If you bumped into a footballer in a pub, what would you ask them?
Probably none of these questions.
Dream Team sat down with Robbie Savage and John Hartson at the launch of this year’s BT Sport Pub Cup to talk pints, football chants and Cha-cha-chas.
PLAY FOR FREE – WIN £5K ON DREAM TEAM WEEKENDER THIS WEEKEND
What is your go-to drink of choice?
John Hartson: “If I walk into a pub I’ll have a pint of lager, I’m very old school, I’m a proper chap!
“But when I run out of lager or if I’m feeling a bit bloated, I’ll get on the red wine.”
Robbie Savage: “I don’t drink much alcohol but I’ll have an occasional glass of Malbec red wine.
“I think I must be allergic to a lot of drinks because I always get quite ill after them!”
If you owned a pub, what would you call it?
John Hartson: “I’ve actually already owned a pub, ‘The Halfway Inn‘ in Swansea.
“It was the pub at the top of my local estate when I was growing up, a real community pub, we had three football teams and I owned it for several years.”
Robbie Savage: “I think I’d probably just call it ‘The Savage‘, it’s a great name.
“Come in the Savage pub and get absolutely… Savaged!”
Do you watch yourself on YouTube?
John Hartson: “I actually watch old videos regularly. People always send me the video of my goal for Celtic that knocked Liverpool out of the UEFA Cup in 2003.
“My son likes to look back at a few of my favourite goals from my career.”
Robbie Savage: “It’s funny you ask that, I watched a clip the other day of a tackle on me from Pintado who used to play for Swansea, absolutely shocking challenge!
“I also watch back my ‘Cha-cha-cha’ from Strictly Come Dancing. That and the tackle were equally shocking!”
Can you sing your favourite chant about yourself?
John Hartson: “Super super John, super Johnny Hartson!
“At Celtic they also used to sing ‘he’s got no hair but we don’t care’ I was lucky to have lots of great songs.”
Robbie Savage: “We love you Robbie because you’ve got blonde hair, we love you Robbie because you’re everywhere.
“The fans at Birmingham used to sing that and my mum still sings it now!”
Who’s the most famous person you have in your phone?
John Hartson: “I have most of my former team-mates and managers in there but I don’t really have an ego.
“I’m a very normal guy, most of my mates are the lads I went to school with in Swansea, I’m not someone who gets off on meeting big celebrities in the West End of London!”
Robbie Savage: “Probably Piers Morgan, I get a lot of advice off him, believe it or not!
“Every time I pick up the phone he answers, he gets a lot of stick but he’s one of the nicest guys I’ve met!
What’s your WhatsApp group chat called?
John Hartson: “Most of my best mates are builders or work on rigs so they aren’t really into technology!
“But there’s a group with the players from my early years at Luton Town, it’s called ‘the class of 94’ – the year we were doing our apprenticeships.”
Robbie Savage: “I’ve got a few, there’s ‘parents football’ because I’m a manager of an under 13’s side, so there’s all the parents of all the kids in there.
Is being a professional footballer actually all that?
John Hartson: “Definitely, I was able to live my dream! I made my family and my parents very proud.
“Lots of players would swap their careers for mine and I only have good memories of football and the clubs I played for.”
Robbie Savage: “I had loads of knocks along the way but I kept going and kept going and told myself I was going to be a footballer.
“I didn’t have that great ability but I worked at it and I worked hard and it’s a great lesson to young players that it’s not just about luck, you need to have plenty of determination!
The BT Sport Pub Cup gives pub players the chance to play in some iconic Premier League grounds.
To enter your team in the BT Sport Pub Cup go to: www.btsportbusiness.com/pubcup – Entries close on Sunday 31st March.