FootballTalk Podcast 29.10.25
Rob Edwards claimed he had "not given a single thought" to returning to Wolverhampton Wanderers until his daughter mentioned it, with all his energy directed towards a Middlesbrough reaction at Leicester City on Tuesday.
As a former Wolves centre-back who has made a great start to his new job at the Riverside, Edwards has been tipped to replace Vitor Pereira after his sacking on Sunday.
“I was told about it by my daughter on Sunday, so that probably tells you where I am with it all," said the former Barnsley player.
"I can understand it, with my links to the club, but my full focus is on this job here, which is a brilliant job, and trying to turn things around from the weekend in what is a really big game against Leicester.
MIDDLESBROUGH, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 30: Middlesbrough head coach Rob Edwards reacts after the Sky Bet Championship match between Middlesbrough and Stoke City at Riverside Stadium on September 30, 2025 in Middlesbrough, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)placeholder image
MIDDLESBROUGH, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 30: Middlesbrough head coach Rob Edwards reacts after the Sky Bet Championship match between Middlesbrough and Stoke City at Riverside Stadium on September 30, 2025 in Middlesbrough, England. (Photo by Stu Forster/Getty Images)
“I never get drawn into stuff that’s all hypothetical, and I don’t want to get drawn into that. I love being Middlesbrough manager – head coach, I should say – and that’s all I want to think about. I just want to talk about us and Leicester, that’s it."
The Leicester game has added importance after Boro lost 3-0 at another of Edwards' former clubs, Watford, on Saturday. It was only his second league defeat since taking over in the summer, and has allowed him to reiterate some important points.
"We're going to make some mistakes at times," he warned. "What we’ve done is get some real clarity – ‘We have to have these people in these areas in these situations.’
"They’re coachable and they will take that on board. It's a really difficult game, but we'll have to try and put that into practice.
INJUR PROBLEMS: But Middlesbrough's Riley McGree returned at Vicarage Road (Image: Richard Sellers/PA Wire)placeholder image
INJUR PROBLEMS: But Middlesbrough's Riley McGree returned at Vicarage Road (Image: Richard Sellers/PA Wire)
“We’re confident we’ll get a reaction. The one thing you can never guarantee is a result, but I'm confident we'll see a good performance and a really good reaction in terms of the running, the basics, and effort. Hopefully the quality is there as well.
“We’ve got a couple of doubts. We’ve not named a team yet – we’ll wait until Tuesday. A couple took some knocks, so we’ll have to assess them. We’ll take a couple of extra bodies."
Riley McGree played at Vicarage Road but still needs to be eased back after a hamstring injury.
"It was the first 20 for him since the pre-season game at Bradford and that’s a long time," stressed Edwards. "It’s great everyone’s excited.
"We’re really happy to have him back because he’s a really important player for us. He’s got a phenomenal attitude, he’s a brilliant trainer and he really drives things as a leader.”