Chesterfield inspired, Reading required, Sunderland swarming...

19 August 2024 | Weekend Notes brings you the biggest stories, stats and insights from the EFL weekend.

Aug 19, 2024

● BIG STORIES ● CHEAT SHEET ● 5IVELIGHTS ● THE VIEW FROM ● FANTASY FOOTBALL ● WATCHING BRIEF ●

Something beginning with “G”…

NTT20.COM covers all three leagues and every member of the 72. However, in the great game of EFL eye-spy, when you spot a theme — even if it’s a Championship-skewed theme — you’d better run with it.

It was just shy of a year ago when Ali asked the question: Wide forwards — fad or trend? He’d spotted fewer teams playing 3-5-2 and the increasing potency of dribbly, threat-heavy wide forwards. You know the types. Almost every team has them now. Gnonto, Koleosho, Sakamoto, Manhoef, Musaba, Clarke, Dolan, Millar, Cissoko, Murphy… you get the gist. Wither the turgid three-at-the-back! Banish the binary scorelines. After two games, we’re seeing GOALS.

In the opening fixtures, the average number of goals per game in the Championship is 3.25 — it’s some contrast to League One (2.65) and League Two (2.79), and an even starker contrast with them upstairs (2.11).

It looks like wide forwards in the Championship weren’t a fad — the cabal is going strong. The difference-makers. The hands pulling the strings. The EFL Stonecutters…

Who makes the chances? Who scores the goals...

🚨 Big Stories

A selection of decisive moments from across the EFL.

📺 First on Match of the Day — It would be though, wouldn’t it? Bristol City 4-3 Millwall. Del Boyico* started breathlessly and never stopped. There were two early City goals from two early crosses before some solo dribbly stuff from Millwall’s Esse made it 2-1, and then a penalty for 2-2, a sumptuous Duncan Watmore volley put the Lions ahead, then a pendulum-swinging manoeuvre — all dummies and one-twos — for parity once more, before then a late second-debut flourish from Scott Twine to claim all three for the Robins. That’s the Championship, ladies and gentlemen.

*Only Fools and Horse… set near Millwall, filmed in Bristol

⛪ Chez Inspired — When you smash-chip the opposition keeper inside the first minute, chances are, you’re onto a winner. Chesterfield were 3-0 up within 12 minutes and 5-0 up inside 50. They might as well have shaken hands there and then. One doesn’t want to be too down on a team this early in the season, but Crewe were miles off it.

🍷 Taste the claret — Sounds like something out of a spec script for the motion picture “Vampires vs Hooligans.” Could be something in that. Certainly something in the Burnley water — two games, nine goals, one Scott Parker turning wine into wine. That’s what he does. Powerful players for the league. Five-zip thanks to some fortune and some outrageous finishing in a game that provided less xG than any other in the Championship. Cardiff, especially first half, were okay — not too down on them.

📖 Reading Required — “I can tell the difference between margarine and butter; I can say Ehibhatiomhan without starting to stutter”. Those the words of The Proclaimers, or something like it. He ain’t stuttering. Two in two for him. Four points on the board already. Rubén Sellés doing the business without, well, any business. It’s a pretty astounding bit of work. With the prospective new owner, Rob Couhig, mixing with the fans at the MadStad ahead of the expected takeover, the vibe is excellent right now.

💥 Cov crash the party — If Coventry looked a little hungover on opening day, an Oxford side full of spirit was the perfect livener in GW2. Styles make fights. Two attacking teams make a spectacle, but Cov spangled brightest under the lights —Sakamoto’s old-school dummy for van Ewijk’s 2-1 goal was a joyous thing. Yellows clung on at 2-2, and Sky Blues were left to settle for “great advert” stuff. Until. Until. Until. On 90+6, a loose Will Vaulks pass set up Haji Wright for Cov to crash the party.

🐏 Ram, bam, thank you… Isaiah? — As with Oxford, so with Boro. Mistakes are costly. Isaiah Jones made a wince-inducing, face-pulling backpass to play in Kayden Jackson. 1-0 Derby. It wasn’t exactly deserved, but Derby found their feet here after initial shakiness in GW1. An important win for Paul Warne after some flak collection.

💉 Into their veins — Amidst the draws and the dreariness, Charlton fans were undoubtedly jonesing for back-to-back wins after only putting two results together once in 23/24. It’s taken the work of months, and it looks to be built on solid foundations. The 3-5-2 brings them enough stodge to keep it out. A late strike struck sweetly by Luke Berry put the low margins in the Addicks’ favour.

🏇 Saddling up — It was all smash and no grab as Mat Sadler’s Walsall side demolished Swindon Town. It started with an error and a Josh Gordon goal. It continued with a whimper, as the Saddlers found and took their chances with relative ease. They’ve scored five without reply to start the season.

🍽️ Unhappy Meal — MK Dons are yet to register a point in this campaign. Their opening-day performance against Bradford wasn’t bad. But here they were outpointed by ColU for shots and shots on target in a game where one team spurned their opportunities and the other did not. The 2-0 scoreline might flatter a touch, but the Cowleys will be very happy with a statement win.

🔴 Sunderland swarm — It’s a good job Regis Le Bris pronounces his ɛssɛs. With an average age below 20, his starting XI swarmed Wednesday with a solid press, nicking a set-piece goal and setting hares racing. Sunderland were clinical and took advantage of Röhl’s side, who struggled to find a foothold. The goals flowed. It’s hard to gauge a Wednesday side capable of dominating one week and hiring a dominatrix the next.

🥇 More firsts for Bromley — first home win in the league, plus a first home goal for Michael Cheek goal — what a rasper it was too.

😇 Good Evans — After a 0-0 draw with Bristol Rovers, Rotherham manager Steve Evans described the point for Gas as "the best they'll ever get in their history.”

🎦 VA-NAR — All sympathy for Graham Alexander and Bradford as Andy Cook was denied a first goal of the season when a shot that appeared to cross the line was not given as a goal. All the correct decisions in the world couldn’t make me want the Stockley Park Circus to arrive in the EFL though. Goal line tech for all!

📊 Monday Morning Cheat Sheet

From the WhatsApp group to the watercooler: stats to keep you ahead of the game.

🥅 Goal-shy, points hungry — Preston North End have now lost seven Championship games in a row without scoring a goal.

🤞 Chance would be a fine thing — Per FotMob, the following teams have created the most ‘Big Chances’ so far this season Millwall (Championship), Mansfield & Rotherham (League One) and Newport (League Two). The combined record of those teams? W2 D2 L4.

🔀 Substitute Lover — Blackburn Rovers have already had more league goals scored by substitutes this season (4) than in the entirety of the 2023/24 season (3).

👻 Possessed League One Edition — After two rounds of fixtures, only Birmingham City have enjoyed more than 70% possession in L1 (73.8% and 547.5 accurate passes per game - FotMob).

👻 Possessed League Two Edition — On Sunday, Notts County racked up a whopping 81% possession, making it 72.4% overall (FotMob).

🤳 Wazzup? — Wayne Rooney has won just two of his 17 Championship games since the beginning of last season (D5 L10).

🛑 Don’t go away — Barrow haven’t won in their last eleven away L2 games (D4 L7); Harrogate, without a win in 10 consecutive L2 away games, are going through a similarly sticky spell (D8 L2).

🔨 Hamer and Tongs — a goal and an assist on Saturday made it 13 goal involvements in Gus Hamer’s last 10 Championship appearances (seven goals, six assists).

📲 Without reply — The teams yet to score in the EFL are Cardiff, Preston, Cambridge, Wigan, Rotherham, Crewe, Salford, Morecambe, and Tranmere.

⚽ Most league goals in 2024 — Only four teams currently in the EFL have scored 50+ goals in the league this year, including play-offs. They are 1st Chesterfield (54), 2nd Mansfield (53) & Doncaster (53) and 3rd Crawley (50).

🎦 5ivelights

In no particular order, a collection of our favourite goals or clips from across the 72.

Sometimes you’ve just got to head it…and head it… and head it.
String ‘em along, pull the threads; passing the test of Twine.
Death. Taxes. Louie Barry scoring a worldie.
The Cannock Cannavaro with the cannon freekick.
And in Chesterfield, moments after kick-off, Ben & Jerry’s test their audacious new flavour: Chez Berry Chip.

The View From…

Rituals — a bit on being a fan…

I put no faith in the footballing gods. A helium balloon is more fatalistic. Still, we are all of us supplicants to a teeming variety of pre-match rhythms. Call it ritual. Call it habit. Call it communion. Now, South Yorkshire Police should be aware that no quadrupeds were harmed between the hours of 12:00 and 15:00 on Saturday. No blood was drunk. No goats were sacrificed at the black altar. Not by my hand anyway.

Let the record show that shawarma was eaten; a bubblewrap of fresh naan clinging onto chicken, chillis and pickles. Pints were drunk; local blonde stuff, full of citrus. Pubs were chosen for their fidelity to that waning image of three blokes huddled around a quiz machine; one jabbing a finger at the wrong answer before the rest have read the question. But these were mere waymarkers over a season of eating, drinking and watching football, and there is only one true superstition that I observe.

If I’m late to the cinema and miss the opening credits I walk out. If I’m late for a doctor’s appointment the prognosis will be gloom-ridden. And if I miss kick-off my team are going to lose. I was a whole five minutes late. We were 2-0 up inside 15 minutes. We drew 2-2. What is that about? What is fate? What are your superstitions?

🏆 Fantasy Football

Go head-to-head against team NTT20 in our EFL Fantasy Football league

George Elek was in the dugout hoping to improve on the 36 points and 319th place that Ali oversaw in GW1. Tristan Crama of Exeter City was his 0% pick, and this is how he went.

It’s 39 points for George, a slight improvement on last week, but a drop in the overall leaderboard down to 358th. Crama was our Lucky Saint — an excellent 0%er. Cap doffs this week to Harchester United for topping the table and EFaLumps for the most points (87). We go again.

📺 Watching Brief

Upcoming live EFL games

Thu 22 Aug 2024

20:00 Notts County vs Grimsby

Fri 23 Aug 2024

20:00 Sheffield Wednesday vs Leeds United

Sat 24 Aug 2024

12:30 Bristol City vs Coventry City
12:30 Burton Albion vs Stevenage
12:30 Crewe Alexandra vs Swindon Town
12:30 Hull City vs Millwall
12:30 QPR vs Plymouth Argyle
12:30 Stockport County vs Bristol Rovers
12:30 Tranmere Rovers vs Walsall

Sun 25 August 2024

15:00 Swansea City vs Cardiff

Thanks for reading, and go well!