Southampton sent Middlesbrough, Rob Edwards warning - Tonda Eckert situation would be 'funnier' | OneFootball

A Boro perspective on reports suggesting the Welshman could replace Tonda Eckert at St Mary's.

Football works in mysterious ways, and as Tonda Eckert awaits the outcome of his FA hearing, there could yet be another dramatic twist in the Spygate scandal.

It is not yet clear what the German's punishment will be, but there are fears within Southampton that he could be given a ban from football lasting three months or more.

If that were to happen, then the Saints would need to make a decision on who leads the players, and it has been reported that Rob Edwards could take interim charge at St Mary's Stadium.

Of course, the Welshman took charge of Middlesbrough for a very short spell, which left a bitter taste in the mouth of the Boro faithful, but what is the view on developments from Teesside?

Southampton sent stark warning over Rob Edwards' appointment

Edwards took charge of Middlesbrough for just 16 games at the start of last season, before taking the Wolves job, where he was powerless to prevent their relegation from the Premier League.

The Welshman was then surprisingly sacked by the Old Gold in June and was replaced by Cesar Peixoto, leaving him without a club.

If Eckert is given a lengthy ban, then Edwards is reportedly in the running, with FLW's Southampton fan pundit backing the potential move.

When asked if the former Wolves boss' switch to the South Coast would rub further salt in the wound following his Riverside exit, FLW's Boro fan pundit Liam Day gave a damning response.

"In all honesty, this would just make the situation funnier for me because he's an awful coach," he said.

"He had an alright start at Boro. I think you can credit him as a decent enough defensive coach, but any team near the top end of the Championship shouldn't be looking at him. Especially after the job he did at Wolves, and how much he loves to leave teams the second an opportunity comes.

"I don't particularly understand their thought process with this. I don't think he's got a similar playing style to Tonda at all, so completely switching that up mid-season seems a bit mental to me. I don't really get it, but if they do that, that's their decision, and I think that's just sabotaging their own club, so I'd actually quite like them to do that."

How did Edwards fare at Middlesbrough?

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Edwards began life on Teesside emphatically, taking 18 points from his opening nine games as Boro looked like genuine promotion contenders.

In Middlesbrough's next seven matches, they struggled to pick up as many wins, taking 11 points, with a heavy 3-0 defeat to Watford raising questions about the head coach's tactics and substitutions.

When he left Boro in early November, the club were in third and were still on course for a promotion challenge, with Kim Hellberg left to pick up the pieces and guide them to the play-offs.

While there were some doubts over whether Edwards could sustain Boro's early-season form, he did do a decent enough job, averaging 1.81 points per match before he suddenly departed.

However, as he left his post so early in the campaign, it is impossible to judge or even know how far he would have taken the club.

Would Edwards be a good fit at Southampton?

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While there is clearly still anger at Edwards departing Middlesbrough in a hurry, Saints would surely have no such issue if he were employed on an interim basis.

Clearly, there are some differences in how the Welshman and Eckert operate, as the former prefers three at the back, while the latter has now adopted a 4-2-3-1 formation.

Southampton are also a strong possession-based side, whereas Edwards' teams have not been so dominant, although his roles with Wolves and Luton Town were with lesser teams in the Premier League.

There can be no doubting the 43-year-old's record, as he did take Forest Green Rovers to League One and the Hatters to the top tier, but he was partly responsible for Luton's demise.