A year ago this week, the Black Cats hired Regis Le Bris, a little-known Frenchman who had been demoted with Lorient. However, Sunderland did not judge Le Bris just on his most recent campaign. They’d been tracking the 49-year-old for a long time and thought he’d be a good fit for the top job at the Stadium of Light. Their judgment was spot on. And Kieran Scott and Middlesbrough officials will hope theirs are the same. Yes, Rob Edwards was relegated from the Premier League with Luton Town, but no one can blame the 42-year-old for failing to maintain the Hatters in the top tier. Nobody expected them to make it there!
Yes, Luton were relegated for the second time this season, but the fact that the Hatters finished lower in the standings than when Edwards was fired in January indicates deeper difficulties at Kenilworth Road. Boro officials have clearly not ignored this all season, but have been sympathetic to the mitigating circumstances. Geoff Doyle, Luton’s BBC Three Counties Radio commentator, described Edwards’ leadership as “honourable and dignified.” When he was fired, the Luton Town Supporters’ Trust issued a statement thanking Edwards for “allowing us to dream big”.
Middlesbrough’s new head coach has major decisions to make on several players. Middlesbrough continues to monitor Morgan Rogers’ position amid fresh Arsenal accusations. According to Town’s chief executive Gary Sweet, Edwards left “not just as a former manager, but as a trusted friend who has left his mark on every player and member of staff”. Watford were 10th when Edwards was fired just 11 games into his Vicarage Road career. They finished 11th, indicating that the Hornets, with their current lineup, could be better suited to mid-table. Edwards concluded the season by securing promotion with Luton.
Some concerned Boro fans may recall Luton’s collapse at the Riverside in a 5-1 defeat in November, when Tony Mowbray, who was on commentary duty for BBC Tees, was surprised that Edwards did not change his strategy mid-game. Perhaps Edwards had simply reached the point at where he was partly blinded in his desperate attempts to turn things around. Perhaps it had reached the point when he realized he was fighting a losing war. This happens. And in his post-match interview that day, Edwards spoke like a manager expecting his phone to ring in the coming hours.
“I, and we have given everything for this football club,” he informed me. “I’ve enjoyed my two years. It’s been an incredible journey, and we’ve accomplished things that no one could have predicted. “So, if that’s it, I and I can be proud of ourselves for giving it our all. “I don’t want to be a divisive figure here where the supporters – because they’re the most important people at any football club – they’re the ones that will make that noise and they’re the ones that will let us know.” Despite the Boro defeat and the subsequent criticism, Edwards cannot be accused of being a manager who is unwilling to change.
During Luton’s Premier League season, Edwards was “haunted” by an August setback to Chelsea and changed his team’s formation, switching from a 3-5-2 to a 3-4-3 or 5-4-1. In February, while Luton were still fighting for survival, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp commented, “The job Rob is doing there is insane.” I’m not sure it’s really acknowledged enough that a team with the number of points they had at the start of the season is making such a footballing growth; I don’t think I’ve ever seen it before. When you witnessed the Manchester United game, it was spectacular.” Yes, they lost, but it was an amazing game.
Yes, they lost, but it was an amazing game. They extended possession periods dramatically throughout the season. “Good players, obviously top-tier coaches.” Luton scored more points that season than any of the five promoted teams in the previous two seasons. They finished ahead of Burnley, whose manager, Vincent Kompany, went on to join Bayern Munich. And Edwards was always going to be a strong Boro candidate once Michael Carrick was fired for two reasons. First, he auditioned for the role when Carrick obtained the job and was thought to be very impressive.
They extended possession periods dramatically throughout the season. “Good players, obviously top-tier coaches.” Luton scored more points that season than any of the five promoted teams in the previous two seasons. They finished ahead of Burnley, whose manager, Vincent Kompany, went on to join Bayern Munich. And Edwards was always going to be a strong Boro candidate once Michael Carrick was fired for two reasons. First, he interviewed for the position when Carrick was hired and was thought to be really impressive. Not that Kieran Scott would have been surprised. Boro’s head of football had worked with Edwards at Wolves and was impressed by his abilities as a coach and man-manager.
Teden Mengi, an England Under-21 international, decided to leave Manchester United for Luton in the summer of 2023 after speaking with Edwards. “I just knew this man actually cares about me,” he claimed. Edwards has experience in player development. After leading Wolves’ Under-23s to the top level of youth football for the first time in club history, he was recruited by the FA and worked with England’s Under-20s before taking over the Under-16s. Forest Green stated that he was one of over 100 applications for their manager position in 2021. He led them to victory, marking the first time Forest Green had ever entered League One.
It’s hardly surprising that Bristol City, who finished above Boro and qualified for the play-offs last season, were interested in Edwards following Liam Manning’s move to Norwich City. But it was the Boro job that Edwards desired. According to insiders, Boro was struck by his intense drive in interviews and negotiations, a hunger and desperation to rectify the wrongs of how things ended at Luton. Boro have gone beyond how things finished in Luton.
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