The problem with the Dunne & Collins pair

[Archie]

Yesterday was a very rearguard display with effectively 4 central defenders and 2 wide players protecting the flanks.  It gave us the tightness Houllier was asking for and will serve us in the current situation but we cannot progress off the back of this.  We need a better central midfield and at least one more mobile and solid central defender.  Somebody else touched on it earlier, I do not think Collins and Dunne are particularly good readers of the game.

Agree with your deep analysis, mate.
Generally speaking, please don't consider me an Italian cu*t   , but I can't conceive a football made of long balls: we have so many gifted players in the middle of the park, Albrighton, Bannan, Downing, Petrov, A. Young that is a crime to belt the ball clear instead of trying and create from the back.
Modern football is a passing football, all teams are quite educated to play well, I don't want that us, the mighty Aston Villa, are considered the poor parents of Arsenal and Manchester United, at the same level of Blackburn Rovers, a sort of "football troglodytes" with pub players in defence, as I have heard from the Sky commentator yesterday.
If we have this fame we'll struggle to attract the most gifted and creative players and we even risk to lose ours that could be follow the syrens of the other clubs.

[CJ]

For what it's worth I thought Dunne and Collins were fine yesterday, although agree that by just hitting it clear rather than playing it out of defence meant Chelski just kept coming back at us, and their late goals looked inevitable. BUT, I think the real cause of Chelsea's late recovery was the fact that we'd got so many unwarranted yellows that NRC and Stan couldn't get stuck in and protect the defence as well as they had done earlier.

[Shrek]

Didn't Mcrath once say "they can't score from row Z"

[old man villa fan]

At least Dunne looked like he'd been training; actually seemed to have lost some weight yesterday.

I thought that,he looked alot sharper than before,this is what was letting him down at the start of the season,as you dont go from being one of the best defenders from the previous season,to a sunday parks look a like over night.

It does make you wonder how much motivation there was preseason from the manager and coaches to prepare for the coming season.

[darren woolley]

In our current situation i think the defence played better than they have done, for that we can say they have improved on how they have been playing but they do need to improve more but this hard earned point will give them confidence going into the sunderland game and if they can keep Bent and Gyan quite i would be happy with that.

[richard moore]

Didn't Mcrath once say "they can't score from row Z"

Problem is, nor can the team who put it into row Z. We will never break the top 4 with our hit, hoof and hope policy from the defenders....

[villa1]

Didn't Mcrath once say "they can't score from row Z"

If God made that statement, it'll do for me! :-)

[old man villa fan]

Didn't Mcrath once say "they can't score from row Z"

Problem is, nor can the team who put it into row Z. We will never break the top 4 with our hit, hoof and hope policy from the defenders....

Totally agree but there are times when it is appropriate but very rarely when you are in control of the ball (if ever).

[garyfouroaks]

Dunne was great last season, fat, unfit and hopeless so far this season, apart from yesterday when I thought he played well.Lets hope its a return to form.

Collins has been ok, it s aconfidence thing. With Dunne back on it we should be ok.

[villasjf]

GH has had them passing the ball out of defence but its a bit alien to what they know so look where we are today. Yesterday was a backs to the wall, do what you do best situation. The line up with 4 centre halves and no full backs told the story with Downing playing on his wrong side to help out Carlos and the same with Gabby. We simply needed to plug the hole in the dam that was washing our season down the pan. With a card happy ref Warnock and Delph wouldnt have lasted 90 minutes, that was not a dirty game and most of our players were treading on egg shells trying not to get a second yellow, these 2 may not be the best but they are the best we have so we must get behind them, they are both brave men and put themselves in where it hurts.
Edit they looked like a MON team but hey who would have thought we would score an injury time winner, instead of conceding one.

[PeterWithe]

I thought Dunne played decently overall but his positioning for the equaliser was poor, to be so far away from his man that he could chest the ball down from the cross is pretty ropey. For a change I thought Cuellar's distribution was good, I thought the weak link in the defense in the second half was Clarke, he lost his man frequently and invited crosses, fair play to him for getting forward for the goal.

[Greg N'Ash]

Agree about clarke but he's just a kid. Still like to see some reinforcements in defence to cover the youth players and make sure the likes of Dunne stay on their toes

[garyshawsknee]

I thought Dunne played decently overall but his positioning for the equaliser was poor, to be so far away from his man that he could chest the ball down from the cross is pretty ropey. For a change I thought Cuellar's distribution was good, I thought the weak link in the defense in the second half was Clarke, he lost his man frequently and invited crosses, fair play to him for getting forward for the goal.

To be fair to him Chelsea played better when Bosingwa came on,and a couple of times Gabby lost his runner by switching off,but as a striker being played out of position he put in a  lot of work.