"You stay upright and move forward so long as you keep up the momentum." Former UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon might not have been talking specifically about the English Football League when he produced that quote, but he's right, success, or failure, in the EFL is just like riding a bike. Plenty of teams across the 72 have already found their rhythm in the early stages of this campaign but others are seemingly in desperate need of stabilisers. We have picked out five things to look out for in this weekend's fixtures in the Championship, League One and League Two, including some fascinating reunions with former clubs for some coaches.
West Brom were wobbling all over the place when James Morrison hopped into the saddle in interim charge at The Hawthorns in February. Albion were second-bottom of the Championship on 11 March but a 10-match unbeaten streak kept them up and, six games into the new season, the Baggies are top of the league. Wednesday's 1-0 win at Derby - in which Albion played with 10 men for over an hour to secure just a second win at the Rams in 107 years - showcased their change in momentum.
It was a ninth clean sheet in 18 league games under Morrison. They face a stern test of their credentials as QPR head to the West Midlands on Saturday ( ). The Hoops, like Albion, have lost only once this season, with that defeat coming against Middlesbrough, and are two points behind the pace-setters in a congested chasing pack.
Julien Stephan's side took just 11 points from their final 13 matches of last season, losing eight of them to finish in 15th, but a summer overhaul seems to have shifted their momentum, despite a mounting injury list. Three years can seem a lifetime in football. At the start of October 2023, John Eustace was Birmingham boss, with his side sixth in the Championship, having guided the turbulent Blues to a 17th-place finish in his first season at St Andrew's.
He was then controversially sacked by City's new American owners to make way for Wayne Rooney. Eustace enjoyed a successful spell at Blackburn before making the switch to Derby, steering the Rams away from trouble at the end of 2024-25 before making a late run at the play-offs last season. Wednesday's dismal 1-0 home defeat by 10-man West Brom was a fourth in their opening six games and the natives have become a little restless, despite a troublesome injury list and a failed takeover on the eve of the new campaign.
On Saturday, Eustace welcomes his former club to Pride Park ( ) with pressure also growing on Chris Davies, who has just started his third campaign in charge at St Andrew's. Davies took Blues straight back up from League One in record-breaking fashion in his first season at the helm, but expectations have risen, along with the budget, and although they lost for the first time at Norwich on Wednesday, seven points from six matches is an underwhelming return. A repeat of last season's 1-0 home win for the Rams would make things feel far rosier for Eustace, but far less so for Davies.
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