briggaman Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 I think he has done well for us so far this season. I noticed again yesterday that he keeps winning all the headers that come at him and is looking much stronger this season. Hopefully he can keep it up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milfner Posted August 28, 2011 Share Posted August 28, 2011 Yeah, I think he is our best CB in all honesty. Gets unfairly slated, IMO Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozvillafan Posted August 28, 2011 VT Supporter Share Posted August 28, 2011 Yeah, I think he is our best CB in all honesty. Gets unfairly slated, IMO I'd agree with you - if you are talking about Dunne. There is a reason why we have to play with 2 defensive midfielders positioned deep in our own half..... .... and Collins is that reason. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zatman Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Not everyone felt disappointed after a goalless draw that even the rows of empty seats must have wished they had been spared. For James Collins and Richard Dunne a second clean sheet in three matches represented another step on the road to redemption in the wake of last season's trials and tribulations at Aston Villa. "We defended really well and got back to what we are used to doing," Collins said. Collins and Dunne, lest it be forgotten, were disciplined in March for their part in a drink-fuelled fracas at a spa resort that turned a team-bonding exercise into an internal investigation. On the field things were little better for the pair during a season when they looked unrecognisable from the solid defensive partnership that flourished on Martin O'Neill's watch 12 months earlier. Although Collins accepts that their standards dropped and admits they are desperate to put things right, the Welshman also suggested there were underlying problems last season. He admitted there was a "clash of personalities" with Gérard Houllier and described training under the Frenchman's successor, Alex McLeish, as "a million times better". "Me and Dunney want to try and write off last season. We were not at our best – we know that," Collins said. "There were certain things going on but both of us feel we can get back to being like the year we signed [in 2009], when we showed our best form. "We both came back really fit pre-season. We just want to prove we are good defenders. We got a bit of criticism last year for not playing like we can do. But the training has been great [under McLeish]. It has been completely different and so much better – we have benefited from that. Training is a million times better." While it always seemed likely that Villa would improve defensively under McLeish, the worry is that goals could be harder to come by at the other end. Darren Bent was frustrated to see Ashley Young and Stewart Downing leave this summer and it came as no surprise to hear McLeish admit that the England striker was "frustrated" with the lack of service he received here. Gabriel Agbonlahor was a constant threat and Charles N'Zogbia will get better but Emile Heskey is not an attacking midfielder and never will be. Five points from three games still represents a reasonable enough start for McLeish, although not as good as the two wins and a draw Wolves have picked up. Mick McCarthy, whose defensive substitutions went down badly with the travelling supporters but succeeded in knocking Villa out of their stride, appears to be reaping the rewards from some astute recruitment. "There's a bit of momentum, which you would expect really," the Wolves manager said. "I think when Jamie O'Hara came he added a bit of confidence to the lads. I think he was personally surprised at the quality of the players we had in the squad and he said to them: 'We're better than this.' That breeds a good feeling interesting article about Collins opinion on Houllier http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/aug/28/aston-villa-james-collins-houllier Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NorthEastVillan Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Gabriel Agbonlahor was a constant threat and Charles N'Zogbia will get better but Emile Heskey is not an attacking midfielder and never will be. Amen brother! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
the_eristic Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Gabriel Agbonlahor was a constant threat and Charles N'Zogbia will get better but Emile Heskey is not an attacking midfielder and never will be. Amen brother! Well, Heskey did attack a midfielder last season against Sunderland, so perhaps Eck got a touch confused. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
villa89 Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/aug/28/aston-villa-james-collins-houllier Interesting stuff. Training a million times better eh? Just confirms my suspicion that Ged was/is a clueless buffoon. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozvillafan Posted August 29, 2011 VT Supporter Share Posted August 29, 2011 http://www.guardian.co.uk/football/2011/aug/28/aston-villa-james-collins-houllier Interesting stuff. Training a million times better eh? Just confirms my suspicion that Ged was/is a clueless buffoon. People hear what they want to hear. The more interesting part was this: Although Collins accepts that their standards dropped ... and this: "Me and Dunney want to try and write off last season. We were not at our best – we know that," Collins said. So the obvious question is "Why bloody not?!" Collins blames a "clash of personalities".... ... so making more money in a fortnight than people see in a year is not enough for you to be professional enough to maintain a standard? What happens if Eck gets the sack and we get another foreign manager in? Gonna throw your toys out of the pram again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
largelugs Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 rard Houllier claims he will not be able to fix Aston Villa’s leaky defence until the end of the season. Houllier blamed the zonal marking system he inherited from Martin O’Neill for the defeat. Villa’s defending from set-pieces was abysmal and Houllier said: “We were naive from set-pieces and it’s not the first time we have conceded from them. “The players have had certain habits for four years and I’m not going to change them in the middle of the season. Read more: http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Gerard-Houllier-has-blamed-Aston-Villa-s-leaky-defence-on-former-manager-Martin-O-Neill-article711438.html#ixzz1WQ0Gu72y Can you really blame Dunne and Collins? Houllier took a defence that was generally sound and tried to change how they worked, he wrote off individual players and by all accounts spent very little time on defensive training. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ozvillafan Posted August 29, 2011 VT Supporter Share Posted August 29, 2011 rard Houllier claims he will not be able to fix Aston Villa’s leaky defence until the end of the season. Houllier blamed the zonal marking system he inherited from Martin O’Neill for the defeat. Villa’s defending from set-pieces was abysmal and Houllier said: “We were naive from set-pieces and it’s not the first time we have conceded from them. “The players have had certain habits for four years and I’m not going to change them in the middle of the season. Read more: http://www.mirrorfootball.co.uk/news/Gerard-Houllier-has-blamed-Aston-Villa-s-leaky-defence-on-former-manager-Martin-O-Neill-article711438.html#ixzz1WQ0Gu72y Can you really blame Dunne and Collins? Houllier took a defence that was generally sound and tried to change how they worked, he wrote off individual players and by all accounts spent very little time on defensive training. .... but that's NOT what your quoted article says. He didn't try to change them at all. On the contrary: “The players have had certain habits for four years and I’m not going to change them in the middle of the season. Rather than lift their game, they both threw their toys out of the pram. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
largelugs Posted August 29, 2011 Share Posted August 29, 2011 Houllier took a defence that were very solid. He fell out with Collins, Dunne, Warnock and Young (as shown by his comments about why he relocated to London). There were plenty of rumours about the players being unhappy with the coaching and tactics and that they brought this up with Houllier and he dismissed them. The players looked a shambles on the pitch at time, not due to a lack of effort, they clearly didn't have a clue about what they were supposed to be doing. The defending at set pieces clearly shows his. With good coaching even very average defenders can become fairly solid. Houllier's comments about not being able to sort it until the summer clearly shows his intentions of replacing the players. Even if that was his plan, to alienate players and make it public knowledge that you don't want them is a recipe for disaster. I'm not Collins biggest fan but i hope he goes on to prove Houllier wrong along with Dunne and Warnock. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dudevillaisnice Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 James Collins has been offered a two-year contract extension by Aston Villa. The Wales centre-half is in discussion with the club about staying at Villa Park until 2015 after a string of impressive early-season performances for Alex McLeish. The defender, 28, agreed a four-year deal when Martin O’Neill paid West Ham £5m for his services three seasons ago. But now McLeish is anxious to protect several of the club’s assets for the long-term and has recommended to owner Randy Lerner that Collins should form a cornerstone of his Villa side. Although Lerner is insisting that cuts are implemented across the board at Villa Park, McLeish confirmed yesterday that there remains some leeway in the playing budget to protect those at the club they value. He said: 'There is a reality check at the moment in football. Clubs are looking to stop wages spiralling out of control. 'But within that, you have to make sure that the squad is still strong – so it does not stop someone getting pretty decent wages for a club of this stature.' http://tinyurl.com/6hphul7 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VillaRoy Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Not sure whether its good that we are giving Collins 2 extra years or not. Would have waited till christmas see how he is performing after a few months under McLiesh. Was poor last season. Knocked out the Welsh 11 by a Cardiff player also. Was very good until Chelsea 7-1 under MON. One of these players who are even having blinders or shockers, hard to pin down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OnlyOne Posted September 16, 2011 Share Posted September 16, 2011 Well that's me done with McLeish if he thinks Collins is good enough for this club. He is shit. He is on the Wales bench for a reason. He cannot read the ball properly, can't position himself correctly, has a poor attitude and hoofs when he gets the ball first thing. West Ham fans wouldn't take him back in the Championship. The worst part is we're suppose to be reducing the wage bill and the wages his on doesn't justify his talent at all. There's NO value. What's next? We're gonna give Heskey another 4 years due to his excellent 3 goals a season record and Petrov until he gets gray hair? The board needs to take a serious look at the Spurs squad and wonder why they've got more quality with a less wage bill. It's called being smart and the board haven't shown any signs of that and should do the decent thing and allow someone to take over who knows how to run this football club. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SeanO Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 Well that's me done with McLeish if he thinks Collins is good enough for this club. He is shit. He is on the Wales bench for a reason. He cannot read the ball properly, can't position himself correctly, has a poor attitude and hoofs when he gets the ball first thing. West Ham fans wouldn't take him back in the Championship. The worst part is we're suppose to be reducing the wage bill and the wages his on doesn't justify his talent at all. There's NO value. What's next? We're gonna give Heskey another 4 years due to his excellent 3 goals a season record and Petrov until he gets gray hair? The board needs to take a serious look at the Spurs squad and wonder why they've got more quality with a less wage bill. It's called being smart and the board haven't shown any signs of that and should do the decent thing and allow someone to take over who knows how to run this football club. I hear you OnlyOne, I happen to think he's about as average as they come but maybe that's just it, Mcleish know the financial constants placed on the club and on him as the manager, Collins might be the best he believes he can get. If so it can only get worse. I'm looking forward to watching so sublime 60 yard passing against Newcastle from Collins...........................Hooooooof :cry: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AVFC-Prideofbrum Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 Well that's me done with McLeish if he thinks Collins is good enough for this club. He is shit. He is on the Wales bench for a reason. He cannot read the ball properly, can't position himself correctly, has a poor attitude and hoofs when he gets the ball first thing. West Ham fans wouldn't take him back in the Championship. The worst part is we're suppose to be reducing the wage bill and the wages his on doesn't justify his talent at all. There's NO value. What's next? We're gonna give Heskey another 4 years due to his excellent 3 goals a season record and Petrov until he gets gray hair? The board needs to take a serious look at the Spurs squad and wonder why they've got more quality with a less wage bill. It's called being smart and the board haven't shown any signs of that and should do the decent thing and allow someone to take over who knows how to run this football club. While I'm not a big fan of Collins, he's certainly not as bad as you're saying and we also don't know his wages, I tend to believe, he is one of the lower paid players who starts within our squad so offering him a 2 year deal, for a player who's ability fairly matches his wages IMO, don't see a big problem. I think he's shown he's clearly a mid table CB. While we need to sort out wage bill, we can't spend £4-5 million on a replacement for Collins when we could just keep Collins himself ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CI Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 Reality is Collins is a mid table PL player, so he's about our level I'm afraid Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sonic_bouma Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 we are in no position to be throwing Collins out of our club at the moment and he is not shit...... he is where we are....mid table fodder...... he's also playing an important role in a defence that has made a solid start to the season.... giving Collins a two year deal isn't gonna stop us from signing someone better.... plus i can't think of anybody better we could actually attract Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CI Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 Wish he'd cut out the "Hollywood" balls & just keep it simple Due a goal Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AValon Posted September 17, 2011 Share Posted September 17, 2011 Reality is Collins is a mid table PL player, so he's about our level I'm afraid Thats about what it is. And whatsmore, its a level we will probably stay at for the foreseeable. Like AM or hate him, you can't escape the fact that he's hamstrung by the wages constraints and has obviously been told to work with what he's got. Theres no cash about to bring in CL contenders, even if they would ever consider mid-table mediocrity, so I guess he is probably making do. The saving grace in that is that Mcleish's speciality is building strong defences, as we've witnessed pretty much so far. Collins, I'm afraid, is cheap and cheerful, but if Eck can get the best out of him then it might do for now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts