EFL five things: Early days but the pressure is on

Pressure is already mounting on Stoke's Mark Robins (left) and Nuno Espirito Santo of West Ham [Getty Images] 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 is going to bring 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. Robins trying to get Stoke rocking Stoke City supporters have had little to cheer in recent seasons [Getty Images] 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 (12:30 BST) may not help things either. Can Clement get Canaries flying? Philippe Clement has won 21 of his 38 games in charge of Norwich City [Getty Images] 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 (15:00 BST) 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. Hornets out to sting Hammers West Ham won only four away games in the Premier League last season [Getty Images] Yes, we are talking about West Ham United again - they are difficult not to talk about at the moment. Ownership wrangles and on-field failures make the perfect cocktail for endless headlines and stories. Breaking the Championship transfer record to sign forward Arne Engels, and then for boss Nuno Espirito Santo to say it is with a view to him playing in the Premier League only draws more attention and pressure. Losing at home to Charlton last weekend increased that pressure to a level that an EFL Cup win at Southampton on Tuesday will have done little to dampen. Suddenly a short trip to Watford on Saturday (15:00 BST) looks to be littered with potential pitfalls, more so given the Hornets were themselves impressive winners over Southampton on the opening weekend before earning a notable draw at Wrexham. Alessio Dionisi's much-changed side may have been thrashed at home by Peterborough in the EFL Cup in midweek but they seem to already have the taste for ruffling the feathers of those more fancied sides. West Ham beware. Plodding Plymouth seek lift off Tom Cleverley replaced Miron Muslic as Plymouth boss in June 2025 [Getty Images] Less patient owners may already have Tom Cleverley in the 'former Plymouth manager' bracket but those in south Devon are willing to take the long term view it would seem and that stance almost paid off last season. Fourth from bottom in League One at the turn of the year, Argyle went into the final day of last season still in with a shot at the play-offs before having to settle for eighth place. So, much like Norwich in the Championship, the start of this season was filled with optimism but an opening day home defeat by Stockport and a point at Wycombe has reminded fans League One is a tough nut to crack. It will not get any easier on Saturday (15:00 BST) when Bradford City come calling. Fresh from reaching the play-offs last season after promotion from League Two, the Bantams have opened their campaign with wins over Peterborough and Sheffield Wednesday plus an EFL Cup upset victory against Burnley - all without conceding a goal. League Two life tough for big spenders Salford boss Peter Cklamovski has also managed in Japan's top flight [Getty Images] The bigger they are, the harder they fall - a saying Salford City and Gillingham fans would do well to heed. Two of League Two's bigger spenders in recent seasons, they are already finding the target on their backs a heavy one to carry. The Ammies have paid undisclosed fees to tempt both Luke Molyneux (Doncaster) and Brendan Wiredu (Plymouth) to drop down from League One and try to finally help get them out of the fourth tier where they have been since promotion in 2019. New boss Peter Cklamovski left his role as Malaysia's head coach to join Salford in June and defeats by Barnet and Chesterfield mean a win against pointless Shrewsbury on Saturday (15:00 BST) would steady the nerves a little. A dozen new summer signings to go with splashing the cash on striker Ronan Hale in January has given Gillingham boss Gareth Ainsworth what he is calling 'his team' and 'his era.' Now they just need to start winning. The past two seasons have seen the Gills start strongly but subside to successive 17th-place finishes. Maybe this year will be different given they have taken only one point from two games and were trounced 3-0 at home by Walsall on a sobering first day. Relegated Northampton head to Priestfield on Saturday (15:00 BST) in a similar situation under new head coach Chris Hogg. BBC Sport will have live text coverage of all the weekend's EFL action starting with Wrexham v Birmingham City on Friday (20:00 BST).