Watford Head Coach Rob Edwards will be joined by his Forest Green No.2 Richie Kyle during his tenure in Hertfordshire.
Kyle, recently-appointed as the Hornets’ Assistant Head Coach, arrives having gained experience in a range of positions at home and abroad, both alongside Edwards and solo.
The 37-year-old appeared with Edwards on the Vicarage Road pitch last month, with the duo being introduced to the Watford supporters before the Premier League clash against Leicester City.
In this piece, we take a look at Kyle’s career to date, including spells with Everton, Blackpool and the FA.
Humble Beginnings
While still at Liverpool John Moores University, where he studied Sports Development and Physical Education, Kyle began his coaching journey at Blackburn Rovers as an academy coach at their Brockhall training ground.
His academy coaching journey would continue at Everton’s training facility at Finch Farm, before he moved to Blackpool and Bloomfield Road.
First-Team Coaching
It would be at Blackpool where Kyle would meet Edwards, while Head of Coaching with the Under-18s. Although Edwards moved on from the Seasiders, the pair would remain connected.
On their early meetings at Blackpool, Edwards said: “When I finished playing I was still living in Blackpool and I knew I wanted to go into coaching. Richie was working with Blackpool’s academy at the time and my first ever coaching session that I watched and I joined in with, he was taking the session.
“I did a little bit of finishing work at the end with the forwards. I didn’t do too much, but I learnt a lot from Richie. We stayed in contact after that and our paths didn’t cross again until the FA.”
In Kyle’s position at Blackpool, six youth-team players made their debuts across the Championship and League One.
Following two years in his role, Kyle would get his chance to prove himself on the first-team stage. Under Gary Bowyer and Neil McDonald, Kyle would become a coach and assistant manager.
In the 2016/17 campaign Blackpool would earn promotion from League Two through the play-offs, with Kyle playing a key role within the coaching staff.
Into The England Set-Up
Following the announcement that Kyle would be leaving Blackpool to join the Football Association in 2017, the Seasiders’ manager at the time, Bowyer, told the BBC: “[Kyle] has had a massive impact with his time here at the football club.
“When he spoke to me about [the role with the FA], I couldn't stand in his way. Chances like these are few and far between.”
Working within the England set-up, Kyle would take on a new role created by former Technical Director Dan Ashworth, known as an out-of-possession specialist.
Here he found himself working across England’s age groups, with the system being credited for the Three Lions’ World Cup wins with the Under-17s and Under-20s, and the European Championship triumph at Under-19 level in 2017.
Kyle would reconnect with Edwards at the FA, who had taken the role as an in-possession specialist coach.
The Duo’s Patience Yields Reward
After a restructuring at the FA following the Covid-19 pandemic, and a brief spell with the Canadian Women’s national team as an assistant coach, Kyle got the opportunity to return home.
Edwards and Kyle would go on to embark on their most recent journey with Forest Green Rovers. The pair would win League Two with 84 points after an impressive campaign where Kyle was a key part of executing their in and out of possession style, developed from the duo’s time with England.
Edwards On Kyle
Edwards is excited to get back to work with Kyle on the training pitch, explaining how the duo’s relationship complements their instructions on the grass.
“Richie is an expert on the grass,” Edwards said. “His main focus during our time at Forest Green Rovers was more of the out-of-possession work and he led with the set-pieces. He will be doing the same type of thing again, but we will bounce off each other on a daily basis.
“As well as getting involved with the problem solving out on the grass, he is someone who I can trust to speak to the players, and have one-to-ones or unit meetings. He is a real people person, so it’s not just his stuff on the grass, but it’s his expertise in dealing with people and building relationships that’s really valuable.
“It’s not just down to me, it will be the whole team who will try to build relationships and togetherness with all of the players and the staff. I will rely heavily on him for those things as well. I think he is an expert on the grass, but what he provides off it is just as valuable.
“I think your thoughts have to be aligned, but you haven’t got to have the same way of thinking, otherwise Richie would just say yes to everything I suggested. He is someone who will challenge me and he is comfortable in doing that. He is a really valuable member of my team and someone who I wouldn’t go into a job without.”
Photo Credits: Canadian FA and Blackpool FC
