Parkin’s Championship, League One and League Two takeaways after international break

Final Score pundit and former Swindon, Luton Town and Northampton Town striker Sam Parkin has picked his takeaways from a full EFL programme following the three-week international break.

Robbie Savage’s front-foot style suits Peterborough

Robbie Savage enjoyed a dream afternoon on his debut as an EFL manager as Peterborough United inflicted more misery on Leicester City and Russell Martin with a 3-1 victory at King Power Stadium.

Parkin said: "What a start for Robbie Savage, going back to the club where he’s probably most synonymous. There’s been a lot talked and written about him this week when we don’t have too great a knowledge of what he’s like as a manager considering his journey so far through non-league."

"I’m very open-minded about the appointment and what he can do. I’ve heard he wants to play with real intensity and really play aggressively from the front. I thought this could be a good game for him against a Leicester City team that have a unique style of play but take risks with the ball, so in terms of a game plan, it’s probably worked perfectly the way he wants his team to play."

Parkin highlighted the Posh’s attacking heritage and the presence of a finisher: "It’s only a start but he’s inherited a brilliant scorer in Harry Leonard, so he doesn’t have to worry about who will convert chances. It’s a young team, it probably needs a bit of experience in the window ahead but I think they’ve got better players than their current position shows, so it’s a great opportunity for Robbie."

"Peterborough have always been a really attacking and free-scoring team in the last 10 to 15 years, that’s what I associate with them, and it sounds like that’s the way he wants to go about things so that should be met with open arms."

Middlesbrough look strong with Lankshear missing link

Middlesbrough celebrated their ‘150 Fixture’ with a narrow win over Wolves, which took them into the Championship’s top two.

Parkin drew parallels with Coventry’s promotion last season: "You look at the way Coventry were promoted last season after their brilliant finish to the previous one and I see a lot of similarities with Middlesbrough – the timescales that the bosses were in charge being one of them."

"Boro came very close last season and the one gaping hole in their squad was an out-and-out goalscorer. They created so many chances, they were brilliant between both boxes, a great watch but they couldn’t convert those chances. So to bring in Will Lankshear and for him to have had the start he’s had could be pivotal in their push for promotion."

Defensive solidity was also noted: "Today Kim Hellberg got his best back four on the pitch, so I felt that was a real stand-out moment in the season, to keep a clean sheet against a good Wolves team because they have been conceding too many goals. So I expect them to really kick on from here."

Change in style at right time for Chris Davies at Birmingham

Birmingham City came out on top in the lunchtime derby, grabbing a one-goal win away to West Bromwich Albion. It was a third win on the road already this season and lifted them into the expanded play-off spots in seventh.

Parkin observed a tactical evolution: "In League One, they got promoted playing really stylish football, trying to play out from the back at all costs. They can still do that but they’re definitely a more direct team this season, there’s a better balance and they are more forceful from set-pieces."

"The change has come at just about the perfect time for Chris Davies because he was under enormous pressure. They had to start winning because you know how ambitious they are as a club, how big the support is and how demanding they are. Davies rolled the dice and at the moment it’s paid off in a big way. Now they just need to start winning at St Andrew’s – four draws so far – and if they do that, they can be a force to be reckoned with in the Championship."

Hard winter ahead for Graham Alexander and Preston

Graham Alexander swapped a possible League One promotion push with Bradford City for the lower end of the Championship with Preston North End, and his homecoming to Deepdale had an inauspicious start as defeat by Millwall sent them bottom.

Parkin said: "I don’t think it’s going to be a huge improvement overnight at Preston, but you can understand the appointment as he’s a club legend, which is nice. Graham Alexander really knows how to set a team up. His strength has always been in the organisation, rather than being a manager of free-flowing attack-minded sides."

"I have no doubt his side will start keeping clean sheets, it’s whether they’ve got the attacking players in the building or whether he can free them up to start scoring more. That would be my question mark. He deserves the opportunity, the work he did at Bradford was incredible but I don’t feel it’s a brilliant Preston squad that he’s inherited. Given the way they’ve started, survival would be deemed a success this season, then consolidating with the aid of a few transfer windows and trying to improve the squad."

Too early to call Salford promotion certainties

Salford City are top of League Two after a sixth win in seven matches, courtesy of a 2-0 success at Cheltenham Town.

Parkin cautioned against reading too much into the early form: "Karl Robinson fell at the final hurdle last season and I felt it was quite a harsh sacking as he’s probably the one manager who looked like he was going to achieve the target of promotion. Peter Cklamovski has inherited a good squad and they’ve certainly got the players to go one better than last year. To add to that, they’ve got Macaulay Langstaff who scored freely for Notts County and Luke Molyneux, a stand-out performer for Doncaster."

"But it’s still early days. Barnet are very free-scoring and to remain unbeaten is credit to them at this stage of the season. Crewe are another team that won today and have had a taste of the play-offs and had a terrific start to the season. I would also throw York and Bristol Rovers into the mix so I’ll withhold judgement on Salford until I see a little bit more football."

Sam Parkin was speaking to BBC Sport England’s Adam Lanigan.