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  1. 'Happy to get behind him - if we show improvement'

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    A close-up photo of Rob EdwardsPA Media

    Rob Edwards has been named Middlesbrough's new head coach but will he be able to repeat the promotion success he found with former club Luton Town? Some of you are unconvinced.

    Here's what you had to say about the appointment:

    Guy: He's joining a club and fanbase that is crying out for a change - tactics, culture and personnel. I'll be happy to see us go to three at the back and hopefully never see a goalkeeper pass it three yards sideways or see a centre-half thinking he's Messi and dribbling across his own box again. Also the appointment of a clued-in, experienced Championship number two in Adrian Viveash is critical too.

    Neil: This was an opportunity to really inject some enthusiasm into the fanbase but I can't help feel a tad underwhelmed. Feels very much like Carrick version two. Another coach who plays out from the back and seemingly has no plan B when things go wrong. Can see this being another Gary Monk-like situation.

    David: A solid appointment but interested to see who the backroom staff will be. We need strength in depth in the coaching team. Some bite in the middle of the park wouldn't go amiss too. We were too polite under Carrick and lacked a real leader on the pitch. Hopefully there'll be an element of that brought in with Edwards. Happy to get behind him if we show improvement!

    Tony: Can't see this being a great success but hopefully I will be proven wrong. Middlesbrough are a team in decline and getting a high profile manager would be impossible until we see an improvement in results. Expecting a difficult season.

    Asme: Remains to be seen but I think the recruitment model is all wrong at the Boro, hence why he's the 'head coach', not manager. He may have a wishlist of players but 'others' have final say. May have something to do with why other managers with proven track records failed before.

    Martin: Was never sure about Edwards since his name first got mentioned. Getting Luton promoted obviously makes him stand out but that was where it ended. Luton came down again and struggled thereafter. Luton were an exception to the rule when they went up and momentum was a big driver for them that season. Boro don't have that. The team is low on confidence. I would have preferred Steve Cooper but we have what we have and, as fans, we need to support Rob and the team or else we have no hope.

    Christopher: I really liked Rob Edwards' first interview as Boro boss and I'm hoping he gets us playing exciting football and stop conceding sloppy goals. Our home form over the last three seasons has been awful to watch so it needs sorting out quickly. New keeper, defence needs improving and we need a top-class striker to play along side Tommy Conway. Best of luck to Rob Edwards and all the staff and players. UTB!

  2. A clean slate for Boro and their new head coach

    Rob Edwards appointed: all the reaction

    "It's a chance for a fresh start, isn't it?

    "A clean slate for the club and for Rob Edwards, an opportunity to get his career back on track after the way it ended with Luton."

    It's been knocking around the rumour mill for a while but now it is confirmed - Rob Edwards is Middlesbrough's new head coach.

    Mark Drury and Neil Maddison join BBC Radio Tees' Rob Law as they discuss what Edwards can bring to Boro as well as hear from the fans on their thoughts towards the new man in charge.

    While Edwards' last two seasons with Luton Town may be a concern for some, others believe his experience as a promotion-winning manager will be an asset for a team seeking a return to the Premier League.

    "With Rob, he's been there, he's done it," Maddison said.

    "He's had his ups and downs, don't get me wrong, but I think he would have learnt a lot from it.

    "I'm certain that he'll want to put things right, he'll want to get back to winning ways and get this club back where things should be."

    The show includes Edwards' first interview as Boro head coach.

    You can listen to the full reaction and more on BBC Sounds.

    Listen on BBC Sounds

  3. Rob Edwards gesturing towards his players on the pitch while manager of Luton

  4. Boro turn to Edwards in search of promotion formula

    Mark Drury
    BBC Radio Tees Middlesbrough commentator

    Rob Edwards holding the play-off final trophy at Wembley after success with Luton in 2023Rex Features

    Rob Edwards has won promotions with Forest Green Rovers and Luton Town

    Middlesbrough's decision to appoint Rob Edwards as Michael Carrick's successor marks a change of direction in the Riverside dugout.

    Carrick was a managerial rookie (three games as Manchester United's caretaker notwithstanding), while 42-year-old Edwards already knows what it takes to win promotion, once to League One with Forest Green Rovers and subsequently to the Premier League with Luton Town.

    His success in reaching the top flight with the Hatters will undoubtedly have been an attraction for Boro, who are still searching for the right formula to return to English football's top table eight years after their relegation to the Championship in 2017.

    Edwards is Boro's seventh permanent manager or head coach in that time, and the list of names in those eight years gives an insight into the varied approaches chairman Steve Gibson has employed as he tries to find the solution to the club's promotion woes.

    We have seen rookie bosses in Carrick and Jonathan Woodgate (who was Carrick's assistant throughout his two and a half years in charge), veterans – Tony Pulis and Championship specialist Neil Warnock – as well as the men of their particular moments, Garry Monk and Chris Wilder.

    What the appointment of Edwards does is fully align Boro's first-team management with the strategic vision of Kieran Scott, the club's head of football.

    The pair have worked together in the past. Edwards was under-23s coach at Wolverhampton Wanderers, while Scott was part of the scouting team.

    When Edwards began his senior managerial career, Scott went on to become head of recruitment at Norwich City before taking over Boro's football operation.

    The pair have kept in touch throughout the intervening years and now have the chance to rekindle their professional partnership at the Riverside.

    Michael Carrick and assistant Jonathan Woodgate in discussions during a Middlesbrough matchRex Features

    Michael Carrick (left) and Jonathan Woodgate are two of the previous seven Boro bosses to have failed to return Middlesbrough to the Premier League

    Edwards is the fourth Boro manager who will work with Scott. Warnock, Wilder and Carrick were the others, and it is fair to say the working model was particularly tested during the Warnock and Wilder years.

    Under Carrick, Boro had some real success in the transfer market – Morgan Rogers, Emmanuel Latte Lath and Rav van den Berg to name a few – but a system that had worked well sprang a major leak in January.

    The head coach pushed for signings who proved to be notable failures and Boro's season crumbled after the turn of the year.

    That situation is unlikely to be repeated with Edwards in charge. Recruitment, playing style and an ability to work within Boro's structure will all have played a big role in the interview process.

    Many Boro fans were excited by the potential arrival of Sheffield Wednesday's Danny Rohl, while the fact Steve Cooper was interviewed shows the job remains one of the most desirable outside the top flight.

    What Edwards brings though, is Championship nous and an ability to punch above his weight.

    Competing with 'parachute' clubs

    The Luton squad he led to promotion two years ago was reputed to have a wage bill that would have placed them 20th in the Championship.

    Boro are much more generous payers, but no Championship club without the benefit of parachute payments can afford to turn their nose up at a manager with the ability to improve players and find a way of competing with teams dropping down from the Premier League.

    Concerns have been raised by some Boro fans about the way Luton unravelled on Edwards' watch last season, and there is no doubt that was something that would have been discussed by Boro's hierarchy.

    However, the fact Luton won promotion under him and then made a good fist of trying to stay up should not be forgotten. For the record, the Hatters finished 18th in their Premier League season, ahead of Burnley, whose manager Vincent Kompany subsequently left them for German giants Bayern Munich.

    Edwards may not be the big-name arrival Michael Carrick was, but Boro hope he proves to be the right one.

  5. Lewis Thompson who has short blonde hair and is wearing a green t-shirt is looking at the camera in a police mugshot. Shaun Thompson who has short blonde hair and is wearing a grey zipped jacket. Jack Carlsson has dark hair and is wearing a blue t-shirt.

  6. Will Edwards bring promotion joy to Boro?

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    Middlesbrough have announced former Luton Town boss Rob Edwards as their new head coach.

    Edwards earned promotion to the Premier League with the Hatters via the Championship play-off final in 2023, but he ended up leaving the club in January as they struggled in their return to the second tier last season.

    Can Edwards repeat his promotion heroics with Boro?

    Or is this an appointment you cannot see working out?

    Let us know your thoughts here.

  7. Rob Edwards on the touchline during a Luton match

  8. Library image of an electricity pylon. The camera is pointed upwards from the base of the structure. It is made of metal and has wires strung across horizontally. Blue sky can be seen in the background.

  9. Victoria Fuller standing in front of a Cleveland Police building. She has shoulder-length blonde hair and is wearing a navy blazer with a red top underneath.

  10. Zach Hemming celebrates with St Mirren

  12. Several trees stand in the foreground on the left-hand side. In the distance, across green fields, is Roseberry Topping - a large hill with a pointed summit.

  13. Break could give Edwards 'new lease of life'

    What could Rob Edwards bring to Middlesbrough?

    Former Luton Town boss Rob Edwards is tipped to fill the vacant managerial role at Middlesbrough - but what can the 42-year-old bring to the role?

    Edwards led the Hatters to promotion but subsequently couldn't keep them in the Premier League and struggled again on their return to the Championship.

    As a consequence, he left Luton in January, but BBC Radio 3CR's Geoff Doyle told BBC Radio Tees that his time away will have done the former Aston Villa defender much good upon his potential return to the second tier.

    "It looked to me that Rob needed a break from football. It felt like he needed months off just to sort himself out," Doyle said.

    "I think this time off would have really helped him, recharged the batteries.

    "Coach-wise, he needs time. He needs to work on his system and how he wants to play at Boro.

    "Tactically and as a coach, he's decent. I'm just hoping that the break would have given him a new lease of life and that he's back to his normal best."

    Listen to the full discussion and more on BBC Sounds.

    Listen on BBC Sounds

  14. A view of Ormesby Hall from a gravelled footpath leading up to the stone building. A stone urn stands in the foreground and families can be seen on the grass leading up to the hall.

  15. Exterior of Westgarth Social Club. It is a two-storey red bricked building with additional doormer windows in the roof. The windows on the ground floor are rectangular while the first floor ones are square. A long rectangular black sign above the central double doors gives the name of the venue and advertises a "private car park".

  16. Gossip: Edwards in advanced talks with Boro

    BBC Sport’s football gossip graphic and Rob EdwardsGetty Images

    Middlesbrough are in advanced talks with Rob Edwards, 42, to replace Michael Carrick as head coach. Edwards is believed to have been one of three main names on Boro's shortlist, including Steve Cooper and Danny Rohl. (Sky Sports)

    Boro and Birmingham City have emerged as two of as many as 10 Championship clubs battling to sign Wycombe Wanderers striker Richard Kone, 21, after the Ivorian netted 18 goals in League One last season. (EFL Analysis)

    Want more transfer news and rumours from the EFL? Take a look at Wednesday's full gossip column

    Follow the gossip column on BBC Sport

  17. Mugshot of Haider Ali, a young man with dark hair, a faint moustache and a serious expression.

  18. Thomas Judge and Kev Wilcox are sat on either side of a fridge in a radio studio. The fridge has flags attached to the top of it. Both men are smiling at the camera.

  19. About a dozen members of Redcar Model Boat Club smiling next to the partially refilled lake. A member in the centre of the group is holding a brown and white model boat. There's a flag on the side of a portable building next to them, with the name of the club on it.

  20. Bo Willow Harris, in a black top and leopard print skirt is holding her son Hendrix. They are both smiling at the camera while standing in front of black and white photographs attached on a white wall as part of the exhibition. Hendrix has short dark blonde hair and is wearing a black and white jacket, pink t-shirt, and a black trousers. His mother has long wavy black hair.

  21. Brian Mole (left) and Melvyn Mole (right) at the Great Wall of China. They are wearing their hiking equipment including rucksacks. They are smiling and looking to the right of the camera.

  22. A police car can be seen in the foreground, parked before a zebra crossing with police tape stretched across it.

  23. A row of cars parked in front of a hedge outside the entrance to the James Cook University Hospital.

  24. A stock image of the back of a police officer. They are wearing a black jacket and yellow hi-vis vest over the top that has 'POLICE' written on it in white capital letters, surrounded by a blue box.