John Eustace insists he retains the backing of Derby County owner David Clowes, but the head coach was careful not to dress that up as job security. "I have to get results," Eustace said bluntly. "The buck stops with me."

The pair met for dinner this week to discuss Derby's position near the foot of the Championship table. After one win from their opening eleven league fixtures, the Rams sit second-bottom, three points adrift of Norwich City in 21st place. Eustace described the conversation as positive, relaying Clowes's message in straightforward terms: "He said, 'you've got my full support.' He's fully confident that we'll get through this difficult moment."

Whether that confidence is well-founded remains to be seen. Statements of "full support" for a struggling manager are a familiar piece of press-release language in football, and Eustace himself seemed to understand the limits of the phrase. "It's a results-driven business," he acknowledged. "I've got a fantastic owner. I've always had his full support, but I have to get results for the team. So we'll be judged on that."

The injury list grows longer

To be fair to Eustace, the context of Derby's start to the season is one of relentless misfortune in the treatment room. Central defenders Sondre Langas, Matt Clarke, Craig Forsyth and Eiran Cashin are all currently unavailable. Goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom has only recently returned to training after a knee problem, while striker Patrick Agyemang is doing light work on his way back from an Achilles injury.

The latest addition to the injury list is captain Lewis Travis, who twisted his ankle in the defeat by Stoke City last Saturday and is expected to be sidelined for a couple of weeks. Eustace said he was "very angry" and "frustrated" with the situation but stressed that dwelling on absences served no purpose.

"It's my job to coach the players that are available," he told BBC Radio Derby. "There are definitely solutions there to make the team better. For the group that are available now, I've got to find a solution to get the best out of that group. That's all I can really concentrate on."

A formation rethink on the cards

One solution Eustace mentioned was switching to a back three, a pragmatic response to the shortage of recognised central defenders. With so little cover in that area, the idea of spreading the workload across three rather than two has an obvious logic, even if it would represent a change of approach from his previous system.

"We've got to remember we're working with a defence that we have to keep patching up," he said. "As soon as we get a settled team, I know there's a lot more to come from the group."

Eustace pointed to Derby's last six matches as evidence that the team has not been as far off the pace as the table suggests. One point from those six games tells a bleaker story, though the head coach used the phrase "not a million miles away" to convey his belief that performances have been closer to acceptable than results.

What it means in the table

Derby's position is genuinely precarious. Three points separate them from 21st place, and the Championship's bottom three clubs face a long, attritional season even in normal circumstances. With the injury list showing little sign of clearing quickly, the coming weeks will test whether Clowes's patience is as firm as the dinner-table conversation suggested.

Eustace was at pains to sound defiant rather than resigned. "I'm going to unturn every stone," he said, adding that he would "find a solution" to lift the club off the bottom of the table. Derby supporters will want to see that solution take shape before the owner is forced to reach a different conclusion.

Frequently asked

Is John Eustace still Derby County manager?
Yes. As of late October 2026, Eustace remains Derby County head coach and says owner David Clowes has given him his full support despite a poor start to the Championship season.
How many games have Derby won this season?
Derby have won just one of their first eleven Championship matches this season, leaving them second-bottom of the table, three points behind Norwich City.
Which Derby County players are injured?
Sondre Langas, Matt Clarke, Craig Forsyth, Eiran Cashin and captain Lewis Travis are all currently unavailable. Goalkeeper Jacob Widell Zetterstrom and striker Patrick Agyemang are working their way back from separate injuries.