Rams slam Cocu clown
PHILLIP COCU was always going to struggle to follow in Frank Lampard’s footsteps, but the travelling Rams fans here reckon he’s not fit to tie Lamps’ boots.
Lampard’s efforts as Rams boss last season won him his dream job at Chelsea.
The efforts of Cocu’s Rams at Griffin Park earned him a torrent of abuse from a packed away end.
Bryan Mbeumo’s first Championship goal and a Ollie Watkins double had fired Brentford to a first home win of the season inside 45 minutes.
It left Cocu to do a halftime walk of shame across the pitch to a chorus of boos from his own fans.
The Derby manager said: “I understand they are very disappointed. I don’t blame them.
“We have to be ashamed of what we showed in the first 45 minutes.
“I’m really surprised by that performance. For me it came from nowhere how we played first-half.
“I can’t accept our mentality and attitude compared to Brentford. It was such a big difference.” At the end of 90 minutes the margin was three goals – but it could have been so much more.
Watkins should have opened the scoring on 17 minutes but his shot after rounding Derby keeper Kelle Roos was blocked on the line by Richard Keogh.
Luckily for the hosts the ball deflected off Max Lowe straight to Mbeumo, whose side-foot shot beat three Rams defenders on the line.
The Bees had only scored twice in their opening five league games, but it was the spark they needed.
A minute later Sergi Canos was flying down the wing, and two passes later the unmarked Watkins made no mistake this time.
Derby did not manage a shot on goal for a second game running.
Watkins claimed his second goal just before the break, when he converted Canos’s low cross from the right-hand side.
He should have had a hat-trick but was denied by Keogh’s flying block late on.
It left a thrilled Thomas Frank expecting more to come from his team despite calling it the best 45 minutes of his reign.
The Bees boss said: “The first half was one of the best performances I have seen in the three years I have been here.
“But in the second half we lacked quality in decision-making, in terms of killing it off.” BRENTFORD DERBY 8 ........ Shots on Target ........ 0 7 ........ Shots off Target ......... 3 6 ................Corners ................. 3 12 ................. Fouls .................. 13 2 ............... Offsides ................ 0 79 ..... Passing Success ....77.9 472....... Total Passes ........ 479 49.9........Possession ......... 50.1 53.0 .Territorial Adv % .. 47.0