Is Rob Edwards a man for all seasons? Well having spent only 1 of those in the Premier League and most outside it would appear he is not, at least in the top flight. And yet here we are, Edwards has signed a contract to manage Wolves, currently bottom of the Premier League. Yes this is the same Rob Edwards who in the summer signed a 3 year contract to manage Middlesbrough in the Championship (ie) his level. Boro began the campaign so well this season that Edwards quickly won manager of the month and the club are in 2nd place and looking good for the campaign ahead. However, so early into the season Edwards has jumped ship to Wolves. It feels as if he has abandoned duty. Time and again we criticise players for not giving their all but why would they when even their managers do not?
Edwards has taken a gamble and he gets his wish to manage in the Premier League again. Despite Middlesbrough"s strong start the Championship is a tough league and there was never a guarantee that they were going to be playing top flight football next season. Perhaps that has played into Edwards mind because he will be taking on an awful amount of stick for switching in such circumstances. The worry for Edwards is his decision seems to be coming from the heart. He has history with Wolves and wants to be their saviour, plus the lure of being involved in the best league in the world together with a pay rise is also going to tick boxes. But his head should have been telling him how poor this Wolves team is. Currently rock bottom with 2 points Wolves seem destined for relegation and keep losing key players with the passing of every season. A word of warning too will be Edwards time with Luton as manager. This is a club where he has managed his most games (103) but finished with just a 31% win rate. One positive aspect that Wolves and Edwards could take together is that they have given him a 3 year contract and let's remember have paid Middlesbrough almost four million in compensation, that's a costly investment. The thinking is perhaps Wolves have already discussed relegation with Edwards and that his services would still be retained to get the club back in the Premier League with Edwards extensive experience in the Championship. If Wolves are playing the long game then the Edwards move may just work out. Football tells us that patience wears thin fast though. Football is also full of ironies and one would be if Wolves are relegated and Middlesbrough are promoted.
Domestic football was paused in the last week as attentions turned to World Cup qualifiers and England beat Albania 2-0 away from home to win all 8 games in their group. By far this was England's easiest route to a World Cup tournament. What is perhaps more striking than 8 wins in a row are the lack of goals conceded which was a big fat zero. It is impressive but does it also create false hope for next year? Yes, England fans have every right to believe and every right to be happy with how the team has performed in the group. But gentle reminders are needed. Latvia are ranked 139th in the world and Andorra 172nd. Even the runners up Albania are 61st. Much has been said about no goals conceded but Albania shipped only 5, that feels more significant when we see that 4 of them were against England. England achieved and didn't because before a ball was kicked England were expected to finish 1st in their group. You can only beat who you play though and England and their fans will go to the USA with a lot of confidence. Will they go with Jude Bellingham though? It is clear that Thomas Tuchel does not like the Real Madrid's player attitude. Bellingham for all his talent has a character flaw and perhaps even at such a young age has gone a little backwards in the last 18 months. He's still a very good player of course but 18 months ago we were talking of him in a world class sense, that isn't the case at the back end of 2025. There is time, but is their patience in Tuchel's thoughts? In Harry Kane England has perhaps the best centre forward currently in the game and he scored another 2 goals to put his tally for England at 78. However if Kane gets injured there doesn't seem to be a replacement for him. England are certainly on the right path and there is a togetherness about the team but questions are going to remain if this England side are as good as Gareth Southgate's and whatever anyone tells you this group stage has given us zero insight.
However, next year's World Cup will keep getting featured here and on the positive side you do sense that there is a buzz about it from an English perspective. Undoubtedly England have a very strong side and back to back Euro finals have proved that. Thomas Tuchel seems bullish and serious in regards that he is going to the USA to win the World Cup. What may also be an advantage for the nation is how some of the more traditional nations have fallen. Four time winners Italy are struggling to qualify for major competitions and last week Norway dumped them into the play off section for next year. Germany look a shadow of their former selves, Portugal look too inconsistent. Then there are the South American giants. As champions Argentina have history against them as only Brazil (1958, 1962) have won back to back competitions. As for Brazil they are looking solid and assured of themselves but still lack stardust in a team who are traditionally sprinkled with it. However 2026 will mark 24 years since they last won it and that equals their worst ever gap between 1970-1994. Coincidentally perhaps when they won in '94 it was held in the USA. For now England's biggest dangers come from Europe in the form of current European champions Spain and then there is France whose side are packed as usual with quality in all positions. England should go far in the competition though and optimism remains even if qualifying was ultimately a breeze.
To win the 2026 World Cup latest odds: Spain 5.00, England 7.00, France 8.00, Brazil 8.00, Argentina 9.00
Everton may well be in a catch 22 position soon and it regards midfielder Ilman Ndiaye. The Senegalese international has been Everton's shining light this season and has already been involved in 5 goals. His confidence on the ball and moving forward is a rare sight of brilliance for Everton fans and clearly he has been one of the best players this season overall in the Premier League. What does it all mean? Well history tells us that the vultures will start circling and it's becoming harder and harder for clubs like Everton to keep their best players. It's a difficult situation because clubs need good players but once they get them it's easy to lose them. Financially Everton could be looking at trebling their fee for a player who came in for just £16m. The worry is his wages though. Ndiaye is on a reported £45,000 a week, nothing to sniff at but in Premier League terms most players would be more content to earn at least double that. While Ndiaye currently has 2 years of his contract remaining it would surely make sense to open up talks on a new one at least to protect the club financially. Let's make it clear no club has come in for him but if he keeps up this performance it feels like it could be a matter of time. Let's also remember that Ndiaye will be involved in the African Nations Cup in January where he could further his resume once more. For now he remains a Toffee and the club have already taken him to their hearts.
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