Derby County owner Mel Morris has backed boss Phillip Cocu, although he admitted the recent run of results is a worry.

A 1-0 defeat at Huddersfield last night has left the Rams just one place above the relegation zone and they have lost five of their first six Championship games.

For a side that did have ambitions of winning promotion, it's a very poor start, although Derby haven't been helped with a lengthy injury list and they didn't secure all the deals they wanted in the summer window.

And, Morris recognised that as he spoke out about Cocu's future to the Telegraph.

"Of course we are concerned about the lack of points, as is the manager. But when you look at the cards we’ve been dealt this season, it’s hardly surprising that results have been poor.

"Does he have our support? Yes, we have got to be realistic about the challenges he faces. This is not about a lack of tactics, or effort on the training field, or those things. It’s fine margins, and we need to score more goals, and he understands that."

Derby are back in action on Friday when they take on bitter rivals Nottingham Forest at the City Ground.

The verdict

Firstly, it's good to hear from Morris and the fans should appreciate that he is speaking out given the speculation that has built in recent weeks and a lot of what he says is fair.

There's no denying the injury list is an issue and things would be different if the likes of Kamil Jozwiak, Wayne Rooney, Krystian Bielik, Tom Lawrence and Martyn Waghorn could have started every game this season.

However, Cocu does have to take responsibility because this group should have been able to pick up more than three points from six games, whilst Morris could also be blamed for not backing the boss properly in the market. So, there's not just one problem at Pride Park right now.

Thoughts? Let us know in the comments below.