Derby County head coach John Eustace spoke to the media after the 1-0 defeat to Stoke which left the Rams in the bottom three of the Championship

John Eustace said he has been left "angry and frustrated" by Derby County's dismal start to the season and acknowledged they are not delivering what the fans or the club expect.

Derby's defeat to Stoke City has left them without a home win so far this season, and they are stuck in the Championship's bottom three after 11 games. Eustace said Derby are going through a "difficult period" which comes just five months after they had finished eighth in the table and on the verge of the play-offs.

This season's team looks a shadow of that side, although injuries and a frantic end to the transfer window haven't helped.

Speaking to the written press after the game, Eustace said: "I am frustrated and angry.

"It's a frustrating period, but this is the Championship. Teams go through periods like this. I think we've got a valid reason why it's been difficult, and we've got six or seven starters who would probably come into the team and make us stronger, if not coming off the bench, which would certainly help as well.

"With the effort of the group up to now, we could have easily got a couple more wins and a few more points. It's just important that we keep believing in the process and keep believing in what we're doing.

"We obviously recruited very late, didn't we? The injuries haven't helped as well. The lads have worked as hard as they can, and they've been terrific. Over the course of 46 games, we'll end up where we deserve to be, and we're going through a difficult period at the moment.

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"Ultimately, it's my job to win games, whether I've got 10 injuries and 10 transfers in. If you lose, it doesn't matter - there are no excuses. My head's on the door, and I understand that we've got to win games; we haven't won enough games at the moment, and it's my responsibility.

"Everyone's very proud to be associated with Derby County - it's a fantastic football club. That's the reason I came back. There were 30,000 here today, and they expect. The history of the football club is there, and at the moment, we're not producing what we need for either the fans or the club. I get that, and ultimately it's my responsibility to do it no matter what."

Saturday's defeat to Stoke came just days after Derby were beaten heavily by QPR, which saw them concede three goals before half-time in a heavy 4-1 defeat.

Eustace said he wanted a reaction but felt the winner scored by Luke Graham, who was a target for Derby in the summer, saw Ryan Hedges fouled in the build-up.

"We asked for a reaction after Wednesday's first 45 minutes, and I think we certainly got that," he said.

"I was very proud of the effort of the group today. We battled against a really good team and limited them to next to nothing. We had some decent chances ourselves, so to lose the game is frustrating.

"For the goal, I think it's a foul when you watch it back. The defender pushes Ryan over so he's on the ground when he actually heads it.

"It's a blatant foul, but even so, somebody else could hopefully stick their head on the line and clear it, but it is what it is at the moment. We're not getting much luck."