Wigan Athletic manager Paul Cook says that his Derby County counterpart Phillip Cocu must be given more time before his impact at Pride Park can be judged, following his difficult start to life in the Championship.

Cook's side travel to Derby looking for a first away league win of the season on Wednesday night, and will go there on a high following their 1-0 win at home to promotion hopefuls Nottingham Forest on Sunday.

By contrast, Derby are heading into the game off the back of a 3-0 defeat at Charlton Athletic on Saturday, a result that means the Rams are now 15th in the Championship table, with just three wins from their opening 12 Championship games.

[freshpress-poll ]

Even so, Cook believes it is too soon to be making any judgements about Cocu's time at Derby, as he told Wigan Today: “Derby had a disappointing result on Saturday. I think Phillip Cocu will be disappointed, but up until then, they’ve picked up a couple of good wins.

“I’m sure as a club, Derby will want to be doing a little bit better as the season goes on, but certainly for Phillip and his staff 12 games into English football, I think they’ll be learning as they go along.

“I think they’ve had one or two issues off-the-pitch which has been dealt with and addressed to, but I think they’ll be concentrating on getting a win against us that can see them move forward. He needs time. I think managers are on such a time scale now in England that it is frightening.

“ I think if you’d had said 10 or 20 years ago that someone is 12 games into their managerial tenure, you’d go, ‘Oh he’s going to need time to settle’."

It also seems as though Cook feels the loss of several players from last season has impacted on Cocu's squad this season, as he continued: “I think if you also look at the fact that they’ve lost Fikayo Tomori, Mount, and Wilson – three international footballers now – will highlight the problems that Derby might have this year.

“For any club losing your better players, whether they’re on loan or permanent, it’s always tough – but that’s something for Phillip and his staff and Derby to worry about as a club.”

Wigan themselves go into the game 18th in the Championship, and could leapfrog their hosts in the standings with a win at Pride Park.

The Verdict

I think this is probably a fair assessment from Cook.

It did seem as though there had been plenty expected of Cocu right from the start of the season, and while that has yet to come to fruition, it doesn't mean that it can't yet do so.

Indeed, Cocu's title-winning exploits in the Netherlands suggest that he could still make an impact for Derby once he adapts to life in English football, and it is worth noting that there seems to have been plenty of incidents that have worked against him already this season.

While Cook might not want to admit it himself, Wigan's dismal away record over the past year or so means Cocu may see this as an opportunity to get a much needed win under his belt on Wednesday.