Struggling Rams face make-or-break time

UNDER-PRESSURE Derby County manager Phillip Cocu is self-isolating for 14 days after chief exec Stephen Pearce tested positive for Covid-19 – it’s the last thing he would have wanted following their loss to QPR on Wednesday.

- David Connolly

I was inside Pride Park to see his side put in a really uninspiring performance against Mark Warbuton’s men and it does feel like we’re in a defining moment in Cocu’s reign, especially if the proposed takeover of the club is completed.

Considering the significance of the result, the level of performance was so low that chairman Mel Morris must be extremely concerned where this Rams side are heading.

Maybe the news pre-game that Sheffield Wednesday had seen their points deduction halved added to the poor display. This suddenly meant the Owls were one point behind them, while Wycombe’s dramatic win at Birmingham that night plunged Derby to second bottom.

Dramatic

Goals have been hard to come by, with just five scored pre-weekend. Three of those were free-kicks, and one of the others came from a rebound following a free-kick, but why?