Rob Edwards believes he now has the right blend of expertise, personalities and experience on his coaching staff, after Rui Pedro Silva completed his team this week.
The head coach has assembled a four-man support group around him at Molineux, with three assistant head coaches and a goalkeeper coach providing the support he needs on a day-to-day basis.
Edwards has worked with all four during different stages of his career. Silva worked closely with Edwards at Wolves, when he was serving as the club’s under-23 head coach and Silva was assistant to Nuno Espirito Santo.
Fellow assistant head coaches Harry Watling and Paul Trollope worked alongside him at Middlesbrough and Luton Town respectively, with the latter helping him win promotion to the top flight with the Hatters.
Goalkeeper coach Danny Alcock first crossed paths with Edwards while at the Football Association and, alongside Silva, Watling and Trollope, will provide the support network now he’s leading the Old Gold.
Harry Watling
“H is, first of all, a really good coach – a life coach. He’s 36, but has been coaching a long time and has got a lot of experience. He’s been a manager in his own right as well, so has empathy for my situation. He’s a really good guy, very hard working. He's got incredible energy, and I really trust him, so we’ve built up a good relationship from our time at Middlesbrough.
“He’s excellent with his quality of work, his energy, his enthusiasm, and you need that on the staff, it’s so important. He has all the makings of a top assistant or head coach in his own right in years to come.
“We’ll be aligned, but he's from a different part of the world, he's had a different upbringing. He's not backward in coming forward, he says it how it is, which I like. You know where you stand with him, whether that's the lads or me. He’ll always be very, very honest, which I think is important, because there's no point beating around the bush. He’s very clear in how he sees the game, how he sees situations and reads them.”
Paul Trollope
“Like Rui and H, they’ve all managed, but Paul’s done a lot of games as a manager and a lot of games as an assistant, so is vastly experienced. I worked with him for a few years at Luton, so we know each other very well, and I was really pleased that we were able to get him in. I really trust and value his opinion, his quality of work and his experience.
“I feel like it's a really strong team of outfield coaches, and Paul brings with him really good coaching expertise, very good knowledge and experience, whether that's difficult moments like we've got now, and I need that sometimes, those level heads and experience around, or if it's out on the training pitch or during games, he's very knowledgeable.
“He was huge [to the Luton success]. All of the guys were. It was a big, big team effort. Richie [Kyle] and I knew each other already, so he came in with a real humility at first and began to grow and influence more as it went, and he was a big part of the success that we had.”
Rui Pedro Silva
“Rui’s got huge experience and knows the club inside out. He played a big, big role in the success of recent years and we got on really well, so we’ve always stayed in touch. It just makes complete sense and it's a big coup for us to get Rui on to the staff.
“He’ll add so much value, not just with football knowledge and tactics, but also from a communication point of view. He’ll help us with his language skills and that’ll be a huge plus. He brings loads of good qualities, experience, tactical knowledge and understanding.
“When I was doing the 23s, it was him I spoke to most. He was busy with his job, but I was able to watch and learn. We kept in touch and went up against each other when I was at Luton. There will still be a lot of people that he’ll know and one or two of the players, so he’ll be able to get his feet under the table quickly.
“I just want him to be himself, with all the skills and qualities he’s got. Between us, we want to try to hit everything, and all of the guys are experienced, but Rui’s got different experiences. He already knows the club and has worked at a high level in the Premier League, so he'll be a huge addition for us.”
Danny Alcock
“Danny is a brilliant guy, and really, really good at what he does – very detailed, very knowledgeable. I like the way he thinks. He thinks slightly differently and sees things that maybe I won't see or be able to see in a different way to me. I worked with him at the FA, and obviously I’ve always liked him. He's gone and had great experiences working with people like Steve Cooper, worked in the Premier League with Forest and Leicester, and most recently out in the Saudi Pro League as well.
“He’s got loads of experience and is a really good person, who is very, very good at what he does. We were really pleased to bring Danny in as well. It makes for a really strong team. It's taken a few of them in, but it was really important we got the right people in.
“When you're midway through the season, people are in jobs, and it's not easy to get everyone together straight away. But this now needs to be for the long-term, so it's important I've got the right people in so, I’m really, really pleased.”
