Matt Jackson says new head coach Rob Edwards will bring an energy and culture to Compton Park, which must now be transferred to the pitch.
The former defender re-joined Wolves on Wednesday with the club in a challenging position in the Premier League, but brings good experience, having managed four different clubs since his last stint at Molineux.
Jackson himself knows what it takes to survive from the Premier League, both as a player and a coach at Wigan Athletic, and insists with Edwards now at the helm, all departments must pull in the same direction in a bid to start getting results under the new head coach.
On Edwards being the right man
“It's great culturally for the whole football club. It’s obviously difficult when people lose their jobs, because it generally means the team's struggling, and the team is certainly struggling so needs that boost. I think Rob and his staff have demonstrated previously that they can be really good in shifting the culture, getting confidence quickly into players and building foundations for a really positive future.
“Rob’s people skills are a standout element of it. He knows football and has worked hard in tough jobs, so it hasn't been an easy transition through the stages of his coaching career. He loves being on the grass and making a change to a team, embracing the tactics of different situations, and his recent success has definitely put him on the radar of many top clubs.”
On gaining experience on his journey
“The best coaches absorb everything that they possibly can do in terms of player development, in terms of team formation and shape, tactics, opposition, set up and set pieces. The best ones continue to evolve, can change and find themselves going up the ladder, as Rob has pretty much done his whole career. That's testament to the effort that gets put in, the hours, the dedication and, very often, to the team around, because that support team around is so important as well.”
Rob Edwards returns. 👋 pic.twitter.com/7l7eCTBTYi
— Wolves (@Wolves) November 12, 2025
On their paths crossing
“It’s mostly through mutual friends. An appointment of mine into the coaching department at Wigan, for example, became his director of football at Forest Green Rovers. So, I knew of that association and was very close with Richard Hughes, who's now the director of football at Portsmouth. Obviously, Luton are one of my former clubs, and Rob has that connection, so I've always followed that closely.
“He actually did a CPD event for our academy staff in the summer at Molineux. He gave up his time to come in and talk about his journey for a couple of hours, and he made a really big impact professionally on the staff, across all elements of the academy.”
On marrying different departments together
“That will definitely be the case. The energy that they bring off the field, we have to get it on to the pitch. It's a tough situation, I’ve been in those playing situations at the bottom the Premier League with Wigan, as a player and on the support staff as well, and it's difficult because it takes over your life. You're continually doing complex mathematics to find out where safety is, looking at other results, and sometimes you lose your focus from your own performance.
“Our group is really good in that they want to be coached; they want that discipline put into them. It's tough in the Premier League, it's tough to learn in the Premier League, and we've got lots of inexperienced players for the level, and that’s not necessarily shown in all of the performances, but it's shown in the results, and ultimately, it’s a results game, which is why we have the change of staff.
“We now need to get that belief into the players quickly. We definitely need to be held accountable, obviously, by the paying public, and they absolutely have that right, but hopefully they can channel their best energies into creating an atmosphere at the Molineux that really helps the players. Particularly in the first half at Chelsea, I'd imagine the players were drawing on that, because they gave their best of efforts.”
On survival missions with Wigan
“Funnily enough, we had another Rob there, Roberto Martinez, who oversaw that programme, and he was about the people first. An amazing tactician, another person who studied the game forensically, but ultimately, he was a people manager and did an unbelievable job with Wigan with the resources they had, because it's tough.
“It's tough to be ultra-competitive in the Premier League as we know, we have to cut our cloth accordingly, we make no excuses, we don't gripe about it, we have to get on and find a way. Roberto, for the most part, found a way. Rob's had his challenges, but the best coaches find a way.”
On planning for the short and long term
“It's responsible management. We have to be realistic about where we are. We have to understand what our club is, have to understand the culture of us internally, but also there are external pressures and demands that the fans will make of us. We have to give them a clear message that things might be tough, but we're giving them our very best of effort.
“We're making the sacrifices that are required to try and bring that success. We live and breathe it, the real sleepless nights are with us, the stresses and strains, and it should be. We should be absolutely accountable for that and will be for the foreseeable future. The best of staff find a solution together, they enjoy the good times, but you have to be accountable in the bad times.”
