Robert Owen Edwards (born 25 December 1982) is a professional

football manager ''Football Manager'' (also known as ''Worldwide Soccer Manager'' in North America from 2004 to 2008) is a series of football management simulation video games developed by British developer Sports Interactive and published by Sega. The game beg ...

and former

player Player may refer to: Role or adjective * Player (game), a participant in a game or sport ** Gamer, a player in video and tabletop games ** Athlete, a player in sports ** Player character, a character in a video game or role playing game who is ...

who played as a

centre-back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

and is currently the manager of

Championship In sport, a championship is a competition in which the aim is to decide which individual or team is the champion. Championship systems Various forms of competition can be referred to by the term championship. Title match system In this system ...

club

Luton Town Luton Town Football Club () is a professional association football club based in the town of Luton, Bedfordshire, England, that competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1885, it is nicknam ...

. Edwards began his career with

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...

, making his senior debut in the

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

. He then moved to Midlands neighbours

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...

in 2004, where he spent four seasons at Championship level. He helped both

Blackpool Blackpool is a seaside resort in Lancashire, England. Located on the North West England, northwest coast of England, it is the main settlement within the Borough of Blackpool, borough also called Blackpool. The town is by the Irish Sea, betw ...

and

Norwich Norwich () is a cathedral city and district of Norfolk, England, of which it is the county town. Norwich is by the River Wensum, about north-east of London, north of Ipswich and east of Peterborough. As the seat of the See of Norwich, with ...

to promotions to the Premier League and featured for

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. As the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. In Barnsley, the population was 96,888 while the wider Borough has ...

in the Championship before retiring due to injury in 2013. Edwards managed Wolves' academy and had an interim spell at the first team, before leading

AFC Telford United AFC Telford United is a football club based in Telford, Shropshire, England. The club was formed in 2004 after the original Telford United, founded in 1872, folded due to financial problems. Currently members of the National League North, they ...

and the England under-16 team. He guided

Forest Green Rovers Forest Green Rovers Football Club are a professional football club based in Nailsworth, Gloucestershire, England. The team compete in , the third tier of the English football league system, and have played their home games at The New Lawn since ...

to promotion as League Two champions in the 2021–22 season. From May to September 2022, he managed Watford.

Club career

Aston Villa

Edwards was born in

Telford Telford () is a town in the borough of Telford and Wrekin and ceremonial county of Shropshire, England, about east of Shrewsbury, south west of Stafford, north west of Wolverhampton and from Birmingham in the same direction. With an est ...

Shropshire Shropshire (; alternatively Salop; abbreviated in print only as Shrops; demonym Salopian ) is a landlocked historic county in the West Midlands region of England. It is bordered by Wales to the west and the English counties of Cheshire to th ...

. He started his career as an apprentice at

, and worked his way up to his first-team debut on 28 December 2002, in a 1–0 home win over

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...

. In January 2003, after playing in three consecutive matches at right-back he signed a new two-and-a-half-year contract with the club. Edwards went on to make nine appearances in total for the ''Villans'', all during 2002–03. He was sent on loan to First Division club

Crystal Palace Crystal Palace may refer to: Places Canada * Crystal Palace Complex (Dieppe), a former amusement park now a shopping complex in Dieppe, New Brunswick * Crystal Palace Barracks, London, Ontario * Crystal Palace (Montreal), an exhibition building ...

in November 2003, where he spent one month, playing six games and scoring one goal in a 1–1 draw with

Coventry City Coventry City Football Club is a professional association football club based in Coventry, West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. The team currently compete in the EFL Championship, Championship, the second tier of the English footbal ...

. Edwards then joined fellow First Division club

Derby County Derby County Football Club () is a professional association football club based in Derby, Derbyshire, England. In 2022, it was announced that DCFC was acquired by Clowes Developments (UK) Ltd, a Derbyshire-based property group. Founded in 1884 ...

on loan in January 2004, where he stayed until the end of the

season A season is a division of the year based on changes in weather, ecology, and the number of daylight hours in a given region. On Earth, seasons are the result of the axial parallelism of Earth's tilted orbit around the Sun. In temperate and pol ...

. He played ten games for the club, scoring a goal in a 2–1 home win over Gillingham on 17 January. In May 2004, Edwards was told by Aston Villa manager

David O'Leary David Anthony O'Leary (born 2 May 1958) is a football manager and former player. His managerial career began at Leeds United, subsequently managing Aston Villa. He most recently worked as the manager of Al-Ahli Dubai. The majority of his 20-yea ...

that he could leave the club.

Wolverhampton Wanderers

Edwards made the short journey across the

West Midlands West or Occident is one of the four cardinal directions or points of the compass. It is the opposite direction from east and is the direction in which the Sun sets on the Earth. Etymology The word "west" is a Germanic word passed into some ...

and joined

in July 2004 in a three-year deal for £150,000. After five games in August, he suffered an ankle injury and did not return until February 2005. Edwards gained more playing time in the 2005–06 campaign and he played the majority of the following season under new manager

Mick McCarthy Michael Joseph McCarthy (born 7 February 1959) is a professional football manager, pundit, and former player. He was last in charge of EFL Championship club Cardiff City. McCarthy began his playing career at Barnsley in 1977, and he later had ...

but suffered knee ligament damage in April 2007. that kept him out of the season's end as the team made the play-offs. On 5 September 2007, in a reserve team match against

Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands County, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located north-west of Birmingham, east ...

, he again suffered knee ligament injury. He scored his only goal for Wolves on 9 February 2008 in a 4–2 home defeat to

Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...

. He was placed on the transfer list in May.

Blackpool

On 6 August 2008, Edwards left Wolves to join

, signing a two-year contract with an option for a further year for an undisclosed fee. He made his debut for the Seasiders on 9 August 2008 in a 1–0 home defeat to

Bristol City Bristol City Football Club is a professional football club based in Bristol, England, which compete in the , the second tier of English football. They have played their home games at Ashton Gate since moving from St John's Lane in 1904. The ...

. Edwards was captain of the side for the 1–1 draw at

Norwich City Norwich City Football Club (also known as The Canaries or The Yellows) is an English professional football club based in Norwich, Norfolk. The club competes in the EFL Championship following their relegation from the Premier League in the 20 ...

on 16 August as

Keith Southern Keith William Southern (born 24 April 1981) is an English former professional footballer who played as a central midfielder. He made 376 appearances in the Premier League and the Football League, most notably representing Blackpool between 2002 a ...

who had captained the side up to then in the 2008–09 season, was suspended. On 29 August, Blackpool manager

Simon Grayson Simon Nicholas Grayson (born 16 December 1969) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the current head coach of Indian Super League club Bengaluru. As a player, he was a right back, but he was also utilised in m ...

confirmed that Edwards would be team captain for the season. His first goal for ''the Seasiders'' came on 29 December 2008 when he scored Blackpool's second equaliser in a 2–2 draw against his former club Wolverhampton Wanderers at

Bloomfield Road Bloomfield Road is a single-tier football stadium in Blackpool, Lancashire, England, which has been the home of Blackpool F.C. since 1901. It is the third stadium in the club's existence, the previous two being Raikes Hall Gardens and the ...

. Edwards urged all the players to do their utmost to impress new manager

Ian Holloway Ian Scott Holloway (born 12 March 1963) is an English professional football manager, former player, media personality and television pundit who was most recently the manager of Grimsby Town. A midfielder, he notably played in the Premier League ...

in June 2009. On 19 July 2010, he agreed a new contract with Blackpool, a one-year deal with an option for a further 12 months. Edwards explained playing in the Premier League was the reason behind him signing a new contract at the club. On 10 November 2010, Edwards made his first Premier League appearance since 2003 in a 3–2 loss at his former club Aston Villa. On 21 February 2011, Edwards signed for Championship team Norwich City on loan until the end of the season. He made his debut as a second-half substitute for

Zak Whitbread Zak Benjamin Whitbread (born January 10, 1984) is an American-English retired professional footballer who played as a defender. Early life Although born in Houston, Texas, United States, Whitbread has spent most of his life in England and Sing ...

in the 1–1 draw against

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...

on 5 March, and made two more appearances as the club won promotion to the Premier League.

Barnsley

After his release from Blackpool, Edwards was signed for

on a free transfer, becoming Keith Hill's seventh signing of the summer. Edwards made his debut for the club in a 0–0 draw against

Nottingham Forest Nottingham Forest Football Club is an association football club based in West Bridgford, Nottinghamshire, England. Nottingham Forest was founded in 1865 and have been playing their home games at the City Ground, on the banks of the River Tren ...

on 21 February 2012. Unused by Barnsley, Edwards was loaned to

League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...

club

Fleetwood Town Fleetwood Town Football Club is an English professional association football club based in the town of Fleetwood, Lancashire. Established in 1997, the current Fleetwood Town F.C. is the fourth incarnation of the club; it was originally formed in ...

in 2012. The following 31 January, he returned to his home county and joined

League One The English Football League One (often referred to as League One for short or Sky Bet League One for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League One from 2004 until 2016) is the second-highest division of the English Football Leag ...

team

Shrewsbury Town Shrewsbury Town Football Club is a professional association football club based in Shrewsbury, Shropshire, England. The team competes in League One, the third tier of English football. The club plays its home games at the New Meadow, having mo ...

on loan for a month. Days after the deal was expanded for the rest of the season, he was ruled out with a thigh muscle injury in training.

International career

Edwards represented

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

at youth level, but not in a

UEFA Union of European Football Associations (UEFA ; french: Union des associations européennes de football; german: Union der europäischen Fußballverbände) is one of six continental bodies of governance in association football. It governs f ...

-recognised game, so qualified for

Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...

as his parents are both Welsh. He made his debut for Wales before he left Aston Villa, on 29 March 2003, in a 4–0 European Championship qualifying victory over

Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundary of Eastern Europe and Western Asia. It is a part of th ...

Coaching career

Early years

On 11 October 2013, Edwards announced that he had retired from professional football at the age of 30. He became Under-18s coach at Wolves, and his first season in charge (2014–15) was considered very successful by local newspaper ''

Express & Star The ''Express & Star'' is a regional evening newspaper in Britain. Founded in 1889, it is based in Wolverhampton, England, and covers the West Midlands county and Staffordshire. Currently edited by Martin Wright, the ''Express & Star'' publish ...

''. He was promoted to help Head Coach

Kenny Jackett Kenneth Francis Jackett (born 5 January 1962) is a former professional football player and manager, who is currently Director of Football at club Gillingham. A skilful left-footed player, able to play in defence or midfield, Jackett was cappe ...

for the final two months of the season, and then to the role of full-time First Team Coach during the summer of 2015. On 25 October 2016 Edwards was appointed interim head coach at Wolves following the sacking of

Walter Zenga Walter Zenga (; born 28 April 1960) is an Italian manager (association football), football manager and former player who last managed Serie A club Cagliari Calcio, Cagliari. He was a long-time Goalkeeper (association football), goalkeeper for In ...

. He took charge of two games – a 1–1 draw at

Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. T ...

, followed by a 2–3 defeat to Derby – before

Paul Lambert Paul Lambert (born 7 August 1969) is a Scottish professional football manager and former player, who was most recently the manager of Ipswich Town. Lambert played as a midfielder and won the Scottish Cup in 1987 with St Mirren as a 17-year-ol ...

took charge. Edwards remained at a club in the role of first team coach until the conclusion of the season when he departed alongside Lambert. On 28 June 2017, Edwards was named as the new manager of his hometown club

. The Bucks finished in 14th place in the

National League North The National League North, formerly Conference North, is a division of the National League in England, immediately below the National League division. Along with the National League South, it is at the second level of the National League Sy ...

, 10 points outside the play-offs. Edwards left by mutual consent at the end of the season. Edwards was appointed as the head coach of Wolverhampton Wanderers U23 on 20 July 2018. In his first season in charge, he led them to promotion to Premier League 2 Division 1, the highest level of youth football, for the first time in their history. In October 2019, Edwards left Wolves to take up a 'prestigious role' with

The Football Association The Football Association (also known as The FA) is the Sports governing body, governing body of association football in England and the Crown Dependencies of Jersey, Bailiwick of Guernsey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man. Formed in 1863, it is the ...

working as a coach with the England U20s. On 24 September 2020, he was appointed as head coach for the England under-16 team.

Forest Green Rovers

On 27 May 2021, Edwards was appointed Head Coach of League Two side

, joining the role on 4 June in order to be able to finish the season with his England sides. After picking up four wins from his first five matches, Edwards was awarded the

EFL League Two Manager of the Month The EFL League Two Manager of the Month is a monthly association football award to recognise the outstanding team manager in EFL League Two, the fourth tier of English football. The recipient is chosen by a panel assembled by the League's sponsor ...

award for August 2021 with his star striker

Matty Stevens Mathew Antony "Matty" Stevens (born 12 February 1998) is an English footballer and former amateur boxer. He plays as a forward for club Forest Green Rovers. Boxing career Stevens was born into a boxing family – grandfather Les Stevens was ...

winning the Player of the Month award. He won the award for a second time for November following three wins from three. Edwards then won the manager of the month award for a third time for January 2022 after picking up 14 points from six matches, including a 4–0 win away at second-placed

Tranmere Rovers Tranmere Rovers Football Club is a professional association football club based in Birkenhead, Merseyside, England. The team compete in , the fourth tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1884 as Belmont Football Club, they adop ...

, moving ten points clear at the top of the league. On 23 April, Forest Green drew 0–0 away at

Bristol Rovers Bristol Rovers Football Club are a professional football club in Bristol, England. They compete in League One, the third tier of the English football league system. They play home matches at the Memorial Stadium in Horfield, they have been c ...

to secure promotion to

for the first time in the club's history. The following day, Edwards was named the 2021–22 EFL League Two Manager of the Season at the league's annual awards ceremony. On 11 May, he departed the club following negotiations with

Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...

Watford

On 11 May 2022, Edwards was announced as the new head coach of

, taking over from

Roy Hodgson Roy Hodgson (born 9 August 1947) is a former English football manager and player. He managed 22 different teams in eight countries, beginning in Sweden with Halmstads BK in the 1976 season. He later guided the Switzerland national team to th ...

at the conclusion of the 2021–22 season. His first game on 1 August was a 1–0 home win over

Sheffield United Sheffield United Football Club is a professional football club in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, which compete in the . They are nicknamed "the Blades" due to Sheffield's history of cutlery production. The team have played home games at ...

with a goal by João Pedro. On 26 September 2022, Edwards was sacked as head coach after winning three out of ten league games and with Watford in 10th place.

Luton Town

On 17 November 2022, Edwards was appointed manager of Championship club

, rivals of Edwards' previous club Watford.

Career statistics

Club

Managerial statistics

Honours

As a player

Blackpool *

Football League Championship play-offs The English Football League Championship play-offs are a series of play-off matches contested by the association football teams finishing from third to sixth in the EFL Championship table and are part of the English Football League play-offs. , ...

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

As a manager

Forest Green Rovers *

EFL League Two The English Football League Two (often referred to as League Two for short or Sky Bet League Two for sponsorship purposes, and known as the Football League Two from 2004 until 2016) is the third and lowest division of the English Football Lea ...

: 2021–22 Individual *

: August 2021, November 2021, January 2022 * EFL League Two Manager of the Season: 2021–22

References

External links

Profile
at blackpoolfc.co.uk * {{DEFAULTSORT:Edwards, Rob 1982 births Living people English people of Welsh descent People from Telford Footballers from Shropshire English footballers Welsh footballers Association football defenders Aston Villa F.C. players Barnsley F.C. players Blackpool F.C. players Crystal Palace F.C. players Derby County F.C. players Fleetwood Town F.C. players Norwich City F.C. players Shrewsbury Town F.C. players Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. players English Football League players Premier League players Wales international footballers Association football coaches English football managers English Football League managers National League (English football) managers Welsh football managers AFC Telford United managers Forest Green Rovers F.C. managers Watford F.C. managers Luton Town F.C. managers Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C. non-playing staff