Saints' rise, Foxes' fall and the evergreen McGoldrick - Sam Parkin's EFL takeaways

After another dramatic Saturday of ups and downs, former Swindon, Ipswich and Luton striker and BBC Final Score pundit Sam Parkin gives his takeaways from what we learned across the Championship and rest of the EFL.

Leicester City fans were shocked by a defensive capitulation, with three goals conceded against a QPR side who had not scored in four matches. The 3-1 defeat left the Foxes in the bottom two, presenting boss Gary Rowett with one of the biggest tasks of his managerial career.

Parkin: "How much trouble are Leicester in? I would go as far as to say that keeping them up is going to be as big a test as Gary Rowett has faced in his career. In fact if he does it would be right at the top of his list of achievements.

"I couldn't have predicted this result and neither would Foxes fans who would have gone there today with so much hope after the midweek win, and that elusive clean sheet. Everyone would have expected maximum points against the QPR team who had been in freefall, with four defeats on the spin and no goals.

"Gary Rowett's strong suit is setting teams up to be disciplined and give away a few chances. So, really surprised at the manner of it, with three goals given away in 15 minutes, but I suppose that just underlines the frailties within the squad."

Southampton posted a statement win at Coventry, beating the league leaders in their own backyard and are now unbeaten in 10 matches and bearing down on the play-off positions. And manager Tonda Eckert's tactical flexibility has been a key feature of that run.

Parkin: "I have seen Southampton a few times in recent weeks and I am not overly surprised that they went to Coventry and got something, as they are a really good side. Yes, they've got momentum, and yes they have got good players, but it is the manager Tonda Eckert who is impressing with his tactical flexibility.

"I actually compared them a little bit in their build-up play to Chelsea a few weeks ago. They really like to involve the right-back higher up the pitch. They like building from a back three, but then in the Portsmouth game, for example, they were very direct.

"So, I don't think that he has a philosophy that he wants to stick to in every game. It basically depends on who the opponents are.

"Yes, there are a lot of kind of nice patterns with the ball, different shapes, depending on whether they're in possession or out of possession. But when it's a game to roll up your sleeves they can be a bit more direct.

"They are just a really well coached team with good players and may get promoted if they can get themselves in that sixth position."

Veteran striker David McGoldrick opening the scoring for Barnsley against Mansfield in the 2-2 draw in League One to continue a fine recent run of 12 goals in his past 13 games. It is, however, the stats in a career stretching back decades and over 670 appearances and 197 goals which really mark him out as a player's player.

Parkin: "David McGoldrick has obviously been fairly fortunate with injuries to still be playing at 38, but that is just part of the story. The other part is that he must have an incredibly strong mentality and a love of what he does.

"He is such a clever player. He has never been overly reliant on pace or physicality, but just a beautiful footballer. Incredible vision, incredible touch, a bit like Teddy Sherinham, maybe, in a way, that the first five yards are in his head or whatever the cliche used to be.

"He is the player that you'd pay money to go and watch and, for youngsters just starting, he is the player you'll get into football wanting to play like. I certainly did. I didn't want to be an old-fashioned centre-forward but a number 10 - someone with quality on the ball. He encapsulates that.

"He's just so comfortable coming towards the ball and obviously taking it when people are tied to him, linking the play. I take my hat off to anyone that keeps going until their late 30s, because I finished in my early 30s, which for me was a physical and a mental decision."

Manchester City midfielder Kevin Horlock was once sent off for "walking aggressively" towards the referee, team-mate Andy Morrison for licking Stan Collymore's nose, while Edin Dzeko once got his marching orders for pulling down a defender's shorts. Ollie Norburn added to the list of bizarre dismissals for Notts County in a 3-2 loss to Chesterfield, getting a second yellow for throwing an opponent's boot off the pitch.

Parkin: "Context is everything and although I've seen the incident I'm not sure if it warrants a yellow card. You used to get a bit more leeway when I was playing. I once celebrated a goal pretty much jumping on a referee's assistant and a referee!

"It probably isn't the most sensible decision from Norwood, but it feels sometimes like the fun has gone out a bit of a game. Yes, it is a foolish way to pick up a second yellow, but we're all guilty sometimes of making mistakes in the moment.

"Whatever the rights and wrongs of the decision, you cannot deny it was probably a defining moment in the game. And you also can't underestimate how costly it proved for Notts County, who went on to lose.

"A few weeks ago they were in a great position to go and maybe cement one of those top three positions. Now they have slipped to fourth with three losses in their last five games."

After dispensing with the services of Mat Sadler earlier this week, Walsall received the time-honoured new-manager bounce under interim boss and club legend Darren Byfield, with a 3-0 win at Crewe. But how will Sadler's time at the club be judged?

Parkin: "Mat Sadler's time at Walsall has been pretty much a success, I would say, until the last six months perhaps. I know he got criticism after they dropped off last season, but he's put together a really good side, a good squad with a clear identity of how they play.

"Having lost a number of the guys that got them to the play-off final last season, they recruited really well in the summer to mirror what they did. But ultimately, the home form in particular this season and the way that they've fallen away again tilted it against him.

"Darren Byfield, who is the interim manager, is a club legend and has worked with Mat during the success they have had, so I'm not sure there will be much change in the short term. It could allow the players an opportunity to refocus, because they have not been doing the business in the last few weeks.

"I'm not sure if the season is going to be salvageable in terms of getting Walsall into the play-offs, because there is a lot of traffic all of a sudden to go through."

Sam Parkin was speaking to BBC Sport England's Gideon Brooks.