Derby County were beaten 4-1 by Millwall on Saturday as their miserable start to the season continued

Derby County's appalling start to the season continued as further pressure was heaped on John Eustace with a 4-1 defeat at Millwall.

A dreadful opening 20 minutes ended the game as a contest with Alex Neil home and hosed thanks to two goals from Kyrell Lisbie and another from Luke Cundle.

Millwall were ahead after just three minutes when Lisbie benefited from some awful defending from Derby defender Max Johnston, who backed off to allow the winger to find the far corner.

Derby were then two down when Caleb Taylor rose unchallenged at the back post to head across goal where Lisbie forced over the line. It was soon 3-0 when Cundle ran through Derby's defence to fire past Jacob Widell Zetterstrom.

Derby did have some chances of their own with Carlton Morris being denied by Max Crocombe while Rhian Brewster also forced a save at the near post.

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Millwall could and should have extended their lead, however, but Caleb Taylor headed over and Romain Esse was denied by Zetterstrom.

And they did finally find a fourth goal when Jake Cooper rifled home after poor defending from Johnston before Filip Bilbija scored a consolation late on.

A horror show

In keeping with Halloween, Derby stuck to their side of the bargain and served up the stuff of nightmares. Had this been screened in the early 1980s, it might well have been classed a video nasty, back when the BBFC were slapping X certificates on anything deemed to have broken the bounds of taste.

In the real world, this was every bit as gruesome. It took just 20 minutes for this defeat to be rubber-stamped as Millwall raced into a three-goal lead, and if that wasn't bad enough, it was soon followed by the ignominy of being given the ole treatment by a team who came into this game having won just once in their last seven matches.

In truth, it could have been six or seven had it not been for some wayward finishing and a couple of saves from Jacob Widell Zetterstrom. But perhaps the biggest crime of them all, aside from the wretched defending, was that it was an insult to the supporters who travelled in their numbers at a time when diesel prices are sky-high, and train tickets are equally hard on the wallet.

When you're forking out £250, as one supporter did, you are entitled to expect considerably better than the abysmal fare Derby served up here.

It encompassed the sort of defending that would make school teams blush and although you can accept a lack of quality, you can't excuse a lack of heart. While injuries can be used as some mitigation, they are no excuse for not doing the basics. When Max Johnston just stood and watched Kyrell Lisbie rather than going to engage the winger before he planted a shot into the far corner after just three minutes, it set the tone for a dreadful performance. It was as bad as, if not worse than, the QPR humbling just a couple of weeks ago.

Pressure mounting

Pressure is undeniably mounting on Eustace, but this is not simply one man's fault. It is a collective failing that has left Derby in the bottom three. For many, the solution lies in a change in the dugout, but don't be fooled into thinking that would be a magic bullet.

If it were that easy, you only have to look further down Brian Clough Way at Nottingham Forest, where another change in the dugout has yet to provide the answers.

Naturally, somebody has to carry the can for bad results, and invariably it is the manager. But changing one comes at a cost. Sack one, replace him with another and you have another salary eating into the club's SCR allowance, even before any consideration is given to strengthening the squad.

It can quickly become a merry-go-round of hiring, firing, signing and selling, a tale that Derby knew all too well under Mel Morris. Derby have to improve, and Eustace will know better than anybody that he is on shaky ground. He remains fiercely protective of his players, who should count themselves lucky, as other managers would not be so keen to shield them from some public home truths.

Right now, it is a team that lacks athleticism, has too many players who either can't or won't tackle, suffers from a chronic lack of communication and is not particularly blessed with leaders. There have been gambles in the transfer market that have yet to pay dividends, while the injury list continues to grow. The medical and recruitment departments are not Eustace's remit, but he will ultimately be the one who pays the price.

Screams for change are all over social media, but as David Clowes demonstrated with Paul Warne, he won't be pressured into blinking. That said, patience is not without limits. He will need to see tangible signs of improvement, which makes the next two games before the international break hugely significant.

Right-back is a problem

Even if the defence were fully fit, and it has been badly decimated by injury, Derby have an issue at right-back that will need addressing either in January or next summer.

Joe Ward was unavailable here, but his creativity has nosedived, considering he was one of the leading creators in the division last season.

And then there is Max Johnston, who has not delivered what was advertised in the brochure when he signed last year. Admittedly, he has had his fair share of injury problems, but when he has been presented with an opportunity, as he was here, he simply hasn't delivered. He was at fault for two of the goals, and quite what he was doing for Lisbie's first is anybody's guess.

At some point, Derby will have to look at that position because it's becoming a glaring issue in a backline that simply cannot keep clean sheets.

Bilbija's off the mark

There was at least one positive to come out of this wretched afternoon, and it was that Filip Bilbija is off the mark following his arrival in the summer.

It was only a consolation, but he showed good reactions to follow up a shot from Oscar Fraulo, which brought some cheers from the away end.

Whether it will be enough for him to get a larger role in the team remains to be seen. It should give his confidence a boost and was the only good part of an afternoon that left little to be desired.

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