By Dan Harrison

James Collins is the first to admit when performances slip below his usual high standards.

But the defender will ease off on future criticism of his own displays - particularly as his mum, Kay, is quick to let him know when standards have dropped.

After Villa's recent 7-1 defeat to Chelsea, the Wales captain vented his disappointment with a post on his personal Twitter page.

As well as apologising to the travelling claret and blue supporters, Collins gave a frank assessment of his own performance.

While he received much admiration for the show of honesty, the Twitter page was removed and Collins vowed to refrain from going public with personal frustrations in future.

"I've been pretty happy with my form over the last couple of months and to drop that one in the middle was quite strange so I thought I would put it out there," he said.

"I'm as big as anyone - if I make a mistake I will apologise. If I think I haven't played very well, I'll be the first to say that I haven't played very well.

"It's alright taking all the hype and the congratulations but I think when you play bad you've got to be the first to admit that you've played bad.

"I was writing a few bits on there which got out into the papers and I thought it was time to stop it really and concentrate more on actually playing football.

"It was nice and I was getting quite a few followers on there. It was a shame to stop it but there are more things to worry about."

While Collins remains his own biggest critic, he admits his family are the first to let him know if his performances aren't up to scratch - in particular his mum.

When asked which members of his family were ruthless when it came to analysing his game, the classy stopper said: "All of them, but my mum more than anyone. She is my mum, so whatever she says goes.

"I wouldn't say she was my biggest critic. I am probably my own biggest critic but my family are not scared to tell when I have played badly.

"They won't sugar coat it. As soon as you have done well they are the first to congratulate you."

Collins can count on the support of his family, including Kay, at Wembley today.

They will be out in force for the FA Cup semi-final showdown against Chelsea - just as they were for February's Carling Cup final.

For the man from Newport, it is a chance to avenge the crushing defeat at Stamford Bridge a fortnight ago.

Although he feels the best way to deal with such disappointments is to confront them head on, Collins didn't watch the highlights of that game.

Instead, he hopes to erase the pain completely by reaching the FA Cup final.

"I actually didn't want Match of the Day that night," he added. "I say I'm big enough and ugly enough but I didn't watch it! I think the missus took over the remote control that night.

"Since it happened no one more than myself was disappointed with the way that we played and what went on, so it gives us a chance to put it right straight away.

"We got a great result last Saturday [at Bolton], which put it to the back of our minds even more."