We may only be three weeks into the new EFL season but you can sense there is already a little twitchiness among some fanbases. Not winning either of your first couple of league games brings unwanted attention - just ask West Ham, Stoke, Norwich and Burnley. In League One, Plymouth Argyle's slow start last season ultimately cost them at least a play-off spot and it has been another sluggish opening as they prepare to host a buoyant Bradford City.
Salford City and Gillingham have been big spenders in recent seasons in League Two and yet remain mired in the fourth tier with their respective starts hardly giving cause for optimism - here are five things we have picked out to keep an eye on in the EFL this Saturday. Relegation from the Premier League is only temporary, right? I mean, teams who come down go straight back up don't they?
Try telling that to Stoke City fans who are watching their team play Championship football for the ninth successive season, with a highest finish of 14th since dropping out of the top flight. That did seem to be changing last season when, just over a third of the way through the campaign, they were second with a play-off place at the very least seeming inevitable. But three wins from their final 20 games put those hopes to bed and this season has started with defeats by Swansea and Southampton.
But it is not for the want of trying by the Potters' owners, who continue to stump up the cash for signings to try to get them out of the Championship, with Ipswich's George Hirst arriving on a permanent deal and team-mate Ben Johnson coming in on a season-loan within the past fortnight. Mark Robins is the seventh manager to attempt to get Stoke motoring again but that finish to last season and the start to this one has left some restless in their seats - a visit to Wolves on Saturday ( ) may not help things either. If you were searching for optimism at the start of the season then you could have looked no further than Norwich City.
Relegation fodder when Philippe Clement took over in November, they eventually finished ninth, winning 17 of 31 league games that the Belgian took charge of. A summer of careful transfer business including the likes of winger Andre Brooks from Sheffield United after already adding the impressive Ali Ahmed and Mohamed Toure in the new year window pointed towards a promotion challenge. We may only be two games in but a home defeat by West Brom and a horror display at Millwall leaves them with no points and some head scratching to do.
Relegated Burnley head to Norfolk on Saturday ( ) and the Clarets are hardly enjoying their return to the Championship under new boss Nicky Hayen, with last weekend's loss at West Brom followed by a midweek EFL Cup exit at Bradford City. There is still plenty of time for these two to get it right but time is a commodity not often afforded Championship managers. Yes, we are talking about West Ham United again - they are difficult not to talk about at the moment.
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