Sean Dyche came to the defence of Rob Edwards today over his move to Wolves from Middlesbrough earlier in the season.
Back in November, Wolves successfully poached Rob Edwards from Middlesbrough, after parting company with Vitor Pereira.
The move did not go down well with Boro fans, and a lot of neutrals also took issue with Edwards walking away from a club he’s been at for just a matter of months.
One of Edwards’ biggest critics was Simon Jordan, who delivered a harsh assessment at the time.
He had questioned both his judgement and Wolves’ prospects.
Earlier today though, Edwards found himself an ally in the form of former Premier League manager Sean Dyche.
What Simon Jordan previously said about Rob Edwards
Simon Jordan said of Edwards shortly after his appointment: “They would have been disappointed. They would not have been surprised about Wolves making overtures to their manager.
“What they would have looked for is their manager to have done precisely what he did in his press conference, which is basically distancing himself from that opportunity, and remind himself of the full glaze of the public domain that he was actually in a good job. And of course then what he’s done is the atypical thing that most managers do which is ‘But I’d like to go and have a chat with them’.
“Once you’ve said that, then where do you go from there?
“I think they’re (Wolves) in freefall. I think they don’t have a squad of players that’s going to keep them in the Premier League. I think they don’t have a culture motivated to be able to give managers the kind of support that they need on the field.
“Because all their best players are being sold left, right and sold, because they’ve got to fulfill different outcomes than perhaps the original motivation of Fosun and their ownership model. I hope he gets what he deserves. I hope Wolves get relegated and he goes down with them and suffers a consequence of it.”
Sean Dyche defends Edwards during argument with Simon Jordan
Sean Dyche has taken a different stance today on talkSPORT, as he appeared alongside Jordan. He basically argued that there should have been no issue about it, since managers can easily get sacked after five straight defeats these days.
He said: “It’s very difficult that. I know Rob a little bit and I spoke to him when he played. It’s very difficult that situation. There’s no guarantee in the Championship.
“So he’s at Boro and they’re going well, but now look, they’re having a wobble all of a sudden from being right up there. If that doesn’t work, you might never get another crack at the Premier League.
He went in there, eyes open because he knows it’s a tough one. Tough start and then they’ve just turned it around, funny enough when we (Nottingham Forest) drew with them, and they’ve gone on a good run.
“I think it’s a really tough one, but the Premier League is the place to be, it’s as simple as that. He’s got family (there) and all that sort of stuff. I’m not going into that world, that’s different opinion. I’m talking as a manager. I don’t think he’s taken that decision lightly by the way. Not remotely.”
Jordan then talked about how Edwards was given the opportunity at Boro by Steve Gibson, and had been ‘backed and supported’. Jordan also said that Boro had taken Edwards out of the ‘car crash’ he caused at Luton Town.
Dyche then said: “Hang on a minute. So if he loses five then you can sack him. That’s all right is it?
Jordan: “And pay him!”
Dyche: “Yeah but you’re paying with good faith. I’m not having that at all. You give someone a contract with good faith. Everyone signs that contract, everyone’s happy with it, everyone. There’s no bending arms, that’s it. You know the rules when you get into the contract. You know the pay-off and what’s going to happen. So I disagree.”
Wolves were thought to have paid around £2-3 million in compensation for Edwards.
Edwards admitted that Wolves were the only club he would have left Middlesbrough for, and hopefully for the Old Gold it will prove to be the correct appointment for the long term. After a difficult start, things do look like they could be bright under him.
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