Former footballer Robbie Savage is refusing to apologise for admitting he's not keen on seeing Norwich City promoted to the Premier League.

Canaries fans have threatened to boycott the 606 phone-in co-host's Q&A at Carrow Road next month in protest - and fellow player-turned-pundit Chris Sutton called him an 'idiot' on Twitter.

But Savage said: 'I was just being honest and slightly tongue-in-cheek.

'If you listen again to the clip I said the main reason I'd rather see other clubs promoted is that Norwich is so far from my house! When I come for the Q&A with Jake Humphrey in March it's going to be a 12-hour round trip.

'So I was being selfish and having a joke, but I also said I'd rather see my old clubs Derby, Birmingham and Blackburn get promoted ahead of Norwich, and of course I stand by that.

'I still know people who work at all my former clubs and I'm obviously going to prefer them going up to a club I have no connection with.'

The former Leicester City and Wales midfielder also laughed off Sutton's jibe, saying: 'He's asked me for tickets to the Q&A with Jake Humphrey.

'The ironic thing about it is that I do have a lot of time for Norwich. They are a real community club like the ones I played for.

'I played for a lot of teams which over-achieved through effort and team spirit and I see a lot of that in Norwich this season too. The way Daniel Farke turned it round after a bad start has been incredible and they were brilliant at Derby and Leeds. Teemu Pukki has been amazing and they obviously have a real chance of going up now.'

Savage also joked that the row had cost him cult hero status among Canaries fans after his attempt at time-wasting misfired to help Norwich towards promotion in 2011.

He said: 'Before all this I thought I'd be getting bought drinks by Norwich fans after what happened.

'I was playing for Derby and we were drawing 2-2 late in the game at Carrow Road when Nigel Clough decided to waste a bit of time by taking me off.

'I did my bit by moving to the far side of the pitch when I saw my number go up and then walking off really slowly. But the ref added on an extra minute, Simeon Jackson scored and they ended up going up.

'I'm sure it will come up in the Q&A on March 1st - if anyone turns up!

'The ones who do will have a great night with me and Jake Humphrey, and I'm not going to tone it down if anyone asks me about the promotion thing.

'I was never a great player but I built a good career for myself around dedication and hard work and now I've built another career around telling it the way I see it. I'm not going to stop that now, even if upsets Norwich City fans.'