EFL Five Talking Points: Stoke City on fire, Andy Woodman to Crawley Town? Brad Friedel joins Shrewsbury Town

Hello and welcome to this week’s five talking points.

It won’t be as easy as usual this week, as we enter another international break (how many do we need each season?!), but I’ll do my best. 

I’ll be looking at Stoke City’s push for promotion and whether Luton Town can maintain their impressive form.

Could Doncaster Rovers soon be searching for a new manager? And might Andy Woodman be the man to take charge at Crawley Town?

Plus, Brad Friedel has joined Shrewsbury Town following the club’s takeover by an American consortium.

Let’s get straight into it.

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Can Stoke City keep up their good form? 

Stoke sit joint top of the Championship alongside Middlesbrough and Birmingham City after 15 games played. 

The Potters have won their last three matches and picked up 13 points from a possible 15 in their last five. outings

American midfielder Jack McGlynn is in red-hot form for Mark Robins’ men, scoring three times in as many games, with goals coming against Portsmouth, Blackburn Rovers and Preston North End in recent weeks.

At the end of Saturday’s 2-1 away win at Pompey, the fans were singing “we are going up”… could this finally be Stoke’s year to gain promotion back to the Premier League? 

Will Jack Wilshere keep Luton Town firing?

In their previous outing, Luton were held to a 1-1 draw by league leaders Huddersfield Town.

Before that, however, the Hatters had won five of their previous six League One matches.

With 27 goals in just 14 games, Jack Wilshere’s side have been exciting to watch, while top scorer Nakhi Wells has played a major part in their campaign so far, finding the net seven times.

The Hatters are without a fixture this weekend due to international call-ups, but will be looking to return to winning ways when they travel to the Pirelli Stadium to face Burton Albion a week on Saturday.

Wilshere will be hoping the break does not disrupt his players’ momentum as they prepare for a crucial period in their season.

Is Grant McCann under pressure at Doncaster Rovers? 

I may get slated for saying this, but I believe many Doncaster fans would be happy with a mid-table finish this season.

However, Grant McCann’s side find themselves down in 20th in League One – just a point above the relegation zone.

Rovers have won just three of their 13 league matches this season and, last time out, were humiliated 6-1 by MK Dons.

They then suffered an FA Cup shock exit at the hands of non-League outfit Kidderminster Harriers last weekend.

Doncaster don’t play this Saturday, but their upcoming fixtures are particularly unkind.

A West Yorkshire double-header awaits the following week, with a trip to Bradford City followed by a home clash against Huddersfield Town.

McCann will be hoping the extra week on the training pitch gives his players time to work on the issues that have plagued them ahead of that tough run of games.

Could we soon be seeing a new manager in the Doncaster dugout, or should the club stick by him?

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Could Andy Woodman be heading for Crawley Town?

Crawley are still searching for a permanent replacement for Colin Kazim-Richards, who left his role as head coach last month following a dismal start to the club’s campaign.

Former Sheffield United and Leeds United boss Kevin Blackwell has since taken interim charge.

Andy Woodman could be an interesting name in the frame after his shock departure as Bromley manager in October.

Woodman enjoyed a hugely successful spell with the Ravens, guiding them from the National League into the EFL before securing a second successive promotion into League One.

Interestingly, Woodman has recently spoken about his connection to Crawley. His son Freddie spent time on loan at the club, while Woodman himself has grown up around the area.

He also admitted he has “a lot of time” for the Reds.

Could that connection make the Crawley vacancy an attractive proposition for the 55-year-old?

Either way, Crawley need to find the right appointment soon, with the club rooted to the foot of League Two and still reeling from their shock FA Cup defeat to non-league outfit Wimborne Town.

Brad Friedel joins Shrewsbury Town 

Nope, no need to adjust your glasses or look closer at the screen. 

Following a takeover by an American consortium, Shrewsbury have appointed the former Aston Villa, Blackburn Rovers and Tottenham Hotspur goalkeeper as their new sporting director to help with the day-to-day running of the club. 

Friedel will work closely with manager Gavin Cowan on the football side of the business, including recruitment and identifying potential new signings.

Shrewsbury fans will be hoping the American consortium can provide extra funds for the January transfer window and help the club climb the table from their current position of 15th.

Friedel is certainly not a name I expected to be writing about this afternoon, though!

As always, best wishes to your club and hopefully they can pick up a positive result this weekend. Thanks for reading – I’ll be back next week.

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