Derby County manager Phillip Cocu pulled no punches in assessing his team following their heavy loss at Charlton this weekend.

The Rams were comfortably beaten by the Addicks, who continued their fine start to the season by once again seeing off a team who would expect to be challenging for the top six come the end of the season.

It was more than a disappointing day at the office for the Rams and their manager was in no mood to beat around the bush in his post-match comments.

"You can talk about tactics or individual quality - I can only applaud the third goal - but it starts with how you enter the game, and today it wasn’t good enough,” Cocu said.

“We couldn’t create chances; we have to more aggressive. It wasn’t good enough.”

Derby struggled to deal with the threat posed by Lee Bowyer's men throughout the game, struggling, in particular, to deal with set-pieces, something which Cocu further elaborated on in his comments.

“It’s obvious that we are not focused enough. It’s decisive, in terms of the game. The only way to change it is to work.”

The defeat saw Derby drop down to 15th in the Championship to compound what has been a miserable couple of weeks for the club.

The Verdict

Cocu needs to start getting things right for Derby or he'll find himself coming under pressure more and more in the coming weeks.

Rams fans expect success and at the moment, they look a good way away from being a team who can challenge for the top six.

He'll be hoping to see his team bounce back this week with immediate effect.