MILLWALL ARE “evolving” by appointing Joe Edwards but are not “ripping up” what has come before, Lions chief executive Steve Kavanagh has said.
The 37-year-old was hired as head coach earlier this week with Andy Myers named as his assistant head coach.
Edwards was appointed after a long process that saw club chiefs interview a range of candidates.
They eventually opted for former Chelsea and Everton coach Edwards, despite him never having been a head coach of a senior side before.
Kavanagh says he want to see the new boss build upon the work that his predecessors Gary Rowett and Neil Harris have done.
He exclusively told NewsAtDen: “Of course it’s a change in direction. Joe hasn’t managed at this level. But this isn’t about ripping up everything we’ve done. We’re very conscious that over the last four years, and actually beyond the four years in Neil Harris and Gary Rowett, a lot of work has gone into getting us into a position where you can look at us from the outside and say ‘it’s an established Championship club’.
“When Gary came in, you probably didn’t say that. So Gary has done a great job in creating that platform and that base. So what we’re not doing is saying ‘let’s ignore all that and just head off in a completely different direction and rip it all up’. That doesn’t happen. That will be foolhardy to do that.
“What this represents is someone who is young, hasn’t necessarily got detailed managerial experience in the Championship but he has people around him that know that, he’s got vast experience at coaching at all levels in the game. Can you say it’s a new approach? On the one hand yes but this is about an evolution as happens in all football.
“The style of play in the Premier League has evolved over the years, the style of play in the Championship has evolved. Have Millwall got to move with that and evolve? Of course we have and we always will.”
Edwards, who began coaching at the age of 19, spent many years training young players during his time at Chelsea, where he led the academy side to the FA Youth Cup in 2015 and 2016. After spending spells coaching the first teams of Chelsea and Everton, he took over the England under-20 side in August 2023.
Kavanagh is optimistic his new club boss can “maximise” the potential of the Lions’ young stars.
He said: “When you look at lots of coaches, most younger coaches have come through the academy structure. The academy structure in this country is very well-defined and extremely good. We have probably the best academies in the world in England across the range and we’re part of that process.
“So actually you look at coaches nowadays, that’s where they start. You start with those youngsters. And of course Joe has got that heavily with the England under-20s and other experience he’s had in that areas. So getting a coach developer, someone that can actually understand those youngsters and maximise what you’re doing from an academy perspective, of course that’s important.”
Kavanagh is keen for Millwall to push as far forward as possible but has warned against “unrealistic expectations” given the changing landscape of English football.
He said: “We need to continue pushing the club forward in the Championship and making sure that’s stable. At the current moment in time, there’s a lot of talk about the Premier League and financial distribution. Just take one look at the Championship table at the moment. The top four contain three relegated clubs who have substantial resources that far outweigh anything any club in this division can match. You cannot financially compete with the parachute clubs.
“The ultimate dream is to get promotion and it is possible – Luton have shown that – but we’re not setting ridiculous targets of anybody or unrealistic expectations when the financial imbalance of the league means that’s extremely difficult to do.”