Gab Sutton's EFL Winners & Losers - November 1-2
Gab Sutton 
The first round of the FA Cup meant there was only Championship action this week in the EFL, but there was still plenty of drama as the league leaders went down on Friday night.
Free Bets EFL expert Gab Sutton highlights the standout winners and losers from the latest round of fixtures.
Winners
Kieffer Moore
In the last decade of Championship football, it’s hard to think of many centre-forwards who have carried greater importance to their teams than Kieffer Moore.
The Welshman hasn’t tended to star for the best teams – rather, when he’s played for promotion contenders Bournemouth and Sheffield United it’s been more as part of the supporting cast – but he can transform an average team into a good one.
With a combination of outstanding target man qualities like height, physicality, industry, good hold-up, Moore doesn’t need the best service to make a ball work for the team, largely because he has a selfless mobility about his game that exceeds that of most strikers of his profile.
He did get the service in Friday’s 3-2 home victory over leaders Coventry – withdrawn forward Josh Windass was also outstanding - and responded with a second-half hat-trick as Wrexham came from behind to win 3-2, and take his tally up to seven for the season.
Chris Davies
It all looked rosy for Birmingham after seven points from their first three games, but eight points from the next nine had supporters – with heightened expectations due to the cavalier ambition of the owners – asking some of the big questions.
While there is legitimate criticism to be levelled at the club on the grounds of summer recruitment, Davies has continued to keep faith with performances, and it all came together swimmingly on Saturday afternoon, with a 4-0 thumping of Portsmouth.
Tomoki Iwata had starred at the base of midfield for Blues last season, in their 111-point League One title triumph, but the metronomic influence has been shifted to right-back – where he was man-of-the-match against Pompey.
It’s been a slow start, and Blues are only four points off the Play-Offs; go up the gears and a tilt for another promotion is well within their range.
Stoke
Stoke weren’t expected to be among the Championship’s promotion front-runners this season, after a half-decade of underachievement, so their bright start had been met with caution.
The Potters delivered a clinical, statement performance on Saturday, however, thumping Play-Off rivals Bristol City 5-1 in a display to have natives believing.
With Divin Mubama ruthless up top, bagging a hat-trick, and Junior Tchamadeu and Million Manhoef combining superbly on the right, Mark Robins’ side look a serious proposition – and that was without influential midfielder Tatsuki Seko.
Underestimate Stoke at your peril…
Losers
Will Still
For a club that went into 2025-26 with expectations of challenging strongly for an instant return to the Premier League, one win since the opening day, going into November, was miles off the pace.
Somebody had to pay in those circumstances and, invariably, it’s the manager: Will Still was dismissed just six months into his three-year deal.
The Saints were creating chances – their xG For was twice as big as their actual goals for column – but were leaky at the back, and forwards like Adam Armstrong and Cameron Archer just couldn’t find their form.
The good news for the Solent outfit, who recruited questionably in the summer under Sport Republic, is that a lot of the sides currently in Play-Off contention aren’t certs to stay there – so it may be easier for Southampton to make up that ground if they can put a run together under their new head coach.
Ben Knapper
It wouldn’t be a huge surprise if Ben Knapper is dismissed as Norwich City Sporting Director before, or at the same time as, Liam Manning has been dismissed as head coach.
Although large swathes of the Yellow Army are calling for the latter’s head, after City began the season with six straight home league defeats, Knapper got the bulk of the wrath in post-match protests outside the reception.
Manning alluded to internal issues in his interview, possibly hinting that he wasn’t happy with Knapper in his position, and said there were things he saw from players in the second half of the 2-0 home loss to Hull that were worse than anything he saw during his time managing in League One, with MK Dons or Oxford.
Meanwhile, former COO Ben Kensell was in attendance, as a guest of Delia Smith and Michael Wynn-Jones, linked with a return as CEO – and could be interested in bringing in Kieran Scott as a new Sporting Director.
Sheffield United
Sheffield United looked to have turned a corner, from their horrendous start to the season, when they achieved back-to-back victories over Watford and Blackburn; even more so, when they went two goals to the good away at Preston North End.
Since conspiring to lose 3-2 at Deepdale, however, then 3-1 at home to Derby, it quite literally rammed home how much work they have ahead of themselves to retain their Championship status, let alone make anything more of their season.
A negligent summer recruitment process has left United criminally short in key areas – namely right-back, central midfield and centre-forward – while star men from last season like goalkeeper Michael Cooper and midfielder Sydie Peck are woefully out of form.
The club has no choice but to rally behind Wilder – if anyone can save the club in these circumstances, it’s him – but it’s become increasingly clear that it is all about safety.
