James Collins says the collective are capable of becoming harder to beat.

James Collins has told the club’s official web-site that we can become tighter at the back. The Alex have shipped 15 goals already this season and the coaching staff were hugely disappointed with two of the goals that were conceded against Millwall at the weekend.

The Alex slipped to a second consecutive 3-1 home defeat and Collins was frustrated that it didn’t take great football to open us up.

James told crewealex.net: “I think we can become tighter and harder to beat. We work on it constantly and we will work on things defensively again this week because we were disappointed with the goals we conceded at the weekend against Millwall.

“If you analyse the goals and we have then you will see that there is enough bodies behind the ball when they score. The organisation and numbers are there. It is not as if we were opened up or got outnumbered on a counter attack.

“We had enough bodies behind the ball to deal with the threat but we didn’t. It is about decision making and being closer to the opposition. It is having that determination to make that block or being determined to stop the danger.

“We have to nip those soft goals going against us in the bud as sooner as possible and become more of a threat at the other end.

“All we can do every day is to go out on the training ground and improve the players. If we can improve them both individually and collectively then the results should come. I am sure if we can improve in both boxes and become harder to beat then that first result will come and we will be a match for anyone.”