Since taking his first tentative steps into management just over a year ago, Robbie Savage has been riding on the crest of a wave. The former Wales midfielder won the Northern Premier League Premier Division title with six games to spare last season, prompting Forest Green Rovers to give him his first taste of professional management with a four-year contract in July. An unbeaten start to this season sees Savage's side sitting joint top of League Two.

But the 50-year-old is a latecomer to management, having forged a career as an outspoken pundit since retiring from playing in 2011. So why the change? And does his famously combative and emotional character suit the highly pressurized role of a lower league manager?

Savage provides an honest and open assessment of his new career and future prospects, offering a glimpse of the competitive fire that typified his playing career.