McLean: West Ham closing on Swansea, Norwich stuck in slump
Aaron McLean reviews the Championship, League One and League Two weekend, highlighting West Ham's win at Swansea, Norwich's sixth straight defeat and first-time managerial struggles at Rotherham.
West Ham's Championship win over leaders Swansea City, sealed by Divine Mukasa's goal, has moved them to within a point of the Welsh club, and pundit Aaron McLean believes it was a major statement. He noted West Ham have scored 30 goals in 11 league games and said backing up their midweek demolition of Lincoln with three points mattered, especially with Middlesbrough drawing. McLean also argued that keeping Jarrod Bowen, who has eight goals, was probably the best thing that could have happened for the club, suggesting the forward's England omission may have strengthened his commitment as captain.
At the other end, Norwich City fell to a sixth consecutive defeat as Portsmouth's Marezi converted a penalty, leaving them one point above the relegation zone. McLean admitted his own promotion prediction had backfired and said Norwich look devoid of confidence, with each loss draining the squad further and goals being easily avoided. He singled out goalkeeper Daniel Grimshaw as under pressure and said both the keeper and manager Philippe Clement will face big questions in the coming weeks, adding that good teams show they can recover but Norwich currently show no sign of it.
Watford ended a four-match losing run with a 2-0 win over Charlton, lifting them three points clear of the relegation zone, though McLean stopped short of saying they had turned a corner. He felt the fixture was well timed against a Charlton side without a win in seven, and that manager Alessio Dionisi desperately needed the result after a heavy midweek defeat at Cardiff. McLean described it as a stepping stone but said the ownership will need convincing that Dionisi can deliver a run of results.
In League One, MK Dons secured their first win under Paul Warne by beating Luton Town 2-1 after drawing six of their opening eight games. McLean praised the result against a Luton side expected to challenge, while noting the pressure on Jack Wilshere. He backed Warne's League One experience, pointing to last season's promotion from League Two, and expected MK Dons to grow stronger and settle at least in mid-table.
McLean also addressed Alex Bruce's difficult start at Rotherham, who slipped into League Two's bottom two after a 2-0 loss at Fleetwood. He linked their position and Crawley's to both clubs having first-time managers, saying the lack of experience is showing. He argued Rotherham are underachieving after last season in League One, but defended Bruce over limited funds to improve the squad, saying a few grinding results could lift them above the line.
