Middlesbrough have opted to stand down head coach Rob Edwards for this afternoon’s Championship clash against Birmingham City, according to reports.
It’s been a chaotic week at the Riverside Stadium. Boro have become embroiled in a managerial tug-o-war with Premier League outfit Wolverhampton Wanderers, who opted to part company with Vitor Pereira last weekend.
The West Midlands-based outfit find themselves bottom of the top tier, having picked up just 2 points from their opening 10 games. A 3-0 defeat against Fulham a week ago proved to be the final straw.
Edwards was almost immediately identified as the primary candidate, which was an easy link to make due to his long affinity with the club. The 42-year-old represented Wolves as a player between 2004 and 2008, whilst he returned to Molineux in a coaching capacity upon his retirement.
🔜⏳#wwfc pic.twitter.com/gXggd9oNph
— The EPL Feed (@TheEPLFeed) November 8, 2025
Press Conference & Training Fiasco
Earlier this week, Wolves asked Middlesbrough for permission to talk to Edwards over their vacant position. This was immediately dismissed by the Teessiders, who only appointed the former Luton Town boss in the summer on a 3-year deal.
After missing out on a place in the play-offs in successive seasons, the new head coach had gotten off to a flier and currently has them challenging for promotion. Therefore, Boro’s stance is understandable.
Speculation increased tenfold yesterday though when it was announced that all pre-match media duties had been cancelled. This was followed by reports stating that ex-defender hadn’t taken first team training yesterday as he held showdown talks with club bosses.
Decision Made Ahead Of Birmingham Clash
Edwards took charge of his team for the 1-1 draw with Leicester City on Tuesday night and addressed the situation prior to the game. He insisted he was fully focused on the task at hand, saying:
“My full focus is on this job here, which is a brilliant job, and trying to turn things around.
“Speculation is hard for me to comment about. I never get drawn on stuff that’s all hypothetical and I don’t want to get drawn on that.
“I love being Middlesbrough manager and that’s what I want to think about. All I can say is I’ve not given it a single thought because my focus is just on this. It’s all the stuff that my daughter was telling me about.”
The situation has escalated to seemingly a point of no return though. After yesterday’s press conference and training fiasco, the question on many supporters lips was whether the head coach would be in the dugout this afternoon. That question has now been answered.
#Boro sources now saying they are resigned to Edwards joining #Wolves https://t.co/srbaRMdhww
— Alex Crook ⚽️🎙 (@alex_crook) November 8, 2025
This afternoon’s game is the last before the upcoming international break. It’s looking increasingly likely that Middlesbrough will be on the search for a new manager ahead of their next Championship fixture against Oxford United on November 22nd.
