Andy Considine has been a tremendous servant to Aberdeen and it will be a real shame to see him go this summer.
It has been revealed this week the 35-year-old club legend, who came through the ranks with the Dons youth academy and has racked up 18 seasons with the first team, will leave at the expiry of his contract.
There’s been a lot of focus on how the news of the Reds taking the offer a new one-year deal off the table got out, the subsequent angry statement from manager Jim Goodwin giving his side of the story, and whether letting him go is the right or wrong call from a purely footballing perspective.
What exactly happened – whether it came down to wages, the length of the deal or game time going forward – doesn’t bother me.
I’d like to focus on how important the big centre-back has been to Aberdeen in his near-two decades in and around the first team – and to remember the good times.
As well as playing more than 500 games across the defence under a long list of Pittodrie bosses – even those who maybe didn’t initially see his value – at left-back and centre-back, Andy was part of the team which ended the club’s near-20-year-long wait for silverware.
Under Derek McInnes, Considine helped the Dons over the line in the 2014 League Cup final against Inverness at Parkhead, which they eventually won on penalties after a 0-0 draw.
He’s even pitched in with important goals during his long spell, most notably his famous hat-trick against Dundee at Dens Park, as well as the goal to beat Celtic 1-0 and secure second place on the last day in 2018.
I think he’ll be such a big loss on and off the field.
Everything about Andy during his time at Pittodrie has been spot on – his demeanour, the way he talks to people around the place, and the way he’s looked after himself physically over the years – including his recent return to fitness from a serious knee injury at his age.
Let me tell you, I know all about knee injuries from my own playing career, and it’s a devastating injury. A knee problem was what ultimately ended my second spell with Aberdeen.
Goodwin has made it clear club legend Considine will get the chance to say goodbye to the Red Army across the six remaining league games this term, despite the fractious way the news of his impending departure came out.
It’s something I was glad to hear. When Alex Ferguson let me go in 1981, I was just pulled into the office on a Monday morning out the blue and told: ‘That’s you.’
I’m glad Andy will get to go out in the right fashion, and supporters in the stands and around the city will be able to pay tribute to a man who has given them so much over the years.
All things must end and who knows what is next. Andy will now need to work whether he wants to play on somewhere else. League One frontrunners Cove Rangers have been mentioned by many, although I still think he can play at the top level in Scotland if he wants to, despite being in his mid-thirties.
He may even choose to move into coaching or management, or leave football entirely.
Andy is so well liked, and he’s been a credit to Aberdeen.
Shame how things have turned out at Dons for Devlin
On the subject of Pittodrie departures, I felt heart-sick to hear Jim Goodwin had confirmed Michael Devlin will also depart Pittodrie in the summer.
Devlin has been so unlucky with injuries in his time with the Dons, and hasn’t managed to play for the first team since December 2020.
How it’s turned out for him at Aberdeen has been a real shame. He’s a lovely, lovely guy and is clearly a talented, technically good centre-half from the games we did see him play since signing in 2018. It was the same ability he showed earlier in his career while skippering Hamilton and something which saw him earn Scotland recognition in 2019.
The 28-year-old is also a great professional – but, in spite of this, unfortunately he just hasn’t been able to get over the injuries issues which have beset him at the Reds.
With the club having already given Devlin two short-term deals this season in an attempt to let him prove his fitness, only to see him suffer more setbacks, I think the time is now right for a fresh start.
New boss Goodwin is trying to build a squad of his own following what has been a disappointing season, which means freeing up wages, and he has to make the decisions he thinks are right for the club to move onwards and upwards.
I hope Devlin can find something else, whatever that may be.
Deal with County first – then look to Tynecastle
Aberdeen cannot afford to let themselves think about what is happening at Tynecastle when Ross County come to town on Saturday.
The Dons and the Staggies both know they need to win to give themselves a shot at making it into the top six in the final round of fixtures before the Premiership splits, but they are also both relying on Hibs failing to win the Edinburgh derby at Hearts.
I’m sure Jim Goodwin – who has made clear in his short time at Pittodrie so far that he is determined to instil drive and determination into the Reds players as a minimum requirement – won’t allow his team to take their eye off County until the full-time whistle goes and three points have been sewn up.
Aberdeen gave up the lead sloppily twice to bottom side Dundee at Dens Park last weekend, and Goodwin will have been drilling into his team the need to make any advantage count on Saturday against the Dingwall outfit.
County are a team arriving in the Granite City full of confidence under Malky Mackay and have earned their shot at the top six. Their attacking abilities especially have impressed me following a slow start to the season.
It would be a big disappointment if the Dons were to be left with bottom six football to close out the campaign, which still carries the threat of the relegation play-off spot.
However, I think if they can shut-out County’s forwards, they’re more than capable of getting a win which will take them halfway to the top half.