Can Coventry stay top? Aaron McLean’s EFL takeaways

The EFL action this weekend featured a consistent dose of ecstasy and despair, not least of which at Hillsborough, where Coventry, who are now in charge of the Championship, defeated troubled Sheffield Wednesday 5-0.

Coventry are currently unbeaten this term and have soared into the top spot after ruckling in their past three games with 12 goals and conceding none despite narrowly losing in the Championship play-offs last year.

Could Frank Lampard’s Sky Blues’ play-off heartbreak from last year actually turn out to be a blessing in disguise?

McLean: They definitely appear to have improved and learned from the previous season, which is always going to be the biggest test. They have already passed that test with flying colors.

Coventry haven’t caused that to happen, which is common for teams to experience. You can go up too early, in my opinion, if they were to continue their quest for promotion this year.

In terms of the structure and his preferred method of execution, Frank Lampard successfully delivered his message last year, but the team now appears to be more cohesive. They consistently deliver outstanding performances, not just receiving wins, week after week.

Coventry has Haji Wright, Ellis Simms, who you know is capable, and Brandon Thomas-Asante, who scored two goals against Sheffield Wednesday and has a stellar record, as a team that needs to be promoted.

The club made a fifth consecutive failure to pay player and staff wages earlier this week.

Where should Wednesday, who is currently tied for second place with one win this season, go from here?

McLean: For a big club with such a rich history like Sheffield Wednesday, it’s a really dark day. It’s sad to see them in this way, and your focus is now on the EFL’s future.

Fans clearly felt their words were falling on deaf ears and they needed to take drastic action, even though we don’t condone fans protesting on the pitch and disrupting games.

You have to admit that the players have handled it brilliantly and have produced some truly positive outcomes over the past few weeks, including wins over Portsmouth and draws against QPR and Birmingham.

After recording their eighth win of the season at home to Luton, Unfancied Stevenage are now the top team in League One.

With a game in hand, the Hertfordshire club may be a real contenders for promotion to the second tier for the first time in their history, one point ahead of Bradford City.

Without a shadow of a doubt, McLean. They have only played 10 games so far, but they have already won eight of them, which is why I spoke to (manager) Alex Revell.

Nobody would have anticipated Stevenage to be even in and around the playoffs, let alone top of the division with a game in hand on most teams, given that they finished 14th last year.

The strength and determination that Alex’s team exhibits week in and week out, which perfectly exemplifies what he was like as a player: all action, hard work, and achieving the best results.

After falling to AFC Wimbledon with a 2-0 home defeat, Blackpool parted ways with manager Steve Bruce, leaving them in 23rd place.

Following their seventh defeat in 11 games, Bruce’s players were booed off the field, and the team later announced his departure.

McLean: I’d like to see them continue to support Steve Bruce. I have a strong sense of Brucie’s leadership and know he is a great manager. Unfortunately, if you’re not getting results in football, you’re rarely given time.

We all know that your job is in jeopardy if you don’t win games as a manager. I’m not sure how much people were expecting from Blackpool this season, but I’m sure they wouldn’t have been.

Steve Cotterill, a second-time EFL manager, has returned to his familiar surroundings after taking over from the Southern League for a second time.

With a 2-0 victory over Fleetwood at home, the Robins moved out of League Two’s relegation zone. Will Cotterill’s return demonstrate what Cheltenham must do to maintain its EFL status?

McLean: I think the club made a fantastic decision. Steve loves the game, and he couldn’t refuse the chance to try to help the club get out of the predicament he was in.

He has many fond memories of Cheltenham, he is one of the most trustworthy and diligent managers I’ve ever worked with, and it is surprising to see him receive a prompt response.

He will give his players their best, and that’s already what we’ve seen already. He will do that to back his players to the fullest.