New Derby County boss John Eustace called on the club’s fans to get behind his players after they dropped into the Championship relegation zone with defeat in his first game in charge.
The Rams were convincingly beaten 4-0 at Queens Park Rangers one day after Eustace was named as Paul Warne’s successor.
Ilias Chair hit a double either side of Koki Saito’s close-range finish before Ronnie Edwards rounded off an emphatic victory for Marti Cifuentes’ side at Loftus Road.
Former Derby player Eustace could be seen gesturing to the travelling Rams fans to keep their heads up at full-time, as their winless run stretched to 11 games in all competitions.
And in the press conference following the match, he urged the supporters to give their backing to his players to help them secure their safety in the run-in.
“Get right behind the group now [is what I would say to the fans], we’ve got 13 big games. I know how powerful the fans can be,” he said.
“Next week, if we can get 30,000 at Pride Park and really back the boys that’d be fantastic.
“We’ve got a really exciting week on the training pitch with lots to work on, and I want these players to make the fans proud, and that’ll start next week.
“I’m not worried about what’s happened in the past now, all I’m worried about is the future, I know this group of players are going to be fighting for every point going forward now.”
Eustace will take charge of his first game at Pride Park against Millwall next Saturday.
