Enough is enough, insists Leicester's Cockerill

Leicester Tigers director of rugby Richard Cockerill says they must forget their miserable start to the season.

A Tigers side shorn of their World Cup stars lie 11th in the Premiership, having lost five of their six games.

Cockerill told BBC East Midlands Today. "We are one win from seven [in total] and I am very aware of it.

"I go to bed with that thought and wake up with that thought but there comes a point where enough is enough. All I am interested in now is how people react."

Although Friday's LV= Cup tie against Gloucester would normally see a mixture of fringe and young inexperienced players in the line-up, many of Leicester's international stars are set to feature.

But Cockerill said his big-name players were desperate to get stuck back into the domestic schedule.

"They are glad to be back and some of them have had a more difficult time than others," he added. "But when you have been away from home for a long time you feel more at ease.

"Those guys feel a little bit indebted to the club, we've got them to Test-match rugby. Clearly we have suffered a little bit because of that and they want to come back and help us out of the situation we are in."

And while former England international Cockerill knows his side's predicament is in no small way down to the international call-ups and injury problems at Welford Road, he feels it's time to move on.

"I understand it and know the ins and outs and you have to realistic," he said.

"It's hard and we have to all stick together and show our true colours.

"It will come round. We have to believe in what we do. I believe in the people who work for us and play for us.

"We have to keep our bottle and not throw everything away that's been so good for the last few years.

"We can still be in the top four and do very well in Europe this year."

Tigers forward Tom Croft insists helping the club get back to winning ways will not take much.

"The boys coming back are not knights in shining armour. The side that was there was perfectly capable," Croft told BBC East Midlands Today.

"The majority of games we have lost we have been in the game in the last minutes so the talent is there, it's just closing out those games and scoring in the attack zones when we get there.

"The boys coming back will bring a bit of new life and excitement around the club.

"The boys were saying there is renewed buzz and that is a great thing to have at this time of year.

"Gloucester on Friday is a massive game just to kick-start our season and make a statement to rest of the clubs that Leicester Tigers are not a club that will roll over and we will fight to get back on track."