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Nobody expected Middlesbrough to be at the top of the table at all this season, but Rob Edwards has defied all his critics.
While Middlesbrough have been in and around the Championship play-offs for the last three years, a summer of upheaval left most neutrals expecting the worst for the Teessiders this term.
Rob Edwards coming in to replace Michael Carrick was never seen as the most exciting of changes. And yet, after seven games, the new Boro boss is still unbeaten in the league.
We’re all taking Middlesbrough seriously in the promotion race this season now. But, it’s not just Edwards who should take the credit for this drastic turn of fortunes.
Kieran Scott deserves credit for Rob Edwards hire
EFL Analysis spoke to our Chief Football Correspondent Graeme Bailey about the positive atmosphere at Middlesbrough right now, and he suggested it is sporting director Kieran Scott who should get a big pat on the back.
Bailey said: “I think this is a clear indication that, when you have a sporting director in Kieran Scott who chooses a manager who fits in with what he wants in the mold, and when you have the hierarchy including the manager pulling in the same direction, it does help.
“Rob Edwards clearly is a great character but obviously his football as well is suiting the squad. They’ve helped build the squad around that. We’ve talked about keeping someone like Hayden Hackney; that is a massive thing isn’t it? There’s not many £25 million rated players at any Championship club and Middlesbrough kept one, so I wouldn’t underestimate that.
“But then the players they have brought in… David Strelec, Sverre Nypan, Matty Targett; they’ve made some outstanding signings. They really have fitted in really well, and they’ve hit the ground running.”
Bailey went on to suggest that, while this immediate success for Boro might be short-lived, it’s a really promising sign for the future of the football club.
He added: “While Rob Edwards has done great, Kieran Scott should take a lot of the plaudits as well for his decisions in bringing Edwards in. But then the signings he’s helped make have fitted in really well to the system and they’ve been superb so far.
“Can they keep it up? Probably not. But they’re going to firmly be promotion contenders now, which wasn’t even necessarily the case before the season. There weren’t many people putting Boro in contention given how things looked at the start of the summer, but they’ve really turned the squad around now and playing this different system does suit them.”
All signs point to Middlesbrough promotion
It’s been eight years since Middlesbrough were last in the top flight, but things look really promising now that this absence can come to an end.
Boro are not only unbeaten, but they have faced some top teams already; Norwich City, Sheffield United, Southampton, and West Brom would all be considered promotion rivals, and yet Middlesbrough have escaped those games unscathed.
Opta’s supercomputer already has Middlesbrough as favourites to go up. If they keep up this kind of form, they’ll be very difficult to catch at the top.
Obviously, there will be a tough patch at some point this season. How Middlesbrough respond to that will be the key to whether they genuinely have the credentials to get promoted, or if they will fade away.