Chelsea captain John Terry has dismissed criticism from former player Robbie Savage, saying he did not listen to those who have had such a limited career.
Savage, a former Leicester City player turned pundit, has been one of a number of people picking holes in a dismal season for Terry and Chelsea, who have suffered six defeats in 11 league games.
But while Terry acknowledged that individual displays had not been good enough he revealed he was not paying any heed to the words of Savage, who was a trainee at Manchester United before a professional career which took in spells at Crewe, Birmingham, Blackburn and Derby as well as lifting the League Cup with Leicester in 1999.
"I've come under criticism, individually, from certain players and individuals, players I've looked up to and played alongside," he told a news conference.
"I've taken that on the chin: Rio [Ferdinand], Carra [Jamie Carragher], [Gary] Neville, the very best I've come up against in the game. I take that on the chin. When others speak, maybe I don't take it on the chin.
"When players have not had a career [I have], played at a really bad level in their career... Robbie Savage being one. He's dug me out a couple of times. You take it as a footballer, as an individual. I'll take it from the Rios, Carraghers and Neville. All day long. From others? Nah."
Terry also said the Chelsea players were completely behind under-fire manager Jose Mourinho and that he was one of many willing to take full responsibility for the bad form.
"It's difficult for us to pinpoint, as a group, one thing. For me, it's a lot of collective things put together," he added.
"First and foremost, the players will stand up and say -- and I will personally -- that we've not been good enough. We've not played well enough, and we take that on the shoulders.
"We know where we are in the league and the Champions League group, and we know what we need to do to get out of it. That relies on us, as players, not the players."
"I go back to that: he's under pressure because of the way we're performing. He can do all the work he can on the training field and in team meetings, but once we step over the white line it's on us.
"We know we need to be better, collectively, for this club and for him. He will take a lot of the responsibility on his shoulders, and that's unfair. It's on all of us collectively, not just on him.
"We are prepared to fight. Anyone at the games can see that. The desire, the fight that the fans want to see... the fans want to see people putting their bodies on the line for their football club. That's the bare minimum we can provide going forward at this football club."