Derby County Head Coach John Eustace has called for a collective response as his side look to bounce back from Saturday’s defeat at Watford.
An out-of-character display from the Rams resulted in a 2-0 loss at Vicarage Road, but Eustace believes his squad possess the necessary character to respond positively at Hull on Tuesday evening.
The Tigers sit 5th in the Sky Bet Championship table, presenting another stern examination of Derby’s play-off credentials, as they aim to climb back into the top six at the MKM Stadium.
Ahead of the contest, Eustace spoke to RamsTV to discuss showing a reaction to Saturday and how quickly the Championship can change, while also providing the latest on the injury front.
On Responding To Saturday’s Defeat
I think it’s important that the group take responsibility, as we do as coaches. It’s certainly a collective. After the game, we weren’t happy at all with the performance. That was players and staff, so it wasn’t just myself.
It was the players who were driving that in the dressing room as well. I think that’s really healthy. It shows how connected we are and how much of a family we are.
We can say and do what we want in that dressing room, and nothing’s ever personal. It’s business, and it’s about us improving and getting better all the time. I think over the season, the players have certainly had a lot of say to why we’ve done so well up to now, and so have the coaches.
On Injured Players Returning
The lads have trained this [Monday] morning and there was a couple [of returning players] out there, but we’re not sure where they are from a physical point of view yet. We’ll give them another day and then we’ll see tomorrow.
It is never ideal to have injuries, but it’s the Championship, it’s the toughest league in the world. The amount of games and the schedule is always very demanding, but we get on with it. Whoever’s picked tomorrow, we expect a competitive performance and that’s all we ask for.
On Carlton Morris Stepping Up His Comeback
Carlton is such a great player to have in and out of the building. What he brings to the team is certainly his experience, his know-how. He’s a mentor to a lot of the players as well, so just to have him back training with us is a massive plus.
It was brilliant to give him 30 minutes on Saturday. It’s very, very important that we don’t rush him back and he breaks down again, so we’ve got to protect him on that. Everyone knows how vital he is to the group. He’s just got to keep going.
He’s has got to earn the right to start as well, because we’ve been doing well up top. Patrick’s been doing well and we’ve got a lot of forward players. The most important thing is Carlton’s back with the group.
On Having Just Two Days To Prepare For Hull
It’s important we still do our business on the grass. There’s been a lot of classroom work done as well over the last couple of days too. It’s a bit of everything, really. It’s just getting the right balance, but we’ll certainly leave no stone unturned.
On The Difference A Year Has Made For Both Clubs
It’s not just in a year, it can change in a week – that’s what the Championship is all about. Hull have got a fantastic squad. They have a very highly respected, experienced coach leading them there now and they’ve certainly built on last year as well.
We’re a good team too, and it’s important we just keep building and progressing nicely. We’ve got to keep learning all the time. Saturday’s performance from us wasn’t where we wanted to be, and it’s another opportunity now to put things right.
