Rob Edwards feels the consistent work he’s been able to put in with the Wolves players over the last few months is beginning to pay off with the team’s improved run of results.
The head coach admitted the job he faced when arriving in November was – in hindsight – a much bigger challenge than he’d anticipated, and it has taken time for the group to come together.
But having gone four games unbeaten in all competitions ahead of a tricky test against Newcastle United at Molineux this weekend, Edwards feels his players are beginning to produce consistent performances in training and in the matches, which has allowed them to show their true quality.
On positive feeling at Compton
“It’s a good feeling around the place, but even before that, we had some decent performances so the mood around the place has been good. Results certainly helped that even more, there’s no doubt about it, but it hasn’t felt like all doom and gloom when you’re around here.
“We know we’re in a difficult position, but you’ve still got to try and enjoy coming to work, and people are allowed to smile, they’re allowed to laugh, and we’ve got to make sure we’re working really hard as well, but we’re allowed to enjoy ourselves and our lives as well, so it certainly feels like there’s a good vibe around at the moment and we want to try and keep that going.
“We’re just looking for consistency in what we’re doing. With hindsight now, I think it was always going to take a little bit of time to try and turn things around and start getting a few results. When I look back at it now, it was a little bit broken, the lads were a bit low and it was a big challenge.
“But I think with some good, consistent work, the lads have certainly taken to what we’ve tried to do, they’ve been more intense in their work and they’ve been responded really well to what we’ve tried to do. Slowly but surely, I think we’ve progressed, but we still want to improve and that’s what we want to try and continue to do.”
On January transfer plans
“January is quite complex anyway. You have to think about the group as a whole and the number of players you have in certain positions, so you have to be thinking about if certain players to go – which would be in our control and we’ll dictate that – then where could we add and where do we need to add?
“That might be in a different kind of area because we want to get the right balance within the group. We’re always thinking about the jigsaw puzzle and making sure that we’ve got a good balance when that window closes at the back end of the month. But it’s certainly a challenging window, especially with the position that we’re in.
“To keep it really simple, we want really good attitudes, we want good ability and good athleticism. If you could look at those three things, they’re key. But if they’re coming, it’s because then they want to be here and that is a really big thing for us as well.
“But the great thing is, with the group that we’ve got at the moment – which is interesting with the position that we’re in – there’s no one knocking on my door saying, ‘I want to go. I want to get out. Can you please let me go?’ I’ve not had one of those conversations at all. The group are fighting here right now, and anyone coming in would have to want to be here and want to be ready for the fight.
“A lot of the lads around here want to try and maybe right some of the wrongs. They want to help the club, and want to do well for themselves, but for the football club as well. They really are genuinely all committed. That’s not saying that no one’s going to go, but there’s not people banging my door down or trying to force anything. That’s not the case.”
On Munetsi’s loan move to Paris
“Marshall is a great guy. But this is the right thing for him. The numbers and in that midfield area, with what Mane is doing now and with JJ [Bellegarde] to come back into it as well, it’s probably the right thing for him and the right thing for the football club at the moment.
“But he’s a great guy who gives absolutely everything and he will do out there, so we wish him well for the remainder of the season.”
Marshall Munetsi will spend the rest of the season on loan at Paris FC.
— Wolves (@Wolves) January 16, 2026
Wishing you the very best, Marshall! 🤝https://t.co/VaCliVoHxI
On facing Newcastle at Molineux on Sunday
“We’ll take anything we can get, of course, but we know we’re coming up against a really good team that’s playing Champions League football, playing in semi-finals of competitions, they’ve recently won a trophy and they’re competing at the level they want to be at, with a fantastic manager in Eddie Howe and all his staff.
“We know it’s a really difficult game for us, but one we’re really looking forward to. We’ve been able to prep for it this week and it’s an exciting game for us. It’s nice now we’ve won a couple of games at home, so I think there’s a bit of a better feel around the around the place and around Molineux now, which is good, so we want to try and utilise that.
“The last couple [of games at Molineux] have been good. The cup game was nice, the win before against West Ham was good, we’ve seen some goals, we’ve seen some good performances because that was really what we were lacking since we’d arrived.
“We’d seen a lot of that away from home, but not as much here at Molineux, which is what we all want because that’s where the majority of our fans are. That’s certainly been a nice addition to what we’ve been able to do over the last couple of weeks.”
On looking better in attack
“That’s the quality from the players. You can work on certain moves or patterns, but invariably, the players will make the decisions because they’re the ones that go and do it. The opposition will also give them those decisions to make by their positioning and what they do. If they’re aggressive and jump out, then they might leave spaces behind.
“If they wait, then there’ going to be a bit more in front. The players have to work and find those spaces more, but we’ve had a couple of goals in the last few games which have been quite good because the combination has been nice, and we’ve been able to open up a little bit of space and centrally as well, which is a really dangerous place to do that. But that’s down to the players’ quality as well.”
On Strand Larsen or Arokodare starting up top
“They’re different people, so they’ll give us different things. I don’t think it’s like for like and everyone can see that. They give us different qualities, but I think they can play together; if one of them hasn’t started, then they can come on and they can play together and be effective.
“They’re both important, and I don’t think it’s him or him. They can play together, but they both give us completely different qualities.”
