ROBBIE Savage has a reputation for being one of football's pantomime villains.

Opposition fans the length and breadth of the country love to hate him almost as much as he loves winding them up and I've got to say he brings a lot of it on himself.

Take Wednesday night's Carling Cup clash at Middlesbrough, for example, where once again Robbie found himself at the centre of another storm.

Yesterday morning's papers should have been full of talk about a battling Blackburn performance, but instead they were dominated by stories that Middlesbrough's Emanuel Pogatetz's deliberately spat at Savage during the quarter-final tie.

While I would never condone spitting it's one of the most cowardly things you can ever do on a football pitch the TV replays from Wednesday night's game appeared to suggest that Pogatetz's actions were accidental, a view which also seemed to be shared by Mark Hughes, who said that Rovers didn't intend to lodge a formal complaint.

Why then did Robbie feel the need to over-react like he did and make such a fuss of what was something and nothing?

Cast your minds back a couple of weeks and he did something similar at Arsenal when Jose Antonio Reyes flicked him the face with his hand.

At the moment, Robbie should be concentrating on doing his best for the team and not getting involved in petty squabbles.

He's got a high enough profile as it is without needing to draw even more attention to himself.

Every time he steps foot on a football pitch, everyone watches his every move like a hawk, from the national press to opposition supporters.

They're all waiting to see him fall flat on his face so he's got to be cuter and not give them the satisfaction.

At the end of the day, if Robbie's going to play the way he does then he's got to be able to take some flak too.

Because of the character he is, people are going to single him out but he's got to be big enough to take any stick that comes his way.

Look at Paul Dickov as a classic example of someone who dishes it out but takes the kicks as well.

Once again on Wednesday night, Dickie delivered the goods when the chips were down, scoring a 90th minute winner that earned Rovers a place in the semi-finals of the Carling Cup.

Paul might have his limitations as a footballer, but no one can doubt his passion and commitment and the thing I like about him is he keeps on going for the full 90 minutes.

That win at the Riverside was the perfect start to Christmas and it should give Rovers a huge psychological boost for when they return there on Boxing Day in the Premiership.

As for the semi-final draw, I think we're capable of giving Manchester United a run for their money.

We've beaten them once already in the League this season so we have nothing to fear, but our chances rest on the fitness of Craig Bellamy, who was a key figure in that win at Old Trafford in September.

If he's fit and firing on all cylinders, then Rio Ferdinand and his pals could have problems.

So Merry Christmas everyone and here's to a successful 2006 - and another trip to Cardiff.