Saturday's EFL fixtures produced several talking points across the Championship and lower divisions, with Russell Martin's struggling Leicester City and bottom-placed Burnley among the clubs under scrutiny, while Stoke City, Millwall and Swindon Town all found reasons for optimism.
Leicester's difficult start to life in League One continued as they were thrashed 4-0 by Oxford United at the King Power Stadium, leaving the Foxes down in 17th place having won just once in five league outings. The result has intensified questions surrounding manager Russell Martin, who inherited a squad shaped by significant turnover and decline over recent seasons.
Former striker and pundit Aaron McLean, speaking to BBC Sport England, defended Martin despite the poor start. "It's been difficult for Russell to come into a club that over the past couple of seasons has been on a constant decline and there's been a huge turnover of players," McLean said. He added that Martin's main task is reshaping the players' mentality, compounded by the expectations that come with managing a club of Leicester's stature in the third tier. "For a club of that magnitude it's unacceptable," McLean noted, though he insisted patience was required. "I feel that he is the right man for the job and you just hope that he's given the time to be able to turn things around."
At the other end of the Championship table, Burnley remain winless and rooted at the bottom after Bristol City struck twice in the final ten minutes to secure victory at Turf Moor. The Clarets, playing in the Premier League only months ago, are showing clear signs of a hangover from last season's relegation under new boss Nicky Hayen.
McLean believes unity is essential for Burnley to turn the corner. "They need to find some kind of cohesion and togetherness at the moment. They just look like a team that's been relegated," he said, urging patience for the new manager. "Hayen needs to be given a bit of time. It's far too early in this season to be making decisions on a manager's future," he added, while noting the squad has enough quality to eventually build confidence through results.
Elsewhere, Stoke City provided one of the standout results of the weekend, thrashing high-flying Charlton Athletic 4-0 at the bet365 Stadium. The win, following a victory over Norwich City, lifted Mark Robins' side into mid-table after a sluggish start to the campaign. McLean praised the manner of the win as "a real statement of intent" and highlighted the impact of summer signing Ethan Galbraith as part of a promising recruitment drive.
Millwall continued their rollercoaster start to the season with a dominant 4-0 win over Bolton Wanderers at The Den, a match that also saw two red cards issued late on. Alex Neil's side have now won three and lost two of their opening five games. McLean described the Lions as an "all or nothing" outfit but backed them to be firmly in promotion contention come the end of the season.
In League Two, Ian Holloway's Swindon Town moved into second place behind Bristol Rovers after a 3-1 win over Colchester United, highlighted by a hat-trick from striker Aaron Drinan. McLean tipped Swindon for a strong campaign, pointing to Drinan's proven scoring record — 22 league goals last season — as a key factor in a genuine push for automatic promotion.
Based on reporting from BBC Sport.