Former Peterborough United and Hull City striker - and Final Score pundit - Aaron McLean gives his five takeaways following Saturday's action as things start to heat up across the Championship, League One and League Two. It is happy days for Middlesbrough and Will Lankshear as they sit two points clear at the top of the Championship following their 3-0 win over Charlton Athletic, with two more goals from Lankshear taking his tally to 13 in 13 league games since his £20m summer move from Tottenham. McLean: "Before a ball was kicked this season, I said Will Lankshear would be an England international in the next few years.
I watched him at Oxford last season and I loved the way he played and the way he scored goals in a struggling team. "He's got something, that X-factor. Now he's showing exactly why Middlesbrough spent £20m on him.
The biggest thing for Boro is making sure they get promoted with him in order to keep him. "The longer he keeps up this type of form, he's just giving himself a bigger price tag and a bigger reputation and before long, bigger clubs will be coming and saying, 'We need a Will Lankshear in our side'. "I think England is too soon.
For his progression, I don't think he needs to be thrown into that limelight yet. He just needs to make sure he has a good season, finish top goalscorer in the Championship, get himself into the Premier League and then those type of questions will be asked." West Ham's problems at the London Stadium continued as they conceded three for the second Saturday running to lose at home to West Bromwich Albion, with all of three of their Championship defeats this season coming in front of their own fans. McLean: "West Ham just don't seem to be handling the pressure.
The fanbase is very split in terms of whether they want Nuno Espirito Santo in charge but the thing you have to do when playing for West Ham in front of 60,000 fans is put in a performance and if you're in the Championship, you have to win. "What is the reason for them conceding so many early goals at home and not scoring themselves? Are they not paying the opposition enough respect or are the opposition thinking they start slowly and they've got a soft underbelly and they can get themselves a goal.
Whatever it is, it needs to be addressed and fixed. "When you have a lovely stadium and playing surface, teams want to go there and enjoy it. If you make your home ground a fortress, that can work for you but at the moment, the London Stadium is not a fortress and teams are going there and enjoying the experience, which is the total opposite of what West Ham need." Southampton are purring nicely in the Championship, especially at St Mary's after a convincing 4-1 win over QPR leaves them in fifth.
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