Tonight there are 35 games in the Football League which has slightly gone under the radar with all the Champions League games on as well. Nevertheless us at The72 will be following every goal, tackle, pass and referee whistle across the Championship, League One and League Two tonight. We focus on some of the talking points ahead of these matches.

Can Lee Carsley win his first game in management?

It was been quite a turnaround at Brentford in the last couple of days. Marinus Dijkhuizen was a somewhat controversial appointment to replace Mark Warburton over the summer anyway, so perhaps it wasn’t a surprise to hear yesterday’s news. Nevertheless the fact a quick replacement has been identified can only be good news for everyone at Griffin Park. The start to the season by the Bees has been relatively indifferent but nothing so alarmingly concerning other than a slightly slow start. They lost their star striker earlier this season and made several signings over the summer, so time was needed. But the focus is very much on the future and Carsley appears to fit that bill. He has supposedly been doing big things with the Under-21 and Development Squad’s behind the scenes. There was also the glowing reference from Cliff Crown on Carsley and perhaps he wouldn’t have made the change if someone like Carsley wasn’t already impressing with the club. His first game is against Birmingham City, who will be a tough nut to crack. The Blues have lost their last few games so Gary Rowett will make them hard to beat at the very least. Brentford go into the game as slight favourites, but Carsley will learn something about his new side come full time; win, lose or draw.

Can things get any worse or better for Blackpool?

Nile Ranger has made himself known again in recent times and that has brought about more negative press surrounding Bloomfield Road. There was also the observation from manager Neil McDonald that the club have ‘hit rock bottom’ after their defeat to Shrewsbury Town at the weekend. They welcome Chesterfield tonight in what could potentially be described as a must-win game for the club. The problem is that they aren’t used to winning and even though they’ve made changes to the squad, the club itself is not a good place to be right now. Chesterfield are very much chalk or cheese at this moment in time, so they could be ideal opponents for Blackpool to at least get back on track. The easy thing for McDonald to do would be to walk away and let somebody else fight this battle. However he was worked for many years to work his way up to being the manager after several spells as an assistant with various clubs. This is a big challenge, but one he’ll relish at the same time. Whilst they have hit rock bottom in one sense, perhaps the only way is up for the Tangerines.

Can Teddy Sheringham get Stevenage up and running?

Taking over from Graham Westley, a man who has brought big success to Stevenage over a few spells was always a tough ask for any manager. Combine that with the fact that this is also Teddy Sheringham’s first role in management then the challenge was always going to be difficult for the former England striker. There is also that very fact to contend with as well; he was a highly successful player. There is the saying that a good player doesn’t make a good manager, but he certainly deserves big respect for taking on the role in League Two and trying to make something of his managerial career. They suffered a 90th minute defeat to Cambridge United at the weekend, losing 1-0. Prior to that Sheringham described their performance in losing to Barnet as ‘woeful’. They are averaging a point to game so far but that has left them fifth from bottom after nine games. There won’t be anyone panicking at The Lamex Stadium however. They started sluggishly last season, only to improve and end up in the play-offs. The fans are still with Sheringham and rightly so. He’ll need time and maybe this season could be a year of transition. Taking on Mansfield Town tonight represents a difficult task but one they are more than capable of winning. It could take one big performance and big result to get Stevenage and Sheringham really rolling for the remainder of the campaign.