When news emerged on Thursday that former Forest Green boss Rob Edwards had been dismissed by Wolverhampton Wanderers after only seven months in charge, Forest Green’s social media team posted a GIF of Jeremy Clarkson looking amused and smug, a post widely interpreted by fans as a tongue-in-cheek dig at Edwards.
The reason it resonated is that Edwards’ 2022 exit remains one of the most controversial moments in Forest Green’s recent history. After guiding the club to the first promotion to League One in its history, he left almost immediately to join Watford. Forest Green publicly accused Watford of conducting negotiations “behind our backs”, while owner Dale Vince was highly critical of both the club and Edwards.
What added to the bitterness was that Edwards’ move to Watford proved short-lived. He was sacked after only 11 league games before later rebuilding his reputation with Luton Town, whom he led to promotion to the Premier League.
So the Clarkson GIF was less about Wolves and more about a long-running grudge that many Forest Green supporters never entirely let go of.
