Derby County manager Billy Davies has left the club by mutual consent after their disastrous start to the season.

The Premier League club the moved quickly to appoint their academy chief Kevin Thelwell as caretaker manager.

The Rams are rooted to the bottom of the Premier League having won just one of their 14 games since being promoted.

Derby were also knocked out of the Carling Cup in the second round to Blackpool.

"I have met with Billy Davies this morning and we have decided mutually in the best interests of both parties that to go our separate ways is the correct decision at this time," said chairman Adam Pearson in a statement.

"Billy Davies leaves Derby County with our best wishes and our genuine gratitude in achieving a magnificent promotion to the Premier League, where everyone in the club wanted to be"

Davies took over at Pride Park in the summer of 2006 and guided them to promotion to the Premier League in his first season in charge.

The Rams finished third in the Championship last year and then went up via the playoffs thanks to 1-0 victory over West Brom.

After such a success, Davies admits he leaves Pride Park with his pride intact.

"I've had a wonderful time here, there's been lots of ups and lots of downs, but in the main I'm very proud of what has been achieved, and I'm now walking through these gates with my head very much held high," he said.

"But that's football, we know what football's all about, and the situation now is that it's time to move on to pastures new."

Despite big summer signings such Robert Earnshaw and Claude Davis, Derby have consistently struggled since moving up to the top flight suffering heavy defeats to the likes of Liverpool away (6-0) and West Ham at home (5-0).

Their 2-0 defeat at Chelsea last weekend was their 10th defeat of the season, and they have now conceded 33 goals while scoring just five.

In a eurosport.yahoo.co.uk poll earlier this month they were voted the worst Premier League side of all time.

Seán Fay / Eurosport