Edwards leaving and Cleverley under pressure - Sam Parkin's EFL takeaways

Sam Parkin has his say on the big issues in the EFL

With the final international break of the year here, former Swindon, Ipswich and Luton striker and Final Score EFL pundit Sam Parkin gives his five takeaways from what we learned across the Championship and League One this weekend.

Edwards set to leave Boro

Rob Edwards is quitting Middlesbrough for Wolves

Middlesbrough boss Rob Edwards has been given permission to speak to Wolves.

Parkin: "I'm surprised, because I think given where he was at Luton in terms of his stock, I think that was probably, with respect, as good as he could have hoped for, the Middlesbrough job. It's a really big job.

"He's turned the support around from being a little bit in the doldrums to feeling really positive.

"So I am surprised from that respect, because I think the opportunity to take Middlesbrough back into the Premier League would be amazing for him.

"But I just think on this occasion, it's just the heart, isn't it? It's the fact that he was a player at Wolves, the fact he's worked there, the location, the Premier League. It's all those factors.

"So from the outside, we can all have an opinion, but what's important is what works for someone and his family, ultimately.

"I think the Middlesbrough job, as great as it is, has just been topped for ingredients by this Wolves offer.

"It's a gamble for him because the reality is the two teams could swap divisions, but it's the Premier League and I think you just have to understand that."

O'Neil would be a very brave appointment

Gary O'Neil has been linked with Wolves and Middlesbrough

Southampton fans have reacted angrily to the news the club are considering hiring Gary O'Neil as Will Still's replacement as manager. O'Neil was a popular player for the Saints' rivals Portsmouth.

Parkin: "I think that would be a very brave appointment. That's not that I don't feel Gary O'Neil deserves another opportunity at a good club, he absolutely does.

"It's ironic that the two jobs he's being linked with are Southampton, where he's got such an affinity with Portsmouth, and Middlesbrough, where I think he left under a little bit of a cloud when he was a player.

"So those two might be tricky for him for one reason or another, but he'll get another job.

"I think Southampton, it's dangerous to go back, Russell Martin, Ralph Hasenhuttl, guys like that have been spoken about.

"They've won two out of two under caretaker boss Tonda Eckert. He was a club appointment - he wasn't someone Will Still brought in.

"The players are clearly playing for him, so it seems like they might have turned the corner. But I would still anticipate it being an external appointment."

Eustace shows why he left Blackburn for Derby

John Eustace won at his former club Blackburn and has guided Derby to five successive victories and the top half of the Championship.

Parkin: "He left Blackburn to go to Derby and probably about a month ago, for the first time in his Derby career, he was getting criticised.

"So it's incredible really; five wins, very difficult at any level of football. His teams are always hard to score against, hard to beat, that's the strength of his side.

"So to see them get two at Blackburn and to be scoring three at Sheffield United is great.

"Carlton Morris has hit the ground running and has 10 goals recently as well. He scored in his first four games, had a little bit of a lean spell, but now can't stop scoring and has six in his last four, including a hat-trick at Sheffield United.

"They've got better front players than they've had in some time - Lars-Jorgen Salvesen, Ben Brereton Diaz, Patrick Agyemang from the MLS.

"I had no doubt coming into this season, Derby would improve. I think they're up to the top half now and I think they will continue in the same vein. I'm not saying they will definitely make the play-offs, but they will be mid-table certainties."

Cleverley deserves more time at Plymouth

Tom Cleverley is under mounting pressure at Plymouth

The pressure is continuing to grow on Tom Cleverley at Plymouth after defeat at Huddersfield left them bottom of League One.

Parkin: "Plymouth are obviously a big, well-supported club, so the expectation in the third tier would be to go straight back up, but, probably similar to Norwich, it's a new team that he's working with.

"He got the dreaded vote of confidence a few weeks ago and I think he deserved that because when you're trying to bring in a huge number of new players, it takes a little bit of time.

"They've done sterling business, getting Lorent Tolaj, the centre-forward, in from Port Vale, who's been a revelation. But not enough of them have knitted together as of yet.

"When you lose the derby to Exeter as they did a few weeks ago, that was a poor performance by them. They were very weak in that game and out-fought by Exeter.

"That was a massive game for them at Huddersfield, equally so for Lee Grant at Huddersfield. They got the win, Plymouth didn't. The supporters are going to be unhappy and the pressure is just going to continue to build."

Stockport still look strong

League One leaders Stockport suffered a shock home defeat against Luton, but still look a good bet to reach the second tier for the first time since 2002.

Parkin: "Perennially, it seems that whatever division they're in, they're strong favourites to go up and rightly so.

"You know they're a really good squad and have a strong side. Dave Challinor has got copious amounts of promotions and they'd won their last four games, only conceding one goal to Tranmere in the FA Cup, so I was surprised by the outcome of that when they lost 3-0 at home to Luton. That probably underlines the good work Jack Wilshere has done in a short space of time at Luton.

"Even then, Stockport had chances and it could have been a different outcome.

"It was a shock result, but there were shocks all over League One. I don't think it's a reflection on a lack of quality, I think it's a reflection on how many good sides there are in League One and there are only 11 points between Stockport and Leyton Orient in 20th."

Sam Parkin was talking to BBC Sport England's David Anderson.