New Watford Head Coach Rob Edwards has already enjoyed a varied and successful career in management despite his relatively tender age of 39 years, following over a decade as a first-team player for several clubs.

With the Welshman having entered the Hornets’ dugout ahead of the 2022/23 season, here’s the backstory of the new man at the helm…

Solid Centre-Half

Born in Telford, Edwards’ career began at Aston Villa, coming through the youth ranks and making his debut in December 2002 as a 20-year-old. He was handed his first Villa appearance by Watford’s greatest ever to grace the touchline, Graham Taylor, in a win over Middlesbrough.

Edwards had loan spells at Crystal Palace and Derby County while contracted to the Villans, before moving permanently to Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2004 for a four-year spell.

Amassing a century of league appearances in old gold in the Premier League and Championship, Edwards played more games for Wolves than for any other side in his playing career. Injuries limited his stay, but he left a lasting impression on the club and its supporters.

Considering Management

Coaching was on the cards for Edwards from a younger age than many who venture into management, with the former defender citing Ian Holloway as an influence during his time at Blackpool after leaving Molineux.

Edwards was part of the only Blackpool team to have reached the Premier League and appeared for the Tangerines in the top-flight, but left to join Norwich City on loan and helped the Canaries to promotion; his second in two seasons.

Representing Barnsley for a season in the Championship and spending time on loan at Fleetwood Town and Shrewsbury Town a season later, Edwards hung up his boots amidst injury woes in 2013.

Throughout his whole career, Preston North End were the only side Edwards faced more than Watford, having played against the Hornets on 10 occasions.

Winning 15 caps for Wales, Edwards enjoyed a prosperous international career too, playing alongside current national team manager and Watford legend Rob Page.

Steps Into Coaching

While at Bloomfield Road with Blackpool Edwards first met Richie Kyle, who would later become his assistant at Forest Green Rovers and now Watford. The duo kept in touch, reuniting at the Football Association years later as coaches in the youth set-up.

Edwards gained experience at Manchester City and Wolves, learning from some of the game’s best managers and continuing to grow his own identity and mindset as a coach.

Succeeding as Under-18 coach at Wolves, then Head Coach Kenny Jackett, one of Watford’s all-time greatest players, moved Edwards into the first-team coaching staff during his time at the helm, and became a major influence on him. Between Walter Zenga and Paul Lambert’s tenures Edwards held the interim manager’s post for two games also, and took up a permanent role with the reins at AFC Telford United a year later.

His hometown club provided a flavour of being the number one in what Edwards described as an “amazing experience”, but he then chose to join the FA as a coach with the Under-20s, specialising in ‘in-possession play’. Also leading the Under-16s and gaining attention for his impressive tactics, Forest Green came calling at the end of the 2020/21 campaign.

Flying Forest Green

Adapting seamlessly to a top-half League Two side, Edwards won the league’s Manager of the Season award in his first campaign in permanent charge of an EFL club. Complemented by Kyle as his assistant, who served as Out of Possession Coach at the FA, the pair took the division by storm using an attacking, three-at-the-back system, with only one team bettering the Gloucestershire side’s goalscoring exploits on their way to the title and promotion to the third tier.

Edwards’ next challenge is at Vicarage Road, tasked with taking Watford back to the Premier League at the first time of asking. Ready to occupy the dugout in pre-season and for the first game of 2022/23, he has already received a warm welcome from supporters in the final home game of the 2021/22 campaign against Leicester City, and has met club staff and members of the press at Vicarage Road.

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