This article is part of Football League World’s ‘Comment’ series, this content strand is where the author of the article issues their personal opinion on the topic at hand...

After coming within 90 minutes of returning to the Premier League last season, Derby County fans have had to settle for another campaign back in the Championship.

And some seem to have found that easier to do than others.

With Frank Lampard leaving in the summer to take the vacant Chelsea manager's job, the Rams needed a new face in the dug-out and former PSV boss Phillip Cocu was ajudged to be the perfect candidate.

However, he walked into a squad stripped of its stars. Attacking duo Mason Mount and Harry Wilson both returned to the Premier League following loan spells at Pride Park as did rock-like defender Fikayo Tomori.

This has not been enough to warrant patience from some Derby fans, however, who, with the club languishing towards the foot of the table with just a handful of points to their name, are already beginning to lose patience with the boss.

In fairness to those people, they should be doing better. They may have lost a number of players, but Cocu has still splashed the cash, bringing in Krystian Bielik from Arsenal as well as loanees Matt Clarke, Kieran Dowell, Jamie Paterson as well as the small matter of Wayne Rooney's imminent January arrival.

But an update emerged this week that once again showed the desperate need for patience.

George Evans was a regular throughout pre-season for the Rams and has played in all six league matches for the club already this season, but was struck with a muscle injury recently with Cocu admitting that he will be out for 'some time'.

It is yet another stroke of bad luck for the Dutchman which will prove absolutely no help in turning things around, starting with their clash with Cardiff on Friday night.

Evans is not the only one to have missed parts of this season with injury. Highly-coveted youngster Jayden Bogle has also missed all but two matches and, given his impact at both ends of the pitch last season, amounts to a serious absentee.

Throughout the entirety of last season, Bogle played 50 times, scoring twice and assisting nine more, proving a huge part of Lampard's side.

The injury aspect has largely gone unnoticed when summising Cocu's time with Derby. A lot of focus has been placed on the loss of Mount, Wilson and Tomori, which is more than fair enough.

But piling injuries to two significant stars on top of that, in Bogle and now Evans, makes for a situation that any manager in the world would struggle in.

Patience is desperately needed throughout Pride Park and it is needed now more than ever.