Dons pelters is perk of job
Reynolds is happy to take criticism as it proves Reds are one of the top teams
MARK REYNOLDS insists the flak Aberdeen took before last Friday night’s win over Motherwell was just a ‘perk’ of being one of Scotland’s top sides.
The centre-back is adamant there was no panic as the Dons went through a sticky patch of only one Premiership win – a 5-1 thumping of Kilmarnock – from four games following a dismal defeat to Celtic in the Betfred Cup Final.
Now he hopes the Reds have found their rhythm and will go on to finish the campaign as the best of the rest with Celtic looking uncatchable at the top of the table.
A win over Hamilton tonight will make it back-to-back victories over the festive season and Reynolds plans to turn some of that stick into praise.
He said: “When you have been at Aberdeen for a few years you get used to the criticism.
“It’s one of the perks of the job when you go to a big team and one that’s a success with the history we have.
“When you start getting results that aren’t as good as expected then criticism is aimed at you
but the sport@dailyrecord.co.uk manager has tried to put together a changing room with characters who can take it on the chin and bounce back. “We’ve always tried to do our talking on the park and at the end of the season any criticism we have had will be deemed fair or unfair.” Reynolds is ready to face Hamilton at Pittodrie tonight but he knows there are no guarantees of going straight into Derek McInnes’s side. The 29-year-old admits his days as a first pick for the Reds are over now that manager McInnes has assembled a strong Pittodrie squad. Even stalwarts such as Niall McGinn, Adam Rooney and Ash Taylor have found themselves on the bench this season due to the strength in depth. So how does Reynolds cope with no longer being an automatic pick? He said: “It’s difficult. I feel I should be playing every week and that I’m ready to play every week. “But that’s the manager’s decision. It’s up to me to change his mind and convince him I should be playing and that I can put in a performance for the team. “I’ve still played 15 or 20-odd games this season so I’ve had some game time. “It’s just hard for me because I have always been used to playing 30-40 games a season.
“I don’t think the fans have too many questions. It’s a dressing room that’s going through changes and we’re still getting used to having so many good players.
“But it’s the manager who has to pick the team. That’s why he’s paid the big bucks and we’ve all got to train hard and hope we’re selected.
“Ash Taylor was alongside me for the last couple of years, playing in most games and now he has sat out the last few.
“Peter Pawlett was unbelievable for a couple of years and he’s also struggling for game time too.
“Then there are guys such as Miles Storey who has hardly kicked a ball such is the strength of the forwards. There is strength all through the squad. It makes it better for the boss but in a way harder as well.
“He needs to pick 11 players out of 15 and that means there are always going to be four who are unhappy.”
Whether or not he’s on the pitch tonight, Reynolds is convinced closing the sevenpoint gap between the Dons and second-placed Rangers is not an insurmountable task.
He added: “We’re still right amongst it. When you get a sticky spell – and we’ve had them before – it suddenly becomes doom and gloom with people saying the wheels have come off, asking what has happened and why.
“We’ve never concerned ourselves with that and in training this week we have looked sharp and all we can do is answer on the park against Hamilton.
“When I came to Pittodrie the club was just trying to achieve top-six football and that was the aim.
“Now, we’re used to being in the top six and in European football.
“But the nature of the game is that people have long memories and it wasn’t that long ago that Aberdeen were winning European trophies, being in cup finals and challenging Celtic and Rangers in the league.”
The Dons will be favourites tonight against a Hamilton side who crashed 3-0 to 10-man Celtic on home soil on Christmas Eve.
Accies have had 10 draws in their 18 league games but Reynolds rates them as tough nuts who always make life difficult.
He said: “They’ve always been hard to overcome since they came back into the top flight.
“If you are not prepared you can get caught cold against them. If we’re not at the top of our game they can turn round and bite you.”
FRANK GILFEATHER When you start getting results that aren’t as good then flak is aimed at you MARK REYNOLDS