Tuesday 6 October 2015 12:05, UK
Andy Hinchcliffe looks at five Football League talking points, and says Blackburn must make the most of Jordan Rhodes' goalscoring prowess before he fulfils his Premier League dream elsewhere.
Sunderland's reported interest in Burnley manager Sean Dyche and QPR's topsy-turvy campaign also come under the spotlight as the Sky Sports expert talks us through the major issues from the weekend.
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Having fended off interest from a host of clubs to keep Jordan Rhodes at Ewood Park, Blackburn are reaping the rewards from arguably the most prolific striker in the Championship.
It was perhaps their best piece of business in the summer transfer window, with Rhodes scoring seven goals in five games, but talk of a move away will surely resurface if Rovers fail to reach the play-offs again.
HINCHCLIFFE SAYS: "Blackburn clearly didn't want to lose Rhodes this summer; they signed him in a bid for promotion. I can understand why Jordan may have wanted the chance to go to Middlesbrough - to be in with a greater chance of getting promoted. But he has a great character and he is not a sulker. He knew if the move didn't work out, he would just get on with the job of scoring goals. He scored 21 goals last season and the trouble with Blackburn is that they concede too many, so much so that they finished outside of the play-offs.
"He has got seven already this season and he'll comfortably break the 20-goal mark so I'm sure Gary Bowyer is looking at ways of keeping things tight yet allowing Rhodes the freedom to score the goals that will make all the difference. It's all about getting the balance right - they didn't get it right last season. The players around Rhodes haven't given him the chance to gain promotion to the Premier League and that's why I feel he was looking at Boro - he clearly thought joining them would be a guaranteed top-six finish, I would have to agree. He can't do any more than scoring the goals he has already. Maybe Blackburn will have to finally let him go if it doesn't work out this season."
Sean Dyche has been linked with the vacant manager's position at Sunderland following Dick Advocaat's departure from the Stadium of Light.
With the Black Cats struggling in the lower reaches of the Premier League, and the Clarets pushing for an immediate return to the top flight, many would question whether such a move would be beneficial for Dyche's fledgling managerial career.
HINCHCLIFFE SAYS: "This is an interesting one and I can understand why Sunderland are looking at Sean. Looking at Sunderland's squad, it isn't the best squad in the world and I can see why they're struggling. If you look at how Sean approaches things at Burnley, he's a fantastic, well-organised and disciplined coach. If he were to go to Sunderland, he would certainly bring all that with him and, certainly, Sunderland would be better for it. Whether that could keep them up, I still think you have to work within the parameters of the squad that is there and they still may find it difficult to stay in the Premier League.
"Even though they might be interested in Sean, he might think Burnley and Sunderland could be passing each other in the coming months. The Clarets are going all out for promotion, signing Andre Gray, and I think he enjoys the challenge of the Championship. So I'm not sure Sean will be first on the list to replace Dick Advocaat but I can definitely see why Sunderland are looking at him. Ultimately the decision may be Sean's and he might think he's better off staying at Turf Moor, as he'll have a better chance of managing in the Premier League."
Reading's remarkable start to the season continued on Saturday as they beat promotion favourites Middlesbrough 2-0 at the Madejski Stadium.
It was a result that sent shockwaves across the Football League, and the focus will now turn to whether the Royals can maintain their breath-taking start for the duration of the season.
HINCHCLIFFE SAYS: "Reading certainly weren't a club I was looking at, at the start of the season. Derby and Middlesbrough were my two picks to go straight up. But with 10 games gone, things are going really nicely for Steve Clarke and they are in a really handy position. It's going to get tougher for them now though, with teams viewing them as a scalp and doing their homework before games. Finishing in the top six is one thing, whereas to finish in the top two you need more attacking and creative intent.
"If you look at the likes of Orlando Sa, Nick Blackman and Hal Robson-Kanu, Reading have that attacking edge and there's a good blend and balance in the team. Reading certainly look like they could be in the mix and, ultimately, finishing in the top two is about sticking the ball in the back of the net, a job Blackman has done fantastically so far. If he and Sa stay fit, then they have a real chance the Royals can ride this crest of a wave through to the end of the season."
QPR bounced back from their dismal west London derby defeat to Fulham in entertaining style with a 4-3 win over Bolton at Loftus Road.
The result typified the season Chris Ramsey and his squad are having following relegation last season and the mass overhaul of playing staff.
HINCHCLIFFE SAYS: "I spoke about QPR's shambolic display at Fulham a fortnight ago and it's interesting to look at them and ask why they have these highs and lows. At any level of football, consistency is key but that's even more the case in the Championship. If you look at the change in personnel at Loftus Road, they have a younger and hungrier team that has been lifted by additions from League One, in Massimo Luongo, Jay Emmanuel-Thomas, Ben Gladwin and Tjaronn Chery from abroad. There are so many new players that it will take time for them to build an understanding, regardless of how good they are.
"QPR are going through that process at the moment and that explains the highs, where they win games and score loads of goals, and the lows seen against Fulham, where they looked like they had never played together. That might be the story of QPR's season - peaks and troughs, purely because of the change in philosophy, with Chris Ramsey now in charge, coupled with the big turnaround in personnel and the squad getting to know each other. They will get stronger as the season progresses, but they may just miss out on the play-offs. Saying that, if it doesn't happen this season, I expect them to be strong contenders next."
Steve Evans left his post as Rotherham manager last week, and now the focus turns to their search for a new manager.
HINCHCLIFFE SAYS: "People will probably ask why a club and a manager that have, if anything, over-achieved in getting to the Championship and staying there, would part company. On the surface, it does look odd for Steve to leave at this time. It does seem as though they had gone as far as they possibly could and perhaps the owner, the chairman and Steve were probably in agreement that this was the right time to do it, with it being early in the season. It will still be a battle for Rotherham to stay in the Championship and it's very important that they make the right choice in appointing a manager or coach as Evans' replacement. It's about the future for Rotherham.
"Come January, they could still be in the bottom six and to save their Championship status, they may have to spend some money or get some very good loanees in because it's difficult to get back in, and clubs can fall from grace. They have to think long and hard about who they bring in now, maybe an experienced manager or coach who has been through this before at a similar sort of club that has found themselves in the same position because experience counts for a lot."
Watch the Sky Bet Football League live on Sky Sports 1 HD on Sunday - Exeter host Stevenage (12pm) followed by another League Two game, Notts County v Plymouth Argyle (2.15pm).
