Derby County's poor start to the season continued on Friday night as they were beaten 1-0 by Watford at Pride Park.

In truth, it was a hugely forgettable game, with the visitors sealing the points thanks to a superb late strike from Joao Pedro that came totally out of the blue.

Whilst Wayne Rooney squandered a fine chance to equalise, Derby were poor throughout and looked toothless going forward.

Already, pressure is building on boss Phillip Cocu and four defeats from the opening five league games will concern all connected to the club, even if injuries haven't helped the Rams.

Here we look at TWO side-effects that could build following the latest loss...

Quiz: Do Nottingham Forest and Derby County have these 10 things in common?

Speculation builds surrounding Cocu's future

As mentioned, there is already talk that the Dutch coach could be replaced, with Rooney believed to be lined up for the job.

Even though owner Mel Morris has backed Cocu, there's no pretending that he can keep surviving poor performances and defeats.

That's not to say he deserves to be sacked right now, it's far too soon and he isn't working with his best squad, however if things don't change quickly then the speculation will intensify. The game against Huddersfield tomorrow and particularly the huge clash at rivals Nottingham Forest could be significant.

Key figures blamed for transfer window

The responsibility will ultimately fall on Cocu but there's no denying that he hasn't been helped in this transfer window.

Derby look very short on options up top and the decision to loan Jack Marriott out without signing a replacement seems baffling. Obviously, Morris will be questioned about that by the fans if results don't improve and they would be completely justified in complaining as the squad is unbalanced.