Rob Edwards, upon his appointment at Watford in May, wasted no time letting the Vicarage Road faithful know what to expect from his Hornets side.
“I hope we see a team that gives absolutely everything on the pitch. That works extremely hard. That fights for each other,” Edwards told Sky Sports. “I want our supporters to see a team that’s brave, and will take risks. We want to attack games. We want to go for it, we want to score goals.”
Ok, yes, Edwards was sacked after just 11 league matches in charge; Watford having averaged just one goal a game during his short-lived tenure. But it’s a measure of the manic nature of life in Hertfordshire that Edwards has emerged from the first major set-back of his senior managerial career with his reputation relatively unscathed, the blame for Watford’s struggles falling, in the eyes of many, on the board rather than the coaching staff.
According to the Daily Mail, the former England U16 coach could be set for an immediate return to management. Edwards is a candidate to replace Steve Bruce at West Brom. The Northern Echo, meanwhile, say that he has held talks with another pre-season promotion favourite limping along at the bottom end of the table; Middlesbrough.
And while Edwards and Watford always felt like a bit of an odd fit, the 39-year-old and Middlesbrough could be a match made in footballing heaven.
Will Rob Edwards become Middlesbrough’s new manager?
The Forest Green Rovers side who won the League Two title during Edwards’ first and only season at the helm were a forward-thinking, free-flowing side who took the division by storm with their 3-4-1-2 formation. Swashbuckling wing-backs became the calling card of Edwards’ Forest Green side; the right-sided Kane Wilson earning himself a move to Bristol City on the back of three goals and 14 assists.
“What Rob has done for me, is he’s put belief into myself and the team,” Wilson told Gloucester Live.
“The confidence is the main thing,” adds former team-mate and top scorer team-mate Matty Stevens, another who benefited from Edwards’ commitment to attacking football and high-quality service from out wide
“I haven’t had a manager put so much faith in me before. Working with Rob and his assistant, Richie (Kyle) has been brilliant. The lads love them – and it brings so much confidence to all of us.”
Edwards brought that wing-back system with him to Watford too. And, should he take over at the Riverside, Middlesbrough would not have to change too much, formation-wise, with Wilder another advocate of a three-man backline.
His Forest Green were relentlessly high-pressing too, and always created chances. Only Swindon Town scored more in League Two during their title-winning campaign. Expect less idle possession at Middlesbrough, and more thrust.
What’s more, Edwards is a coach who sticks to his guns. Even when Forest Green were struggling for form, even when they travelled to Premier League Brentford in the Carabao Cup, Edwards didn’t deviate from a style and an approach that had served him so well.
Some things change, some stay the same
“I need to praise Forest Green Rovers, Rob Edwards and his staff,” Brentford boss Thomas Frank said after that hard-fought 3-1 win. “I think they did a top job and I think they were the better side in the first half.”
During 2021/22, strikers Stevens and Jamille Matt scored 47 league goals between them for Forest Green. The former an instinctive, penalty box poacher and the latter more of a physical presence. Could Marcus Forss and Chuba Akpom strike up a similar understanding at Edwards at Middlesbrough? Introducing Forss, Boro’s most natural goalscorer, would be a popular move after a run of 14 goals in 13 games.
Matthew Hoppe, the summer signing from Mallorca, may also be brought in.
Edwards, meanwhile, coaxed career-best performances out of Jack Aitchison, utilising the technically-gifted forward as an attacking midfielder behind Stevens and Matt. Joao Pedro often fulfilled similar duties for the one-time Wolves coach at Watford. Expect to see Riley McGree or Duncan Watmore chosen behind the strikers, then, rather than the powerful and rangy Matt Crooks.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
