Middlesbrough FC's potential Michael Carrick succession plan is laced with danger | OneFootball

Rob Edwards is reported to be an obvious choice to potentially replace Michael Carrick as Middlesbrough boss - that would be a dangerous move.

Middlesbrough are still yet to make a decision on whether to stick or twist with head coach Michael Carrick, but Rob Edwards' name has emerged as a potential succession plan if it is to be the latter.

As the dust begins to settle on Boro's 2024/25 season, there is a lingering feeling of frustration and apathy on Teesside towards Middlesbrough's team, as the club heads towards a vitally important and somewhat uncertain summer.

Given the money that was spent and the quality in Carrick's side, a 10th-placed finish in 2024/25 marked an evident failure, with a play-off finish being the minimum requirement placed on Boro this year by many.

Therefore, confidence levels in Carrick's suitability to deliver a promotion-winning team are seemingly at an all-time low among the Riverside faithful, and the club's hierarchy are currently undergoing a thorough review of the season, before making any final decisions on the future of their head coach.

Journalist Alan Nixon has recently revealed that former Luton Town boss Rob Edwards has his admirers within Middlesbrough, and would be an "obvious" choice as his successor if the axe is swung by owner Steve Gibson.

However, that appointment would be laced with danger for a number of reasons...

Rob Edwards' Luton Town side got found out this season - That must ring Middlesbrough alarm bells

Whether it be because of the players they lost last summer, some underwhelming recruitment, being on the wrong side of some close games or teams being able to counter their tactical approach, Luton Town endured a miserable 2024/25 season.

In truth, all of the above factors and perhaps a few more all contributed to the Hatters' relegation to League One - something that few people predicted given this was their first season back in the second tier following Premier League relegation.

Edwards would depart Kenilworth Road on 9 January by mutual consent, following a run of four straight league defeats. At the time of his exit, the club were sitting 20th and two points above the relegation zone.

The 42-year-old had previously taken Luton to the top flight for the first time in over 30 years in his first season in charge, as his side triumphed over Coventry City in the play-off final in 2023.

He did so by almost exclusively deploying a back three, with 3-4-2-1, 3-4-1-2, 3-4-3 and 3-5-2 all being utilised. For a long time, it was highly successful too.

Edwards' Luton relished their reputation of being a horrible team to play against, especially at home, as the claustrophobic nature of Kenilworth Road played perfectly into the physical and direct style of play they employed.

However, when it became clear that this system was no longer working to its previous effect through the first few months of the 24/25 season (which included a 5-1 drubbing at the hands of Boro in November), Edwards decided to press on with his back three, and it was perhaps this tactical stubbornness that acted as one of the final nails in his Hatters coffin.

Hiring Rob Edwards would see Middlesbrough fall back into frustrating managerial pattern they've tried to move away from

Ever since being relegated from the Premier League following the conclusion of the 2016/17 season, Middlesbrough have largely missed on their managerial appointments.

Finding a top-quality manager isn't easy, and it's even harder keeping hold of them when you have one, but it wasn't just Boro's inability to hire a coach who could deliver a promotion-winning team that was the problem; it was their constant toing and froing between gaffers with opposite playing styles.

Garry Monk (defensive-minded), Tony Pulis (defensive-minded and direct), Jonathan Woodgate (flexible but attack-minded - deployed three, four and five at the back formations), Neil Warnock (defensive-minded and direct), Chris Wilder (attack-minded and possession-oriented), and now Carrick (possession-oriented, slow build-up).

This chopping and changing of managers with different tactical styles meant that the majority of players signed to play under one manager would become less effective, and often surplus to requirements for the new boss.

As a result, this scattergun approach to the profile of coach the club was appointing provided fertile ground for numerous transfer flops, and constant overhauls of the playing squad to fit the style of the new manager.

There was no set philosophy. However, following the appointment of head of football Kieran Scott in September 2021, that has changed.

Now Boro very much have a clear philosophy for their football club. They want a coach who priorities possession-based football. They have a transfer strategy revolving around identifying players who fit that system, and have implemented a buy cheap, sell high strategy that has seen them bank big profits on the likes of Morgan Rogers and Emmanuel Latte Lath.

In short, Middlesbrough have seemingly finally settled on a clear image for both the brand of football they want to see played, and the brand of the football club in general - something which Boro fans had been calling for them to do for many years prior.

However, sacking Carrick and replacing him with Edwards, a manager who has evidenced that he would bring a direct brand of football back to Teesside, would surely mean that not only would the summer transfer rebuild become even larger, but would see Boro surrender this notion of tactical continuation and philosophy that they've tried so hard to push through in recent years.

Given how the majority of Teessiders loathed the days of direct football at the Riverside under the likes of Pulis and Warnock respectively, it's fair to assume that seeing a manager with this approach return to the club probably wouldn't go down too well with many either.