savage’s Birmingham City triumphed 3-0 in September 2002 when the newly-promoted side faced rivals Aston Villa in a league game for the first time in 15 years, before the two clubs went head to head again at Villa Park in March 2003.
The match stood at 0-0 early in the second half, when Dublin crashed into a challenge with Savage – the pair then squared up, before the striker was sent off for a headbutt.
In an exclusive interview with FourFourTwo, Savage was asked what he’d said to Dublin to prompt that reaction.
(Image credit: Getty Images)
“Nothing!” he insisted, remembering the incident with a smile, as he spoke in association with Planet Sport Bet. “I played in Man United’s reserves with Dion when he came back from his broken leg, and he helped me massively.
“But in that derby, I saw him coming for a tackle that was probably a red with the way he launched himself – luckily I saw him coming, and jumped. I thought, ‘I used to play with you...’
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“Of course that doesn’t come into it in a derby, but I said, “What are you doing?” Then he butted me!
“He’d lost his head. It should have been a red for the tackle and it was obviously a red for the headbutt. But I still speak to Dion; I’ve been a pundit with him.”
After Dublin’s dismissal, Birmingham triumphed 2-0 at Villa Park, to complete a double over their neighbours that season.
Chris joined FourFourTwo in 2015 and has reported from more than 20 countries, in places as varied as Ivory Coast and the Arctic Circle. He's interviewed Pele, Zlatan and Santa Claus (it's a long story), as well as covering the World Cup, AFCON and the Clasico. He previously spent 10 years as a newspaper journalist, and completed the 92 in 2017.
